Amateur skater Yuzuki Kawasaki, 8, competing at the 2017 World Freestyle Round-Up Skateboard Championships. (Grace Kennedy)

Amateur skater Yuzuki Kawasaki, 8, competing at the 2017 World Freestyle Round-Up Skateboard Championships. (Grace Kennedy)

Skateboarders head to Cloverdale for world-renowned freestyle competition

World Round-Up Freestyle Skateboarding Championships return to fairgrounds this May long weekend

The eighth-annual World Freestyle Round-Up will bring amateur, professional and legendary skateboarders from eight different countries to the Cloverdale Fairgrounds during the rodeo and country fair.

The annual Cloverdale competition is one of the biggest freestyle skateboarding contests in the world. As the other four global competitions happen in Germany, Japan, Brazil and the U.S., this competition provides a chance for locals and visitors alike to watch the best freestyle skateboarders in the world compete for $10,000 in prizes.

Check out the competition inside the Cloverdale Curling Rink on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds from May 17 to 19, or come by on Monday, May 20 to watch specialty contests including 360 Spin Offs, best handstand tricks and longest coconut wheelie.

Contest producer Kevin Harris expects that there will be more spectators that ever this year.

“Since the 2020 Tokyo announcement came out that skateboarding would be part of the Olympics, the interest in the sport of skateboarding has grown substantially. We always get a good crowd but believe this year’s event could grow in terms of attendance and most certainly in excitement,” said Harris in a press release.

“The calibre of these athletes is starting to be taken very seriously,” he said.

White Rock pro-skater and Olympic hopeful Andy Anderson has competed at the Round-Up in recent years, but will miss this year as he has embarked on an international tour that will take him to competitions in China and Australia.

There will be plenty of talent on display, however, including young professional skaters from Japan who impress year after year — 15-year-old Isamu Yamamoto won first place at the round-up in 2017 and 2018 — and local skaters such as Surrey’s Kristopher Abramovic and Delta’s Lúcio de Lima.

Admission to the Round-Up comes with a $10 admission to the Cloverdale Country Fair. For more on the World Round-Up, including profiles on all competitors, visit theworldroundup.com.


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Cloverdale Reporter