Damn Am LA 2023: Finals Photos

Frank Branca

Frank and Sam checking in with the MIB aka our security for the day. I am not sure how secure the premises were honestly, kids found out we had pizza and slipped past this guy no problem.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Greg Rodriguez

Greg Rodriguez going straight out the gate of semi-finals and flipping into a front 50.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Ray Corey

Ray Corey went viral for his lazer flip to hat catch. Peep his IG for the clip!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Joetaro Saito

Joetaro with his famous kickflip back lip. He puts some authority on those!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Jonathan Henderson

Jonathan getting ready for his run with a board swap. That Skater XL Best Trick contest did a number on his.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Koston Eaton

Koston Eaton came to play in the semi-finals. Bump to nosegrind from across the course.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Koston Eaton

Followed by a back overcrook down the 10 set. Koston brought the pinch
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Abner Pietro

Lot of dudes out here taking the risk over the bump to rail. Fatty to flatty melon from the Brazilian Abner Pietro
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Taiga Nagai

Wish I was a little higher up for this one to see the pinch. Back 180 nosegrinds on lock from Tiaga Nagai
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Koston Eaton

Switch front board practice from Koston Eaton. He was going for the switch front feeble. That's some pro level shit!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Abner Pietro

Abner threw down a back salad that might as well have been back tail. Either way he did it with style and finesse!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Vitor Borger

What's a contest without some legendary filmers in the building. Shout out to Vitor and Lando for bringing their vision to the Berrics
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Taiga Nagai

There was a bigspin into this and a 270 out of this, but all you get is the part where he does the blunt. I need to start shooting sequences of Taiga Nagai cause my photos aren't doing the man justice!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

Lazer has laser speed kickflips so I didn't get the flick into this back tail, but man it was a beaut!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Abner Pietro

Yo Abner, do a kickflip!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

You ever see those corny captions from influencers where they say their life is like a movie? This is kinda like that, except Damn Am is really like a movie and here is a photo of the crowd in the theater.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Junnosuke Hasegawa

Followed by a front shuv up the most impossible step-up to skate.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Nobi Villalobos

Nobi was killing it in the Qualifiers and made his way to the finals finishing 12th overall. Locked in back 180 nosegrind down the hubba
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Nobi Villalobos

Congrats Nobi!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Sena Watanabe

Sena going in on his last run with a BANG. Heelflip front blunt out the gate like nobody's business.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Sena Watanabe

Followed by another heelflip but this time backside over the 7. Congrats on 9th Sena!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Sena Watanabe

Sena Watanabe will be a household name one day!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Koston Eaton

One more back over crook from Koston Eaton but a little closer this time.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Koston Eaton

Koston had the kickflip backlip dialed, but the most impressive part was the switch back lip he followed this up with.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Koston Eaton

Congratulations on 8th place Koston!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Junnosuke Yonesaka

Junnosuke? More like Junnocanskate really well! 270 into this one.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Junnosuke Yonesaka

The Japanese crew was stoked for Junnosuke.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Junnosuke Yonesaka

Congrats on 7th overall Junnosuke!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Cole Wayka

Cole Wayka from Wisconsin was really out here! Nosegrinding his way into 6th.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Cole Wayka

Congratulations Cole!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

SKNDL Skateboards

Thanks for Nothing SKNDL Skateboards crew, no seriously, we mean it!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Colin McKay

Colin McKay bringing back the 3rd act of Plan B? Thanks for Nothing Colin!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Hideki Ishii

The man of the hour. The filmer of the year. Hideki Ishii literally live streams from his phone mounted on top of his camera while he films reels. He is the realest in the game. Thank you Hideki!!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Taiga Nagai

Taiga Nagai ripped all weekend and did a 270 shuv into everything. Including this front board.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Taiga Nagai

Remember how Taiga Nagai did the bigspin hurricane and won Skater XL Best Trick? He also did it in the middle of his finals run on Sunday. He came up short, but ended up walking out with 5th place. Big things comin' your way Taiga!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Taiga Nagai

Congratulations, Taiga!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Abner Pietro

There was only one Brazilian in the entire contest and he was not messing around. Abner Pietro with a kickflip crook and back to Brazil with a 4th place trophy.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Abner Pietro

This is what I was talking about with Colin McKay and the 3rd act of Plan B. This dude was iced out with a Plan B chain!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Abner Pietro

Congrats on 4th Abner!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Manny Santiago

Taking a small break to acknowledge that Manny Santiago and Andrew Cannon were wearing sandals on the podium.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Malachi Gray

Honestly thought this was a photo of a kickflip front board at first, then I watched the SPoT Life and realized it was a kickflip front blunt shuv. Malachi Gray you are insane!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Malachi Gray

Kickflip front crook to close out his run. Malachi was a fill-in for Deon Harris, who had to bounce, and ended up taking 3rd place overall!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Toa Sasaki

As always - Toa Sasaki aka Toaconstrictor, starts out his run with the 540 flip boardslide. Super casual stuff!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Toa Sasaki

Toa with a massive nollie heel front board right in front of all of his homies. I love this one. Peep the next photo.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Toa Sasaki

Minds were blown!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Toa Sasaki

Toa's performance landed him in 2nd place. The squad was hyped!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

Lazer knew he had one last chance to seal the deal and that he did. Here are a few highlights from his winning run. Starting off with a kickflip backlip down the 10
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

Followed up by a hardflip over the 7 rail. Insanity!!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

And if that wasn't enough... hardflip backlip down the 10. Congratulations, Lazer!
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

It's a celebration.
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

1. Lazer 2. Toa 3. Malachi
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail

Lazer Crawford

Peace out LA. Next stop: Japan
Date: May 24, 2023
Photographer: Matt Shail