Skateboarders from all over Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and even as far away as Florida and California, converged at The Bay Skatepark in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday for the first stop of Red Bull’s Cornerstone, a brand new skateboard contest series aimed at recognizing and spotlighting the Heartland’s best skateparks, skate shops, and skateboarders. The Bay Skatepark has a long history of providing local skateboarders with a place to skate indoors throughout the cold Nebraska winters, and the park layout and features make it one of the top indoor facilities in the country.
The day’s event began with the Men’s Prelims where 28 skaters were put in jams of 3 and given 2 minutes to cover the entire course and try to impress the judges. It was apparent early on that Nebraska skateboarders absolutely rip and could easily hold their own at any am contest in the world - proof that with the right amount of support from the community that talent will flourish anywhere. The Fowler Brothers from Omaha, Jeff and Travis, were early standouts with big moves, easy style and marked consistency, and earned themselves the first and third in the prelims respectively, with Lincoln’s own Mason Elsasser in the middle.
Eighteen total skaters advanced to the Semi-Finals and battled it out in another bout of 2-minute jams, with only 9 making the cut to the Final round. The Fowlers floundered in the Finals unfortunately - leaving it anyone’s contest. The Kansas connection took full advantage and ended up taking 2 spots on the podium. Logan Cook was throwing out bangers like frontside shuvits out of grinds on the a-frame rail and backside tailslides down the double set rail, landing himself in a solid 3rd place.. Wichata’s Landon Barhart had a good mix of street and tranny moves and stayed on his board, and was handed 2nd place by the judges for his efforts. But it was little big man Blaine Harper from Kansas City that stole the show with the biggest bag of tricks and a full throttle assault across the entire course. Blaine dominated the Finals jam and walked with the 1st place trophy. The next stop is in Blaine’s hometown of Kansas City on August 17. Will he be there to try to chalk up another qualifier victory? We’ll have to wait and see.
There’s a wave of young female skateboarders rising up in Lincoln, thanks to the support that The Bay provides. But since the contest was 16+, only four skaters qualified to enter the Women’s Prelims. This contest was all about having fun and the crowd definitely made it known that they had the girls’ backs and want to see more women skateboarding at The Bay. The scores were too close to call, so all four girls advanced to the Final round. In the end it was Ana Caculovic in 1st, Dallis Merril in 2nd, and Savannah Larsen in 3rd.
The top 6 Men and the top 3 Women from Saturday’s contest have all earned a spot in the Final’s event at Familia Skatepark in Minneapolis on October 6th. The Cornerstone qualifier series continues with Stop 2 at RideFourEver in Kansas City on August 17th. For more information visit Redbull.com/cornerstone .
Men’s Results:
1. Blaine Harper
2. Landon Barnhart
3. Logan Cook
4. Jonny Cruz
5. Andrew Thompson
6. Lee Osterholt
Women’s Results:
1. Ana Caculovic
2. Dallis Merrill
3. Savannah Larson
For the complete list of results, visit: TheBoardr.com
About Red Bull Cornerstone:
Red Bull Cornerstone invites top skaters from the Midwest to four of the region’s best indoor skateparks for qualifier events in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Minnesota. The top male and female skaters at each stop will earn a coveted spot at the Red Bull Cornerstone Final in Minneapolis on October 6th. As a bonus, a best trick session will go down during the Finals on select Red Bull features, designed by Red Bull athletes, that will allow the skaters to win the obstacle being skated. Those features will be sent to each winner’s local park to capture the triumph of the skater and share back with his/her local skate community. The prize purse at each qualifier event is $1,500, while competitors who make it to the Finals will compete for an additional $9,000! That’s a total of $15,000 up for grabs! Get all the info on redbull.com/cornerstone .
