What do you mean, “Battle at the border”? Shouldn't it be “Germany vs. Holland” at this point? For six years now, this contest has always taken place in the fall at the “De fabrik” skate hall in Enschede and has always been a battle royale for the best quality skateboarding. However, to be honest, the Germans always seemed to come up short. A certain “we don't stand a chance” mentality spread over the years, so event mastermind Kees felt compelled to give the whole thing a new look. “Same but different,” so to speak, and so in November 2025, the “Battle at the Border” was held for the first time. Welcome to the first edition!
Created by T. Gentsch |
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Battle at the boarder 2025 - De Fabrik Enschede
Germany vs The Netherlands reloaded!
New contest formats are always interesting – but the big question remains whether they work well in practice. Kees and his team came up with the following new procedure. There is an “open best trick” session at three different obstacles, and one German and one Dutch rider are the winners at each spot. The aim was not to perform THE best trick, but to make the best overall impression with tricks of the highest possible quality. It's actually quite simple, but you still have to internalize it. The first obstacle was the “Euro gap with flat rail” spot, with the ledge next to it and the steep bank hip also counting. Surprisingly, Jan Rehring won the German competition, even though Josh Junkes performed what was perhaps the most difficult trick with a nollie heelflip bs lipslide shove-it. Josh took it easy and Daniel Moragues took the “obstacle victory” for the Dutch.
The action continued at the centerpiece (gap to rail/curb cut), where Gino Körner put on a spectacular aerial display. A small Belgian named Francis Cotton nollied and heel flipped his way through just about everything and had already caused a stir at the first obstacle. His skateboarding earned him the victory at this spot, and Bart Buikman was declared the Dutch winner. At the last obstacle, the big bank to rail (and ledge), it was Bert Wilmink who proved his skills as a local. On the German side, Jost Arens won, and thus the finalists were determined. Wait, can anyone count properly here? Right, there were 4 “finalist pairs” in total, i.e. 8 starters in the final, as it had been decided to award one wildcard to one rider per country. These went to Gino Körner and Tijmen Overbeek, which was more than justified given the tricks they performed.
To make the final truly fair, the pairs were drawn publicly on the pyramid in the best possible manner. Names on slips of paper, two cups with four slips each, and then the excitement began. It was great that everyone was happy with their pairing, which was no surprise given the high level of competition. It was certainly surprising that Bert Wilmink, who rode with Jost Arens, probably had his “bail-filled day ever” in his local hall, and the two ended up in 4th place. Bart Buikman and Francis Cotton ripped their way to 3rd place. And then it got extremely exciting. In the end, it was Gino Körner and Daniel Moragues who finished in first place, but it was certainly a very close decision. And so the contest was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Somehow, the clocks tick differently in Holland, but it always felt that way. Thanks to all the starters, the audience, all the sponsors, and Kees Jacobs for hooking it all up. See ya next year!
