Skateboard GB NottingJam 2023
NottingJam returned to Flo Skatepark for another year last weekend over the 25th and 26th of November. It is the biggest skateboard event of the year with a whopping prize fund of £4,000. Sponsored by Triple 8, Fracture Skateboards, Stance Socks, Samsung, Tech Deck, Aquapax and Forty-two Skateshop, this was one skate event not to be missed.
Flo Skatepark is the perfect place to hold skate competitions because they have both a street and park section suitable for all skill levels. The street section is full of driveways, hips, banks to wall, ledges, rainbow rails, slappy curb, normal rails and hubbas. The park section was the bowl which has a special added feature for the competition. They added an extender so that bigger tricks could be made in the bowl…and did we see bigger tricks!
A load of Skaters from all over the UK travelled to Nottingham to participate. About 80 riders competed and a load more came to support. To name a few Eddie Darocha, Rio Obryne, Annalise Lam, Jesse Thomas, Ruby Dolan and Yuki Takahashi-McGilvray. A lot of influential skaters were there like Ashley Mercer and Daniel Websdale who are both huge on TikTok.
The event lasted over two days; Saturday 25th November was Open Street Competition (male and female events) and Sunday 26th November was Park Competition with a U16 Comp and an Open Park Event (male and female disciplines for both.)
In the Male Street Open category, Joe Hinson secured first place with a score of 68.33, followed by Niall Gilroy in second place with a score of 61.33, and James White claimed the third spot with a score of 55.00. For the Female Street Open category, Abbie Burns clinched the top position with a score of 45.33, Ayva-Mae Whittenbury secured second place with a score of 38.83, and Miriam Nelson achieved third place with a score of 36.50.
The open street event was a lot harder as it wasn't split into age categories so you had young Gen Skaters like Corey Roper and Rorey Buckley up against skaters like Joe Hinston and Rio which can be super nerve-racking but at the same time is a great opportunity to practise competing in a larger contest.
In the Female Park Open category, Miriam Nelson secured the first position with a score of 49.00, followed by Caitlin Cox in second place with a score of 47.50. Despite experiencing a significant slam on Saturday, Olive Newman persevered and claimed the third spot with a score of 43.67. For the Male Park Open category, Tay Cunningham took the lead with a top score of 59.77, followed by Rio Obryne in second place with a score of 59.00, and Jordan Thackeray secured the third position with a score of 57.00.
In the U16 section for park, the winners for U16 Girls Park are as follows: Holly Dewsnap secured the first position with a score of 24.67, Phoebe Mottram claimed second place with a score of 22.83, and Delilah Taylor took the third spot with a score of 19.50. Moving on to the U16 Boys Park category, Joss Bellamy emerged victorious in first place with a score of 33.00, Gideon Parry-Laidler secured second place with a score of 30.50, and Henry Turner achieved the third position with a score of 27.33.
We have got a couple of highlights from the event, including Rio Obryne shocking everyone with his creativity, showcasing a never-before-seen move at Flo Skatepark. He smoothly rode from the vert to the wall, reaching the point where all the spectators observe, executing a trick now dubbed the "back blunt on the vert wall." As always it’s a pleasure to watch Joe Hinston skate the gap to front bluntslide was huge and one of our highlights for sure. Last but not least, Miriam Nelson wowed the crowd with her performance in the bowl. Her big spin back disaster revert was truly incredible, creating a wave of excitement among the spectators.
