By: Troy Sanders
Photos by: Corey Oringderff
How can I begin to describe this year’s Pow-Wow? Writing this article has been quite the challenge for me. When I say challenging I do not mean that this year’s Pow-Wow was uneventful and boring. Challenging as in I have no idea of how to fit in all the amazing (and shocking) things that took place. How can I relay to you the sense of excitement and debauchery that I have witnessed? I’ll give it my best try, so bear with me.
Starting with Friday, the night gave me just a taste of what was going to be my first Pow-Wow experience. Arriving at the park, I quickly discovered that this contest would end with a lot of lost skin, courtesy of the sandpapery gravel quality of the park floor. After my first fall, I decided enough of my skin had been sacrificed to the park gods, so I began to explore the huge facility that housed the park. This place was not just a skate park, but also a bowling alley, an arcade and a bar (though I seriously doubt any participants took advantage of those first two).
Soon as the Friday night session begun to wind down, the premier for Footage Tape Episode 3 began. Everyone crammed into the bowling alley bar to bare witness to the shenanigans and hammers that Jamie and Kevin filmed in Puerto Rico, the entire episode covers their stay on the island. After the premier everyone scattered to different locations, some went back to the hotels, some to the strip club right next to the park, some to the freezing beach. From what I remember everyone seemed to be having a good time.
When Saturday morning rolled around I was already feeling half dead, sleeping on the cold floor of a motel room, curled up into a tiny ball… It’s not something I would recommend. After we all regained our composure, we got some food and headed to what was already a completely packed skate park. The weather proved that it was not going too rogue, as you could tell by everyone’s sun burnt bodies. I could tell this comp was going to be good just by the level of skating that went down in the Am comp, becasue everyone in the contest was on a mission to get those top position that moved them into the Pro comp.
First person I have to mention is Andrew Jacuzzi. This kid destroyed the park the entire day. Skating with mach ten speed and hitting every obstacle with the smoothest style. He murdered the Create Originals with full cab AO top acid, full cab AO makio and 450 front farf. Kid definitely deserved the 1st place he received for the Am comp. Jacuzzi was not the only ripping though, Wild Bill, Keaton Newsome, Chris Luton, Matty Shrock; all tore the park to pieces during the Am comp.
By the time the pro comp started the sun had set and everyone was on the edge of their seats. Austrian transplant Gabriel Hyden ripped the park by seamlessly flowing around peppering his lines with AO topsouls on the Create Originals and the most perfect torque souls on the quarter curve. Dallas’ Josh Glowicki made mince meat out of the rusty square death rail with an AO fish and an AO top acid. Blake Kelly destroyed the Create Originals box lacing full cab AO top soul revert, then going for a 1260 over the launch box and paying dearly for the risk with a chunk of skin off his shoulder, earning him the much deserved Road Rash award. Julian Bah was in super shred mode going huge over the launch with off axis 540’s and flatspins. Miami’s Roman Daricek ripped the drop side of the Remz box with an AO top acid and top soul and switch and regular AO fish on the create originals box with perfect style. Eric Michaels did what seemed to be impossible, 360 inspin fish braining the Create Originals sub box, while grabbing it properly.
Last year’s Pow-Wow champion David Sizemore flowed around the entire park, landed everything he tried, and capitalizing with a 450 soyale on the rusty death rail. Brian Aragon made it clear that he wasn’t going to get any place lower then 1st. Landing almost every trick first try including 540 AO top porn full cab out on the sub box and AO top soyale fakie 720 out to the bank ramp, Aragon skating made it abundantly clear that there was not going to be any confusion about who should win.
With the end of the comp, everyone headed to the after party held at a bar/restaurant on the beach. The party brought about some pretty hectic drinking, Pinky trying to mumble semi-funny jokes through what had to have been a long binge on some heavy drugs, and Joey Chase capping off the night with some recreational peeing. The girl on the receiving end of Joey’s fun didn’t seem to share his excitement though, nor did the bartenders whom promptly called the cops, prematurely ending the party.
This year’s Pow-Wow definitely did not disappoint, Blake Taylor really knows how to put together a proper competition. For a group that consists of the most frenzied people and behavior, I could honestly say the comp went down without a hitch. Blake has hit the nail on the head describing the Pow-Wow as “controlled chaos.”
PRO RESULTS:
1) Brain Aragon, Razors ($1200)
2) David Sizemore, Rollerblade ($500)
3) Eric Michaels, Rollerblade ($240)
4) Roman Daricek, Remz ($140)
5) Julian Bah, M1 ($80)
6) Blake Kelly, Clearwater FL ($22, Road Rash Award)
7) Bret Urbas, Modern Skate Park
8) Gabriel Hyden, Nimh
9) Josh Glowicki, Razors
10) Frankie Morales, Remz
11) Gumby, Nimh
12) Oli Short, Nimh
13) Andrew Jacuzzi, Valo
AM RESULTS:
1) Andrew Jacuzzi, Valo
2) Wild Bill, Razors
3) Chris Luton, Orlando FL
4) Josh Glowicki, Razors
5) Keaton Newsome, Valo
6) Matty Shrock, Nimh
7) Alex Branuagel, Sarasote FL
8) Carson Starnes, Atlanta GA
9) Franky Irvin, Orlando FL
10) Daniel Henderson, Warner Robins GA
11) Quinton Lamb, Rollerblade
Captions:
– Andrew Jaccuzi, 450 Farf
– Andrew Jaccuzi, Full Cab AO Mako
– Franky Irvine, Pudslide
– Franky Morales, Topsoul
– Keeton Newson, AO Top Port
– Matty Shrock, Unity
– Wild Bill, AO Negative Mistrial
