Finally.
Setting up this invite only contest series is a test in patience. One by one the winners qualify for the Finals and we look forward to a talent filled event with tricks going down every few seconds. When we got to Milpitas, we still had one more qualifier to go.

Cody Steinberger took 3rd with a smith grind on the out ledge and crooks down the rail. Derek Williams skated real consistently to get 2nd place with a 5-0, front board and nose grind on the out ledge, and a salad grind down the rail. Mario Matabele, a Wisconsin transplant, showed up with his smooth, almost lazy style and landed a nose grind and back smith on the out ledge and a nollie back 180 down the set. He won the trip to Milpitas for the Finals, oh wait. We were already in Milpitas and the Finals were an hour later. It‚s time for Mario to get some rest.

All the guys flew in from all the other stops on the Zumiez Couch Tour 2007, to have a great time, meet other finalists and for a chance to win one of the top 3 prizes∑trips to the Hometown Heroes Am Finals in Lake Forest California, as part of the Etnies Goofy vs Regular weekend. The night before, we all got together for a fun meet and greet dinner, all the guys got along great. The next day they got to go back to the VIP area where the Emerica guys were to shake hands with Reynolds, Kirchart, Templeton, Hsu, Romero, Herman, Spanky and the rest of the crew.

All the heats were insane!!! We knew it was gonna be that way. Every obstacle was destroyed, the channel, out ledge, rail, hubba, table, manny pad, stair set, wall ride etc. Picking the top 3 was hard; this was the best of the best from all over the country. When it was finally over, Tom Ryen, Michael Patterson, & Jared Stoots stood above the rest. The best of the Best Foot Forward.