Athletes from all over the world flew into Busan, South Korea for the TreX-Games which was held from the 26th of September to the 2nd of October 2008.

Uncle Eddie a.k.a. Mr Go Sports assembled the Singapore crew of bmxers, inliners, and 3 skaters: Nazeer and Qi An (competitors) and Eusoff (judge).

We begged Qi An to share his experience with us and after 36 phone calls, a dozen emails and MSN conversations later, he finally obliged once we had a gun pointed to his head.

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The following words and pictures are courtesy of our good friend and willing captive, Qi An.

When we first saw the hotel we all thought this was some kind of mistake. There was no way they were gonna put us in a resort overlooking the sea. We thought maybe the driver got it wrong, or maybe it was just for uncle eddie. Turns out it really was our hotel. Free buffet breakfast and dinner every day. Cable TV, Wireless connection, nice clean sheets, and a great view. Now thats how you treat “professional” athletes!

If you look closely at the hotel monument it resembles uncle eddie’s arms.

Day 2, most of the skaters from all over the world arrived. We looked out the window one morning only to see a bunch of Caucasian skaters cruising the roads. Turns out it was Canadian skaters Spencer Hamilton, Dustin Montie and Micky Papa. Lamonzo Coleman Jr. from USA was also there. We watched them skate for quite a while and their warm up was enough to blow our minds. To think we were gonna be competing with them in a few hours time. I think I saw Lamonzo kickflip up a the “little” stairs you see on the bottom. It is NOT little. Its above waist level. Seeing Spencer Hamilton skate flatland from a birds eye view wasnt something you’d see everyday too.

We went for our qualifiers the next day, nervous as hell. The competition was held at an exhibition hall sort of like the Suntec Convention Center. It was a 5 minute shuttle bus ride from our hotel. Sweeet. The course was huge. I wasnt around for the CheunCheon games but i’m sure this was just as big. Even Nazeer himself was doubtful. All the ledges and rails were at least thigh high (MY THIGH and im tall). I only tried very hard to land very basic tricks like boardslides, fs boards and a feeble grind if i was lucky. Nazeer was ripping it with first try frontside feebles, front blunts, bank-to-bank ollies and melons. I think he landed his signature 360flip tailgrab too. But that all that was peanuts compared to what we saw. Austen Seaholm blew everyone’s minds by landing every single trick with ease all over the course. Dustin Montie shocked everyone with a 50-50 down the big handrail first try. Not forgetting Tyler James’ assault up the huge euro gap. He went for the backside double flip and almost landed.

At this point, Qi An didn’t want to write anymore. But I guess he broke out the brewskis and a couple hours later, realised that writing wasn’t so bad.

Now that i’ve had some beers i’m ready to continue on what happened after the compeition.That night well, we just had more beer. Everyone loves Korean beer (and chicks). The hotel lobby was filled with people from all three sports, and every little group would have their own little demo/jam session. Bikers were doing flatland BMX along the taxi driveway. Inliners were waxing up the lobby steps and doing combo grinds everywhere, and the skaters would be across the road trying wallrides in the dark. It was all good, where after a few beers everyone becomes your best friend. We didnt see each other as skaters or inliners or bikers. It was like an informal party right outside the hotel, and the best part was, the hotel staff didnt mind, and neither did the countless policeman patrolling the hotel perimeter. We even saw a policeman trying to balance on a skateboard! The local Korean skaters flocked down to our hotel after the competition was over to hang out too. They went around asking for emails and taking photographs. The celebration was about to come to a half when uncle Eddie suddenly joined and bought us some more beers! Yeahhhh uncle!!So that pretty much sums up the Korea trip.

I do have a life, and all this makes me feel like i’m one of those bloggers i make fun of (thank you barry). Now the high from my beers is pretty much gone and i’m about to KO on my keyboard. So thanks for reading my post and skate hard everyone if you wanna make it big. Cause after seeing what we saw in Korea, its not gonna be easy. But then again why listen to me. Skate for yourself and have fun thats all that matters. 

Thanks a lot Qi An! For more pics, check out our photo gallery, Go Sports blog, and Qi An’s facebook. Also check out WeBleedWood’s interview with Qi An and Eusoff
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Here are the results of the competition:

1. Austen Michel Marks - USA
2. Danilo do Rosario - BRA
3. Tetsuharu Sai - JPN
4. Dustin Alan Ronald Montie - CAN
5. Tyler James Hendley - USA
6. Lamonzo Coleman Jr - USA
7. Chi Wen Chen - TPE
8. Willian Spencer Hamilton - CAN
9. Weerayut Eksirasuwan - THA
10. Mohd Fuad Saifullah - MAS 

Highlights of the event:


Filmed and edited by Jarvis Nigelsky who also filmed  Yesterday’s Future, a video showcasing some of Vancouver’s top skaters. Check out his blog (City of new lights) for more great videos.

Here are some youtube videos of the notable skaters: Austen Seaholm, Dustin  Montie, Spencer Hamilton Micky Papa, Danilo do Rosario

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