This ain't no Marseille.

AFTER MANY YEARS, it was decided that the Quiksilver Bowlriders contest at Marseille skatepark in France had run its course. No amount of wooden extensions or other added obstacles could have made the contest what it used to be--it had become the same guys doing the same runs and the same big moves each year. Every once in a while there'd be a newcomer who would spice it up with a barrage of tricks and different lines, but for the most part it was getting stale. Don't get me wrong, the park is one of the best in the world and has stood the test of time--but contests tend to become boring when you start seeing the same routine year after year.

So the contest was moved to the new park in Malmo, Sweden. The park is top-notch, designed by Stephan Hauser of Placed to Ride skateparks. Malmo is a nice city located just across the water from Copenhagen, Denmark. It was cold and rainy the week we were there; a far cry from the warm, sandy beaches of the Mediterranean sea where the Marseille park sits. But along with the absence of a Mediterranean climate, pickpocketers and other assorted sketchy characters that accompany Marseille were also missing. The rain really made it hard to complete the contest. Midway through a heat, the park would become too wet and the event would have to stop, and everyone would retreat to the beer tent to wait out the rain. At the moment things were dry enough to continue, Duncan would finish his sandwich, slam the rest of his beer, and be back on the microphone.

Switching the park up also switched the results up. Long-time champion Omar Hassan came in fourth place. It's possible that growing up in nearby Copenhagen and being used to this kind of weather helped Rune Glilberg place third. All-terrain ripper Alain Goikoetxea placed a solid second. First place went to everyone's favorite. Daniel Cardone. Daniel has always been one of the favorites to watch his contest strategy is, well, not very safe. While some guys like to plan a run they can consistently pull off and gain the most points with Daniel just skates like he always does: go fast and huge. His standby moves like frontside flips, crailslides, and frontside tucknees were thrown out wherever he was at the time, never predictable and always on edge. So when he stayed on for his runs, it was a surprise only to him that he won the 9,000 euros.

It could hardly be called an upset, as no one seemed upset at all that Daniel won. In fact, everyone was really stoked for him. How could you not be? One of the least competitive skaters out there just took the prize.