Unfortunately, I missed the girls skating the bowl. I did catch the Grand Master Pros. During the warm-ups, one pro after another skates the pool, trying to find their groove.
“That’s Christian Hosoi, he’s back,” said Hodgie.
“Back? Looks like he never got out of the pool,” I said, a bit embarrassed I didn’t recognize a legend like Hosoi.
A volley of similar conversation came and went as did the old dog skaters—Duane Peters, Lester Kasai, Steve Alba, Eddie Reategui, Glen Charnoski, Pat Ngoho and on and on.
Kasai is really ripping the bowl, mixing some new school with his old school. I grab my camera and take some sick shots of Eddie Reategui grinding the coping and of Hosoi busting a fully extended Judo air, four foot out. Dave Duncan pulled double duty, skating and announcing, albeit a bit short on breath after his runs.
In the end, Hosoi takes the 1st, Charnoski the 2nd, Ngoho the 3rd and a close fourth goes to Kasai. The old dudes prove that skating is ageless and, more importantly, prove a good judo air is just plain timeless.
The pro class was up next and the skating is instantly taken to the next level. It is amazing how fast these guys flow through the bowl. They drop in two at a time, then three at a time and a few times there are four dudes in the bowl at once. It’s like watching the Ball of Death at Circus Circus, where two motorcycles chase each other around defying gravity and logic—true craziness.
The crowd, by now all hopped up on Red Bull and Vitamin Water, are raving madly with every close call and near miss. They’re brought to a loud roar and occasionally emit a deafening clanking sound from their boards when overly excited.
Every now and then the skaters would collide. I figure a collision would reap total disaster and destruction, but they gracefully grab each other, decompressing the momentum of the mass of their bodies, saving each other from sure death. It reminds me of the kind of brotherly spirit you find in a mosh pit, where chaos reigns, but, yet, the sympathetic instinct to pick up the person you’ve just knocked down. Respect—there’s nothing cooler.
One of my favorites of the pros is a dude by the name of Ben Raybourn. Raybourn blasts some of the highest airs of the day and in my opinion, is pulling the sweetest back to back tricks on almost every wall and coping in the pool. Rocking a nerd-sheik style with his flipped up bill, white button up shirt and horned-rim glasses—Raybourn did things his way, in the pool and out—this kid’s got style.
Tim Johnson, Kevin Kowalski and Nolan Johnson, are all putting up super impressive runs pretty much simultaneously. The announcer, Dave Duncan, along with live music from LA-based skate punkers, Los Olvidados, rip the crowd into a full-blown frenzy and the skaters respond by jacking up the intensity in the pool.
I’ll be honest; I was overwhelmed by the action taking place in the bowl. Trying to sort out one skater’s run over the other is near impossible, for me anyway. I eventually got out of ‘reporter mode’ and just took it all in for what it is—controlled chaos. And, boy is it beautiful. You just have to be here to see, hear and feel it. Skating overpowers your senses and appeals to your most deep rooted primal instincts—I get it now.
Another Red Bull anyone? Yes, thank you.
Back at the park, the Hometown Heroes is picking up. Over 150 AMs of all ages signed up to compete in the Hometown Heroes Comp. Some are here by invitation and others are here on their own initiative. After I watch five minutes of the warm-up, I immediately realize how insanely good these young kids are.
Maybe they aren’t as consistent as the big guys, but they are pulling off some crazy tricks. I watch as kids as young as 8-years-old blast huge ollies down the 11-set stairs. The young ones are absolutely killing it. The gap between the AMs and Pros is definitely closing with quickness.
CORE Action got in on the sponsorship of the HH and I think this is a perfect event for our company to be a part of. Supporting the kids and giving them exposure is what we are all about. Log-on and let us know what’s up.
The standouts become apparent with every run. I grab my notepad and scribble some names as fast as I can—Cody Davis, Matt Berger, Louie Lopez, Mario Matabele and the one I like the most, Julian Christianson. Christianson is the returning champ who is here defending his title as reigning Hometown Heroes champ.
And defend he did, the title is once again awarded to Julian Christianson, with Jon Dickson in second, Matt Berger takes away the third and Dustin Blauvelt snags the fourth. These guys are sure to go pro in the near future. Look out for what’s in store for them.
— Chris Eudaley
