Cooter Con 11 Recap

Informative Post
by Nate Grant

As I sit on the train heading home from a great weekend, I have to look back and think about all that happened. I rode new places, met new friends, and made new memories. This contest had a different vibe to it than the rest. This contest (to me at least) seemed more about friendship. It's not often that the beginner and intermediate categories are more competitive than the pros, but it was the case this time. After a great day riding parks in the Vancouver/Battleground area with my friends Brandon Miller and Cooper Klaar, we got a good nights sleep (or not), and drove up to Renton, WA in the morning. After a very fun session at the Renton Outdoor Park with mothership employee Devin Holbein, we headed to Skatebarn West to find it...empty? We only spotted a few riders there, including my good friend Dakota Schuetz, who wasn't even dressed down to ride. This laid back vibe set the theme for the contest, and the whole trip.

A few clips from Renton Outdoor

After checking into our hotel and meeting up with Dustin Nooner and my co-worker Kingsley Okocha, we decided to head out to Sammamish Skatepark. Here we met up with some more pros including MGP's Tyler Bonner, Jesse Ikedah, and Capron Funk. After a little bit we headed back to Skatebarn for the evening session. A few more people showed up, but it was still more of a "sesh" vibe, rather than a contest. It wasn't long before Josh Kish, Collin Dasilva, Jordan Jasa, Monky, Cam Ward, and Ryan Upchurch all showed up, and we were all goofing off and having a great time. After a very laid back night sesh, we decided to call it a night.

Saturday morning came around quicker than we would have liked, as myself and my next door neighbors at the hotel (Scooter Zone's Raymond Warner and Corey Funk) rode our scooters to skatebarn to check out the beginner and intermediate divisions. After helping event organizer Jimmy Hoffa with a few things, we sat down to watch the beginners. . These kids were there to destroy Skatebarn. They all showed amazing dedication and skill. A shoutout to Paxton Swygard, who won the beginner division.

Soon after, intermediate started. What is called "intermediate" now could have been called "pro" just three or four years ago. The line between these two divisions was so small its amazing. Guys like Ty Alexander and Jeremy Mallot (who placed in pro the next day as well) were just throwing down left and right. Congrats to Ty for winning first place! After a quick dinner with Blunt's Jordan Jasa and Ryan Upchurch, it was back to Skatebarn for another late night sesh. This time, most of the pro's showed up. However, no one was in "contest mode." Everyone was chatting, helping each other learn new tricks, and just taking it easy in general. It was really enjoyable, very refreshing, and a really incredible experience I won't soon forget. The session was cast in silence when Capron Funk took a peg to the head trying to back scooterflip up the rollin. He was taken to the hospital, where he was given 7 stitches, and clearance to ride in the contest the next day. The session (understandably) fizzled out after Capron's accident, and we decided to head back to the hotel for the night.

As the sun climbed into the sky Sunday morning, it still didn't feel like an intense contest. After breakfast at the hotel with Phoenix Pro Scooters owner Tom Floyd, and JJW Designs owner Justin Wharton, we once again headed to Skatebarn. The trade show was pretty much set up by then, since we had done a lot the night before. There were companies from all over the US with booths, and a center Stage. I started things off by speaking a little about the new Fuzion Elite Scooter, and every other company followed with time at the microphone. It was a really cool show, with tons of free giveaways, and lots of opportunities to talk to company owners and riders. I was able to get a few words with Tsi Scooters owner Matt Thom about the new Flight Deck, which was stirring up lots of interest.

Everyone attending the trade show had chances to purchase parts, and the employees at Mothership were very busy helping kids get their dream scooters dialed in. A shoutout to Devin and Ernesto from Mothership, they did a great job handling the rush.

An overview of the trade show

As the trade show wound down, pros were starting to show up for the contest. Guys like Zero Gravity's Hunter Bechtle, Lucky's Mike Montgomory, and Inward's Collin Dasilva looked to be having an absolute blast, as did everyone else. Again, the contest "vibe" was no where to be found, and it really made the contest more enjoyable. When the runs started, everyone was cheering each other on, and riders seemed much more relaxed than normal. District's Cam Ward amazed everyone by bringing out a flawless first run, pulling a whip to oppo bar to bar over the spine. Cooter Con veteran Tyler Bonner fell in both his runs, but still pulled out a great 5th place. Dakota Schuetz won his second skatebarn comp in a row, flipping from the spine to the pyramid landing in the big section. If I listed every gnarly trick that went down, I'd be here for days, so make sure to check for the footage. A huge shoutout to Hunter Bechtle, who threw down 2 of the gnarliest runs I've ever seen, and somehow didn't make the top ten.

After the pro contest was over, it was time for best trick. Best trick is always my favorite event because of how laid back it is, with everyone just trying crazy/weird/fun things, and just having a good time, which was how this whole weekend was actually. Anyway, Josh Kish was the first to land a trick, pulling a frontflip superman over the K2 flybox. Next was Dakota Schuetz, who landed a front scooterflip to superman with a big grin on his face. Next to land something was myself. I did a feeble to scooter fakie to whip out on the main hubba, which I was pretty pumped on. After my trick, Stan Smirnoff pulled a fastplant 360 over the K2 box. It might not sound to impressive, but this trick is hard enough flat, let alone going at a huge flybox with a lot of speed. It was definitely the best trick I saw all weekend, and Impact Scooter News was proud to present Stan with the win in best trick.


NWEdit's Devin Holbein made this video of the contest, check it out

After best trick, Jimmy Hoffa took the microphone and proclaimed that it was time for the product toss. Inviting parents, sponsors, pros, ams, intermediates, and everyone else to come to the floor, he started flinging out all sorts of prizes. Stickers, grips, shirts, wristbands, plastic eggs with prize vouchers inside, griptape, and more, it was all there. It was a lot of fun watching everyone go crazy over all the free stuff, and everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves.
As people slowly headed out the door, I realized what an amazing contest had just gone down. Everyone was supporting each other. Riders were helping and cheering each other on, companies were complimenting other companies, and everyone was all smiles all weekend. Right then, I heard Ryan Upchurch frantically asking people if anyone had seen a laptop. My stomach sank as I realized that the Cooter Con thievery problem was still at large. Not only was this Ryan's personal computer, but it also contained all the footage of the ECX DVD "Butter." We believe the thief has been determined, but so far the laptop has not been recovered. Please contact us here at Impact Scooter News, Jimmy at Skatebarn/Mothership, anyone at Inside Scooters Blog, or Ryan Upchurch himself if you have any information.
With the mood slightly dampened, we headed to Roundtable Pizza with Phoenix Pro Scooters, Inward Scooters, Scooterzone, Blunt, and TSI for the afterparty. Full of pizza, Brandon, Cooper, Raymond, Corey, and myself headed back to the hotel. As soon as we got to our floor, we were surprised by Jordan Jasa, Josh Kish, and Collin Dasilva. We wound up hanging out and having a good time and a very long night. It was awesome to hang out with two of my best scooter friends, and to make new friends like Collin. After a very late goodbye, it was time for sleep. We were rudely awakened by a prank fire alarm pull, but it was quickly shut off. After saying goodbye to Raymond and Corey, we checked out of the hotel. A quick sesh at Renton Outdoor, and it was back to Vancouver/Portland. One final goodbye at the train station, and now here I am typing all this.
I don't think I can stress how perfect of a trip this was. The contest mood was just flat out amazing. A contest that doesn't feel like a contest, how much better can it get. Smiles, laughter, friendship all around. Good riding and good vibrations. I am so thankful to be able to say I attended Cooter Con 11. It was definitely my favorite contest to date. I know this is a long article, but I can't say enough how amazing this weekend has been. Here come the shoutouts!
Brandon Miller and Cooper Klaar, for being my buddies this whole trip. Four nights, five days, and countless world firsts, you guys are the best. My homies at Inside Scooters, Chris Gascoigne and Jordan Jasa, for all the laughs and good times. Josh Kish, Dustin Nooner, Capron Funk, Dakota Schuetz, Tyler Bonner, I love riding with you guys and I always will. My new friends Ryan Upchurch and Collin Dasilva, I hope we get to ride again real soon. Jimmy Hoffa and Rachel Byrd, for doing an OUTSTANDING job putting together and running this contest. Seriously, those two didn't have five minutes of free time all weekend. Tom Floyd and JP Kosters, as well as all the other amazing companies who helped make this event happen. My man David Fross, who finally didn't get hurt at a contest! Raymond Warner and Corey Funk, I feel like we all live together now, best hotel neighbors ever. To Fuzion scooters, for helping this trip happen for me, and for helping me share some of my favorite products with everyone. And last but not least, to Kingsley Okocha, for everything you did for me this weekend, I couldn't ask for a better co-worker.
This brings an end to my extremely long post, I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned to Impact Scooter News!
Jordan Jasa, Josh Kish, Collin Dasilva, Cooper Klaar, and myself, on the inevitable tinychat sesh