5 Reasons To Watch: SLS Chicago

All eyes of the skateboarding world are on the city of Chicago this weekend as the planet's top pros descend on the Windy City for the eagerly anticipated kickoff of the 2014 Street League Skateboarding Nike SB Pro tour. Chicago itself is no stranger to skateboarding, but for a skate contest of this magnitude to hold court in its streets is truly a Chi-town first. Held at UIC Pavilion, this stop is giving fans plenty of reasons to be excited including the 2014 debut of hometown hero Chaz Ortiz who'll be taking on a freshly designed course along with a brand-new crop of competitors fresh off the Pro Open who'll go head to head against the tour's top pros. Here are five great reasons to get excited about Street League's Chicago takeover this Sunday live on FOX Sports 1.

A Chicago First:€” A Coming-Of-Age For Windy City Skateboarding

Street League is all about uniting local skate scenes and bringing the best of pro skateboarding to places it might never end up. Chicago is no stranger to flag flying localism when it comes to skateboarding and while the city of the big shoulders was a far cry from from the beaches of Southern California during skateboarding's early days, nascent midwestern skate pioneers like Jesse Nehaus, Stevie Dread and others were plenty busy writing their own pages in the skateboard history books for Chicago. Today, a new chapter is being written by a young, Chicago-born pro by the name of Chaz Ortiz who will undoubtedly be a crowd favorite this weekend. Street League's arrival here more than thirty years after the initial groundwork for midwestern skateboarding was laid marks a coming of age for Chi-Town.

Chaz Ortiz:€” Can Chi City's Native Son Perform As The Hometown Hero?

Now two years into his Street League career, 20-year-old Chaz "Steez" Ortiz is truly one of Chicago skateboarding's most honored native sons. Born and raised in the city's suburbs, Chaz cut his teeth skating the city's streets as a young teen. After fighting off an ankle injury that took him out of the 2013 SLS tour early, the Zoo York pro is fully rehabbed and ready to take on the 2014 tour full force beginning with his performance this weekend in front of his hometown crowd, all of whom will be more than ready to cheer him to victory. If there's one thing Chaz is known for it's his consistency and as any pro on the tour will tell you, that's exactly what it takes to win.

New Blood: Talented New Tour Competitors Fresh From The Pro Open Will Take The Floor

Matt Berger

The SLS Pro Open held in late May offered a select group of deserved young pros and ams one shot at joining the elite ranks of the SLS pro tour in a two-day contest event that tested their abilities against existing tour pros. When the smoke cleared after the LA event, three newcomers took the podium who will now be competing in Chicago: Trevor Colden, Davis Torgerson and the darkhorse, Matt Berger, who made SLS history as the first ever newbie ever to advance to the Final  with flawless, tour-level consistency. And in the latest news, fifth Pro Open finisher, Alec Majerus, who just missed his shot at the tour will now have an opportunity to compete for 100K in Chicago standing in for tour pro Dylan Rieder who will be bowing out of the Chicago event due to scheduling conflicts. All four of these new riders will go head to head for the first time in Chicago to test their skill and nerve in the pressure of the arena.

The Wildest Course Yet:€” A New Approach To Course Design Offers Up New Challenges

One of the true wildcard elements of SLS competition is course variation. Not unlike the real streets, SLS pros are faced with new obstacles and entirely new assortments of options and combinations when it comes to matching tricks to obstacles. This keeps the excitement high by throwing off any hope of rote consistency from stop to stop. The recently unveiled course for the Chicago is unlike anything seen in Street League history offering the most comprehensive assortment of ledges, kickers, rails, gaps and tranny of any course previously seen. Designed and built by veteran master park building Joe Ciaglia and his team at California Skateparks, Chicago's new set up is guaranteed to add additional layers of challenge and unpredictability to the first stop.

The Injury Factor:€” With Tour Heavyweights Coming In Injured, Anything Is To Be Expected

Not unlike mainstream sports, the constant spectre of injury plagues even the most nimble of pro skaters. Skating through an injury is common, but delicate limbs and the mental factor surrounding protecting them can throw any pro off his game. This year some of the league's top pros are coming in fighting off injury including previous champions Sean Malto along with one of the most feared contenders on the tour, Nyjah Huston. Malto, who's still recovering from a previous ankle injury, will be sitting out Chicago replaced by Felipe Gustavo. Nyjah, who's largely avoided serious injury, took to Twitter earlier this week reporting that he severely sprained his wrist. At press time, Nyjah is still planning on competing in Chicago, but who knows if his damaged wing will factor in to his performance this weekend.

Tune in Sunday, June 29th at 7PM ET, to FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, and the international webcast at streetleague.com for stop one of the 2014 SLS Nike SB Word Tour in Chicago.