PHXAM 2022 Weekend Wrap-Up

AFTER TWO LONG YEARS AWAY, we are thrilled to say our 20th PHXAM was one for the books! As we saw the contestants’ names roll in, we knew it was gonna be another fired-up year on the course, with hundreds of the world’s best Am’s descending upon Desert West. From transition talents to phenomenal rail rippers, the crop of skaters never disappoints. This year was special, not only for marking our second decade as the Southwest’s premier contest but also for the exclusive events, music and videos that bring our beautiful skateboarding family together. 

Starting off with our tradition, we closed the park to give it a facelift from local builder Josh Hawkins and crew at Hawkins Build Co. and a grip of talented visionary artists. See those immaculate bump to bars and killer graphics on the course? That’s all new, just for the occasion. Some of it is even staying behind just for the Valley’s scene. After the Am’s had their warm-ups on the ramps, it was time to officially kick off the weekend back at Legend City Studios for the PHX HAM Memorial Photo Show.

It’s with a heavy heart we had to say goodbye last year to our dear friend and member of the extended Cowtown family Joe Hammeke. Joe put in more time than most out on the course, as he covered the contest annually for a decade. We always talked about doing an exhibition and it wouldn’t be PHXAM without some of his presence, so together with Thrasher and Vans, we put together a show with over 150 photos from Joe’s archive, showcasing his time spent in the desert and on the road as a Thrasher Magazine staff photographer. Groundbreaking moves at the Love Bowls? Joe shot ‘em. What about full interviews with the Valley’s best pros? He shot ‘em too! It was a touching display of a life well lived and we couldn’t have been happier to play a part. Midway through the night, Jessica Arloa Hammeke even donated a set of Joe’s camera gear to aspiring skate photographer Kyle Catchpol. On the same stage we had that inspiring moment, sets by DJ Tai Conner and Loserfur hyped up the whole crowd to close out the night. Libations for the evening were provided by the fine folks at Shop Beer Co. All proceeds from print sales went directly to the Hammeke family.

Saturday’s forecast kept everyone on their toes. But the skate gods gave us a lucky break with some overcast skies to watch the 2022 Qualifier Jams. Plus that cooler weather probably helped set a record this year, as the first ones in line camped out overnight to claim their early bird prize bag! With over 50 jams to watch, every minute on the course was power-packed with unreal runs and mind-bending maneuvers. Tunes were pumping all weekend courtesy of DJ Kate Scratch Fever. At the end of the day, it was Brazil’s rising-star Filipe Mota walking about with the Golden Ticket and a straight shot to Sunday’s finals.

That cloud coverage was essential again, as all the attendees still had some stoke leftover to pack Tempe’s Marquee Theater for our must-have PHXAM After Party. Hundreds on hundreds—dare I say thousands?!—of skaters and music heads alike came out for the premiere of Eric Danescu and Brian Masterson’s Midtone video, followed by a heart-pumping set from Xavier Wulf. Immediately after the video played, ender-dropping madman Jesse Hiltner was hoisted up and crowdsurfed to congratulate his epic feats. An after-partygoer with one of the few jaws that weren’t on the floor exclaimed, “Isn’t this just the best?” We’d have to agree.

No blessing from the clouds on Sunday meant that the finals would not be for the faint of heart. And maybe that’s how it should be! The top 54 from the prior jams took to the course again, only three at time, this go. Somehow everyone was hittin’ harder than the day before, shocking the crowd with high-flying hits on the back wall and confounding consistency flipping onto rails. Am Scrambler and Creature Fiend Jhancarlos Gonzales not only took the semi-finals but also kept his place all the way through, taking first overall —raising that Steel Saguaro straight to the sky and earning $7,500 in the process. Well deserved, Jhanca! If you’re looking to inspire the next PHXAM champ, just show them these runs for the secret: Go insanely fast, skate every obstacle, and do a million unbelievably hard tricks in quick succession. It ain’t rocket science, people!

Oh, you thought we were done? We still got more chaos from the course with our new Cash or Crash Best Trick Contest. Instead of one main stair huck, we covered more ground by doing 10-minute sessions on four different obstacles through the park—the keyhole quarterpipe, the rainbow rail, the rails and hubba and closing on the extended double set. Every event had its moments but one of the wildest we had was Braden Hoban’s double-set tear, even going after time to land an unthinkably crazy kickflip front 50-50 on the kinker. That’s just another level considering Gary Rogers was ready to close the event after Braden’s first two tricks! The $4,000 prize purse from was also matched and donated to our non-profit CowtownSKATE.org. Nothin’ better than a best trick jam to feel good about twice! We always know it’s gonna be nuts, but somehow it still shocks us what these kids bring to the table.

Our triumphant return and continued success of PHXAM would not be possible without the immense hard work from our behind-the-scenes staff, support from the City of Phoenix, and especially our sponsors. We’d like to thank Vans, REAL, Pro-Tec, Bones Bearings, Bones Wheels, Diamond Supply Co, Mob Grip, Independent and Thrasher Magazine.   

Written by Ted Schmitz / Photos: Josue Orozco & Carlos Monge

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