Monday, June 9

Jumping the Generation Gap

By George Crosland
EXPN.com

The 2003 Soul Bowl, part of the Mervyn's/Target Beach Bash in Hermosa Beach, CA, attracted more than 100,000 spectators over the weekend. From the first-ever pro bowl contest winner (Steve Alba, 1978) to a 2003 X Games Global champion (Jamie Bestwick, Bike Stunt Vert), the Soul Bowl blended the hottest athletes from today, tomorrow and yesterday.

Conquering the bowl -- picture a capsule with a bend in it -- took a unique combo of tricks and a pool-style approach to working the transitioned terrain. Many of today's vert ramp destroyers aren't familiar with the bowl and steered clear of the contest. "I'm not very good with the round walls," says Mathias Ringstrom, who chose not to enter. "Besides, Omar and Patch are competing and they always kill that thing."

Jake Brown did some big tricks and big airs, like this 540, but he didn't use the corners as much as the judges would have liked, keeping him in third place.

Contest Notes:

Skaters dug the bowl but seemed to have a harder time gaining speed than the bikers.

The skate finals were in Jam format. No rules, just ride and the judges decide the placing. They seemed to take overall use of the bowl, trick technicality and height into account.

Omar Hassan's first run in the finals was nonstop and went over 1:30 -- and he still could have done more. He used the whole damn ramp and pulled combos like a heelflip indy to heelflip frontside air to take the Young Guns division.

The Best Trick competition was way more mellow than last year, perhaps because they limited the number of skaters (legit guys only this year) who could enter. Chad Vogt, last year's winner, was working on an ollie kickflip lipslide before he collided with Tony Mag and was unable to finish. Jake Brown took the win with a double kickflip mute grab.

The turnout was great for all the events and it was cool to see everyone stick around for the women's contest. Jessica Starkweather took a serious slam trying to roll into the bowl. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, who's been working her way up the ladder, took the top spot.

The Masters competition was great to watch. If you grew up skating in the 80's like me, these are your guys. Mag was stomping it with big airs, lip tricks and 540s and took the title. Cab is a true legend and skated smoothly to second place.

The Grandmasters were probably the most competitive group. Duane Peters is truly the Master of Disaster. He took more hard falls than anyone on his way to first place. His skating is pure anarchy. Picture him inverting onto the deck of the extension, surf-slashing his way from one end to the other (hand on the coping the entire time), ho-hoing back up into an invert, then reverting back in, almost to flatbottom. Now picture that 100 times sketchier than anyone else skating the bowl, and that's Duane.

Jamie Bestwick rolled into town at the last minute -- his bike still had the airline tags on it -- blasted high airs with mega-style and secured his second-place finish.

The Bike Soul Bowl contest was sick. Kevin Robinson and Jamie Bestwick looked the strongest and after their first runs, it was a tossup. Bestwick did over-the-hip to opposite back-to-back flairs and more, but bailed on his second run. Robinson answered with a no-handed flair and one-hand to one-foot can-can 540 to finish first, ahead of Bestwick (2nd) and Chad Kagy (3rd).

Robinson (Global runner-up) probably had a slight advantage over Bestwick (Global champ), since he competed in the Big Air contest on Saturday and had more practice time on the unique ramp. Bestwick showed up Sunday with a baggage tag still on his bike and only had about 30 minutes of warm-up time before the event.

John Parker edged out Kevin Robinson in Big Air. Because this event was run so quickly, the riders were only given one run once they reached the nine-foot level. Koji Kraft, who seemed to be having the most fun, was trying to pull off the highest tailwhips.

In a repeat of the X Games Global Championships, the Yasutoko brothers from Japan dominated the Inline competition.

Tony Magnussen celebrated his 40th birthday last week. This week he was throwing down mad tricks, even a couple of 540s.

But don't just listen to us. Let's hear what the pros had to say...

"Hips and corners are fun cause it's different than your standard-issue vert ramp. It's good to mix it up a bit." - Jake Brown, on his ramp preferences

"I don't really prefer anything. I just like skateboarding. It shouldn't really be categorized. You're just a skateboarder. That's what skateboarding is to me." - Omar Hassan, on his terrain of choice

"It's fun as hell, I wish we rode it more than once a year." - Jim Burgess (8th place, Bike Stunt), on the bowl

"It's a good contest, we come here every year. It's a unique setup, something we don't see at every contest. I like to come out here and ride something different." - Jamie Bestwick, on the bowl

Robinson is on a roll; 2nd place at X Games Global and 1st place in the Soul Bowl -- no-handed tribute to The Condor.

Results

Bike Highest Air
1. John Parker 11' 6"
2. Kevin Robinson 11' 3"
3. Jimmy Walker 11'

Bike Soul Bowl
1. Kevin Robinson
2. Jamie Bestwick
3. Chad Kagy
4. John Parker
5. Jimmy Walker
6. Koji Kraft
7. Tom Stober
8. Jim Burgess
9. Joe Tecca
10. Mike Mancusso
11. Jason Branham

Boost Mobile Skateboard Best Trick
1. Jake Brown - double kickflip mute air (Jake did a nice kickflip boardslide after the bell)
2. Omar Hassan - double heelflip fronstide air through the elbow corner
3. Ruda Lopes- cab nosegrind revert

Young Guns, 30 and under
1. Omar Hassan
2. Brian Patch
3. Jake Brown
4. Bruno Passos
5. Matt Moffett
6. Chad Vogt
7. Danny Meyer
8. Ruda Lopes
9. Sergie Ventura
10. Benji Galloway
11. Fabio Frugis
12. Chad Shetler

Masters, 31+
1. Tony Magnussen
2. Steve Caballero
3. Aaron Astorga
4. Jake Piasecci
5. Eric Nash
6. Sasha Steinhorst
7. Steve Salisian
8. Dean Randall

Grand Masters, 37 +
1. Duane Peters
2. Brian Mank
3. Steve Alba
4. Chris Cook
5. Mike Smith
6. Eric Grisholm
7. Bruce Martin
8. Dave Hackett
9. Dave Duncan

Ladies Bowl
1. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
2. Jessica Starkweather
3. Mimi Knoop
4. Nicole Zuck
5. Tina Neff
6. Heidi Fitzgerald
7. Holly Lyons
8. Kim Petersen

Inline
1. Takashi Yasutoko
2. Eito Yasutoko
3. Sam Fogerty
4. Beni Huber
5. Mike Budnik
6. Cesar Mora

Boost Mobile Inline Best Trick
1. Ian McCloud
2. Beni Huber
3. Randy Spizer

Related Photos:
2003 Soul Bowl