TAYLOR KIRBY AND FABIANA DELFINO ARE VICTORIOUS AT THE INAUGURAL VANS SHOWDOWN

Costa Mesa, CALIF. (Aug 05, 2019) For the first time ever at Huntington Beach, the local skate community witnessed the Vans Showdown, a unique “pointless” street skating contest, far removed from traditional skate formats.

Aiming to promote the fun and cultural side of skateboarding, while showcasing the best skaters in the world, it was Taylor Kirby and Fabiana Delfino who came out on top at the inaugural Vans Showdown. For Taylor, his effortless style and consistent combinations, which included an amazing tre flip up the extra-large euro gap, plus a back three over the Quasi obstacle, made the celebrity judge’s decision easy. Fabiana impressed from the get go with her incredible transition skills and casual runs at pace. Her flawless approach demonstrated that she truly is an all-terrain skateboarder in any type of format.

Today’s contest atmosphere was a flash back to the 90s with skaters simply having fun and not being too concerned about gaining points for honors. Evan Smith was a great example of this, always smiling and entertaining the local Huntington Beach community with some of his unorthodox skateboarding which included a backside 180 nose grind across the Quasi obstacle. Competition veteran and iconic skater Rich McCrank rolled back the years with confidence throughout including a front 360 rock to fakie, while last minute wildcard winner Curren Caples, straight off the plane from Japan, exemplified fluidity across the entire skatepark in his jam heat.

Big thanks to all the Skaters, Quasi, Toy Machine, Baker, Girl, Geoff Rowley, Rick McCrank, Brian Anderson, Reese Forbes, Eric Dressen and the local community of Huntington Beach for making today a memorable moment in the history of street skateboarding.

WACTH THE REPLAY

Vans Showdown Final Results (If it even matters…):

Men’s

1. Taylor Kirby
2. CJ Collins
3. Axel Cruysberghs
4. Roman Pabich
5. Jake Anderson
6. Austyn Gillette
7. Mason Silva
8. Curren Caples
9. Simon Bannerot
10. Clive Dixon
11. Rick McCrank
12. David Gonzalez
13. Ryan Townley
14. Evan Smith
15. Pedro Delfino
16. Tyler Bledsoe

Women’s

1. Fabiana Delfino
2. Virginia Fortes
3. Shari White
4. Nora Vasconcellos
5. Annie Guglia

Best Trick Competition Winner:

• David Gonzalez
• Jordan Trahan
• Clive Dixon

Bonus Awards

• Workhorse Award: Nora Vasconcellos
• Most Sweaty Award: Austin Kanfoush
• Most Stylish Award: Myles Willard
• Most Creative Award: Tyler Pacheco
• Fun Seeker Award: Evan Smith

Taylor Kirby Photo: Acosta / Vans

Evan Smith Photo: Acosta / Vans