Vans Park Series: Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo was the place to be during the 1st and 2nd days of June as Vans held the very first Vans Park Series in Brazil with a custom built-to-spec park for the contest. The Cândido Portinari Park, located at the east zone of São Paulo city, played host the to the brand new skatepark, which was the stage for grinds, airs and so much more. We were there firsthand to witness the carnage and if you couldn’t be with us, this is what we saw at stop number one of 2018 Vans Park Series.

It’s important to mention that Vans has done a sick job, the park itself is South America’s first-and-only VPS-certified park terrain course, built and donated by Vans. Inside the park, extremely high level of skateboarding was going down while outside the park there were workshops, giveaways, food and drink, and even a mini-ramp for all the locals to skate.

The girl’s skating was up first and the girls were absolutely killing it. Sakura Yosozumi, from Japan, took the first place showcasing a technical style, you could tell she has spent a long time training in mini-ramps doing coping tricks. Her switch blunt was flawless. In second place, Yndi Asp surprised everybody not only by her skills but her perseverance, as she hit her head bailing right before the finals. It wasn’t enough to stop Yndi. Brighton Zeuner, at just 14 years old, ended up in 3rd place with a lot of style and flow. Another crowd pleaser was Nora Vasconcellos, always charismatic and the only one to flip on the course and the only one able to fakie grind over the love seat – she’s nuts.

And on to the men’s… Luiz Francisco, aka Little Luiz, was the sensation of the contest. His runs were energetic and he owns the highest boneless in the 45. The kid could take his board up to his chest, making the crowd go crazy. He didn’t made to the top three, but for the local crowd, he was the winner. First place went to Tom Schaar, second to Pedro Barros and third for Tristan Rennie. It was an event for the record book and looking forward to many more in the future. The VPS Pro Tour spans across five countries, on five continents, over six months and culminates with the official Vans Park Series World Championships, to be held later this year in China. Learn more about the Vans Park Series by visiting www.vansparkseries.com.