Toa Sasaki Takes Second Place at Tampa Am 2023
Monster Army Rider Jake Yanko from Florida Takes First Place in Cariuma Concrete Jam, Monster Energy’s Raphae Ueda from California Claims Second Place.
The world’s best amateur skateboard contest is a wrap! Monster Energy congratulates Monster Army rider Toa Sasaki on taking second place in the 2023 Tampa Am Street Skateboarding competition at Skate Park of Tampa (SPoT) in Florida. In the world’s leading competition for amateur skateboarders, the 16-year-old from Mie, Japan, rose to the podium with a perfect run.
In the Cariuma Concrete Jam bowl contest, 21-year-old Monster Army rider Jake Yanko from Melbourne, Florida, soared above the competition to claim his second consecutive win in the event. Yanko was joined on the podium by 17-year-old Monster Energy rider Raphae Ueda from San Marcos, California, in second place.
From October 12-15, the 29th annual Tampa Am brought 200 amateur skateboarders from 25 countries to Skate Park of Tampa (SPoT). Skateboarders hailed from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, and the United States.
Presented by Monster Energy, Tampa Am is considered the most important amateur skateboarding contest on the circuit. First held at the SPoT warehouse in 1995, the contest provides a springboard into professional skateboarding. The list of Tampa Am winners includes some of today’s A-list pros, such as multiple SLS World Champion Nyjah Huston.
In the Skateboard Street final, 12 qualified riders battled to put down the highest-scoring run in three attempts. With several perfect runs landed in front of the high-energy crowd, the level of skateboarding was at an all-time high.
When the dust settled, 16-year-old Monster Army rider Toa Sasaki from Japan rose all the way to the podium with a stacked run. In his best attempt, Sasaki landed gap-out to backside noseblunt slide the pyramid rail, frontside blunt the pyramid, alley-oop frontside 180 to fakie 50-50 grind the box, frontside nollie heelflip lipslide the rail, frontside bluntslide the flat rail, bigflip frontside boardslide the rail, nollie frontside nosegrind the flat rail, frontside kickflip the quarterpipe, nollie Barley grind the rail, and a huge backside 360 ollie over the kicker rail for second place.
Supported by the Monster Army amateur program, recently took second place in the World Skate Switzerland Men’s Street Finals in September and second place in the Japan Damn Am finals in June. This kid is on the rise!
The Cariuma Concrete Jam put the spotlight on creative bowl skating. Year after year, the jam session contest stokes the crowd with high-energy skating and no-holds-barred tricks. In a party atmosphere, riders unleashed their best tricks on SPoT’s outdoor concrete bowl section.
Dropping in as a favorite after winning the event in 2022, Monster Army rider Jake Yanko once again stoked the crowd and judges with his high-energy skating. Covering the entire bowl, Yanko put down a huge frontside nosebone, crooked grind to fakie over the doorway channel, and backside ollie to tail stall on the window stool ledge. When the dust settled, the judges pronounced Yanko the winner of the Cariuma Concrete Jam for the second time.
Yanko was joined on the podium by 17-year-old Monster Energy rider Raphae Ueda from San Marcos, California, in second place. In the high-octane session, Ueda worked the bowl with lien method air, huge kickflip Indy air, and a technical frontside kickflip over the channel.
