Central Mass 5: Event Recap

The Central Mass event has been held five years in a row and happens every summer in the small and quiet township of Harvard, Massachusetts. Central Mass is a truly dynamic East Coast skate festival featuring downhill racing, a slide jam, a big air event, a rowdy party, and this year’s Central Mass 5 introduced even more radical-gnar-gnar by including a full-blown miniramp jamboree & hootenanny. Did we mention that there’s always live music and DJs bumpin’ & thumpin’ during the entire event? Well, that also does happen as well!

This year’s Central Mass 5 was Wheelbase’s second year in attendance and it just keeps getting’ better. This fifth iteration of the event saw just under 400 registered riders from over 22 states and four provinces of Canada. Being that a majority of the skate industry is on the West Coast, that’s one hell of an impressive turnout for an East Coast event. Kudos to our homie and event organizer/host/founder, Mike Girard (also his family and army of volunteers), for being habitual level-raisers and for making Central Mass one of the best skate festivals we’ve ever witnessed.

Without further ado—and since we are listed as the “official Media Partner” of Central Mass 5—here, my good friends and getters of the Rad, is our delicious video and photographic media offering up our experiences at this year’s fifth annual Central Mass 5. Please enjoy and share with your crew, kittens, and colleagues. Meowza!

Official “Central Mass 5” Video Recap:

The Race:

This year with Central Mass 5, we really pushed the envelope and expanded in many ways. We learned a lot, worked hard, had a blast and are endlessly thankful to everyone who contributed. -Mike Girard.

Race Results:

Juniors

1. Dan Brown
2. Brendan Allen
3. Eli Healy
4. Kevin O’Brien

Am/Expert

1. Brendan Allen
2. Jonathan “Bubbles” Neuman
3. Liam McHale
4. Patrick Kennedy

Women’s

1. Emily Pross
2. Amanda Powell
3. Cassandra Duchesne
4. Alicia Fillback

Pro

1. Charles Ouimet
2. Stephan Vaast
3. Emily Pross
4. Dubes Eldorff
5. Maxim Garant Rousseau
6. Michael Law-Smith

The Miniramp:

Open

1. Dan Carreiro
2. The other Dan
3. Nick Bratko

Best trick: Justin Kozoil

The Party:

Party Results:

Turnt Live Crew

1. Ed Nieves
2. Team Push Culture
3. Ed Garner

The Slide Jam:

Slide Jam Results:

Techslide

1. Steve Francis Kong

2. Ed Nieves
3. Thomas Meehan

Women’s

1. Alicia Fillback
2. Micaela Wilson
3. Carla G. Javier-Brea
4. Carmen Sutra

Men’s

1. Max Alessandri
2. Austin Priester
3. Patrick Kennedy

Pro

1. Tom Leary
2. Dax Pradarits
3. Eddie Henriquez

Longest Heelside

Cole Favazza

Longest Toeside

Patrick Kennedy

Biggest air

1. Eddie Henriquez
2. William Royce

Thank You’s:

Thank you thank you thank you, To my volunteers, selflessly offering their time and expertise and cohering into a crucially important team; to Bobby Cutler, John Hubert, Ryan Reynolds and my dad for digging deep and really going the extra mile with their help before and after the event; to the event sponsors for making our cash purse, publicity, prizes and generally elevated levels of radness possible – Loaded Boards, Bear Trucks, Divine Wheels, G-Form, RDVX Grip, Original Skateboards, Brooklyn Workshop, Shralper’s Union, Community Bikes & Boards, Phat Deanz, Orangatang Wheels, Vita Coco and Mids. Special thanks to Loaded, Bear, Divine & G-Form for stepping up as “Harvard Hero” presenting sponsors. To the Town of Harvard and its residents for welcoming this festival and its many riders into their midst; to the Harvard Board of Selectmen and Parks & Rec for working with me on the necessary permits and approvals; to the Harvard General Store and the Billiard’s Café for adeptly hosting and catering to our swollen ranks each day and night; to the Harvard Police Department and Harvard Ambulance Service for always ensuring a safe and orderly event; to my parents for their endless love, support and hospitality (both to myself and the inordinate number of people and ramps in their yard); to Tim Arnold for providing a unique DIY hay-building opportunity; to Marcus Bandy, Catalina Chris, Brian Bishop, Steve Fitzmaurice and Sean Kolvenbach for their ramp planning and building insights (and to NYCL and Stephan Vaast for some clutch last-minute assembly); to Dubes for stepping in and helping out when I needed him most; to Luke Mathison and Waterville Valley for their beautiful mini ramp; to IllDownhill’s Evan Cook for the stencils; to the spectators who enjoyed the sights and sounds, to everyone who helped plug the event through social media, and to the ever-talented photographers and videographers who pointed their lenses and mics at the action so we could all reconvene to savor it well into the future; and to Dee Bus Company, Devens Marriott, Moore’s Lumber, Flagg Welding, Quality Fab, U-Haul, Devens Grille, Carlson Orchards, Westward Orchards, Harvard Public Library, Willard Farm, Harvard Lion’s Club, Jack O’Lantern, Pizza Bella, Woo Jung, Oxford Group and all the other local partners and businesses who helped fuel and support this sizable operation.

Major thanks to Wheelbase Mag, our Official Media Partner and a true believer in the radness potential of the east coast! Your publicity and support is greatly appreciated, and I can’t wait to work with y’all roni homies again. To infinity and beyond!

-Mike Girard