Maloof Money Cup’s First 24 Invited Skaters

Now that Rob Dyrdek has tightened down Street League Skateboarding’s contract skateboarders (what is this the WWE?) it’s forcing us to look at the lists and decide which roster of skaters we’d be more interested in following (not to say you can’t follow both tours).

The Maloof Money Cup has just released the first half of their 48 skater invite list and it looks pretty stacked:

Alex Olson, Andrew Reynolds , Anthony Van Engelen, Arto Saari, Austyn Gillette, Bastien Salabanzi, Brandon Westgate, Brian Anderson, Bryan Herman, Chris Haslam, Chris Pfanner, David Gravette, Dennis Busenitz, Garrett Hill, Geoff Rowley, Grant Taylor, Greg Lutzka, Justin Brock, Leo Romero, Lizard King, Sierra Fellers, Tom Asta, Tony Trujillo, and Vincent Alvarez.

Amazing skateboarding will go down, but don’t Grant Taylor, Greg Lutzka have prior commitments?

[Editors’ Note: Scratch the Lutzka mention. He has now reportedly “severed ties” with Street League.]Geoff Rowley, Andrew Reynolds, Dennis Busenitz among 48 Top Street Skaters Competing for Richest Purse in Skateboarding — Tickets for NY on Sale Now at MaloofMoneyCup.com

(Irvine, Calif. – April 22, 2011) The Maloof Money Cup (www.maloofmoneycup.com) presented by Vans – today announced the first 24 skaters invited to compete in its New York and Washington D.C. contests. With a total prize purse for this year’s four Maloof Money Cup contests well over $2 million, it’s the richest prize purse in skateboarding. The remaining 24 invited skaters – who will round out the final roster of 48 – will be released exclusively on the Maloof Money Cup Facebook page over the next three weeks.

The first 24 invited skaters are:

Alex Olson

Andrew Reynolds

Anthony Van Engelen

Arto Saari

Austyn Gillette

Bastien Salabanzi

Brandon Westgate

Brian Anderson

Bryan Herman

Chris Haslam

Chris Pfanner

David Gravette

Dennis Busenitz

Garrett Hill

Geoff Rowley

Grant Taylor

Greg Lutzka

Justin Brock

Leo Romero

Lizard King

Sierra Fellers

Tom Asta

Tony Trujillo

Vincent Alvarez

“We are so excited about the great talent in this year’s list for New York. We always get the best skateboarders to compete in our contest, but this year could be the strongest list yet,” said Joe Maloof, founder of Maloof Money Cup and whose family owns the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. “We’ve got some of the greatest skaters today with Geoff Rowley and Andrew Reynolds plus a rich pool of young talent. Any one of them could walk away with the biggest first place prize purse in skateboarding history.”

The Maloof Money Cup contest jam format was created by skateboarders and is widely praised for encouraging the hardest tricks in a fast-paced, energized environment. The Maloof Money Cup is held on custom built, cement street courses designed by the pros for each city, which incorporate features that replicate real street skating.

Ryan Clements from SPoTlight Productions, the company that runs and judges the Maloof Money Cup street contests said, “With the creation of such amazing courses, there’s no other way to push the limits of skateboarding more aggressively. It’s a skate full-speed-ahead deal, with no distractions, that allows for true progression and is packed with insane stuff.”

“I think one of the reasons we’ve seen hands-down the best skateboarding in the world at our contests, is due to our high energy format,” said Maloof. “The jam format really creates an exciting atmosphere that gives skaters the freedom to push boundaries and try for the most difficult tricks. By encouraging the hardest tricks and not penalizing skaters for missing them, you reward creativity. The unpredictability and excitement that results from this approach keeps the fans literally on the edge of their seats from start to finish.”

Maloof All Pros – Headed to South Africa

The top 16 finishers in D.C. and New York will become Maloof All Pros and will be invited to represent the U.S. in the first- ever world skateboarding championships in Kimberley, South Africa Sept. 30 – Oct. 2. Following South Africa, the All Pros will return for the final U.S. Maloof Money Cup contest in Orange County, Calif., offering the largest prize purse in skateboarding.

Selection Committee

The 2011 skater selection committee included some of the industry’s most widely respected experts such as Mike Burnett (Thrasher), Skin Phillips (Transworld), Andrew Reynolds (Baker Boys), Jamie Hart (Vans), Steve Rodriguez (5Boro), Mike Sinclair (Tumyeto), Fred Van Schie (Sole Technology), Bill Weiss (Dwindle), Sam Smyth (Girl) and Spotlight Productions.

About Maloof Skateboarding

Maloof Skateboarding (www.maloofskateboarding.com) produces the Maloof Money Cup. Presented by Vans, the Maloof Money Cup is the world’s greatest skateboarding event and the premiere showcase for amateur and professional skateboarding. In 2011, the Maloof Money Cup hosts three U.S. contests, returning to Queens, NY June 4-5 and Orange County, Calif. plus a new host city, Washington, D.C., on Labor Day weekend, September 3-4. In addition to the U.S. contests, the Maloof Money Cup expands internationally this year with the first ever Maloof Money Cup World Skateboarding Championships in Kimberley, South Africa, September 30 – Oct 2. Join our online community to share the competition experience with a global audience and be the first to know about exciting upcoming MMC announcements. Go to www.maloofmoneycup.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @MaloofMoneyCup.