First of all we would like to express our congratulations to Chris Cole and all other Skateboarders who have been successfully competing in the 2007 edition of the es Game of Skate.
We want this to be understood neither as disrespect to any of the participating pros, nor to Sole Tech as we know about their huge support for the world wide skateboarding scene, but even the most professional organisation has a bad day some times. We can’t find an objective reason for the exclusion of Alex Mizurov from the Pro final, as other amateurs were obviously allowed to start in that category.
The European Skateboard Association therefore highly recommends all Skateboarders who are as frustrated about Alex exclusion as we are, to leave a comment at the following es website:
http://esfootwear.com/blog/2007/09/08/es-game-of-skate-2007-world-championships-results/!

European Skateboard Championships 2007
12 August 2007
Basel, Swiss
A new record number is hit with this year’s number of competing skateboarders at the European Skateboard Championships: 481

The new European Champions are Phillip Schuster from Austria in Street, Mathias Ringström from Sweden in Vert, Jüergen Horrwarth from Germany in Bowl and IanireElorriaga from Spain for the girls in Street
The 7th edition of the European Skateboard Championships ended with a spectacular final in street with more than 6000 spectators on a sunny Sunday in Basel. The best ten skateboarders chosen from more than 317 skateboarders just competing in the discipline street skated in two 90 seconds runs with Best Trick.
Axel Cruysberghs from Belgium, who is 13 years old and travels with his family from skateboard contest to skateboard contest placed 4th with wonderful kickflips over the pyramid, backside 180s kickflips and frontside feeble grinds. Daniel Viera took the 3rd place skating this time under the Portuguese flag doing kick flip indys, 360 flips and switch frontside flips. Jeremy Rheinhardt from Germany did nice feeble grinds and backside lipslides and got second this time and first place went to Phillip Schuster from Austria for as solid run containing tailslides 270s, smith grinds, switch 360 flips, wallrides and more … Congratulations!
 
The girls qualification was Sunday morning with 19 girls competing in a jam format. The finals were held in two 60 seconds runs including last trick. Ianire Elorriaga from Spain did it again with backside disasters, kickflips and 50-50 grinds and got first place with the girls. Second went Eveline Bouillart from Belgium doing nice feeble grinds down the big rail and third place went to Candy Jacobs from the Netherlands for backside 180s and feeble grinds.
 
With the new double kidney bowl from IOU Ramps the bowl contest was the highlight of the weekend. Unfortunately ”nature” was not to keen on us this weekend and the bowl was just about dry for the bowl qualification on Saturday. But luckily the sun was out for the finals on Sunday, when youngster Freddy Austbo from Norway got third with backside disaster on the extension Marseille local Julien Benoliel was on the second place with backside tailslide on the extension and tried a blunt 180 off the edge of the extension as last trick and first place went to Jürgen Horrwarth from Germany for nice tailgrabs and nosegrinds over the hip and an alley oop rock’n’ roll on the side of the extension.
 
Jürgen Horrwarth also got third in the Vert, he is also one of the few that skate all three disciplines at the ESC.
Second place went to Joris Brichet from France for his smooth lines and varials and the winner of this year’s vert champion is Mathias Ringstrom from Sweden for his impressive heelflip caballerials and 540s.
 
Going on its second the Junior Champs started on Thursday with more than 80 young skateboarders in three age groups: the winner of the age group 1 – 13 is Eyal Maman from Thun in Switzerland, nest age group winner from 13 – 14 is Nassim Guammaz from Holland and also from Holland is Woody Hoogendyk, who won the age group 15 -16 and the Junior Champs!
 
With more than 480 skateboarders competing, over 200 media representatives, tons of team managers, families and friends and over 100 volunteers the European Skateboard Championships are world wide the biggest skateboardboard event, that brings Europe together to celebrate once a year a true skateboard fest in Basel. Hopefully you have not missed out Saturday night party at the Blackcrossbowl with Oli Burgin, Pontus Alv and Christoph Merkt skating the bowl and some good cheap beer! More at www.blackcrossbowl.blogspot.com

A big Thank You goes to carhartt and etnies who made this event possible, as well as all the helpers and volunteers.
Please visit www.skateboardeurope.com <http://www.skateboardeurope.com> to view the daily updates and be our friend go to www.myspace.com/esc07.

Wait a minute, I asked myself today:
What if...

...there was the biggest sports event in the world, with hundreds of athletes, thousands of fans coming from all over the world to see the event live and with millions of worldwide viewers in front of their TV? 

...this event is getting older and is showing sports that young people are not interested in anymore?

...the people behind this event are almost as old as their event, that old, that they can hardly get used to new faces and remember new names?

...these are the same people, that recognize, that something needs to be changed, to keep on being the biggest sports event in the world?

...in these people´s eyes Skateboarding is a “sport”, that attracts a lot of young people, like snowboarding and BMX.

...these people would talk to the skateboard industry, event organisers and federations, through one of their friends?

...the industry, event organizers and federations think they could trust this friend and think they can fix a deal, getting the best out of it for skateboarding?

...there would be kids worldwide inspired and pick up skateboards in 2012, because they saw it at the biggest sports event?

...this event would help to rise public and governmental funding to built more skateparks?

...not only mayor, but also the core shops would start to increase their board sales?

and what if...

...skateboarders don´t like the idea, of joining this event?

...they are scared, that this event could be bad for the vibe and the lifestyle that they are living, that they have to wear uniforms and tricot numbers?

...they are scared, that the 2012 generation of skateboard kids would not understand the way that they see, feel, live and breath skateboarding?

...skateboard federations would be irritated, because they have always been told to talk to nobody about their meetings they have had with the event organizer´s friend, but the same friend is sending press releases around the globe after every meeting?

but what if...

...there would be skateboard federations, event organizers and people out of the skateboard industry, who would be prepared for this event and the kids and try to assist them in finding out that skateboarding can be so much more than just a “sport”?

...it would happen anyways and it is no longer the question if and when, but who will be involved and there to make sure skateboarding is presented the right way?

What can we loose, what could we gain?

There always have been skateboarders, who did and also some who did not join competitions, but at the end, aren´t both skateboarders from the heart?

Nils David Gebbers
-president european skateboard association –

(Articles that are personally signed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of each single ESA member.)