Gasparilla Demo 2007

Words - Ryan Clements
Photos - Michael Derewenko

It's always great to get out in the community. It's rare that we turn down a demo opportunity in the Tampa area. Our portable set-up isn't the best thing going, but it works for a Saturday afternoon session with the crew.

The occasion was a first-time deal called Family Fiesta, a family-day type thing to get prepared for the Gasparilla Night Parade. I don't know how cranking Slayer and Lehman and Robby smoking cigs while skating fits into "family," but the crowd didn't seem to mind. We did our thing down by the Port at Channelside, right in front of the Florida Aquarium.

SPoT supplied the Natty Light, Bennigan's supplied the burgers (thank you Jonathan Mann), TPD couldn't have been cooler, and we made it out of there in time to drop off the ramps and watch the Parade.

Jeff Lako won the manny contest with this manual up to fakie manual down kickflip out...damn

Here we have Chris Lehman shutting down the Demo with a crazy looking bs 360 melon transfer. I don't know how he landed after that 6th frame

Robby Kirkland is always either flipping into or flipping out of something. Here he's doing a kickflip nose manual up the up-ledge

This was the scene when we weren't skating

Properly executed nosegrab transfer courtesy of Goonie Giles

As the transfer session got heated, Chris Lehman threw down a tuck-knee fs air without a problem