World Skateboarding Grand Prix

Background

World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSPG) is a skateboarding event management company that was founded by CEO Tim McFerran in 2013. WSGP is based in Sacramento, California.

McFerran previously served as Vice President at Maloof Skateboarding and ran the Maloof Money Cup World Championships from 2008 to 2012. In 2009, McFerran was named one of the “Hot 25” “best and brightest business professionals” in the Orange County, California region by OC METRO.

According to WSGP, the company is committed to stimulating “local economies through tourism and support youth development, especially those in underserved or impoverished communities, through skate clinics, demos, pro tours and more.”

In cities that host WSGP world championships, WSPG conducts a six-month community outreach program, offering skateboarding clinics, demos, regional contests and a minimum of two professional skateboard teams to engage the country's youth leading up to the events. In conjunction with the tour, thousands of shoes, skateboard decks and skate gear are donated to underprivileged youth, giving them the opportunity to participate in a positive activity that improves focus, discipline, camaraderie and confidence.

Kimberley Diamond Cup

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 Kimberley Diamond Cup World Skateboarding Championships were produced by World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP) and presented in partnership with the Northern Cape Provincial Government and Kumba Iron Ore, the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world and the largest in Africa. The open skateboarding competitions were held at the Kumba Skate Plaza in Kimberley, capital of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa.

The Kimberley Diamond Cup replaced the Maloof Money Cup World Championships, held in 2011 and 2012. The event was named in homage to Kimberley’s history as the location of the first diamond mine in South Africa, and for its reputation as "The Diamond City."

Prize money for the Kimberley Diamond Cup World Skateboarding Championships was $250,000 and the total prize purse was $500,000, the largest single-event purse in skateboarding.

The Kimberley Diamond Cup events were webcast in 120 countries. SuperSport, the leading sports provider in South Africa, also broadcast the competitions.

During the summer of 2013, professional skateboarders Ryan Decenzo and Adam Dyet joined the WSGP’s Skateboarding for Hope tour in the Northern Cape Province and participated in skateboarding clinics and demonstrations in Kathu, Kuruman, Postmasburg and Kimberley.

WSGP also conducted coaching clinics throughout South Africa, gave away skateboards, and employed a full-time skateboarding coach at the Kumba Skate Plaza.

WSGP, as part of its drive to ensure local beneficiation, partnered with a South African project management company, Pragmatics, to deliver the Kimberley Diamond Cup.

Rider Cup NYC

In 2014, WSGP produced the Rider Cup NYC team skateboarding competition in New York City. Contests were held in New York’s five boroughs and finals were conducted at Lower East Side (LES) Coleman Skatepark. Winning teams from each borough (12 total) competed to win $10k plus an all-expenses paid trip to South Africa to compete in the Rider Cup World Championships at the 2014 Kimberly Diamond Cup.

2014 Rider Cup NYC Final Results

1. Soul Team (Brooklyn)
2. LES Bomb Squad (Manhattan)
3. Team Belief (Queens)

2014 Rider Cup Team Championships at KDC

In October 2014, eight international 4-man teams of skateboarders competed in the Rider Cup Team Championship at KDC. The South African team 4 Staxx won the $4000 prize purse.

1. 4 Staxx, South Africa
2. Get It Get It!, South Africa
3. Clean Team, South Africa

Turkish Skateboarding Championships

In August 2014, WSGP announced plans to produce a Grand Slam series of skateboarding competitions in Turkey in 2015. The events culminated in the inaugural Turkish Skateboarding Championships in Istanbul on May 31 2015.