Maloof reaches for different air space
Millionaires Shaun White and Ryan Sheckler are among dozens of skateboarders who’ll roll into the Orange County Fairgrounds this evening, seeking to enhance fortunes and fame during a weekend-long competition.
But the real star of this show, by far the wealthiest, and without doubt the worst skateboarder, will remain behind the scenes.
That’s Joe Maloof, of the Maloof brothers. Joe and Gavin are president and vice chairman of Maloof Companies, a billion-dollar family enterprise. They own the Sacramento Kings and the Palms hotel and casino in Las Vegas, among other entities.
But through Sunday, thanks to an idea spawned by Joe, who assures that he is not experiencing a midlife crisis, they’ll be embraced by a much younger set -- for producing the richest and perhaps best skateboard competition of all time.
The Maloof Money Cup, with an overall purse of $450,000, will help kick off this year’s Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa.
A sprawling concrete street course has been laid. A smoothly beautiful wooden vert ramp has been erected. Both were designed by skateboarders, with input from other skateboarders.
“He’s been communicating with the right people,” says Bob Burnquist, a vert specialist from Vista, Calif. “It’s never perfect and it never will be, but at this point I don’t see any hiccups.”
A one-hit wonder? Joe Maloof says no.
Is this an attempt to steal thunder from ESPN’s popular X Games extravaganza, July 31 to Aug. 3 in Los Angeles and Carson? Not so, Maloof says.
“We appreciate the X Games. We’re like a little dot next to them -- a little speck,” Maloof says. “But we’re going to grow it, and it’s going to become big and get bigger, and the one thing I’m really excited about is the response we’re getting from the skaters. We’re getting the top skateboarders in the world.”
The Maloof Money Cup, with men’s and women’s pro street contests, men’s pro vert and amateur competitions, has lured the same pros who’ll compete in the X Games, plus underground street pros -- stars of endemic magazines and videos -- who don’t generally compete.
They’re lured by big bucks, but also a unique design that duplicates a pure street environment and judging criteria that promote “innovation instead of mediocre consistency,” says Rob Dyrdek, a Hollywood street skater who helped plan the course.
The Maloofs will award the men’s street winner $100,000, the men’s vert winner $75,000 and the women’s street winner $25,000.
The X Games last summer paid $50,000 to men’s winners and $20,000 to the women’s street and vert winners. Prize money for six skateboard disciplines totaled $474,000 and will increase this year to $554,000.
Additionally, the X Games’ overall purse for the multisport festival has grown in each of its first 13 years and for X Games 14 will total $1.625 million. Says Chris Stiepock, X Games general manager, of the Maloofs’ detour into this realm:
“The Maloofs have a keen eye for trends and exposure vehicles, and the fact that skateboarding has grabbed their attention is a positive thing for the sport and for action sports in general.”
Those running the AST Dew Tour, which has no stops in California, are less supportive. So-called one-off events do not constitute growth, says Wade Martin, Dew Tour general manager.
He adds that action sports “have grown enough to stand on their own” and certainly beyond where they should rely on a county fair to ensure lofty attendance.
Joe Maloof, 52, says his idea for the event was born simply by gazing out windows.
“Everywhere I looked I saw skateboarders,” he explains. “When I was a kid, everywhere you turned other kids were playing catch with a baseball in the park. Now they don’t do that anymore. Skateboarding is bigger than Little League baseball. So I thought, ‘Let’s do something a little different.’ ”
The initial plan was to conduct a skateboarding camp for kids, replacing the Sacramento basketball camps Maloof says had “become stale.”
But to make a bigger splash, and generate corporate support, he created the Money Cup, placed it strategically and sought core support to ensure authenticity.
Skateboarders Andrew Reynolds, Erik Ellington and Dyrdek helped construct a street obstacle course that is drawing rave reviews. Vert specialists Jake Brown and Pierre-Luc Gagnon were on the advisory panel for ramp design.
World Cup skateboarding has sanctioned the competitions as U.S. Pro Skateboarding championships, and its president, Don Bostick, is among the judges.
Maloof hints at expansion -- a mega-ramp, perhaps? -- and promises improvements for next year, though he’s pleased to have set such a grand inaugural stage, despite early skepticism.
Recalls Joe: “The rest of the Maloof family? They thought I was crazy at first.”
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
The facts
What: Inaugural Maloof Money Cup skateboarding competitions.
Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa.
When: Today through Sunday.
Who: Top pros and amateurs in street and vert competitions.
Prize money: $450,000 overall purse.
Cost: Tickets range from $12 to $35 and are available via Ticketmaster.com; O.C. Fair & Event Center Box Office, or by calling (714) 740-2000.
Website and schedule: Visit www.maloofmoneycup.com.
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Los Angeles Times