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King Max back on top at skate comp

It's tradition for skateboards to hit up Second Haven Skate Park on Canada Day for a competition. It would seem having Whitehorse's Max Melvin-McNutt win it is also a bit of a tradition.
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It’s tradition for skateboards to hit up Second Haven Skate Park on Canada Day for a competition.

It would seem having Whitehorse’s Max Melvin-McNutt win it is also a bit of a tradition.

After missing it last year, the 21-year-old was back on top at the Canada Day Skate Comp on Wednesday in Riverdale.

“It was great. I haven’t been able to skate as much I like to these day because it’s off season - training for snowboarding,” said Melvin-McNutt, who snowboarded in a World Cup in the Czech Republic this past winter. “So it was nice to come out here, perform and win too.”

Melvin-McNutt won the competition, which is the de facto Yukon skateboard championships, in 2008 and then three years straight from 2011-2013.

He rose to the top Wednesday with a backside lipslide down the handrail, a crooked grind on the handrail, a blunt to fakie on the quarterfinal and an ollie heelflip to 180 on the pyramid.

“I’ve never done the crooked grind, the back lip or the blunt to fakie in a contest before,” said Melvin-McNutt.

“It was an awesome turnout with a lot of great skateboarding. It’s always good when everyone is skating hard.”

Lower Post, B.C.‘s Cody Ball, who won the comp last year, placed second behind Melvin-McNutt.

Curtis Carlick, Sean Bossenberry and Paddy Robinson rounded out the top-five spots.

Third place’s Carlick also won the best trick competition on the pyramid, landing an ollie over the hubba to flat.

Whitehorse’s Jerry Miller, who placed second at last year’s comp, won best trick on the six-step with a pop shove-it tailgrab.

“Everyone was awesome skaters; everyone did really well,” said Miller. “I’m honest really glad with the turnout this year ... Max hasn’t been here the last couple of years. We’ve missed him being around here.

“The most impressive thing I saw Max do was the blunt to fakie on the quarterpipe.”

Declan Casey took first in the under-12 category and Whitehorse band Soda Pony performed to close out the event hosted by Bringing Youth Towards Equality.

Contact Tom Patrick at

tomp@yukon-news.com