Let’s get this thing right from the start: Vendée Freestyle Session is not the FISE, nor is it a FISE event. It was born however, from the brain of the people that have been bringing the world crazy skate parks and even crazier events for the past two decades, and this local and rather new event is held with the expertise and infrastructure of the latter. Now that the distinction has been made, let’s move forward and take a look inside the Vendée Freestyle Session!
Words: Freddy White
Photography: David Sizemore
Let’s also get this out of the way: Vendée Freestyle Session is not a competition. Not in the classic sense of the term anyway. Sure, it does have both a junior contest and open event, and like every other event the FISE might be involved with, a huge emphasis is put onto introducing the youth to these new sports with several workshops, and giving every rider brave enough a chance to practice on the giant skatepark assembled for the occasion.
But the highlight of the weekend is without a doubt the 4 scripted shows that take place on Friday, Saturday & Sunday evening. Sure, Vendée Freestyle Session is not Bercy. But it’s the closest we have ever come to in a really long time, and when autograph signings last well over an hour and city officials come greet the athletes after the final event, you know things are moving in the right direction. Not to mention the whole light show, soundtrack, and dedicated MC!
With some incredible athletes and artists booked for the weekend, Vendée Freestyle Session‘s very best performance was still undeniably the blade shows! With Danny Aldridge, Julien Cudot, Joe Atkinson, Romain Godenaire, Fredrik Andersson, Thomas Riffaud & hype man Josh Glowicki keeping the 4000 spectators in the sold out Arena entertained, the crowd was screaming louder that at any other time, and that sure was a pleasure to see firsthand!
Also booked for the shows, Valo pro David Sizemore unfortunately got hurt before the whole weekend started, which compromised his participation to the whole Vendée Freestyle Session… That was until we brought him a disposable camera, set up with a 800iso Kodak film, and came up with a plan to cover the event from the inside! Here is our look at one memorable event, through the lens of David’s analog camera: welcome to Vendée everyone!
Your favorite pros’ favorite products. Support Be-Mag by buying at our very own
or one of the following affiliate partners:
Amazon – everything you need
B&H – cameras and more
eBay – Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles, Coupons and more
