Damn Am Woodward West 2014: Day 1 photos

Go ahead and form a mental picture of California in your head. The Ocean breeze, palm trees, 12 lane interstates. Now, for the sake of Damn Am Woodward West in Tehachapi, forget all of that. Out here it’s mountains, scrub brush, and, I know it sounds made up, but packs of roving deer and elk. Totally saw them. But then there’s the skateboarding. The final stop of the 2014 Damn Am kicked off with a full day of practice for the well over 100 entrants, who came from everywhere for the opportunity to shred for the gold. And, to quote Iverson, “We talkin’ ‘bout practice?” Life of Ryan cast member Kane Sheckler signed up for his first ever Damn Am and if he has even one-tenth the success of his big bro he’ll be golden. Other notables on the scene include Mom Shecks, Dylan Williams who won Damn Am at Sixth and Mill last year, and then this absolutely miniscule Japanese kid doing backside sugarcanes down the handrail.

The day ended with a mini ramp jam where Supra, Matix, and Bones product was handed out to whoever the announcers (aka Schaefer, me) thought was ripping. A frontside 540 boneless and a fakie gymnast plant (anything goes!) both done by skaters whose names escape me at the moment were showered with what radio DJ’s would refer to as “schwag.” So too was Fletcher Renegar from Chattanooga who grinded in the backside overcrook fashion, all the rage with the kids these days, and then did like a million switch tricks which is pretty much impossible on a mini ramp in the midst of a snake session. If we had been voting on it, he’d have won. But all that was just warm up. Saturday is Street Qualifying and things are going to get heated, as they do out here in the desert.

Words by Paul Zitzer
Photos and captions by Bart Jones