Tampa Pro 2009 Skate Photos
Posted
on
on Tuesday, March 24, 2009
by Rob
Skate photos from Tampa Pro 2009.
By Rob Meronek
The images below can also be viewed as a slide show.
The images below can also be viewed as a slide show.
 Maybe the vert skaters that didn't come were busy filming for their vert video part that everyone in skateboarding is so highly anticipating? Nah, that can't be it. Mark Appleyard and Geoff Rowley are here and they're filming for Extremely Sorry. Maybe that video isn't as important as the new vert video that's going to change skateboarding |
 At least there were 30 kids in the Am Vert Contest. Unfortunately, the bottom 15 or so was a kickturn contest so we're going to have to cut that out for next year and wait for them to get a few years older. This backside disaster Dalton Dern is doing is one of the only lip tricks besides a 50-50 that was done in the Am Vert Contest. Lip tricks are hard. Learn them from Mike Frazier |
 One of my favorite photos of the weekend is from the Am Vert Contest and it's Zach Miller here doing an Indy nosebone |
 Chris Gentry |
 This is my favorite photo from the Street Contest. Tony Manfre came from the kahuna and ollied out to this backside tailslide on the bank to wall. One day far in the future, Tony Manfre is going to be Team Manager of the Year. He always emails me ahead of time to make sure everything's squared up with his registration prior to making the trip to Tampa |
 Did you see Stefan Janoski's girlfriend at the Party? She's bangin' like a Stefan switch flip. Apparently she's some kind of model in NYC |
 I think the last time I saw Dylan Taylor skate was when he was part of the kickturn contest. He's growing up and ripping now |
 Man this trick is so confusing to imagine yourself doing it. Mike Frazier - switch hurricane fakie |
 Mike Frazier - backside tailgrab, shoe included |
 This is Aquil Brathwaite's first pro contest. He's pro for City Stars now |
 I still get nervous like a little kid when I'm around Mike Carroll. I can't just walk up an introduce myself when we're at the bar or where ever. Thanks for coming to our Contest, Mr. Carroll |
 Darrell Stanton doesn't even need to look where he's going. That's how you skate a pro snake session. UPDATE: Oops, I made the politically incorrect mistake of getting my black dudes mixed up. That's Aquil, not Darrell. Sorry about that |
 Adam Dyet - kickfrip meron |
 I got a nice email from Sam Beckett thanking us for doing the Am Vert Contest. Nice dude with a big ol' kickfrip meron. Bring that back next year if we can find any sponsors that want to sink massive amounts of economic waste into a skateboard contest that skateboarders don't support |
 Ronaldo Gomes won the Am Vert. Thanks for all the help with Spanish translation during registration for everyone with "no speeka Engrish" status |
 Seems like everyone does 540's now, but not like Pedro Barros and his stale ones |
 I think Nick Dompierre is the originator of the Tampa Kit |
 Chaz Ortiz is in that weird phase where his board company hasn't formally announced him as a pro, but he's pretty much pro and skating pro contests. There's no looking back now. Chaz Ortiz is skating like a pro and in fact is pro |
 Billy Rohan is always one of the first to sign up for Tampa Pro each year. Thanks for coming, Billy. That's a crooked grind pop-over |
 Jani Laitiala is one of my favorite Euros. Lately he's been killing it and having a great time all around the world at events we do. Tampa was no exception. This is a nollie backside heelflip |
 Like DGK, Dirty Ghetto Kids, there should be a company called CCVA, Clean Cut Vert Adults. You won't find the CCVA in the streets and now, not even in the plain old skate parks. Thanks for keeping it dirty with us, Jackson Curtin. That's a kickflip wallride |
 I bet more people would probably show up if we had the contest at Jordan Price's backyard vert ramp. He might be the only kid in the country with one |
 Maybe we should pour a ton of loot into getting the vert ramp moved and rebuilt in Ybor City at a bar/club scene to make it extra cool so the Vert Contest would have it's own special setting and venue with a much larger crowd watching and being exposed to great skateboarding. Then we can personally email all the top vert pros to let them know what's up a few months before the contest so they can add it to their schedules. That should really get anyone who truly loves skateboarding to show up. Maybe we'll do that next year. Oh wait, we did that last year. Same pathetic turnout. I don't think we've done enough. We should move the ramp to the Grand Canyon and issue parachutes with entry |
 I heard PLG was pretty bummed about yet another year without any vert support. Thanks for coming year after year anyway, PLG. See you next year. Well, maybe |
 Mikey Taylor is one of my new favorites after seeing him skate in person so much all week. Up until a few months ago I had never even seen him in person |
 It's always hard shooting photos of Dennis Busenitz. He doesn't have to try tricks over and over to make them and he pretty much decides what he's doing as he's cruising 100mph around the course. This is a kickflip |
 This was also Danny Falla's first Tampa Pro Contest. Welcome to the pro ranks, Danny |
 Ed Selego - noseblunt slide |
 I think this was Keegan Sauder's first time in Tampa Pro, too |
 There's a lot of talk about Lenny Rivas' involvement in the Antwuan situation here. As with most things on internet messageboards, it's probably all not true. This is a backside nosegrind up |
 Wow, that's how you ollie out of a smith grind. Justin Strubing is going up the escalator on it, too |
 Mikey Taylor - nollie frontside boardslide |
 Robert Lopez is now pro for Substance Skateboards. We have to send them an invoice for banner space from all their giant stickers they tagged the Park up with. Maybe I'll just add it to next year's entry fee? This is a kickflip over the rail. Thanks for coming all the way from Puerto Rico, Robert |
 Reese Forbes still has the snaps. Now we just need Quiksilver to uncancel the Reese Forbes High Ollie Challenge |
 Reese Forbes - ollie up the stairs |
 Thanks for coming all the way from Australia, Chad Bartie. That's a bsts |
 Dennis Busenitz - 360 flip |
 Tony Manfre - frontside flip |
 P-Rod had this switch frontside bluntslide on lockdown. In his run in the Finals, he tried to finish it off with a shuv it out of this, but didn't make it. That would have put him in first |
 John Rattray - 360 flip |
 T-Bone - gap lip |
 Peter Ramondetta - feeble grind across and down |
 Anthony Shetler - nollie nosegrind |
 Ed Selego hit me up yesterday for a Contest spot then showed up today and did one of the hardest tricks so far of the weekend. Too bad this was after time in his run, but Schaefer still threw out a hundo for it. Ed is off Habitat by the way. Who's picking up? |
