Damn Am Woodward West 2011

Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2011 by Rob

By Rob Meronek

We arrived at Woodward right before sunset. We're in the mountains out in the woods for the next five days.

The deer don't run when they see humans.

The MegaRamp is out in the woods built into a mountain slope. These fearless tykes get to the top by this ATV golf cart.

Dinner and a baby cannonball launcher show. Thanks for the food, Volcom.

Tom Schaar

Tom Schaar was born in 1999. He's here at Woodward West for Damn Am and doing 900's on the MegaRamp. Vert babies gone mad.

Cool guys talking about cool things. So cool.

So much varmit here.

The next morning we woke up to complete silence above the clouds.

Jorge Angel aka Porpe

On our vert flat bottom, all we have is games of SKATE. At Woodward, you can jock out like Porpe.

Nassim Guammaz

Nassim Guammaz rolls with the Volcom crew and has been coming to more and more Damn Am Contests. He's a stand-out at every one. On this particular course, there's no stair set, so people took their jumps down the bank ramps like this backside 360.

Lee Loughridge

When people ollie that high into a backside disaster, it looks so good. Lee Loughridge is stepping it up. That's a backside noseblunt.

Vern Laird

When the power went out half way through the first day, Woodward threw down $500 for us to have a Best Trick Contest outside with this battery powered broadcasting device. If you haven't seen it, you need to watch Boo Johnson's hardflip back smith. The results from that are here.

Kyle Walker

Think about how hard a back smith backside 180 out is. Then think about it on a handrail. Now see if you can picture yourself half cabbing into it. Yep, I can't see myself doing that either. Kyle Walker can.

Clive Dixon

Porpe shot this sequence of Clive Dixon on a frontside bigspin lipslide during the Best Trick Contest we had when the power went out.

Beaver Fleming

Of course when you live around a place like Woodward with all that variety to skate, you could end up doing things like this. That's Woodward resident Beaver Fleming. How cute.

Na-Kel Allah Smith

This was Na-Kel Allah Smith's first Damn Am Contest. I'm sure we'l be seeing more of him.

Beaver Fleming

The Beav's second favorite obstacle is the BMX jump. Obviously, no one on the SPoTlight staff thought anyone in the Contest would care about this thing. We are wrong again, but Beaver still prevails with an air barrel over the judges and announcers.

Eddie Moreno

New meets old on Eddie Moreno's finger flip lien noseblunt. Wow, never seen that one before.

Louie Lopez

Up and over this thing was a popular stunt, but Louie Lopez probably did it most graceful with this pivot fakie.

Heath Kirchart

Heath Kirchart knows how to kick it and watch some contest skateboarding. Thanks for bringing the Emerica crew, Heath.

Alex Midler

There's plenty of other trouble to get into in between runs.

Clay Kreiner

Over on the U, the tykes are skating like grown men in the air. Clay Kreiner - method fakie.

Jagger Eaton

The tykes are generally spinning in the air, but it's good to see a few of them actually getting started on the lip where things are better looking and more difficult. Mind the coping, kids. That's Jagger Eaton on a lein to tailslide.

What is it about the 540 that's so attractive to these kids? They all can put one down like Braydon Stelma here.

Oops, blew it on the focus with the class photo. These are the Vert Contest winners. Congrats, you tykes. How long before ya'll go Collin Provost and Taylor Smith on us?

Way out in the sticks, there are so many stars out at night. I went nerdy and put the camera on a tripod and set it to take a 30 second exposure every two minutes for about an hour. Here's the animated result.

DJ Wade

Halloween comes a week early every year at Damn Am. This year, the costume is easy. We're all DJ Wade.

DJ Wade

Pause for a foot fetish with DJ Wade. Which one is the real one?

DJ Wade

It's a mandatory group photo. Thanks for joining in, Heath Kirchart.

D'Andre Pendergrass

Over in the other part of the warehouse is the art district. That's D'Andre crossing the door.

James Capps

James Capps just made the cut this time and left a damn good impression. He missed the Finals by one spot. Make it happen in Tampa, James! That's a kickflip.

Alex Midler

Lil Wayne started skating at 29 years old. In this video, he explains his inspiration. That inspiration is Alex Midler. Alex told me all his videos on YouTube got thousands more views after Weezy put out that 30 minute rant and dropped his name. Crazy. Alex is doing grown man tricks now like this frontside 180 switch crooks.

Jared Cleland

Jared Cleland has one of those arm casts that you really can't fall on. That's not stopping the Florida hurricane, though.

Jacob Walder

Jacob Walder got good. The backside heelflip all the way around was a popular move.

Clive Dixon

Clive Dixon's nollie flip is as fast as it is tall.

Julian Christianson

Julian Christianson was here with the Element crew. That's a switch lipslide.

Trevor Colden

I think the backside bigspin like Trevor Colden has here is looking way better than the new am shuffle, the nollie bigspin.

Julian Christianson

Julian Christianson - switch pop shuv down the phantom 15 set.

Jorge Angel aka Porpe

Porpe had one of the wildest rides on the gambling roller coaster this weekend. From coming in with $2 to being up hundreds then down to his last bet, he ended up taking home $450.

Carlos Lastra

Carlos Lastra pulled his long nosegrind to nollie double flip out to win the Independent Best Trick Contest. He was another one who got to Tehachapi by bus and realized Woodward was another 20 miles away. He started the walk and luckily got picked up by someone along the way.

Anthony Estrada

Anthony Estrada was the Zumiez Destroyer of the weekend.

Kyle Walker

High fives from top two who tied for first: Kyle Walker and Trevor Colden. Going to the second run scores means Kyle Walker wins it.

What a weekend. Thanks everyone. We're already talking about another one at Woodward.

Boo Johnson, Hardflip Back Smith

After the power went out at Woodward, we had to postpone the Contest, but outside we had a little Best Trick Contest on the rail. Boo Johnson won it with this hardflip backside smith grind. Kyle Walker got 4th for this half cab back smith. He then one upped himself and did back 180 out of it after time.