Looks like Zoo York is giving up the game of pretending Chaz Ortiz isn't a pro, after winning the 2008 Dew Tour and little events like the... uh... PlayStation Pro, and then holding his own for another year of pro competition all over the place in 2009.

Peep this new ZY ad: Chaz Ortiz is Officially Down.

Remember that bit last week about how well Chris Cole is managing to balance a core skateboarding life with more commercial contest pursuits like the collecting of X Games Gold and Dew Cups?

Click over to The Berrics for the most recent dose of that other side of Chris Cole: He's The Berrics' newest Battle Commander as of today, and his BC part is the sickness you've come to expect from Cole and from The Berrics, for that matter.

Props to Luan Oliveira: The Brazilian skater took down the Volcom Damn Am contest this weekend in Costa Mesa, beating out Clint Walker and Tommy Werner for the top spot. Results below, but for the full report click through to Skatepark of Tampa

Street Finals
1. Luan Oliveira
2. Clint Walker
3.Tommy Werner
4. Felipe Gustavo
5. Brodie Penrod
6. Timmy Knuth
7. Louie Lopez
8. Chase Webb
9. Felipe Ortiz
10. CJ Dixon
11. Derek Elmendorf
12. Rob Maatman

Street Best Trick

1. Clint walker
gap to backlip shuvit, 5-0 across and down kickflip out
2. Aaron collier backside bigspin boardslide on pyramid
3. Dylan witkin foot gap to noseblunt
4. Chris mendes kickflip backside tailslide bigspin out
5. Kechaud Johnson foot gap to frontside smith on the pyramid rail

Hot damn, that right there is a $3,678 fiberglass skateboard. This piece of Jay Adams history, circa 1974, brought in the big bucks in September, making the cut for the latest installment of Skate And Annoy's monthly eBay Watch. Lots of good stuff this month, actually, with some good boards from the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. The recession must really have some old dudes cleaning out the closet.

The dudes at Skatepark of Tampa have been bitching about that "U-shaped ramp" out back for as long as I can remember, the annual Tampa Pro vert contest that most vert skaters couldn't even be bothered to show up for notwithstanding, but this time it looks like the final nail in the coffin: SPoT's hosting the Vert Is Dead Jam on Halloween costumes mandatory and it's not even a vert contest.

Via SkateparkOfTampa.com:

"As the vert ramp meets its inevitable demise, one last contest will be brutally hosted upon its gloomy layers"

R.I.P., SPoT Vert.