Introduction by Osbel Velez
Photography by Sam DeAngelis
Edit by Stay In-Line Productions
Having been part of a few comps before we decided to hold our first event at Shields, a known skate park in New Jersey where we’ve held events before. Holding the event during the hot summer months seemed to be a bit of a challenge for us thinking of the bladers who had to compete, so we were able to get the air condition turned on which we believed would encourage our peers to get out the street for a day and compete in comfortable weather indoors. Holding the comp here also provided familiar surroundings for the bladers to go all out and do their thing.
Organizing the contest on a saturday during the summer did prove to be somewhat of a challenge. We had a few comments on why we couldn’t have something outdoors (which we are definitely looking into for future events) but we felt that we needed to have something that would be easier to organize and run smoothly, unlike some other outdoor events that easily get delayed. Overall we had a pretty good turn out, about 30 kids signed up to compete not including friends who came to chill and support. Making their way from of course New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. We split the comp into two categories, beginner/intermediate & advanced. The beg/int contest was a great look for some of the kids who have only been rolling for a year or two and for those who don’t have too much park experience. As for the advanced what can I say but wow! Having been away from the park scene due to so much street skating you miss out on some of your other buddies and their progression in blading so it was exciting to see how much improvement some kids have made. With respected bladers like Ramelle Knight and up and coming ams like Wake Schepman throwing down it was sure to be an exciting time. The first few heats were insane, it was very difficult to predict who would take the whole thing due to the level of rollerblading. Best trick winner Garrett Myer definitely stands out to mind as he was all over the course displaying high level tricks and spins. It was awesome to see my buddy Sam DeAngelis also throw down as his entry was to help even out the heats but turned out to be a great addition to the comp. Pennsylvania native Kevin Lebron was also out for blood as he did some of the biggest tricks of the contest like a disaster 540 ao soul on the pyramid ledge. NJ local Raymond Gerena came out of his hiatus to show he still has soemthing to prove to his fellow bladers with tricks like pivit fishbrains and switch inspin fishbrains. Young gun Shawn Martin was also in the house showing his skills with big spins both ways over the launch box.
After everything was all said and done the night finally ended with Razors Am Wake Schepman taking first place, along with Kevin Lebron & William Harvey coming in a close second n third. The day was long but overall a great look for the first event under the Stay In-Line banner. With help from Spoild Bratt Skate Shop and Greg from Tri-State Skate the prizes we were able to give back to the winners was also a sweet deal. Mr. Shields was a great host and we hope to continue holding an annual event here bigger and better every year. Thank you to everyone who came out and killed it. And to all the sponsors, Aggressive Mall, Scribe Ind., Jug Footwear, Twenty Six Letters Clo., Tri-State Skate, Con Artist, Razors, Spoild Bratt Skate Shop, SLDean Studios, Remz & Ground Control. Let’s keep the team work flowing and remember to always Stay In-Line!
Stay In-Line Competition Results
- Wake Schepman
- Kevin Lebron
- William Harvey
- Tommy Leong
- Ramelle Knight
- Raymond Gerena
- Shawn Martin
- Garrett Meyer
- Joey Scannella
- Sam DeAngelis
Best Trick:
- Garret Meyer – Misty Flip gap out of miniramp
Links:
Stay in Line Productions on Facebook
Photographer Profile: Sam DeAngelis
Shields Skatepark Homepage
