The unique vert contest featured three generations of skateboarders teaming up to compete in four mini contests. In front of a solid crowd on the famed Venice Beach boardwalk the team of Tony Hawk, Andy Macdonald, and Mitchie Brusco took first place at the first-ever Sonic Generations of Skate.

Tony Hawk(43) and Andy Mac(38) have both been competing long before than their third teammate (14) Mitchie was even born. During the doubles competition Tony and Andy showed the chemistry we've seen several times before when Tony did a tail stall on Andy's board while he was doing a 50-50 grind. Maybe more impressive was the simultaneous flip dismounts on to the deck of the half-pipe by the two guys with a combined age of 81.

It was business as usual for Tony and Andy but for Mitchie the permanent smile from ear to ear summed up what he was feeling all day, "This was the most fun contest I've ever skated in my life."

Sandro Dias delivered the highlight of the day during the best trick competition when he unleashed the 900, a trick that is rarely landed in competition.

The contest included four competitions (individual runs, high air, team triples and best trick) featuring teams that had skaters representing each generation.


The teams finished in the following order:

First Place: Tony Hawk (first generation), Andy Macdonald (second generation), Mitchie Brusco (third generation)
Second Place: Kevin Staab (first generation), Sandro Dias (second generation), Paul-Luc Ronchetti (third generation)
Third Place: Steve Caballero (first generation), Pierre Luc Gagnon (second generation), Elliot Sloan (third generation)
Fourth Place: Sergie Ventura (first generation), Lincoln Ueda (second generation), Adam Taylor (third generation)

Photos courtesy of ASA and Neftalie WIlliams

X Games 17 will officially get underway with Skateboard Park, one of the more fast and free flowing competitions at X. The custom-built concrete course is design for both skateboard and BMX park. The challenging course needs to satisfy both the skaters and the riders therefore making it extremely difficult to dial in their lines.
Veteran Rune Gliffberg and 15-year-old Curren Caples trying to figure out their lines in practice

This year's course is smaller than years past which will make skating tight and technical park lines especially critical if you want to win.

Veteran skater Andy MacDonald recently said this year's course will favor the younger generation of skaters who grew up skating more than just pool and vert.

Sixteen-year-old Pedro Barros fresh off his victory at the Dew Tour Open will look to repeat his gold medal performance last year at X Games. Super Grom Curren Caples style is suited well for this park coarse, plus he doesn't seem to mind the pressure of the big stage.
Pedro Barros looking to repeat as champion.

So much hype has been made of the older guys like Bucky Lasek, MacDonald, and Rune Gliffberg passing the torch to the new generation, but after watching practice on Wednesday we're not so sure their ready.

Gliffberg who won in 2008 and 2009 seem to have his line dialed while Barros was struggling to complete his tricks.

That was practice, everything changes as the cameras turn on and the lights shine bright.

Round 1 and the finals are Thursday at 5pm. Check out GrindTV's facebook and twitter as we will bring you live updates from X Games.


Omar Hassan continued to lock in his run. After several attempts he seemed happy with what he found.

Curren Caples looks like he's surfing with incredible flow from wall to wall.

Back in May of this year, Bucky Lasek was primed for a 3-peat at the Vans Pro-Tec Pool Party. According to all accounts he was skating as good as ever, that was until he broke his ankle filming for a GoPro commercial in his backyard bowl days before the contest.

In an interview with ESPN Bucky said "I had cameras all over me so when I fell I was fumbling and tried to save the cameras, landed kind of low and put my foot down and just snapped it."

Fast forward almost 3 months later and Bucky is back feeling good and ready to compete at the first stop on the Dew Tour as well as X Games 17 later this month.

With Bucky set to compete again GoPro finally feeling better about what happened has released the commercial they were filming while he got hurt.

After watching the footage of Bucky and Andy Macdonald tearing apart his backyard bowl including an insane hand plant off the GoPro van, the injury may have indeed been worth it; at least for us the fans, but probably not for Bucky who had to live with a broken ankle.

Once all gain, all the hype going into the final stop of Dew Tour Vert will focus on one guy, Shaun White. He's put together back-to-back runs of his life in back-to-back contests, which you guessed it have translated into back-to-back wins. But guess what? The only way he can win is if Pierre-Luc Gagnon (PLG), who hasn't finished worse than second all year, finishes dead last and Bucky Lasek and Andy MacDonald, two consistent podium placers, finish no better than forth.

In other words PLG is going to win the Dew Tour Vert Championship, you heard it here. Unless he has a complete breakdown, or an injury, or some weird event occurs, it's his. The overall ratings race, is really only a race for second between Bucky Lasek, who is sitting in second overall, and MacDonald, who is hot on his heels in third. They're separated by a mere two points.

OK, that all said this contest is going to be one hell of an entertaining one because of, yup, Shaun White. The only reason he isn't in the running to win the overall title is he pulled out of the Boston stop due to an injury. He has a big fat goose egg for an event, and is still in fifth, just fourteen points from Sandro Dias in forth. He's won every contest he's entered this year on the Dew Tour, and is going for three in a row in Vegas.

Simply put, White seems to be in another world right now when it comes to vert skateboarding. His amplitude and ability to spin are just on another level. Plus, he's linking into his run new tricks he's come up with in his lab like the armadillo, a frontside heelflip body varial 540. Not to mention, he even through up a 900 at the last event, The Toyota Challenge, and hinted at the fact that he may try to link it into his run in Vegas.

This contest is going to crazy even for Vegas. A poolside vert ramp at the Hard Rock, with vert skating's ultimate rock star, White, hinting at some history making things. And even though PLG practically has the overall championship, you know he wants to finish the year with a contest win and prove he is on the same level as America's favorite red headed skate star. Get ready for a battle at the pool Vegas style.

Shaun White made it two Dew Tour victories in a row Sunday when he edged out Pierre Luc-Gagnon (PLG) to win the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City, Utah. He'd been skating with the lofty amplitude he is known for all day, and was able to link some very difficult tricks in his winning run including back-to-back fakie-to-fakie 540s into a giant 720. White sealed the deal with his signature trick, the armadillo -- a heelflip body varial frontside 540. PLG was his usual solid, technical self, but was not able to put together the kind of run he did this summer at the X Games when he edged out White to win the gold.

"You want to do probably your hardest thing, but just hold back one trick so maybe you can bump up your score later," said White. "I was definitely in the mindset of landing whatever it was going to take to win."

White was even able to take a victory lap since he was the last skater of the day and had already clinched the win. To the delight of the crowd he threw up a 900 attempt -- something he has not done all year -- and came close to landing it.

"I tried my pretty fancy new trick at the end there," said White. "I wasn't going to break it out, but I got real excited, so you may see that at the next one."

"The next one" will be the final stop of the Dew Tour in Las Vegas. White will go into Sin City at the top of the overall Dew Tour Championship standings. PLG, who is hot on his heels, will be gunning for him, which should make for an exciting finish to the 2010 edition of this tour.

Final results of Skateboard Vert at the Toyota Challenge:

1. Shaun White - 94.75

2. Pierre Luc-Gagnon - 90.50

3. Bucky Lasek - 88.25

4. Andy MacDonald - 83.50

5. Bob Burnquist - 63.00