Maloof Money Cup - Day One

Words by Ryan Clements
Photos, video, and captions by Rob Meronek

Here's a minute of random footage - Gretchen Sheckler will no longer kiss me on the cheek, some Flying Tomato on the vert ramp, and an expert skateboard announcer interviews random people. At least she didn't say "switch nollie" like Hosoi.

How can an amazing concrete place to skate like this be built that's getting torn down on Monday, but other total piles of crap built by cities everywhere, like the Bro Bowl, last for decades? Yeah I said it. The Bro Bowl suuucks. I know about six 40-year-old men just fell out of their chair reading that. Blow up the Bro Bowl and build this with a few trannies thrown in and a hell of a lot more people can have fun skateboarding there

Everyone was fanning out on Marc Johnson being there. Hopefully I get some skate photos of him today. I just need to stay away from the Contest Before-Party. Wish me luck

I think the only time I see new tricks on vert is when people are playing games of SKATE on the flat or when Bucky is skating. He's doing frontside 540 bonelesses and nollie flip stale fish grab to front tail. I'll try to get some sequences later as long as the Prince of Zamunda isn't on the ramp. You can't go up on the deck when he's up there. I wonder where he keeps his camels

They have the most complicated system of wristband suckurity here. The crew of fellow sketchy skateboard industry types I'm hanging out with all got different bands. I do believe the purple one I have is the most gangsterest one out, though. I wonder what wristband the Prince of Zamunda got?

Clem is getting a pogo stick update from Andy Mac and acid drop tips from Will Powers

I think vert would be less dead if people like Bucky and the Tomato kid here would go to all the vert contests, not just the ones that are put on by giant fast food companies and soda pop

The Contest is going on right next to the State Fair. Looks like the carnies are interviewing Koston in between ferris wheel rides

Schaefer spent much of the day kissing babies like a presidential candidate. Somehow he didn't drink at all. I'm going to try that today. Hahahaa. No, serious. Wish me luck. The quality of skate photos is much improved if I can avoid the sauce. Nevermind, it's just a contest. Give me a beer

Corey Duffel just got back from Europe and is going back right after the Contest. I'm doing the same thing. We should bring that Hollywood camera with us

The Professor Paul Schmitt wears his lab coat everywhere

Hey kid, do you belong in here? You're who? You're pro for what? Never heard of it. Okay, you can come in you little punk, but you have to take one wheel off your board

Someone drew Kenny's favorite symbol on the Skatepark of Tampa Party Team turtle

I looked at the website for the place that After-Party is at each night and all I could picture is tribal tats, coral necklaces, $9 beers, and silk shirts. No thanks. I'm joining the hotel lobby ragers each night. Billy Marks has a well deserved spot on the Skatepark of Tampa Gambling Team. He took all my money away with the quickness

We flew into LA even though the event was in Orange County because it was a direct flight. Lay-overs get so old, so we avoided it. It was 40 miles to the Orange County Fairgrounds, which was the site of the event. We got there before noon, got properly hooked up with our credentials (thanks Ashton), and then it was nearly 10 hours of hanging out. Oh man…

The street course and vert ramp were more than impressive. First, the street course is temporary and cement. It was heavily landscaped, had a fountain in the middle, and the “set” looked like something out of a movie. And guess what…they’re tearing it down on Monday morning when this thing is over. How crazy and controversial is that?

It was like a trade show…everyone was hanging out drinking, talking $h!t, and just taking it all in. We were having a good time for sure, but it was a bit tough to watch the actual Contest. We sat through a lot of vert practice, the eS Am Game of SKATE Prelims, Am Street Prelims, and Pro Street Prelims, but the music was really low and the announcing was intermittent, so I didn’t really know what was happening much of the time.

Add in some weird SoCal music videos on the big screen and some unknown rappers yelling on stage and you had an eclectic array of unordinary entertainment. Eight hours later we were walking out of there tired, sunburned, and ready for some rest. Hello Radisson.