Course Preview with Manny Santiago

To set the tone for the weekend in Mississauga, we had a course preview video with Manny Santiago, a professional skater from Puerto Rico. In the video, Manny gave us a tour of the skatepark specially designed for the event by California Skateparks, showcasing the various sections and obstacles. This preview highlighted the complexity of the course and the remarkable talent of the athletes, setting the stage for the incredible display of tricks that followed.

 

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Street Skateboarding – Open BEST TRICK

The competition was packed with impressive tricks! Jon Cosentino stood out with a nollie heel backlip and a massive hardflip. Ben Paterson also made a strong impression with a switch 270 in, a kick backlip on his first try, and a switch front blunt. Jayden Bono added flair with a 180 switch crook to reg. The guys were pulling off impressive tricks back to back. Orlando Garcia especially caught everyone’s attention with a huge frontside flip over the hubba, a trick that left our cameraman, JM, amazed by its speed and style!

Street BEST TRICK – Full Live Feed

Street Skateboarding – Women’s Final

Ricci Tres secured third place with her incredible consistency. Sophie Grant, our talented Canadian skater, finished second, making us proud with her impressive kickflips that combined remarkable pop and cleanliness. Laura Zackova, from the Czech Republic, claimed first place on the podium with 5-0s on the big hubba of the double set, as well as lipslides and smiths on the double set rail. A regular on the podium at JACKALOPE events, it was only a matter of time before she took first place.

Street Skateboarding – Men’s Final

The street skateboarding finals were quite tense due to the unpredictable weather. Rain kept coming and going, which forced us to adjust the competition format. Despite the challenges, the event ended on a high note, with the audience treated to an exceptional show! Jon Cosentino, a Canadian skater, took third place with one of the most impressive tricks of the evening: a nollie heel backlip.

We were thrilled to see Manny Santiago, who had missed Virginia Beach due to canceled flights last time. This time, he made it and showcased his skills, finishing in second place. His varial heel back 5-0 was one of the most cheered tricks by the crowd.

Micky Papa, also Canadian, is an Olympian, a TEDx speaker, and a member of the Canada Skateboard National Team. He clinched first place with his consistency and the precision of his tricks, including a standout varial heel back smith.

 

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A special shoutout to Zavier Matthews, a young skater from Gatineau, Quebec, who made it to the super finals, competing against pros like Dominick Walker, Jake Ilardi, Micky Papa, and Manny Santiago. He delivered impressive tricks like a kickflip frontside bluntslide and a bigspin flip on the double set. The trick that propelled him from the finals to the super finals was a frontside flip over the island. Only he and a couple of others, including Jon Cosentino, dared to do tricks over the island during the weekend. Zavier truly lived a dream by reaching the super finals with top athletes from around the world. This skater is definitely one to watch!

Street Men’s Final – Full Live Feed

VERT Skateboarding – Women’s Final

The level of competition was simply astounding, with tricks like the 540, fakie 540, cab 720, McTwist, frontside nosegrind, hurricane, and handplants on display. Carlin Makibbin from the USA delivered a solid performance with incredibly close scores, finishing in third place.

Mia Kretzer from Australia won a Golden Ticket during Mike Boisvert’s world tour, the skate nomad, which aimed to discover young talent for Mississauga. It was Mia’s first time in Canada and her debut at JACKALOPE. In the final, she executed the most impressive cab 720! Over the past few months, she has been traveling the world to compete in numerous events. If you didn’t know, she is the youngest gold medalist in X Games history at just 9 years old!

 

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Jada Ward from Australia took first place. We were thrilled to welcome her for her first solo trip and her first JACKALOPE. Congratulations to her for winning the gold medal! Her runs were incredible, and it was fantastic to see her shine. We can’t wait to see what she does next! Among the tricks she performed were a backside 360, a mctwist followed by a huge frontside nosegrind on the other side of the ramp—it was truly impressive! You could even hear our main cameraman losing his mind while filming her performance.

 

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VERT Women’s Final – Full Live Feed

VERT Skateboarding – Men’s Final

Ema Kawakami, coming straight from Japan, dominated most of the competition but finished third by the end of the finals. Just before the festival, Ema, a 9-year-old prodigy, landed a 900 on the vert ramp—possibly the first ever done in Canada! This achievement will go down in skateboarding history. Throughout the weekend, Ema continued to dazzle the crowd with several more 900s, proving himself to be a real 900 machine. It was a true shower of 900s whenever he skated.

 

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Rony Gomes from Brazil took second place but was also very close to victory. This four-time X Games medalist once again demonstrated why he’s one of the best.

 

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Gui Khury from the USA clinched first place, and it was a sight to behold. We were absolutely thrilled for him; his victory was well-deserved. His presence at JACKALOPE always brings a special excitement to the event. He made tricks look as easy as in a video game, pulling off five variations of 540 in one of his runs.

 

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VERT Men’s Final – Full Live Feed

VERT Skateboarding – Pro BEST TRICK Samsung

Due to the weather, we had to merge the pro and open competitions for the BEST TRICK. To mark the occasion, Samsung built a massive replica of their new Galaxy Z Flip6 phone. Congratulations to Collin Graham, Gui Khury, and Derek Scott, who each won a phone. Derek made a splash doing a nosepick and a eggplant on the giant phone, while Gui followed Ema’s lead with a 900 on his first attempt during the BEST TRICK. Ema then wrapped things up with an Alleyoop 900 as a buzzer-beater.

PRO VERT BEST TRICK – Full Live Feed

Success Stories with Mitchie Brusco

A few lucky skaters had the chance to join a 2-hour VIP vert session in Mississauga with Mitchie Brusco, a 14-time X Games medalist! This exclusive session featured a VIP jam, a lesson, a Q&A, SkateIQ & JACKALOPE merchandise, and more.

One participant had an impressive fall while trying to drop in on the vert ramp. They fell hard but got back up and nailed the move—demonstrating the true spirit of skateboarding: falling and rising again as a testament to perseverance. We also celebrated seeing a girl land her first backside melon with style!

The Heart of Our Commitment

We frequently receive messages filled with warmth, like the one from a family who told us the event changed their lives. Their son, Cayden, achieved his dream by meeting and skating with his idol, Andy Anderson. They were truly impressed by the quality of the demos and the kindness of the skaters.

We are deeply grateful for the heartfelt messages we’ve received after our events; they mean so much to us. It’s feedback like this that reminds us why we do what we do.

 

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Flatground Skateboarding Demo with Andy Anderson

A big thank you to all the skaters who participated in the event. The level of skateboarding reached new heights! Your talent and determination are truly inspiring to us all.

We hope to see you again in Mississauga in 2025!