Zaturdays: Best Weekend Ever

These past few weeks I’ve felt like a little kid waiting for his birthday, the days just sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooowly creeping by. But here we are, finally, just one week out from the Best Weekend Ever, aka Tampa Pro 2016. If history is any guide then you know I’m on to something here. A lot will be happening, but this is what I suggest you really pay attention to. Hopefully Spike Jonze shows up for it, but either way, the Spike Jonze Photo / Art Show that kicks off the weekend at The Bricks is going to pretty legendary. Have you seen Her btw? That’s one of his movies, we heard he’s thinking of making his next one about Tampa and that Leo is going to play Schaefer in it. Part of the beauty of Tampa Pro is that you can still see the non-celebrity blue-collar pros chopping it up with the ballers. Farm Boy for example [sometimes we call him Jud Heald] but either way he’s been skating Tampa Pro since the ‘90s and we hope he keeps coming back forever. Look for him to attempt to nose blunt something, anything. The Converse Concrete Jam on Saturday night has become the newest annual tradition at SPoT, bi-annual tradition actually, and near-death-head-on-collisions notwithstanding it sure beats the Moat Race. And with the newly updated corners, expect bedlam. To make the night even greater, in an encore performance from the Am, Frank Gerwer will be back on the microphone. Lord help us all. Don’t tell your girlfriend, but yes, the Monster Girls will be lurking. I don’t care how much you love slappying curbs and watching footage of the Polar dudes skating Manhattan [Me too btw], contests can still be exciting, this one especially, and adding fuel to the fire, for the second year in a row SLS is handing out two spots onto the World Tour from the Pro. Here’s the way I like to spin this one: If Farm Boy places in the top two among the skaters who aren’t already in SLS, he could be next year’s Super Crown Champ. Imagine. The Moat Race can’t hold a candle to the Concrete Jam but what can? It’s still a Tampa staple that even Zika hasn’t dampened our enthusiasm for. Of course we want you and everyone else to come to Tampa to stand in the bleachers on top of the pro shop all weekend, sweating, yelling, stomping your feet, etc. But we just don’t have the room. So the fact that you can stay home and watch it live on StreetLeague.com is maybe the best improvement to the contest since…well maybe since ever? Never underestimate the power of the unexpected to happen in Tampa. Like a kid getting a tattoo of Schaefer’s face, a Zen Master doing a switch loop, Lil’ Wayne showing up (Okay, maybe that’s not so unexpected anymore, but it was the first time he came), somebody winning with a two minute run, a dude skating in a blue helmet…who knows, maybe Wes Kremer will win this year. I pretty much stopped listening to new hip hop after Wu Tang Forever came out, but it’s still rad to have Yelawolf playing in the courtyard right after the Concrete Jam. If you’re trying to find me during the show, look right in the center of the pit. And more than anything you should be paying attention to the skateboarding. Duh. The very best dudes in the world going for it on maybe the best set up we’ve ever had at SPoT. Don’t expect top-notch shralp, demand it! If you think it might be fun to watch Nyjah and Shane and Luan and Wes and Evan and Kelvin doing their thing, then you’ve come to the right place. -Paul Zitzer