Rockstar Energy Open 2025: World-Class Skateboarding Event Returns to Portland This August

Rockstar Energy is bringing back the Rockstar Energy Open on August 15–17, 2025, in Portland’s Waterfront Park. The event will feature top skateboarders, including Keegan Palmer, Chris Joslin, and Lazer Crawford, along with emerging talent.

Skaters worldwide can qualify through the Video Qualifying Series on ThePlatfrm.com starting June 2, with weekly cash prizes and the chance to compete in Portland.

The free, three-day event will also include live music, art, food trucks, and a fan village, creating a festival-like atmosphere. The competition will be livestreamed and broadcast globally.

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The Platfrm CORE: Cowtown – The Story Behind Arizona’s Iconic Skate Shop and Contest PHX AM

At the crux of every thriving skateboard scene is a brick and mortar store that plays a vital role in the foundation of its community. Laura, Trent Martin, and Ed Cox JR of Arizona’s Cowtown Skateboards have proven this true. Born out of necessity, Trent and Ed felt the missed representation of a core skate shop that supported the local community. Before Cowtown’s inception, a coalition of key figures that included Laura, Damon Alire, and Daniel Shircliff were already pushing for the development of a skatepark for the community—their efforts included engaging with the city, raising money, and hosting contests. In 1997, two events occurred that would forever change the course of skateboarding in Phoenix: the opening of Cowtown and Desert West Skatepark. The paths between Trent, Ed, Laura, Damon, and Daniel crossed throughout their various endeavors, each with similar goals: providing, fostering, and building a future for skateboarders in their community.

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The Platfrm – Now / Then: Shiloh Catori’s Journey from Newcomer to Loyal Toy Machine Pawn

What’s changed in the seven years Shiloh Catori has been skateboarding? How about joining the loyal pawns at Toy Machine, taking a win at the 2024 Phonenix AM, and moving to California for skateboarding, just to name a few milestones. Shiloh details more changes from her favorite tricks, skaters, videos, and more in her latest Now / Then video.

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Dylan Jaeb, Franky Villani, Art Cardova at Dickies Demo for Sixes and Sevens Skate Shop

A big part of skateboarding’s attributes that we don’t see around as often are team signings and demos at your local skate shop. Well, the Dickies crew posse up to change that and head to San Diego’s Sixes and Sevens skate shop in Rancho Peñesquitos to do the damn thang. “I think skateboarding is the most impressive when you see it in person and these community activations, hanging out with kids, shops, and demos are all part of our culture, and we need to start bringing it back,” comments Dickies TM Joe Monteleone who helped make it all happen. Watch Dylan Jaeb, Franky Villani, Art Cardova, Vincent Alvarez, and Ronnie Sandoval ripping for the local scene and a special appearance from Guy Mariano singing away at posters!

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The Platfrm Spot to Spot: Jake Braun Guides Local’s Tour of Iconic North County Spots

Jake Braun is the type of skateboarder who seeks out the biggest of rails and gets up on a Sunday before dawn to run up a mountain. Making the pilgrimage to Southern California from Minnesota, Jake is known around the North County region of San Diego as a local ripper. “I think it’s pretty well known that the local skate shop is the root of any good skate scene,” comments Jake as he tells us about his natural gravitation toward Rose Street after his friends started hanging out and filming for the shop. Follow Jake along as he goes Spot to Spot, giving us a tour of North County’s running trails, rough pre-fab parks, street spots, and ending his Sunday at his local shop.

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The Platfrm First Person: Bucky Lasek Reflects on Vans Combi Bowl a Skateboarding Mecca

The lore of the Combi Bowl has been a proving ground for skateboarders to push their limits and flaunt their style, turning the Vans Pool Party event into a legendary stage that has become part of skateboarding’s history. 2025 marked the last go at the Combi inside the Vans store in Orange, California, making some of the best transition skaters reacquaint themselves with its twelve-foot walls. To truly understand the intensity Combi brings out, we tap in with three-time Vans Pool Party champ ‪Bucky Lasek in First Person to view the preparation, mindset, and impact this bowl has made on skateboarding over the past two decades.

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The Platfrm First Person: Cory Juneau Takes on the Final Vans Pool Party at Combi

The Combi Pool at the Vans Skatepark in Orange, California has paid homage as a replica of the original from Pipeline Skatepark for over 20 years. The legendary Vans Pool Party made it’s final hoorah at the Combi in 2025, bringing together generations of skateboarders that have been there since the beginning to first-time competitors.

Familiar with Combi bowl since he was a grom, Cory Juneau steps back to the hallowed coping for the first time in years alongside his peers and heroes alike. “Everyone is ripping a lot of old faces, old friends. Picking up where they left off. Nobody has skated it in five and it’s like nostalgic.” Cory takes us through his experience from the past two months in First Person as he rekindles old and new lines, pushes through unexpected physical pain, and feeds off the raw energy that only a place like Combi can bring on finals day.

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The Platfrm Spot to Spot: John Worthington Scrapes Deep End Coping to Staircase

Backyard pool skateboarding has been a staple of the scene since its early days, and it remains a territory truly mastered by a select few. John Worthington, better known as Jworth, is one of those elite skaters. He effortlessly carves through the deepest pool lights, grinds coping, and connects lines around the shallow-end staircases. With experience navigating various pool shapes, sizes, and conditions, Jworth is no stranger to making what he finds easily skateable. Join Jworth in Spot to Spot as he jumps in the van with filmer Josh Peacock and rippers Taylor Nye, Lilly Erickson, Phoenix Sinnerton, Pedro Quintas, Dillon Doinklon, Tristan Rennie, and Tommy Calvert as they keep the flame alive in an often-overlooked corner of skateboarding.

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Vans Pool Party Combi 2025 Legend’s Final Highlights

The true legends of skateboarding reunite for one final session at the iconic Combi Pool in Orange, California. Each of these skaters has been a cornerstone of vert and pool skating, shaping skateboarding from the very beginning with their unique styles, boundary-pushing tricks, and a passion that still drives them today. Watch as Steve Alba, Christian Hosoi, Steve Caballero, and more tear up the Combi coping in the 2025 Vans Pool Party Legends division highlights.

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Vans Pool Party Combi 2025 Masters Final Highlights

Being part of the Master’s division at the Vans Pool Party is more than just a title—it’s a testament to being an icon of transition and a true master of the craft. Each of these master rippers has earned their place through years of experience in the pro division, with some having competed since the very first Combi Pool Party in Orange. Watch as they make their final mark in the bowl, surrounded by fans, friends, and family, in their last session at the Combi.

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Vans Pool Party Combi 2025 Women’s Final Highlights

The 2025 Vans Pool Party Combi highlights continue with the women’s final session as they bid farewell to a legendary home for skateboarding. Watch Fabiana Delfino, Kareem Campbell, Chris Roberts, Willy Santos, and more icons cheer on Bryce Wettstein, Ruby Lilley, Brighton Zeuner, Jordyn Barratt, Grace Marhoefer, Lilly Erickson, Hinano Kusaki, and Arisa Trew.

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Vans Pool Party Combi 2025 Men’s Final Highlights

This past Sunday, January 19th, 2025 marked the last Vans Pool Party at the Combi Bowl in Orange County, California. The highly regarded Pool Party competition series closes out 20 years at the indoor Vans skatepark with a final ride as the infamous Combi nears its inevitable filling-in.

Watch the men’s pro final highlights from the last Vans Pool Party at the Combi featuring Greyson Fletcher, Moto Shibata, Hampus Winberg, JD Shanchez, Tate Carew, Luigi Cini, Kiko Francisco, Cory Juneau, Tom Schaar, and a handful of legends watch from the sidelines.

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