By LARA COOK Associate A&E Editor lecook@smu.edu
Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Updated: Thursday, March 4, 2010
LAURA COOK/The Daily Campus
Skateboarders participate in the 2nd annual D-Town Throwdown.
LAURA COOK/The Daily Campus
On the stairs in front of the American Airlines Center, skateboarders perform heelflips, ollies, backside bigspins and other tricks, transforming the entrance to the arena into a hip skateboard park.
While skateboarding is usually forbidden in places such as AT&T Plaza, Tuesday Night is a different story as Lil Wayne’s song “Bedrock” emanates from the DJ booth, setting the tone of the two-hour event.
A crowd of about 300 watches as the contestants use the six stairs and stair rail to perform outrageous stunts that even those unfamiliar with the skateboard lingo cannot help but cheer for. With over an hour to impress the judges, the skateboarders try to land the perfect stunt in hopes of being named the best skateboarder in North Dallas.
On Tuesday night, Action Park Alliance held the 2nd annual D-Town Throwdown in search for the most talented skateboarder in North Texas. The contest was held before the Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings game at American Airlines Center, with trials from 6-7 p.m. and finals beginning at 7:15. Red Bull sponsored the event, handing out free drinks and supplying a pimped out party bus for VIP spectators.
Blending in with the electronic and hip-hop jams being spun by the DJ were the “ooo’s,” “ah’s” and “oh’s” from spectators as the competitors either landed a cool trick or took a serious dive onto the concrete ground. The most anticipated part of the event was the guest appearance of pro-skater, Ryan Sheckler. Sheckler is sponsored by Red Bull and flew to Dallas to help out with the event. The two-time gold medalist of the X Games judged the skaters, looking for who could do the most moves in the allotted time as well as who was not afraid to try difficult stunts.
“At the end of the day it’s all about the hardest trick you can pull out,” Sheckler said.
Most of the contestants were in their early 20s and had competed in last year’s event. Shawn Greene, a 22-year-old from Dallas, took home first place in 2009’s D-Town Throwdown, and placed 4th this year.
“My favorite move is a backside 360˚, that’s how I usually try to impress the judges,” Greene said.
The backside 360˚ was a popular move Tuesday night, as skaters waited patiently for their turn to run and jump onto the stair rail and ignite cheers and applause from the fired up crowd.
Sheckler says the laid back nature of the event and constant skateboarding keeps spectators pumped up.
“A contest like this is easy to watch because it’s a lot of action, it’s a lot of fun, so I’m always into it,” Sheckler said.
The eight skaters held nothing back during the finals, as skateboards slid down the rail, spun in the air and flawlessly landed back on the ground.
After 30 minutes of battling it out, David Sauceda took home the title this year with his last move of the night, the “ghetto bird,” known in the skateboarding world as a hardflip backside 180˚.
At the end of the event, fans and constestants alike lined up to get autographs and pictures with the guest of honor, Sheckler.
Sheckler, who gained popularity with his 2002 MTV reality show, Life of Ryan, was in town for only a day to judge the event. Since then, Sheckler has been concentrating on his new clothing line, RS, available at JC Penny.
Though he is undecided of whether he will compete in this year’s X Games or Blue Cup, Sheckler does know for him it is all about the skateboarding.
“I just want to skate. I have this whole season to straight up just skateboard,” Sheckler said.
source:
The Daily Campus
 "Photo: LAURA COOK/The Daily Campus")
 "Photo: LAURA COOK/The Daily Campus")
