As alluded to in our previous missive from the frontlines of Park Skateboarding here in San Juan, Argentina earlier today, the weather has played a strange hand between the practice days at the start of the week and the business end of affairs this weekend. A temperature drop of what felt like two seasons in 24 hours saw the sun screen put away and blankets produced for spectators and skaters between runs alike. The San Juan park is totally different not just in terms of layout but trick possibilities both from Sharjah and indeed Tokyo, and so it will come as no surprise to learn that skaters have arrived here weeks and in some cases even months in advance in order to figure out both the feel of this new layout and its challenges.

Foremost among those who came to Argentina early is Puerto Rico’s Steven Pineiro, who hired an apartment here a few months ago and has become something of a local celebrity in San Juan in the meantime. His strategy certainly paid off as he had arguably the most complete mastery of every facet of the park and looked extremely comfortable as he cruised- relatively speaking- through the elimination phases including tonight’s semis.Alongside him in stoking out the crowd was a phenomenally in-form Keegan Palmer, weightless Tate Carew and the mercurial, spellbindingly fluid Cory Juneau amongst the standouts from a drastically colder but no less intense semi-finals Saturday here in what was a temporarily freezing Argentina.

The Women’s semi’s were up first and went off under sharp floodlighting and comparatively warmer temperatures than mid-afternoon with Sky Brown maintaining her pole position and a strong Brazilian showing which was only prevented from becoming a juggernaut by veteran Yndiara Asp missing the cut by the tiniest of margins.

We will be beaming all the hammers from the Finals tomorrow as the top 8 Men and Women go at it here in the Andean foothills of Argentina.

The good weather is forecast to return for then- fingers crossed- so join us back here for a $200,000 Sunday from San Juan!

WST San Juan Park 2023 Women’s Semi-Final Results

1) Sky Brown

2) Kokona Hiraki

3) Hinano Kusaki

4) Arisa Trew

5) Lilly Stoephasius

6) Raicca Oliveira

7) Dora Pereira

8) Ruby Trew

WST San Juan Park 2023 Men’s Semi-Final Results

1) Jagger Eaton

2) Keegan Palmer

3) Augusto Santos

4) Gavin Bottger

5) Tate Carew

6) Luigi Cini

7) Tom Schaar

8) Steven Pineiro