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SALT LAKE CITY — Legendary skater Tony Hawk held the second iteration of The Vert Alert in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The two-day event featured some of the best vert skaters from across the world compete in a professional contest in front of a crowd at the Utah State Fair Park.
The event was hosted by the Utah Sports commission and had competitors ranging from ages 9 to 34.
Both men's and women's fields were packed with notable athletes who have competed in other competitions, such as the X-Games. The men's field was won by Jimmy Wilkins, who took second last year; Mitchie Brusco and Moto Shibata took second and third, respectively.
"(The victory) means so much. I mean, the level of skating is just incredible," Wilkins said. "And they are all my friends, so to watch them all skate at their highest level is a really special thing to be a part of — even more than winning."
The women's field was dominated by much younger talent, with 9-year-old Reese Nelson as the youngest skater in the entire event and 12 year-old Arisa Trew not much older. Lilly Stoephasius took home first place, with Bryce Wettstein taking second and Trew coming in third.
Following the finals, which wrapped up in the afternoon, was a "best trick" contest in which each skater that made it to the semifinals and beyond got a chance to earn cash based on — you guessed it — their best trick. Edouard Damestoy took home the award in the men's division, while Nelson won it in the women's division.
Vert skating sees the skateboarders perform tricks as they ride along an incline — in this case it was a custom-built ramp owned by Hawk for the purpose of events like Saturday's.
For the finals period, the skaters were allotted a specified amount of time — 30 minutes for the women and 45 minutes for the men. During this time, the skaters took turns doing runs across the ramp while they performed tricks that were scored by judges. The judges awarded points based on multiple criteria, such as difficulty and creativity.
"It's my favorite thing to watch," Wilkins said. "When I was younger, vert skating was the first thing I saw from the X-Games and Tony Hawk video games."
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Friday marked Hawk's first time skating at a public event since he broke his femur in March 2022 on the same ramp used for the competition.
Hawk's influence is clearly felt throughout the sport of skateboarding, whether at his own event or others around the country. All fans in attendance were there hoping to get a chance to meet one of their idols, but it was also special for those participating in the event who looked up to Hawk from a young age.
"All thanks to Tony, he's the one supporting all of us." Wilkins said. "Tony is probably the reason everyone here is riding a skateboard."
With events like this weekend's, Hawk hopes to bring more coverage to the sport of vertical skateboarding.
