Durban, South Africa
We held the first éS Game of SKATE in Durban, South Africa on Saturday, July 14, 2007. Twenty kids entered and things got off to a firing start. Simon Stipcich was the favorite to take home the money, but late in the second round, he acquired the letters SKAT, with his opponent Jonathan on SK. Simon pulled out all the stops and landed every trick his opponent threw at him.
After 20 minutes of the best flatground skating the kids in Durban had seen in a long time, Simon skated his way into the Finals. When it was éS team rider Maanda Maluadzi’s turn, he blasted off with a switch tre flip above knee height, landing it clean with extra points for style. His opponent Dave Morrison went for a tre flip, only to be told that it was switch. Nobody could actually believe it.
Braxton Haine destroyed Maanda’s dreams of winning when he amazed the crowd with his flatland skills. Durban beachfront local Lance Walter ended Braxton’s winning streak by taking him out in the third round. There was a three-way Final between Simon Stipcich, Lance Walter and éS team rider Thabo Nage. After showing off his talents, Simon was the winner. Look for some YouTube footage of this event soon.