Taking the triple crown

Mike Sciacca

For the third consecutive year, Ryan Nyquist has won the Vans Triple

Crown of BMX.

But on his way to the title, something happened to the Greenville,

N.C. native: he lost a Vans dirt competition for the first time.

Australia’s Ryan Guettler unseated Nyquist as the dirt champion,

winning Sunday’s final and a $7,500 top prize at the Vans World

Championships of Skateboarding and Vans World Championships of BMX,

held at Huntington Beach State Beach.

Surf City stop was the final leg of the 2003 Vans competition

series.

“We’re really pleased with the weekend and the competitions,” said

Chris Overholser, senior communications manager for Vans, Pro-tec,

who estimated the weekend crowd at the competition site in the beach

parking lot between Newland Street and Magnolia Street to be between

40,000 and 50,000 spectators.

“Huntington Beach has a lot to offer sports-wise throughout the

course of the summer and this event was kind of the last hurrah,” he

said. “Spectators got to see the best skaters and BMX riders in the

world.”

Guettler’s triumph ended an 11-event Vans Triple Crown winning

streak for Nyquist, which dated back to June 2001.

Guettler edged out Luke Parslow for the dirt title, outscoring his

fellow Aussie, 94.00 to 93.17.

Third-place went to TJ Lavin of Las Vegas.

Nyquist finished second in the street final, which was won by

Scott Cranmer of Jackson, N.J.

Third-place in Street was taken by Steven McCann of Melbourne,

Australia.

By winning the Vans Triple Crown of BMX overall title, Nyquist won

more than $35,000 and a Ford Ranger FX4.

Bucky Lasek of Baltimore won the Vans World Championships of

Skateboarding title and $18,500. In the process, he earned a Ford

Ranger FX4 by becoming the 2004 Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding

champion.

Lasek’s near-flawless run on his third attempt catapulted him to

first-place in the men’s vert competition, ahead of second-place

finisher Vista’s Bob Burnquist, last year’s winner.

Lasek also tied with Brazil’s Andre Genovesi for first-place in

the men’s best trick street event Sunday.

In Sunday’s street skate final, France’s Bastien Salabanzi

finished first, Brazil’s Rodil Junior was second and Corey Sheppard

of Toronto, in a rare skate competition appearance, placed third.

By placing second, Junior became the overall street champion in

2004.

The ladies vert winner Sunday was Elissa Steamer of Ft. Myers,

Fla.