Vans Downtown Showdown: Zero Bank/Stair Set

Words by Ryan Clements
Photos and Captions by Rob Meronek

Sheldon Meleshinski - frontside nosegrind

Eric Koston - nollie noseblunt slide

Billy Marks - feeble grind

Jereme Rogers - switch 360 flip

Jereme Rogers - backside overcrook

Erik Ellington - switch frontside flip

Erik Ellington - back lip

Antwuan Dixon nollie heel flip crooked grinds while Sheldon's probably like, "Who's that dude?"

The powers that be scheduled this obstacle for last because they figured that it was going to be the most exciting. Although it was a rather standard set-up, it was perfect. Picture a small eight-stair and a rail that’s a bit on the lower side. I knew that this was going to go off.

Erik Ellington – Hermanator was supposed to skate this one, but his head injury in the first Jam took him out of the Showdown for the rest of the day. Ellington stepped up with one of the best switch frontside flips of all time.
Antwuan Dixon – Antwuan was apparently feeling better and nailed a nollie heel crooks and nollie heel boardslide.

Brian Sumner – Sumner did just about every stock trick that could have been done. His strategy worked because he landed up in fifth.
Jon Goeman – Jon got a 6.67 for his score, so even though I don’t necessarily remember I’m going to assume that he really didn’t do too much.

Eric Koston – Koston didn’t have much, and his killer score of 13.33 proved it.
Jereme Rogers – Koston may have blown it, but Jereme came through for the Girl corner. He did everything switch – 360 flip, kickflip, fs and bs smith, bs lip, and probably some others that I can’t remember that earned him second place.

Billy Marks – Billy nailed a 360 flip to lip and 360 flip to lip to fakie, along with a kickflip frontside lipslide. That was enough to get him in third.
Matt Bennett – Matt did what some people are calling the Bennett grind, which is a backside 180 to switch back smith. He was working on it switch and got hurt, which brought in pinch-hitter, Josh Harmony, who kept getting pitched on frontside nosegrinds to fakie.

Corey Duffel – Corey didn’t really have too much to offer in this Jam. He got hurt and Adrian Mallory stepped in and tried wallie 5-0’s on the hubba to fakie down the bank, which was insane. I would have loved to have seen him make it.
Angel Ramirez – I’ll be damned if I can remember what Angel did, but he ended up in eighth, which ain’t all that bad.

Chris Cole – Need I say anymore, or do you already know? Chris dominates everything, so it only took him about 10 minutes to land a kickflip frontblunt to fakie. After that he proceeded to nail just about everything, including a bs 270 ollie to boardslide (absolutely perfect) and kickflip backlips and front boards. First place, bitch!
Sheldon Meleshinski – Sauder didn’t skate, so The Chief commissioned Sheldon Meleshinski once again to compete.

By this time it looked like Cooper Wilt and Chris Haslam abandoned the set. They were nowhere to be found.

Mike V. – Mike spent the entire time trying lipslides to revert down the banked hubbas. It was super-gnar, but earned him minimal points since he didn’t land it. I saw him still working on it about 20 minutes after the Contest was over.
Nyjah Huston – Switch heels and many other stair tricks got dad to yell from the crowd, “Skate the rail.” Nyjah must have heard him because he kickflipped into a front board and did a variety of other moves that landed him in fourth.

Zero Stair Set/Banks Team Results
1st	Toy Machine	81.83
2nd	Zero	76.00
3rd	Baker	70.17
4th	Element	62.00
5th	Girl	52.00
6th	Foundation	47.00
7th	Birdhouse	40.67
8th	Almost	0.00
Zero Stair Set/Bank Individual Results
1st	Chris Cole	94.67
2nd	Jereme Rogers	90.67
3rd	Billy Marks	90.33
4th	Nyjah Huston	89.00
5th	Brian Sumner	74.67
6th	Matt Bennett	73.33
7th	Antwuan Dixon	72.00
8th	Angel Ramirez	70.67
9th	Bryan Herman	68.33
10th	Sheldon Meleshinski	57.33
11th	Mike Vallely	35.00
12th	Corey Duffel	23.33
13th	Eric Koston	13.33
14th	Jon Goeman	6.67
15th	Chris Haslam	0.00
16th	Cooper Wilt	0.00