Men’s Street Semi Final, Toa Sasaki + Braden Hoban On Top | RSEO PDX 2026
Rockstar Energy teammates Lazer Crawford and Braden Hoban. Photo: Ballard
Twenty skaters blessed the 2026 Rockstar Energy Open course in Portland, Oregon for the Men’s Street Semi Final, and after they each took three 45-second runs it was Toa Sasaki and Braden Hoban leading the pack.
Of the twenty skaters–four of which earned their spot with their runs on Friday in the onsite VQS Qualifier–only the top 10 advanced to the Final on Sunday.
Braden Hoban. Photo: Ballard
Toa started his runs with a 180 to switch front feeble (aka the grapefruit grind) down the double set handrail each run with ease…it was as much a thing of beauty as it was a serious statement to the other skaters, judges and crowd—everyone responded appropriately.
“I’m stoked, this is my first time coming to the contest and it’s really fun,” Toa said after the contest. “All the guys skated so good!”
Toa Sasaki. Photo: Dillon
Braden skated in typical relaxed fashion but managed to kickflip into three different tricks including a kickflip nosegrind on the huge chest-high ledge feature and a kickflip into a crooked grind down the 10-stair hubba to finish. Braden also wrangled in one of the most wild looking impossibles over the bump to grass gap that nobody expected him to pull, just another incredible moment from his run that earned him second in the Semi Final.
Braden Hoban. Photo: Durso
Lazer Crawford had reportedly lost his skateboard before the Semifinal began, but he looked anything but fazed going into his first run. Lazer landed a ton of tricks in his typical effortless style, epitomized most by his opening backside 180 over the pyramid to start his run and his signature hardflip down the 5-flat-5 double set to finish. It was good enough to earn the 2024 RSEO champ a 75.33 and 6th place on the day to send him into Sunday’s Final.
Chris Joslin. Photo: Ballard
Chris Joslin narrowly made the cut in the 10th and final transfer spot while his Rockstar teammate Kristion Jordan missed the mark to continue, although it was an incredible showing at his first-ever pro contest.
For G-Ma. Photo: Ballard
“Man that was crazy and I'm stoked to see three of our four Rockstar skaters through to the finals,” Joslin said after the contest. “To be honest with you, even if he'd bumped me out, I was hoping Kristion would have done it. I wanted to watch him in the finals! But hey, I guess I'm in there, so let's go!”
Joslin, the 2025 Thrasher Magazine Skater Of The Year and last year’s RSEO PDX 2025 Street Best Trick winner, said all of his successes in the last year have been life-changing after many years of battles on and off the skateboard.
Lazer Crawford. Photo:
“I'm just trying not to take it all for granted,” he said. “There was a short time not long ago that I almost didn't get to do this anymore, so I just try not to take it for granted now! I’m grateful for all the success for sure, and for all the new fans.”
Dusted. Photo: Ballard
Joslin said his favorite thing about the Rockstar Energy Open is the chance to skate for a city with a huge skate scene, deep skate history, and a crowd equally full of core skaters and locals out for a fun, free weekend.
Tyson Bowerbank. Photo: Durso
“I think bringing this event to this city gives people a lot of hope in a sense, you know, gives them light and gives the local skaters here something to aspire to, like ‘We could achieve this too, if we wanted.’ That's the way I see it, I see it as inspiration. Win or lose, I’m going to be stoked we put real skateboarding on for the people of Portland.”
Steven Vasquez. Photo: Durso
If there was one more notable mention to call out even though they won’t be returning to skate in the final, Art Cordova made his tricks with such grace, especially his nollie flipped down the 5-flat-5 double set. The Dickies rider is sure to throw down in the Dickies Street Best Trick Cash Jam later in the day at 6:15 pm PT.
Watch the Men’s Street Final tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:30 pm PT to close out the third annual Rockstar Energy Open.
Vern Laird (left) and Kelly Hart (right). Photo: Dillon
Men’s Street Semi-Final Results
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Toa Sasaki, 89.33
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Braden Hoban, 86.00
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Steven Vasquez, 83.66
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Jake Illardi, 81.00
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Julian Christianson, 78.66
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Lazer Crawford, 75.33
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Tyson Bowerbank, 74.66
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Dominick Walker, 74.33
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Joshua Douglas, 74.00
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Chris Joslin, 73.33
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Ryan Decenzon, 72.33
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Koston Eaton, 72.00
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Kristion Jordan, 71.33
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Nobacel Villalobos, 70.33
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Art Cordova, 62.66
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Matt Berger, 62.00
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Zion Wright, 53.00
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Malachi Gray, 49.33
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Christopher Hiett, 36.33
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David Reyes, 27.66