Meltdown In The Tampa La Quinta Article at Skatepark of Tampa

Meltdown In The Tampa La Quinta

Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 by Ron Whaley

Meltdown In The Tampa La Quinta
By Ron Whaley

Life is a constant struggle. One day things seem to be looking up and you appreciate that you're lucky enough to be alive. The next day I'm losing my $h!t and wondering, "What happened?"

I skated for a couple of hours on Thursday, schmoozed with the pros, and had fun. Everyone was like, "Dude, you got to enter!" I was like, "Yeah, see you there." I went back to the lodging to get some chow. I had a room to myself and that may have been my downfall.

The night before qualifying runs I didn't drink, tried not to whack it, and went to bed early. I awoke at 8:15 the next morning, had some Cheerios, ibuprofen, and a Red Bull. I skated down to practice and checked in with Ryan Clements, a hell of a nice guy. He asked me if I was going to enter. I thought about it for like four seconds and said, “No.” He gave me a wristband and said not to skate the street course while people were trying to practice. I went to watch and the course was empty except for a bunch of team managers. I watched people skate for about three minutes, checked out a hottie, then skated back to the hotel.

I got back to the hotel at 9:20am. I had brought my flask from home, so I cracked that baby and concocted some Tanqueray and Red Bulls. It was 6:20am at home. Halfway through the first drink, a form of euphoria washed over me and I giggled excitedly. Two Red Bulls and a flask of Tanq by 10:15am? I was flying high and blind, ready to crash and burn.

There was a knock at my door. Amongst a few people, I saw my homie Ronnie Goodnow – Evos and Origin team manager, and opened the door. Folks filed in and I decided not to open the door anymore. They said they were off to the Contest. I said I'd been there already and I'd meet them down there. They looked at me a little weird and hesitated before they left. I think they smelled the gin on me.

By 11:14am I was blown out. I decided I was too faded to go to the Contest. I didn't want to be the guy who shows up faded in the morning. I know that guy, and people look at you differently when you are that guy. I was gacked-out from multiple Bulls and Tanq on top of a light breakfast, so I mixed a Red Bull and Thera-Flu and smoked some weed.

I kept the lights off and the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on my door. Whenever I heard voices or someone skating down the hall, I'd turn the TV down and stay still. I began to contemplate my madness. Sac got beat by the Suns by like 30 points the night before and I had been writing myself notes to explain to my girlfriend about why she shouldn't go out with me anymore. A meltdown was inevitable.

I never made it to the Contest that day. In fact, I barely left the room at all for the rest of the weekend. I ordered all my meals delivery and had stocked my fridge. I find cabin fever to be not only frustrating but also addictive, so after that I only left twice to checkout the Finals and all the little girls creeping around. The Contest was so packed that I could tell anyone who asked that I was there, in the crowd, when I was really back in the hotel masturbating to the new Bewitched.

La Quinta TV/movie log four days:
  • Alan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
  • Cujo
  • Ace Ventura
  • Boys in the Hood
  • Contact
  • Lord of the Rings
  • Saving Silverman
  • Soldier
  • Maximum Overdrive
  • Real Genius
  • Curdled
  • Ghosts of Mars
  • Making of Ghosts of Mars (twice)
  • Thriller (with Farrah Fawcett and Jeff Bridges)
  • Movie with Eric Stoltz as an air traffic controller
  • Movie with “chick-munk lesbian” from Chasing Amy and James Caan
  • Movie where Sandra Bullock loses her identity
  • Millennium
  • HBO sex show that was like America's Funniest Home Videos with naked people
  • Sacramento loses to Dallas (damned Nash…that guy's good)
  • Blacks in Basketball
  • Making of the Pyramids
  • Mysteries of the Pyramids
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie)

I forgot to write the rest down or was afraid to turn on the light.

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