VQS Practice Photos and Highlights | Rockstar Energy Open Portland 2024

Mikey Ray. Photo: Ballard

The Rockstar Energy Open opens on Friday  with the VQS Men’s and Women’s Street Qualifier, featuring 12 men and eight women who earned their way to Portland through the Video Qualifier Series fan vote. The top six men and top four women will face off this weekend against the invited pros. (Check out the full Event Schedule HERE)

Amanda Castillo was one of the standout skaters in the mixed women’s and men’s practice on Thursday, and says the high vibes on course among the skaters were partly because the skaters feel grateful for the VQS concept itself, in a contest landscape that can be difficult to break into.

“The Video Qualifier Series opens the doors for so many people who are not in the middle of the industry and might not be getting invitations to these kinds of big events otherwise,” Castillo said. “Here we were given an opportunity to get some clips, rally the fans, earn our place, and now we're here. I suddenly feel visible! I’m all for it. It's always nice to see new possible pathways in, new ways to gain access to skateboarding competition at this level.” 

“It is really exciting to have the opportunity to be here with all of these great skaters,” said Ryan Carrell of San Bernardino. Ryan has become a staple in the Southern California skate scene as well as the larger Am events around the country, but nothing on the scale of the Rockstar Energy Open. “It feels good. I’m happy to see friends. It’s good to meet new people. The vibe here is good.” 

Ryan was one of the only skaters to test out the top of the three-block to flat with an inward heelflip attempt and a massive pop shuv-it out over the handrail into the A-frame bank. It was easily the biggest thing tried during the session.

Sewa Kroetkov. Photo: Ballard

On the tech side, Ryan’s teammate in Alveer Griptape, Sewa Kroetkov was looking real comfy on the bump to box with kickflip crooked grinds and then 360 flips to fakie on the quarterpipe up top. Sewa also threw down a textbook frontside flip down the 6-flat-3 double set. Sewa is also the owner of Alveer but says there is no “Team Manager” vibe. “The way I see it is I’m out here with the homie, Ryan, doing our thing and having fun.” For Sewa, the VQS provided the perfect path for him (an experienced contest skater winning 2015 Battle at the Berrics and 2012 Red Bull Manny Mania) to jump a new big event like the Rockstar Energy Open.

“First I saw that the Rockstar contest was happening,” recalled Sewa. “Later I saw the announcement for the VQS with prizes for weekly winners and a way to qualify for this event, so on week six I put the footage together and gave it a shot. I came from a point of not being in one of these types of contests, and I thought it would be nice to at least be in the mix again.”

Josh Douglass. Photo: Ballard

Kylie Frank was another standout in practice, stomping a first-try feeble grind on the big double-set handrail and an Ollie down the huge three-block stair drop. 

“I love the course, the weather's perfect, and I'm feeling really good,” Frank said. “I got all my tricks down, and was really happy to knock out a feeble grind first try on the double set rail and Ollie the huge three-block. Knowing that I worked hard to get here and that the fans pushed to make it happen for me gives me a new kind of confidence now that I’m here.”

Her goals for Thursday’s contest? “Doing my best and making it happen.”

Ryan Carrell. Photo: Ballard

Angie Perrone is a perfect example of the kind of skate talent the VQS was designed to help surface: a core street skater with hardly and contest experience. 

“I've never done anything like this before,” Perrone said. “This is my first real contest and I’ve also never been to Portland, so I’m just kind of taking it all in. When they announced the VQS as a way into this contest, my friend Christiana Means encouraged me to go for it, like, ‘I think you’d be good at that, you should try.’ I love filming tricks, so decided it wouldn’t hurt to try.  When I got the email that I was invited I couldn’t believe it! Like, ‘No way!’ So I don’t really have any expectations for this weekend: the plan is just to show up, do my thing, and see what happens.”