The next generation of skaters make moves at Moomba
On the Labour Day long weekend in March, YMCA Victoria hosted three events as part of the highly anticipated Moomba Street Championships, powered by SOUNDBOKS at Riverslide Skate Park:
- Skullcandy Moomba BMX competition, co-hosted with Rampfest
- ASL Street Championships, in partnership with VSA and Skate Australia
- Scooter Hut's Moomba Mania Scooter Competition
Over the three events we saw talented athletes in skate, scoot and BMX events from 10 years & under, all the way through to Opens.
The weather was bright and sunny, and the atmosphere was incredible over the four days with so many people coming down to check out the action and show their support. This year, the competition was open to all with no pre-qualifiers, so we had over 180 athletes fly in from all over Australia to compete for the titles and prizes. Some competitors were as young as five years old, but that didn’t stop them from bringing the competition and wowing the judges.
The BMX competition on Friday kicked off the weekend with incredible skill and insane tricks showcased throughout the night. We also had MC Patty G hyping up the crowd and bringing some solid laughs and vibes over the weekend.
Sunday's Skateboarding Finals events drew huge support, and the athletes showed the crowd everything they had. The weekend then closed off with Monday's scooter competition that ran back-to-back to avoid being washed out again but that didn’t stop the athletes from bringing the tricks from start to end.
Overall, we had 18 first place medallists with 50 medallists across all divisions (16 scoot, 21 skate and 13 BMX) who gained points on The Boardr.
We were thrilled to see girls compete in every event over the weekend, even in the often-under-represented BMX. Whether they were here to win or just have a go and get competition experience, all they all brought enthusiasm and determination to their events. At the Y we’re proud that our events offer equal prize money for both male and female divisions.
Being an open entry event this year, it was great seeing the amateurs sharing the stage and compete with the seasoned veterans, including Chloe Covell and Olympian Hayley Wilson who competed and came third despite still recovering from a broken arm!
I love competing at Moomba because I’ve done it for so many years. The atmosphere is just amazing, and the crowds are one of the best in the country which I reckon makes it one of the best competitions in the world. Hayley Wilson, Olympian
We also had a few guests of honour attend including Ariane De Roy, Executive Director and Karen Doyle, Board President of Skate Australia who came down from Queensland. As well as our very own CEO Carolyn Morris.
The vibe was absolutely sensational, and the level of skill shown by the athletes was impressive. Being the biggest event in the Y’s action sports calendar, such a huge amount of work went into it, and it has definitely paid off. The calibre of the event and the atmosphere of the crowd really attested to it.Carolyn Morris, CEO of YMCA Victoria
The level of competition each year is rising, with young athletes like Chloe Covell, Rome Collyer and Hamed Anvari showing everyone why Australian skateboarding has got an exciting future globally.
My favourite part of this event is that year on year we get to see these athletes grow and develop into professional skateboarders with exciting careers ahead of them.Ryan Harbottle, Manager of Riverslide Skate Park
A massive thank you to all our partners and sponsors who make this event possible City of Melbourne, Moomba Festival, Cool Ridge, Vans Australia, Fast Times, Goliath, Colony BMX, Active Outthere, Root Industries, TRNSFR.
