PRESS RELEASES | Published May 9, 2019
Vans Park Series is prepping the field for the world’s best professional park terrain skateboarders to meet in Shanghai, China to kick off the 2019 VPS Pro Tour. Established in 2016, Vans Park Series has journeyed to inspire youth around the world by promoting skateboarding’s creative culture and its renowned showcase of park terrain competition, now in its fourth consecutive season.
VPS Select Men and Women Pros will go head-to-head with Challengers and Wildcards at the first stop of the season in Shanghai, China on May 17-18. The Yangpu Shipyard, where the tour opener will take place, is located in the northern part of Shanghai’s city center, at the waterfront of the Huangpu River and the original industrial heart of Shanghai.
The confirmed field of competitors was recently announced on vansparkseries.com and includes Florida native and two-time VPS Men’s World Champion Alex Sorgente, alongside Swedish 2017 VPS World Champion and fan-favorite, Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg. Also on the list of impressive names is the young and talented, CJ Collins, who always keeps the crowd roaring with his fresh and unique approach to park skating.
Some of the notable female athletes include Sakura Yosozumi who made a name for herself at her first VPS podium appearance at the 2017 Asian Championships in Singapore, Lizzie Armanto, one of the fierce females leading the charge in skate will be one of the tour wildcards, and Brighton Zeuner, the defending 2018 VPS Women’s World Champion who continues to inspire with her unique style on and off the board. Others to watch are Hawaiian-native Jordyn Barratt, Brazilian standout Yndiara Asp, and Poppy Olsen, the 18-year-old Aussie winner of this year’s VPS Oceania Regional Championships.
This year marks the second time the Park Series comes to Shanghai, and additionally marks the 30th anniversary of skateboarding in China. In honor of this anniversary, Vans Legend Steve Caballero, the first pro skateboarder to ever visit China in 1994, will be making a return visit to support and cheer on the Vans Park Series competitors.
Known for its unrivaled combination of speed, style, flow, amplitude and creativity, park terrain is the fastest growing discipline in competitive skateboarding today. The Park Series has made historic progress in the evolution of professional skateboarding and champions its reputation as the first premier league for the park terrain skateboarding discipline.
The 2019 Vans Park Series Pro Tour will be streamed live on vansparkseries.com, and can also be viewed in mainland China through a livestreaming partnership with Tencent. The final roster of select pros, challengers and wildcards for the 2019 VPS Pro Tour is now available online at vansparkseries.com.
2019 VANS PARK SERIES PRO TOUR SCHEDULE
Pro Tour
May 17-18, 2019
São Paulo, Brazil
June 22-23, 2019
Montréal, Canada
July 12-13, 2019
Paris-Chelles, France
August 9-10, 2019
World Championships
Salt Lake City, United States
September 6-7, 2019
ABOUT VANS PARK SERIES
The 2019 Vans Park Series Pro Tour is the premier series for professional park terrain skateboarders consisting of four men’s global qualifiers and three women’s global qualifiers spanning five countries over six months and culminating with the official Vans Park Series Pro Finals. Showcasing an international roster of skateboarding’s elite pros and a total series purse in excess of $700,000(USD), the Vans Park Series uniquely defines the park terrain format with its exclusive points system, judging guidelines and qualifying park terrain course criteria. Additional information and live webcast details will be available on the official Vans Park Series iOS app and online.
Follow Vans Park Series on social media or sign up online now for the latest information on Vans Park Series event details, elite pros, official sanctions and competition formats.
http://www.vansparkseries.com/