The Bluntside Skate Park Series has been taking over skate parks all across the Central West – from Parkes to Bathurst to the new park in Blayney.
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The series reaches its conclusion this Sunday in Orange at the John Lomas Skate Park as more than 30 of the best exponents of BMX, scooters and skateboards will take to the concrete.
The qualifying stages took place across September, October, November and December all across the Central West at Cowra, Manildra, Bathurst, Parkes, Orange, Dubbo, Young, Millthorpe and Mudgee, with a weekend in Blayney at the new park last weekend part of a build-up the final.
The final of the championship is backed by the Australian Skateboarding Federation with the winners of the four divisions – under 12s mixed, under 16s mixed, women’s and opens – off to the state titles.
Not only that, the winner of the skateboarding competition will win a ticket to Rumble on the Reef in Mackay, while tickets to the biggest scooter and BMX expos in the country are on offer for their respective section winners.
The whole experience – from start to finish – has been the brainchild of Blunt Side Skate Park’s Rick Konza.
He’s met nearly 130 athletes across the region in the course of his three months and is hoping next year is bigger again.
He was keen for Sunday’s finals.
“It’s pretty exciting but it’s kind of nerve-racking as well… there’ll be heaps of stuff happening with a lot of people there,” he said.
“I just hope the people turn up and it’ll be a good day – there are about 40 competitors across all formats.”
He said bringing the skating community together across the region had been the highlight of the series for him.
“All the kids have had the chance to get to know each other and mix and it’s been surreal,” Konza said.
“These guys might not have had the chance to do that before now.”
He said Bathurst and Parkes had been the biggest turnouts during the series, but Konza has been impressed with numbers at smaller communities such as Manildra and Millthorpe.
Saxon Cole looks the most likely of Orange’s contingent to take out Best Skate Trick in October as well as the under-12 BMX title, coming third in the open age group as well.
Scooters will kick off the finals on Sunday from 10am, while skateboarding and BMX sections will follow, with the events are expected to finish at about 2pm.
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