Top Pros Sign Exclusive Tampa Pro Contract Article at Skatepark of Tampa

Top Pros Sign Exclusive Tampa Pro Contract

Posted on Friday, April 1, 2011 by Rob

There is no denying that Tampa Pro 2011 was an all-time-high on the level of excitement and participation. However, what many pros, industry leaders, and skateboarding fans didn’t know, was that during the event, from March 11th – 13th, was the first step for SPoTlight Productions in securing exclusive pro contracts from participants.

“We see what Rob Dyrdek is doing with his Street League deal and we need to align ourselves with the pros that want to support Skatepark of Tampa and SPoTlight Productions. Rob went after Dew, then Maloof. Who’s next? We’re not going to get caught with our guard down,” says SPoT founder Brian Schaefer.

The skaters that participated in Tampa Pro, and actually read the contract they signed, were informed that they are no longer permitted to skate in any other pro contest not officially sanctioned by SPoTlight Productions.

That means that fans of Nyjah Houston, Torey Pudwill, Paul Rodriguez, Chaz Ortiz, and Eric Koston will not be seeing them in any other non-SPoTlight event for the remainder of 2011, including Street League, Dew Tour, and X-Games. An exception is currently being worked out between Maloof Money Cup and SPoTlight.

Some pros that opted out of Tampa Pro in order to still be able to skate in Street League include Dylan Rieder. After entering and confirming a booked flight, Rieder balked at LAX while reading his Tampa Pro Contract.

Upon arriving in Tampa and hearing about the new stipulations, Sheckler took the first flight home to California in order to secure his spot in Street League and X-Games.

Unassociated, but relevant, Billy Marks didn’t show up in Tampa and no one even noticed.

Chris Cole commented, "The money for 1st place at Tampa Pro isn’t even enough for me to pay taxes on my Maloof Money Cup winnings. So why would I bother going?"

Ironically, skateboarding fans will still see Tommy Sandoval in Street League due to a scheduling mistake. He accidentally showed up in Tampa the week after the Pro, but still stayed and partied at Schaefer’s house for a few days.

Rob Meronek of SPoTlight Productions stated, "If I had known that Dylan Rieder was going to not show, I would have personally discussed with my partners to make an exception. After all, Dylan is the greatest thing that has ever happened to skateboarding. Have you seen those impossibles, those shoes, that purse?! He’s amazing."

Just in at deadline for this press release, Joe Maloof announced, "We believe in the little guys out there and we want to support them. Maloof Money Cup is all about taking care of the skaters. We are putting up $500 for anyone that wins Tampa Pro three times in a row. Good luck to that Busenitz guy. Who is that anyway?"

As the rest of the 2011 season unfolds, SPoTlight Productions is looking forward to taking more control of the direction of skateboarding.

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