The World Freestyle Round-Up is returning for its seventh-annual contest at the Cloverdale country fair this year, rounding up the world’s best professional and amateur freestyle skateboarders for four days of trick contests, demonstrations and battle-style competition.
From Friday, May 18 to Monday, May 21, the World Round-Up will transform the Cloverdale Curling Rink on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds into a skateboarding arena, featuring a flawless 50-foot by 110-foot concrete floor — perfect for freestyle skateboarding.
More than 50 skaters from 14 different countries, including Switzerland, Hungary and Brazil, will be competing for $10,000 in prize money, showing off their best technical tricks and choreographed freestyle routines that are sure to leave spectators in awe.
When asked who he was looking forward to seeing skate the most, organizer Monty Little listed several competitors, and said this year’s event would feature both new skaters and last year’s crowd favourites.
Little said that performances from some of the younger competitors, including Yuzuki Kawasaki, 9, Ikkei Nagao, 12, and Yuta Fujii, 12, just “blew the crowd away last year.”
Another one to watch is Mirei Tsuchida, the sole female competitor, who is a “phenomenal skater” and “all-round competitor,” said Little.
Canada will also have strong representation in the four-day competition. White Rock’s Andy Anderson, who is billed as a “household name in the Lower Mainland’s skateboarding community,” will return after placing fourth in the pro division last year.
And Ryan Brynelson, a professional rider from Delta, will return for his sixth World Round-Up competition. Brynelson and the World Round-Up demonstration team will be showcasing their skills in community events throughout Cloverdale leading up to the rodeo, such as the bed races and the rodeo parade.
Be sure to check out the World Freestyle Round-Up at the country fair — it’s not often you get so much talent in one arena. Spectators can watch the qualifiers on Friday, May 18, the semi-finals on Saturday, May 19, and the finals on Sunday, May 20. Although the main competition comes to the end on Sunday, the fun continues on Monday, which features several trick contests, such as the 360 Spin Off, Best Handstand Trick and Longest Coconut Wheelie.
To learn more about the competitors, watch them skate, and to view the full competition schedule, visit theworldroundup.com.
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