Halloween Mystery Outlaw 2011

The Halloween Outlaw is SLC’s dopest skateboard race. It’s always had its tricks, and definitely its payout in treats. This year, featured on the University of Utah campus, the race had three parts. First there was qualifying, which was a surprise Chinese-downhill style race that started from a packed public transit train car. With ‘Ready-Set-Go!’ determined by the opening of the Trax trains doors, it was a mad dash through the medical center parking lots, past a single security guard, up a flight of stairs, out the parking garage, and down through the dorms to the finish line at the far end of the Legacy Bridge. After crossing the finish, racers received a qualifying number that respected the order they crossed the line.

Jake Wilkinson Photo: Andrew Madden

Matais, Eric Albee Photo: Andrew Madden

Micah Green, Luis Valladares Photo: Andrew Madden

Knox Heslop Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Micah Green Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Photo: Andrew Madden

The next portion of racing was a mini heat series down three different routes on the U’s HPER (Hyper) Highway. Based off the racers numbers, riders were assigned into three four-man heats ((1heat+4people) X 3) with fresh faces on the starting line for every round. Racers were not racing anybody they had before and nobody was eliminated because there was no disqualification. Everybody accumulated points based on what position they finished on each course.

University of Utah Campus HPER ‘Hyper-Highway’

Photo: Andrew Madden

Each round started with a single kick off the line to lower the playing field and keep competition tight. The courses were tricky enough alone, but being pushed into racing with riders this close to you is never the same thing twice.

Todd Smith, Eric Albee Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Ty Gregg leads Todd Smith Jake Macintosh Photo: Andrew Madden

Colton Anderson, Knox Heslop Photo: Andrew Madden

Jake Wilkinson, Andrew Baird Photo: Andrew Madden

Tommy Watson Photo: Andrew Madden

Eric Albee leads Todd Smith, Ty Greg Photo: Andrew Madden

Zac Baca, Jake Wilkinson Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Knox Heslop leads Micah Green and Andrew Baird Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Kyler Bagley Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Tommy Watson leads Jake Wilkinson, Dorian Rosen Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Tommy Watson leads Jake Wilkinson and Dorian Rosen Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Eric Bremer leads Eric Albee and Brock Warren Photo: Andrew Madden

Niklaus Parcell, EK Shaffer Photo: Andrew Madden

Jacob Macintosh, Dorian Rosen Photo: Andrew Madden

Zac Baca, Todd Smith Photo: Andrew Madden

Andrew Baird, Knox Heslop Photo: Andrew Madden

Eric Bremer, Tommy Watson Photo: Andrew Madden

Ty Greg, Jacob Macintosh, Todd Smith Photo: Andrew Madden

Being a cat can be fast, too.

Kyler Bagley Photo: Andrew Madden

Todd Smith Photo: Andrew Madden

Photo: Andrew Madden

At the end of the three rounds, racers tallied up their points and the top eight finalists were announced. Lastly there was a consolation/final round held from the top of Hyper-Highway. It was a one push start down home run past the student bookstore, to the finish line which was crossing a drain gate under a bridge that leads to the Rice Eccles Stadium parking lot. There were the four consolation finalists and four top finalists, who in the end had the lowest number of points to their name.

Eric Albee Photo: Andrew Madden

Brock Warren Photo: Andre Madden

Dorian Rosen Photo: Andrew Madden

Dorian Rosen, Matais Photo: Andrew Madden

The horn was blown for the loser’s bracket to race the course in a Chinese-downhill style fashion. With only a minute’s time passed the horn was blown again for consi’s and very quickly again thereafter for finalists. This round of finals was designed with a very high sketch-factor in mind. As racers went down the course, they were forced to make passes and take lines through the downhilling losers to hold the lead of their own pack to the finish. However, not all losers ‘lost,’ some did make it passed the line to clap and cheer on the finalists before they finished on their own.

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

With the line at the entrance of the tunnel, this finish was tight with Tommy Watson taking first!

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

First Place: Tommy Watson

Second Place: Jake Wilkinson

Third Place Zac Baca

Fourth Place: Doug Tolman

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Fifth Place: Eric Bremer

Sixth Place: Jacob Mcintosh

Seventh Place: Niklaus Parcell

Eighth Place: Todd Smith

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Thank you Sector 9 Skateboards for the gear and prizes for the event!

Also thank you to AstroSlide Pucks, Nersh Wheels, and Gunmetal Truck MFG for swag and prizes as well.

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Ek Shaffer won the event for the for best costume. Category sponsored by Drang Longboards

Photo: Andrew Madden

Rocking some red Ronin Trucks with a Ricsh on top, Tommy Watson got out in front and won finals using a slalom style wiggle-pump method.

Photo: Andrew Madden

This grom, Jake Wilkinson, taking second place, lives up to FBGM all day e’ry day. There isn’t much more that needs to be said about him.

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Officer Dick appeared to shut down the event, but chased skaters all day until he found himself taking 3^rd place in race. No titles were awarded until after admitting to identity fraud and claimed Zachery Baca as his true self.

Photo: Nicholas Murphy

Thank you to everyone who dressed up. This race was meant to be fun and I appreciate those who took their own time to make it that way. :)