The 2013, Central Mass 4

The East Coast is hands-down one of the most vibrant, diverse, and raw downhill skate communities in the world. The skaters back East are some of the most talented and passionate skaters on the planet. With much of the industry of skateboarding residing on the West Coast, East Coasters must continually make shit happen for themselves—they are the epitome of the Do It Yourself ethos that lies at the very core of skateboarding.

One of the main goals of Wheelbase Magazine is to grow and bridge as many of the radical communities of shred as we possibly can, so when our homie Mike Girard called us from Massachusetts and asked us if we’d like to get involved with a rad East Coast event called the “Central Mass 4” we said: “Hell yeah, dude!” and added a resounding “Of Course, bro!”

The following is a pictorial and video reflection of our time spent at one of the sickest and most community connecting events we have ever had the privilege to be involved with. Long live East Coast skateboarding! Long live Central Mass!

The Official “Central Mass 4” Video Recap:

The Race:

Central Mass 4 was my first stab at a two-day, two-venue festival ordeal, with lots of additions to accompany: afterparty, shuttles, wristbands, live-announcing, big features, official website, etc. This made for a big undertaking, but with increased sponsor involvement, huge attendance (315 competitors!); and excellent staff, town, mentor, and parental support, I’d say we pulled it off in grand fashion. (Mike Girard)

Race Results:

Pro
1. Dane Webber, Culver City, CA
2. Matt Kienzle, Los Angeles, CA
3. Daniel Fissmer, Los Angeles, CA
4. Levi Green, Vancouver, BC

Women’s
1. Amanda Powell, Los Angeles, CA
2. Emily Pross, NJ
3. Monica Mejia, New York, NY
4. Laura Nocka, Harvard, MA

Amateur
1. Joey Nickell, New York, NY
2. Kevin Kang, Charlotte, NC
3. Byron Idrovo, Kearney, NJ
4. David Yang, New York, NY

Junior
1. David Ramirez, New York, NY
2. Robert Burns, New York, NY
3. Brendan Allen, Colchester, CT
4. Eli Healy, Colchester, CT

The Slide Jam:

Slide Jam Results:

Pro
1. Will Royce, Tallahassee, FL
2. Dax Pradarits, Sparta, NY
3. Graeme Hystad, Vancouver, BC

Women’s
1. Alicia Fillback, Portland, OR
2. Micaela Wilson, Amherst, NH
3. Carmen Shafer, Portland, OR

Hardwheel
1. Josh Wright, New York, NY
2. Steven Sanchez, New York, NY
3. Andriy Dash, New York, NY

Open
1. Parker Ciuzio, New York, NY
2. Jordan Billingsley, Amherst, NH
3. Eli Healy, Colchester, CA

Longest Heelside

Josh Wright, New York, NY

Longest Toeside

Liam Morgan, Oakland, CA

Longest Ladies Slide

Micaela Wilson, Amherst, NH

Best Trick
(Blunt slide, late flip out)

Mason McNally, Atlanta, GA

Biggest Air

Brian Bishop, Beverly, MA

“Team Mids” MVP

Jean Taeza, New York, NY

Thank You’s:

All the volunteers who made the event possible: you slung bales, woke up early, stayed up late, helped build ramps, marshaled corners, provided food, water and encouragement, controlled traffic and residents, communicated expertly and helped keep everything on-schedule. G-Form, Loaded Boards, Orangatang Wheels, and Bear Trucks for coming on board as presenting sponsors and supporting Central Mass 4 in a big way. You all rock! Harry Hubbell for building, updating and maintaining the http://skatecentralMA.com website. Stefan Kaiter-Snyder for the awesome flyer artwork - it has become an important element of the event! Stephan Vaast for being a kick-ass intern, bringing engineering knowledge (and elbow grease) to the ramp-building process, assisting with flyer design, trophy construction, 3D printing and general setup & take-down. Paris Truck Co / Resource Distribution for the awesome printed bracket, start/finish and backdrop materials. Jessica Rosencrantz for helping with all the awesome custom laser-engraved trophy / medal materials. These were classy as hell and we’ll definitely be working with you again! (Additional shout-out to G-Form coworker Ceileidh Siegel for putting me in touch with Jess and helping with set-up, take-down & day-of event support.) Marcus Bandy, Seth Brown & Wheelbase Magazine for the pre-event advising and hyping, day-of announcing, social media, post-event video, photo, and written coverage that all help spread the word far and wide, and ensure a top-notch event. Push Culture News, Sam Weaver (The Skate District), Khaleeq Alfred, Mike DiPietro (Skate the East), Brian Babish (Plankss), and all the other media folk who brought out their lenses, documentary, and creative abilities to help showcase the action. Dane Webber, Amanda Powell, Ethan Cochard, Liam Morgan, Will Royce, Graeme Hystad, Adam Yates, Josh Wright, Alicia Fillback, Carmen Shafer, Levi Green, Flor Ram, Cindy Zhou, Daniel Fissmer, Team EW, Team Bustin, Team Original and all the other awesome riders who traveled from far and wide to shred and elevate the caliber of CM4’s riding and representation. You guys all kill it. The Billiard Café for providing an awesome after-party venue, putting up with our wild antics, and loud music. My parents for your eternal support and motivation. I could not do this event without them. Everyone who used and continues to use #SkateCentralMA to help share media!