Skateboarding has taken Andy Anderson around the world, but for the past few days, he had the opportunity to compete much closer to home.

鈥淚 feel blessed. I leave for Copenhagen tomorrow, and then Paris and Rome for the street qualifiers for the Olympics and this is the best preparation I could have asked for, getting a local blessing 鈥� I just have to take a breath and appreciate this because this doesn鈥檛 happen and I hopefully it will happen more,鈥� Anderson said as the event wrapped up Sunday at 91原创 Events Centre (LEC).

鈥淚t is just unbelievable. The meaning that this kind of event carries, it is just so much more then what you can see on the surface, and I think everyone here feels it.鈥�

Anderson 鈥� a 26-year-old from White Rock 鈥� was among the competitors at the 7 Generations Cup, which was held June 10 to 12 at LEC.

Anderson finished first in the freestyle and second in the men鈥檚 all-terrain competitions. He also received the John Edward Ptucha Memorial Award, presented to the top overall skateboarder.

At the height of the sport, the award has previously been presented to the top overall skater of the Canadian amateur skateboard championships.

鈥淭hat award is something else. The overall skateboarder hasn鈥檛 really seen recognized or awarded or sought after for a long time and that is always what I aimed at but there really wasn鈥檛 an award for that until recently,鈥� he said.

The Indigenous-hosted pro skateboarding event was organized by the Generations Skateboard Society and drew competitors from across North America, as well as from Europe, Australia, and Japan, who were competing for a total prize pool of $30,000 US.

Taking inspiration for its name from the Kwantlen First Nations鈥� seven laws of life 鈥� health, happiness, humbleness, generations, generosity, forgiveness and understanding 鈥� the 7 Generations Cup featured a variety of events across its three-day span, including an all-terrain contest, a freestyle cup, trick battles, and the historic mini-ramp challenge.

RELATED: Indigenous skateboarders prepares for Olympics at 91原创 competition

鈥淲e have a deep history of skateboarding around the Lower Mainland and bringing a major event back allows us to gather and celebrate skateboarding together,鈥� said Jay Balmer, the board chair for the Generations Skateboard Society.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there has ever been an event this size since Slam City Jam, and I didn鈥檛 even go to that because I was so young,鈥� Anderson said, referencing the signature event that was last held in Vancouver in the mid-2000s.

鈥�(Having this event back) means a lot for the community; it is unbelievable what it does for skateboarding. How many of the people who are skating here who were inspired by those earlier contests and just of the drought for support for skateboarding in this area was 鈥� it is so nice the drought is over.鈥�

Having skateboarding in the Olympics 鈥� it was added in 2020 鈥� has helped bring the sport legitimacy.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think people ever thought of skateboarding other than an illegal activity until it was in the Olympics, and now people who were criminals are considered professional athletes,鈥� Anderson said.

鈥淚t is really nice to feel appreciated by the general population.鈥�

RELATED: Skateboarders flying from around the globe to 91原创

.

Winners

鈥� All Terrain Competition (first place to third place)

惭别苍鈥檚: Jake Wooten, Andy Anderson, Caden Smith

奥辞尘别苍鈥檚: Fay Ebert, Samantha Secours. Alexandra Kolebniak

鈥� Freestyle:

Andy Anderson, Nick Beaulieu, Guenter Mokulys

鈥� Mini-Ramp:

惭别苍鈥檚: Jake Wooten. Adam Hopkins, James Clarke

奥辞尘别苍鈥檚: Fay Ebert

Legends: Rob Sluggo Boyce, Alex Chalmers, Britain Bigginbotham

Pylon Death Races Results

Caleb Nichols, Dylans Righand

Krooked Hippy Jump Results

Jake Wooten, Riley Clerihue Allen

For full event results, people can .

.

asdfas