Tom Schaar Qualifies First in Men’s Park, Plus Nine Other Heavy Hitters Move onto Finals
Keegan Palmer. Photo: Andrew Durso
Closing out the first full day of the 2025 Rockstar Energy Open (RSEO) was the Men’s Park Qualifier, featuring 24 skaters and a full crowd of Portlanders.
Not only was the crowd packed with locals, but a few local legends were also spotted on the deck of the bowl. Most notably, Mark “Red” Scott was seen dropping in and taking a few laps of his own through the bowl just before the competition kicked off. Red is one of the original builders of the famed DIY park that started the movement—Burnside—before founding Dreamland Skateparks to build parks across the globe.
Cory Juneau and Keegan Palmer. Photo: Durso
Up on the VIP tower was another locally residing legend and Skateboarding Hall of Famer, Tom “Wally” Inouye—the inventor of the wall ride. When RSEO comes to town, the word gets around and the people come out.
The contest format included three heats of eight skaters, each given three 45-second runs, with only their best score counting. Just 10 of the 24 total skaters would advance to Sunday’s final.
As the event got underway, more of Oregon’s finest hit the bowl, including Kevin Kowalski and last year’s most-rooted-for skater, Nick Peterson, in the first heat. Though neither made the cut for Sunday’s final, the crowd came alive during Heat 1, getting things started right.
The next two heats brought a few new faces into the RSEO mix, including Pedro Barros, Chris Russell, Jake Yanko, and others. Russell stood out as a favorite among the skaters for his smooth approach to the most difficult vert extensions. He survived heat two in 9th place but ultimately didn’t make the top 10 to advance.
Greyson Fletcher. Photo: Ballard
Issei Sakurai held on from Heat 1 all the way through, made the cut in 10th. Luigi Cini and Hampus Winberg both held on from Heat 2. Everyone else who made the cut for Final was from the stacked Heat 3.
Issei Sakurai. Photo: Ballard
The third heat brought out the heavy hitters, including Tom Schaar, who finished first. Tom’s best run included a frontside tailslide, tailgrab 540 on the vert wall, stalefish on the center extension, nosestall to fakie on the Rockstar logo, frontside feeble grind, frontside ollie, kickflip Indy to fakie on the center extension, switch rock and roll, fakie 5-0 grind, Smith stall on the Rockstar logo, frontside bluntslide, and finished with an alley-oop tailgrab over the hip.
Tom Schaar. Photo: Durso
“It’s mellow. It’s not as high-strung or full of pressure—it’s just fun. This is what skating is supposed to be,” said Tom after the event wrapped. When asked about the bowl, he replied, “The stairs in the shallow are pretty sick. That’s probably the first cake I’ve ever carved over.”
Another big name earning a transfer spot into Sunday’s final was Rockstar’s own Cory Juneau.
Cory Juneau. Photo: Taylor Ballard
“I’m stoked. Rockstar put together an awesome course, and they used a lot of our ideas. I really like the way it flows. It’s a little bit smaller—no pads necessary,” said Cory, flashing a big smile after advancing to Sunday’s final in sixth. When asked what makes this event stand out, he answered without hesitation, “The homies! It feels more like a skate session versus a super serious contest.”
Watch the rest of the contest unfold on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. PST in person at Waterfront Park or online at theplatfrm.com.
Gavin Bottger. Photo: Ballard
Men’s Park Results
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Tom Schaar (USA) 86.33
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Gavin Bottger (USA) 85.63
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Yuro Nagahara (JPN) 84.16
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Liam Pace (USA) 82.00
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Pedro Barros (BRA) 81.16
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Cory Juneau (USA) 80.96
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Luigi Cini (BRA) 80.50
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Keegan Palmer (AUS) 80.00
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Hampus Winberg (SWE) 79.66
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Issei Sakura (JPN) 79.00
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Tate Carew (USA) 77.50
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Taylor Nye (USA) 75.16
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Phoenix Sinnerton (AUS) 73.83
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Danny Leon (ESP) 73.33
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Chris Russell (USA) 72.00
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CJ Collins (USA) 71.33
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Tommy Calvert (GBR) 70.33
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Tristan Rennie (USA) 69.66
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Vncent Matheron (FRA) 67.00
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Jake Yanko (USA) 65.33
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Greyson Fletcher (USA) 63.33
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Kevin Kowalski (USA) 58.66
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Nick Peterson (USA) 49.00
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Trey Wood (USA) 38.33