Competitions

If there is one thing a Polish skater should do on the first weekend of June, it is to visit Lublin. This date has become an annual time for a huge gathering of skaters from all over the country, to celebrate one of the major national events: East Side Jam. Being one of the few real street competitions left, it is truly an unique experience, especially for all the younger skaters who don't remember the I.M.Y.T.A. days. The jam session format brings a wonderful atmosphere and unlike in skateparks all eyes are on the same obstacle, so that mizou you struggled to land and finally did will get the crowd cheering as much as harder tricks from more experienced skaters.

It was awesome to see so much interest in this year's Victorian Titles among what is a swelling scene in Oz, with people from every single state both in attendance as well as registered competitors, and have everyone catch up with one another over the weekend and meet and roll with fresh and familiar faces from all over the country.

On Saturday June 2nd the Italian Blader Connection and the World Rolling Series held the Sicily Street Competition in Paterno, which is a small village near Catania, Italy. I arrived in Catania by taking a bus, then a ship, and then another bus from Rome. When I arrived there that morning, I ran into a little problem; there was no way to get to Paterno! No buses or trains went there on the weekend so I asked a taxi driver how much it would cost to get there. He told me 50€ but since the normal bus and train fares were 2,70€ I decided I would try to find another way.

If there is one thing I’m starting to realize in rollerblading, it’s that thirty is quickly becoming the new twenty. Last weekend in Bellevue, Washington, rollerbladers from all around the northwest US and southwest CA came out for the fourth installment of the Beat the Chump 4 contest, the Seattle-area park competition with a unique run-based format. Skaters take turns doing lines through the compact park until they stop, or fall. It’s a nice break from the common Jam Session format, which often proves dangerous in Bellevue Indoor.

Our Be-Mag staff videographer Karsten Boysen invaded this year's FISE event stop in Montpellier, France. The new downhill "slopestyle" course was introduced for the first time combined with an intense inofficial rail contest, and partying for four days. Here you can get a small glimpse of what went down in the Rollerblading division at Europe's biggest Extreme Sports Event.

First and foremost please let me apologize for prolonging the viewing of this edit. It wasn't until today that I was contacted by both Blake Taylor and Ian Copp and notified that the sentences you are about to read are what is taking the official drop so long to happen. I guess deep down I have written nothing because there is not much to be said. I tried typing this ridiculously long drawn out descriptive read that would cover every aspect of the event and all things leading up to it and after. But truth be told, there is no amount of descriptive words that can explain what an incredible event Pow Wow actually is.

Into its fourth year, the Sevilla Roll Session got off to a pretty wet start with some quite heavy rain. Luckily the rainclouds passed and allowed the Plaza de Armas skate park to dry out. There were three competition categories: Junior, Am, and Pro – each having a bowl and street section.

At this year's FISE 2012 in Montpellier, France inline skaters are in for a treat. No longer will they have to share the same course with other action sports, they will have a unique opportunity to ride a new blade specific course similar to slopestyle skiing and snowboarding. Take a sneak peek at the obstacles that some of the world's best pros will tear up this weekend.

When your with a group of guys as diverse as the ones I had the pleasure of spending the week with, it’s not just the stories you create that stick with you, but the one’s you hear as well. The 2012 Asian X Games showcase everything that is right in the world of Rollerblading, entwined with fake Scotch and a podium payout that park skating hasn’t seen in a while.

After six years of running the Panhandle Pow-Wow, Blake Taylor has figured out how to run things smoothly. I've seen him stress over previous Pow-Wow events, but this year it really went off without a hitch. His only complaint all weekend was: "We really need a water sponsor."

This years best trick at the Panhandle Pow Wow goes to... Mark Wojda! Mark pulled out a huge 540 and took the prize. Congratulations Mark!

Things are getting started here at Pop-Wow VI. We filmed a little 'test run' of some of the new boxes built for the contest, and the park is currently filling up.

For three years the Skate Association Germany has organized the Grindhouse Miniramp Masters. The German rollerblading club is a nonprofit organization whose members spend their free time voluntary to organize the series across Germany. It takes a strong volunteer effort to set up a nationwide series. In its first year, the Grindhouse Miniramp Masters had five tour stops, mostly held in Northern and Western regions of Germany. The second year’s series spread the five tour stops across a wider area of the country. As a non-profit organization, SAG depends on strong partnerships with its partners to put together the best possible competitions. The Grindhouse Miniramp Masters kicked off with its first tour stop in Leipzig, Germany on April 14th.

Leo Donhauser checked in with event organizer Werner Schumann to talk about the upcoming 'Rollinz 2012' competition as well as the state of blading in Austria. Check it out after the click!

Welcome to the island of Falster! The island that hosts this years Danish Championships in Aggressive Inline, the competition that bears the honorable name of "Pony Cup". The competition this year was the pinnacle of three years of really good Pony Cups. The Pony has grown from a competition next to a horse stable, to a proper Danish championship involving a lot of sponsors and a lot of international rollerbladers attending.

Hawke Trackler was responsible for one of Be-Mags official edits covering Bitter Cold Showdown 2012. And he delivered. Check out his piece after the click, complete with the infamous awards!

May we present to you the trailer for the se... Wait a minute...? A trailer... for an edit? A trailer for the second Be-Mag BCSD edit before the first one has even dropped? Does this even remotely make sense? And what's with the uber long headline for this post? Is all that really needed? See for yourself...

Our contributor Vincent Morretino sent us some snaps from his Bitter Cold Showdown 2012 experience. Vincent covered some of the skating and also gives you a glimpse on what being at BCSD felt like this year. Thanks, Vincent!

Part of the accompanying program of Bitter Cold Showdown 2012 was Michelle Gerards 'The Rollerblading Project' art show at Tanget Gallery in Detroit. Vincent Morretino covered an event for Be-Mag every blading enthusiast wouldn't want to miss. Great photography, good atmosphere. And there also was some skating.

Walk around with Brian Krans and Sam DeAngelis as they interview the industry's biggest names at the Bitter Cold Showdown 2012 Tradeshow. This edit includes exclusive news on all up and coming products and services in the industry. Meet with Jon Julio, Eric Bailey, Jeff Stockwell, Ivan Narez, and many more as Brian and Sam tour the tradeshow and ask the questions everyone has on their mind. Stay tuned for the official Bitter Cold Showdown 2012 edit from Be-Mag!