Every year we get together and hit the course before it gets destroyed over the weekend. This year was no different!

Filmed by Tim Vasquez & Brian Masterson. 

Skating (in order)

Derek Hoholik, Jahn O’Neal, Nick Papa, Shaun Gregoire, Malachi Gray, Andrew Jacquez, Isaiah Ayers, Jahmal Thomas, Cordano Russell & Donovan Nearing.

Have you heard?! The 21st Annual PHXAM brought the heat again! No matter how much is planned, the outcome always exceeds expectations. Whether it’s the visionary add-ons by Colby Carter and Hawkins Build Co., the level of talent, or hyped-up music/cultural events that bring the scene together, it’s almost indescribable… But let’s try to now! 

Paige Heyn – Smith Grind

To host this occasion, we return to the first skatepark in Phoenix, Desert West. With the help of the aforementioned friends, Carter & Hawkins, the park is spruced up with new obstacles that ensure one hell of a spectacle. One of the add-ons will even be permanent. The park also got a makeover! Damaged areas are brought back to life and a fresh coat of paint isn’t enough though. Thanks to Local Artists, the park is decorated with one-of-a-kind ‘Pieces’ painted throughout the course for everyone to enjoy. To check out the art & test the new props, we started on Thursday with friends and family night before letting the contestants fully unleash at Friday’s practice. 

Jake Yanko – Madonna

Moving onto Friday! This was a first look at the new cast of Ams from all over the world. Skaters coming in from France, Brazil, and even the exotic Los Angeles, California! With a plethora of hard-rippers, this year we got to see riders competing for the women’s prize purse too! Once we saw Grace, Poe & Paige in the lineup, it was obvious that we were in for an epic weekend. While practice was going down, we also saw the drop of the new Art of Skateboarding Forever Stamps from USPS featuring graphics from Arizona-based Navajo native skater/artist Di’Orr Greenwood. Cowtown SKATE Nonprofit also got a grip of new gear out to the local community with Boards for the Barrio. This is where people can get their busted setups fixed or swap ‘em with new products and much more. That’s enough for one day, right? Wrong! Following practice, the evening’s extracurriculars start. We head to Hop Box at the Pemberton where we livened up tired eyes with local lensman Michael Tyler’s Barrel-Aged video. All leading into the premiere of Independent Trucks AZ Tour Video, PHX WHAM!! The weekend was already heartwarming as hell and we hadn’t even seen the first heat.

Koston Eaton – Back Overkrook

What’s that about heat?! Saturday we were blessed by the skate gods with a beautiful 71-degree sky. If you’ve ever attended PHXAM before, you know how rare this is. With a line of patient, attendees stretched all the way out to the street, we were ready to start the day. As always, first in line got a prize pack from our generous sponsors, kids this year camped out for four days! Walking in, everyone was treated to the famous fun at our vendors’ booths known as ‘Tent City’. This is where you essentially play carnival games and walk away with new gear or at least a funny story. Once you get through the madness, you can sit and watch the first of the contest jams! With Dj’s Kate Scratch Fever and Chopper Dave spinning the tunes, Mike Pringle & Andrew Cannon on the Mic and everyone already warmed up from Friday, it was straight to business dismantling Desert West piece by piece. Hitting damn near every rail in the park in his run, last year’s reigning champ Jhancarlos Gonzalez rode away from the qualifiers with the Golden Ticket. Our first-ever dedicated women’s jams also went off, with hometown hero Paige Heyn in the top spot moving into finals. The level of rippage we witnessed could not be understated, but we all know the weekend isn’t just about the contest. 

Jhancarlos Gonzalez – Nosegrind

Into the night, everyone gathered at Grand Avenue Pizza for the premiere of Brian Masterson’s new Cowtown video Anywhere But Here. Our team traveled AZ state and went above and beyond for the new production, especially Zach Jordan and Jesse Hiltner. What about the music? Well, there’s a Cap’n Jazz song in the video…but that’s not what you’re talking about are you? You wanna know about the Metalachi show with Garnak and Sewer Gap! We had rowdy skaters, heavy metal, and a mechanical bull! If you were smart, you went to bed after the show. If you felt like having a headache on Sunday you stayed out. Let’s follow up with the smart ones now.

Toby Ryan – Switch Flip

Sunday arrived and you could tell who had their wits about them and who needed to hit the Yeti free water station. Straight to business, the boys took to the course again for the semi-finals, throwing heavy hits from every end of the park. Big ol’ Madonna on the quarter? That’s Jake Yanko, nollie back 270 shove boardslide? That’s Cordano Russell—more on him later! Then we got the privilege of witnessing some of the rawest women in the game absolutely crush it for a piece of that $9,000 prize purse. We’re talkin’ fast plants on the big wall, locked and loaded front feebles across the new rails followed by a general wave of destruction we couldn’t believe. Closing out, the men’s finals proceeded, with a nine-grand bag on the line as well. Once the dust settled, Phoenix’s very own Lazer Crawford walked away with the number-one steel saguaro and $5,000. Standing next to him on the podium there was Brazil’s Wallace Gabriel in second for $3,000 and our other Valley boy Koston Eaton in third for $1,000 of his own—watch out big bro! With the scores tallied, we watched Grace Marhoefer take a number-one steel saguaro for herself, $5,000 from the women’s prize bag. Alongside her on the podium, we had local star Paige Heyn in second, claiming three grand, and up-and-coming powerhouse Poe Pinson in third, earning $1,000. So that’s it right? Wrong again! This wagon’s packed with prizes, so it was on to the Vans Best Trick Contest. 

Paige Heyn – Switch Front Board

Following the finals and with Geoff Rowley on the mic, we went straight to the sessions with three ten-minute jams on three different obstacles. That meant ten minutes on the volcano extension where Logan Mozey pulled a nosegrind for the ages. Then ten minutes on the bump to ledge—or ledge to bump?! If you’re Cordano Russell trying back tail, that’s what you saw. And finally ten minutes on the centerpiece stair set and handrail. Jahncarlos made sure not to leave empty-handed, so he dropped an insane switch front hurricane on that thing to seal the deal. Each winner in the Vans Best Trick Contest walked away with the glory and a cool thousand bucks padding their pockets too! 

Cordano Russell – Back Tail up the ledge to Fakie

So that’s it, right?! This time, sadly, you’re correct. After the event cleared we had to bid adieu once again to the contestants, sponsors, vendors, TMs, and most importantly crowd members that make this event our favorite weekend out of the year. Phoenix is a special place and it’s incredible to share our city and skatepark with you year after year.

PHXAM 2023 was made possible by the generous support of our partners and sponsors: Vans, Independent, Pro-Tec, REAL Skateboards, Bones Bearings, Bones Wheels, Mob Grip, Thrasher Magazine, Autumn, and Yeti. 

If you were there, you’re probably still recovering from the overload of awesomeness. Weren’t there? Sorry to hear it but at least you can watch the recap videos. Either way, we’ll see you next year!

Written by Ted Schmitz / Photos: Kyle Catchpole

COMIN IN ####!!! HOT! PHX WHAM!

The Indy Tour Video Premiere’s PHXAM Friday 03/24, 8pm at Hop Box! Sweet Pickle’s local video “Barrel Aged” will open up the night. Enjoy the ‘Party in the Backyard’ known as Hop Box with $3 PBR’s & $5 mixed drinks (bar with ID). ShopBeer Co. will also have a specialty drink with proceeds benefitting CowtownSKATE Nonprofit! So kick back, relax, and get ready for the Indy Tour Video Premiere!

Hop Box @ The Pemberton 1121N. 2nd Street – Phoenix, AZ. 85004

Construction has begun! This years PHXAM feature additions were designed by Colby Carter and are being built by Josh Hawkins. Both AZ natives, pro skateboarders and all around talented. Skateboarders building skateboarding!

Cowtown’s 2023 PHXAM AfterParty Featuring Metalachi, Garnak & Sewer Gap
with a special showing of Cowtown’s Anywhere But Here Skate Video
March 25th, 2023. Doors at 7:30p

Buy Tickets Here

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.

Jessica Hammeke and the Kids.

Kyle Catchpole is stoked receiving the Hammeke Gear Bag!

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.

Excitement building

Bradley Church – BS Heelflip

Steve Van Doren Grillin’

Liam Pace Blasting!

Dave and Odin sending the raffle

Jhancarlos Gonzales – Switch BS Lip

First dude in line got a complete package form all the sponsors!

Braden Hoban – Gap to Front Blunt

Special thanks to our Cowtown Non-Profit volunteers Mark Bulthaup, Afton May and Shannon Etherton (not Pictured) for the awesome fundraising efforts all weekend!

Brian Daukulis & Cody Iverson manning the Cowtown booth

Gabryel Aguilar – Kickflip Krook

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!

Juancarlos Gonzales – 180 Switch Krook

Gary Rodgers bringing the energy!

Sector 9 boxing ring was a hit…

Kieran Woolley – Smith over the rainbow

Lazer Crawford – Hardflip Lip

The Top 3 Celebrating! 1st-Jhancarlos Gonzales, 2nd-Kieran Woolley, 3rd-Lazer Crawford

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.

Braden Hoben – FS Flip Melon

Liam Pace – Footplant

Jake Yanko – Boardslide Pull Over

Kieran Woolley – Double Trouble

Liam Pace – 540

Rad Pinckard – Invert or the Rainbow Rail

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

Cowtown’s PHXAM 2022 presented by VANS, Qualifier Highlights! Here’s a quick look at some of the craziness that went down Saturday during qualifier jams at PHXAM2022.

Thanks to everyone that skated and all who came out to show their support!

Endless thanks to Vans, Bones Wheels, Independent Trucks, Thrasher, Real Skateboards, Pro-Tec, Bones Bearings, Diamond Supply Co. & Mob Grip for making this event possible.

Skating (in order):
Jett Eaton, Shay Sandiford, Nick Papa, Jhancarlos Gonzalez, Braden Hoban, Daiki Ikeda, Liam Pace & Jonathan Henderson.
Film: Josh Metzger
Edit: Tim Vasquez