Mystic Skate Cup Prague

Male and Female skaters from all over the world converged on Prague for the 2011 Mystic Skate Cup. The event was held from the 15th to the 17th of July in the Czech capital.

Smith Grind down the big rail

Backside 180 over the big rail

Prague is a city renowned for its beautiful architecture, cheap beer and even cheaper beer. During happy hour a pint of local beer usually cost just over $1 AUD. So as you can imagine none of the skaters complained about travelling to such an amazing city for the 17th Annual Mystic Skate Cup.

We arrived on Friday the 15th of July, just in time to catch some of that afternoons qualifying. The park is a permanent fixture on Stvanice Island which is a short metro ride from the centre of Prague. Both street and bowl courses are protected from the elements by large white marquees, this ensured perfect conditions for the entire weekend.

Frontside 5-0, popular choice all weekend

To continue the popular Czech theme there were plenty of bars and eateries on hand for the whole weekend and all were located just a short wander from the street course. There was a really nice vibe from everyone involved as the majority of skaters were happy to mix with the spectators and relax out on the lawns.

Hardflip over the big rail

With the conclusion of qualifying on Friday we returned Saturday to experience the semi finals which would determine the finalists for Sunday. The competition was intense and the standard of skateboarding extremely high. This made for packed stands and very happy spectators.

Backside Lipslide, difficulty high on the big rail

15 riders made it through to Sunday's final dominated by Czech locals and talented Brazilians.

In the end a Brazilian rider named Kelvin Hoefler took out first prize and $6,000 USD. The total prize pool for mens street was $30,000 USD showing that this competition is more about the love and progression of skateboarding than a large pay day...