Rockstar Energy Open Day Two: Portland Turns It Up
By the time day two of the Rockstar Energy Open wrapped in Portland, it was clear this contest isn’t just another stop on the skate circus calendar — it’s morphing into one of those events where people actually remember what went down. The mix of tricks, chaotic crowd energy, and straight-up emotion on display was enough to make you forget you were watching a heavily branded skate event with an energy drink logo stamped on every surface.
Women’s Park: Mizuho Does It Again
The day kicked off with the Women’s Park Final, and it felt like the energy in the building got dialed up with every run. Sky Brown and Bryce Wettstein were battling for the top spots early, but reigning champ Mizuho Hasegawa wasn’t about to hand over her crown. She waited until her last run to drop something spicy: a kickflip Indy over the hip, an alley-oop nosegrind on the vert wall, and a Rockstar-logo stall that had the crowd losing it. By the time Sky and Bryce lifted her up on their shoulders, it was already cemented — Mizuho’s back-to-back champ status is no fluke.
Street Semis: Setting the Table
The Men’s Street Semis were a war of attrition. 24 skaters fighting for 10 spots in tomorrow’s final. Braden Hoban came in hungry, reminding everyone why he’s been on a tear, bumping Kairi Netsuke into second place. Then Julian Agliardi swooped in last minute, outscoring Kelvin Hoefler for the third slot. The finals are now stacked with heavy hitters, and the pressure for tomorrow is looking real.
Best Trick Mayhem
The Park Best Trick Jam turned into more of a fan riot than a structured event, which honestly made it better. Keegan Palmer locked in “Best Trick Overall” with a backside noseblunt on the oversized Rockstar feature, while Greyson Fletcher did what Greyson Fletcher does — hype up the crowd until they were basically frothing. His “Best Time” award was basically recognition that he turned a contest into a mosh pit.
Over on Street, Chris Joslin went full redemption arc mode. He stomped a nollie backside 360 heelflip down the gap for Best Trick and then got showered in Rockstar by Braden Hoban like he’d just won the Super Bowl. Joslin’s post-trick interview was borderline emotional therapy: “I love skateboarding so much… it’s been a couple of years with a lot of ups and downs… tonight is proof I’ve cleared my head and got back to it.” It hit harder than you’d expect from a dude who just put down a trick only a handful of humans could replicate.
11-year-old Wyatt Hammond kept things from getting too serious by winning the NIXON “Best Time” award. Basically: the kid partied harder than half the field and got a free watch for it.
Portland Energy
Between Dreamland-built parks, Burnside mythology, and locals packing the fences like it was a punk show, Portland proved once again why it’s a skateboarding mecca. Greyson summed it up best: “Portland is the best city in the world… make more events like this one!”
