SPoT Life: Tampa Pro 2015 Friday Practice Article at Skatepark of Tampa

SPoT Life: Tampa Pro 2015 Friday Practice

Posted on Saturday, March 21, 2015 by Chris

Fridays might be the best days at Tampa Pro. Here’s why: You can bro down with everyone from Nyjah to Grayson Fletcher to Billy Marks to you name it, who are all either cruising the course, milling about in the courtyard, out skating the concrete, or doing something where you can be right there, this close to them. If you’re bold you might ask them to let you stand on their board or challenge them to a game of skate, not that you should necessarily but you get what I’m saying. Anything goes on Friday. And if skateboarding’s equivalent to an automobile accident sounds appealing to you, well then the Industry contest would be right up your alley too. This is where you get to see that the dudes that run your favorite companies and make the videos you watch are mad sketchy on their boards and mad inconsistent, but they’re also stoked and down for a good time. So there’s that. We also learned that our new Street League filmer bro, Ritchie Valdez really rips and he walked away the champion of the only contest in Tampa this weekend that really doesn’t matter to anyone besides the dudes in it. We also further affirmed our belief on Friday that Luan and Shane O’neill are probably the two techest dudes to ever ride, that the new LED lighting in the park makes skating at night like a million times better, that Kerry Getz should enter the contest even though he says he’s not going to despite the fact that he’s pre-qualified into Sunday’s Semis due to his win back in 2000, and finally, that despite having claimed every year since 1995, that we’d just witnessed the best contest ever, this year is going to have us saying it again. Can. Not. Wait.

Paul Zitzer

Video by Frank Branca, Kevin Perez, and Rob Hoovis
Words and photos by Bart Jones
Bart
Dead End?! Speak for yourself, SPoT is far from a Dead End.
The silence before the storm.
John
Franchize Boi captures the essence of what the VIP Industry contest is all about..shirt not included.
Mike
Rock, Rock, Rock, Rock, Rock-n-Roll Boardslide!..by Mike Rogers.
Richie
Industry / V.I.P. Contest Results: 3rd Place Oscar Wagenbucher, 2nd Place Tato Feliciano and 1st Place Richie Valdez. Good Job Boys!
The Monster girls were asking me why I was getting sooo close.. uh chuh like omg gawd whatever, its called a fisheye! Ever heard of it?
Kyle
What are these legends getting into?!
Pat
Impromptu Tight Tranny Sesh!!
Justin
Justin Strubing gets the Smith Grind all while Jake Smith says hello.
Mike
Mike Hathaway backs it up with the Backside Smith Grind.
Get the same haircut as your favorite pro! Ethan Pitts goes for the buzz cut and looks like he’s really enjoying it as well. Thanks to Second 2 None barbershop for keeping everyone's fades tight all weekend.
Ryan
Ryan Decenzo has really amazing FS Flips.
Tom
Skate Everything! In this case, the railing for Tom Asta.
Grant
Possibly the trick of the day: Grant Taylor - Ollie up, Stall... back into The QP.
Dane
Is there such thing as over steez? Dane Burman tests the waters.
Mike
The back and front man of GrindForLife.org, Mike Rogers.
Chris
Is Chris Gregson Pro?! Is he even in the contest!? Either way he rips!!
David
Everyone wanted a piece of D-Loy's Noseblunt Slide around the bend.
Andrew
The judging booth rolling deep. Andrew Cannon wins best face and a whole bunch of other stuff because he rules.
David
David Loy’s first pro contest and needless to say he was juiced!
Dane
Dane Burman takes the low road with a Noseslide.
Curren
Lofty Sauvé Frontside Air by none other than Curren Caples.
You know how you always wanted that Skatepark Of Tampa tattoo? Well now here’s your chance.
Inside the circuit board of Tampa Pro. This is Team Auxiliary Channel and I can’t even begin to get into the masterminds these guys are.
Italo
Italo Romano makes the crowd ask themselves “did that just happen” with a Kickflip To Fakie.
Paul
Skateboard innovator, Professor Paul Schmitt didn’t bring the lab coat this time but he did bring his Frontside Grind before soon after bumping his noggin’. Yea Paul!
Pat
Respect Yo Self! ...Or Not. Pat Duffy.
Nyjah
When you’re a former Pro winner that gets to go straight to the Semi-Finals, it's more than acceptable to show up casually late. Nyjah gets in a FS 180 Switch Crook before the park closes down for the night.
Nyjah
Nyjah and the boys say farewell for the day. Please stay tuned tomorrow for more ripping shreddingness.

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