By: Paul Zitzer
When I first started skating, vert ramps were about 8 feet tall. Now those are called mini ramps, and vert ramps have followed in the footsteps of the universe…always expanding. They’re currently weighing in at around 14 feet tall on average. With kids learning to skate at younger and younger ages, it’s hard to comprehend how crazy it must be to try to learn to skate them. I mean, these kids are clocking in somewhere around the four foot mark.

My first drop in on the old 8 footer ended with me writhing in pain on the flat bottom. Both of my shoes had flown off from the impact of what was more like a swan dive to flat than a concerted drop in attempt, and only one of my ankles survived the experience. But here I am, like a million years later watching the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Vert Finals, and these little freaks are skating like pint-sized Bob Burnquists.  Oh, and most of them don’t even bother with that outdated old drop in thing. They come bombing down the roll in like they’re on some sort of Kamikazee mission. It’s pretty awesome.

I gotta admit though, in years past I’ve been a little…I guess concerned is a good word, about the future of vert. The raddest kids three or four years ago would have like one big early grab air thing, a fatty to flatty if you will, and then struggle for the rest of their runs to get back up to the lip. Not no mo. Almost every single kid in the finals was doing flip tricks, lip tricks, proper airs, and at least attempting a 540 of some kind, with most of them managing to make them…and some of them made a bunch of them. I’m thinking I got out at the right time. But here’s a little briefing on the who’s who of vert’s future:

Clay Kreiner: Okay, this kid is 12 and did back to back McTwists. The last person I can think of who had this kind of style and technique at 12 was Danny Way. And we all know how Danny turned out. Neal Hendrix was raving to me about Clay all weekend. He also went like six feet out and did a frigid judo to boot, not to mention perfect alley oop McTwists too. I saw Danny Mayer give him the knucks after his run. Great stuff.

Joey Hamlisch: Joey and I go way back. I’ve skated just about every vert ramp on the east coast with little Joey. Actually, he isn’t that little any more, but…things change. A couple years back big daddy Jody H. uprooted the whole Hamlisch clan, moving them from Dirty Jersey to the sunny shores of So Cal. And it’s paying off. Joey came through with kickflip mutes, body varial three sixty rocks, and a varial gay twist onto the bank. Nice.

Jordan Price: I don’t know all that much about Jordan other than to say he’s 14, he has a ripping tallish-kid style, and he flat out shreds. He did every flip trick in the book and threw down a backside grab version of the 540. He’s like a little Corey Hart, in that he should be wearing shades because of how bright his future is.

Brian Kucharski: Brian is another kid I got to watch grow up on the pipe. He, like Joey Hamlisch, is coming straight out of Jersey. He was like the am veteran out there today being all of 18 now. I guess technically he’s a man, but whatever. He does the raddest indy 540’s in the business. Flipping them over in the tuck knee Buster Halterman style. He also does some crazed hand flip variations and a ripping 360 varial. Tight.

Sammy Schoonderwoer: What a name! I heard Neal Hendrix refer to him as Slammin’ Sammy, maybe that’ll be a little more marketable. Who knows though? This kid killed it with mute 540s, backside grab 540s, an indy 540, and apparently he can also do the stale 540. What?! He’s like seven. I kid, but he’s got at least twenty more good years in him. Renton asked me if he’s the kid that does 900’s. All I could say was, “I wouldn’t doubt it.” Schoonderwoerd up!

Dalton Dern: He’s from Florida, and is the only kid to make it to the finals in both street and vert. How ripping is that? He mixed things up with nosegrinds into the channel, inverts, and andrechts. And not only does he do 540s like the rest of these whippersnappers, but he did an ollie 540 onto the bank. Boo. Yeah! On a side note, his parents own a trophy company, but I think it’s safe to say he’ll be collecting plenty of trophies with or without them.

Jimmy Wilkins: Jimmy is from Ohio, which is hi in the middle and round on both ends. And guess what? Jimmy can do McTwists too. He has this rad lanky guy technique and went higher than just about everyone. He put down proper stales, heelflip indys, and slammed on a stale five at the buzzer, but it’s obvious he can do those too. Sick.

Zane Timpson: This kid is from Encinitas, CA, the home of vertical skateboarding. He’s stoked. I don’t know if he surfs or not, but judging by the way he cruised around on the ramp my guess is that he might? Maybe the blonde hair sticking out of the helmet had something to do with it too. He ripped with frontside nollies, backside nosegrinds, nollie five o’s and a ripping alley oop fronside nollie onto the bank. Sweet.

In the end, little Clay Kreiner won the whole deal and gets to skate with the pros in Orlando. I seriously can’t wait to see which of them he beats.