Go Skateboarding Day 2009
Posted
on
on Monday, June 22, 2009
by Rob
Photos from Go Skateboarding Day 2009 include a start at the Bro Bowl and a skate through Ybor back to SPoT.
By Rob Meronek
 I got to the Bro Bowl early to find not so many skaters and no Officer Doofies. Looks like we're in for a fairly mellow and normal day. There's plenty of new graffiti at the Bowl |
 Who dat? Nollie big spin at the Bro Bowl before the crowd shows up |
 That's Lance Robson crail grabbing. He wants to save the Bro Bowl. I want to blow it up and start over. Skateboarding is diverse like that |
 He's about five years too old to be doing blunt nosegrabs |
 Schaefer carves over his favorite new graffiti in the Bro Bowl |
 I see Tony Hawk doing this move all the time with his kid. Happy Father's Day |
 Anyone under the age of 80 prefers the flat ground session at the Bro Bowl |
 Who dat? That backpack is the Euro version of the fanny sack |
 A few train bombs and collisions, then we're off to skate through Ybor City |
 It's 80 million degress out. Wanna skate uphill? Sure, it's Go Skateboarding Day! |
 Welcome to Ybor City. Now put a shirt on and lose the jean shorts. Negative Nancy doesn't care if it's 95 out and we're skating four miles |
 Half way there, still no Officer Doofy. Apparently, Undercover Doofy was following to make sure nothing got out of hand. It's good to know they figured out all that police staff isn't necessary for a simple group of kids riding skateboards across town |
 Schaefer was way ahead of us. Far enough ahead to stop in Ybor for a beer |
 I almost feel like turning around and joining Schaefer for a beer |
 After making it this far with no Doofy altercations, I think I actually feel comfortable in my neighborhood skating to the bank, the grocery story, and just using my board for transportation. Imagine that |
 The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City here was established in 1905. In 1935, they had the first air conditioned dining room in Tampa. It's time for someone to invent outdoor air conditioning |
 It's a long skate down 7th out of Ybor City to get back to Skatepark of Tampa. I've seen plenty of people on the walk of shame on this road after a long drunken night in Ybor, especially during Tampa Am and Pro |
 Officer Doofy didn't even roll down his window. He just kept going right past us. Weird |
 Fuel TV was with us along for the ride. Jullius Jimenez skated the 3.8 mile distance with us while his grandma followed on bike |
 I think this was the only girl on the four mile skate with us. That's a serious cruiser |
 Now we're back at SPoT where everyone who skated back with us gets a free session, free food, and free drinks all day. I'm trying to make the same old Park photos I've been shooting for a decade look different. That's BBQ with a 360 flip over the hip |
 Outside, a big 80's session started on the parking block. John Burgess is no complying right over the vert ramp |
 Kevin Sullivan's got the old man trick |
 BBQ is doing one of the only flip tricks that most old men can still do |
 Alejandro is taking the blunt nosegrab and doing it switch here. Even he's too old for that trick |
 Who dat? Coming down on a tail smack |
 Thanks to Red Bull for hooking up Moat Money for us to give out all afternoon. They're Gift Cards that work in the SPoT Skate Shop |
 We took the Moat Money to the vert ramp to give out to anyone who could do something half legit on it. There weren't many takers, but Alejandro did drop in for the first time |
 Look at the shadow on Jereme Kinbb's fully correct frontside air. Beautiful. Now why would anyone want to stink bug it? |
 Thanks to that guy right there for serving up free hot dogs and hamburgers with the mini lecture: "Please pick up one piece of trash for this" |
 Notice anything missing from this flat bar that Jereme Knibbs is lipsliding? |
 This guy should start heelflipping to impersonate Lindsey Robertson |
 Carrot Top is smith grinding with a tea-sipping pinky in the air |
 Nollie front board on the newly hacked off flat bar |
 My friend here Randy Howard has access to all kinds of stuff that's cool to little kids - dirt bikes, random sports, motocross bikes, an 8' ramp in the back yard, and more. He's got a cool mom and dad backing him in whatever he gets into. So, he has some gaps in his skate time. He showed up at the Park today not even knowing it was Go Skate Day. He's still got a decent backside flip, though. Close some of those gaps, Randy, and I'll see you back at the Park soon. Thanks everyone who came out for Go Skate Day |
Check out a minute of video footage on the SPoT Facebook Page:
