Two season titles in a row. JD Sanchez locked in the 2026 Men's Vert title after a season that didn't make it easy: he skated Ventura with a broken arm, a cut chin and bruised gums, then missed Mississauga after a concussion at another competition in Japan. By the end, he and Jojo Jones were neck and neck in the points race.
His season: 1st in Ventura with a 99, 1st in Virginia Beach, out for Mississauga, and 1st in Montréal with a 95.50 after rain cancelled the final. Back in May, we sat down with JD right after Ventura. Here's how the rest of the season went.
Q&A WITH JD SANCHEZ
Two season titles in a row, and this one came after missing a stop. Does it feel different from 2025?
2026 felt challenging and even more rewarding because I skated the first stop in Ventura, CA with a broken arm, cut chin, bruised up gums & also missed the Mississauga stop due to a concussion from another competition prior. By the end of the season, Jojo and I were neck and neck in the points standings for the title, making the competition even more intense.
What was it like watching Mississauga from the sidelines while Jojo took the points lead?
It was a blast to watch because Jojo is the homie and he's been progressing like crazy. I was so stoked for him when he won.
How did your recovery go, and when did you know you'd be ready for Montréal?
My recovery went great! After my concussion in Japan, I had to skip Mississauga and rest up. Luckily the concussion wasn't too bad and I was back to practicing not too long after. Figured out a line and knew I was ready for Montréal!
Were you skating with any pain or limits in Montréal?
Thankfully, no! Everything was healed by Montréal: my wrist, my teeth, and my head!
You knew Montréal would decide the title. Did you go in with a specific points target?
To be honest, not at all. I just treated it like a regular contest and had a blast with the homies!
The final got rained out and your semi-final run decided everything. What went through your head when they called it?
When they called it because of the rain, I was happy but also bummed. Yes, I won, but I didn't get to do the hard run I wanted to do. Overall, I was stoked.
Your semi run was almost all flip tricks. Was that planned as your title run?
My semis run was planned to be my basic run for this comp. I had another harder version of that run that I wanted to do on finals day, but sadly we got rained out.
Looking back at that 99 in Ventura with a broken wrist, how did you pull it off?
Honestly, the energy at the event made it hard to stay on the side. Having all my homies from around the world there, and watching everyone skate in practice, got me so hyped that I wanted to give the comp a try, even with a broken wrist.
Magnus, Hudson, Jojo, Luke, Egoitz... who pushed you the most this year?
Every single one of them was killing it and they all pushed me in a different way.
LA 2028 is getting close. How does JACKALOPE fit into that path?
JACKALOPE helps a lot with getting you into that competition mode in a fun environment, and I feel like it helps expose Vert skating, and even just skating in general, to a larger audience!
Describe your 2026 season in three words.
Fun, memorable, exciting.
Who do you want to thank?
Thanks to JACKALOPE for putting on such a fun event, to all the cities who hosted each comp and kept the hype up, and to every skater who made every comp challenging and fun! Most of all, thanks to my parents for supporting me throughout the entire season.
