Due to Facebook's 4 hour live streaming limit we will split today's contest stream into two parts, Part 1 starting at 10 a.m and part 2 at 2 p.m
10am start
https://www.facebook.com/bowlzilla/videos/2040619102883140/
2pm start
https://www.facebook.com/bowlzilla/videos/2040623362882714/
BOWLZILLA ROCKING THE FOUNDATIONS
Wellington City Council, International Skateboarder’s Union, Redhead or Dead Events, Skateboarding New Zealand and Miryoku Agency staged the New Zealand 2018 National Titles Park / Bowl Skateboarding Championships with BOWLZILLA Wellington in the Nation’s Capital.
SBNZ and ISU continued the New Zealand National Skateboarding Park / Bowl competition series. It all culminated on the weekend with BOWLZILLA Wellington. Wellington once again was the greatest stage for skateboarders in the nation.
Wellington always surprises – ALWAYS! Terrible weather all week. The day started overcast and freezing. It felt like there was something changing as the day moved forward though. You could see it in the skating and hear it in the crowd. The weather changed for the better and the whole event just went crazy. Then during all of that, completely out of the blue in the middle of the comp, Lydia and Daroll Clark from Yeah Gnar came up and gave cash to equalise the prize purse with the Women's division to the Open division. They contributed $5350 and asked for nothing in return. They just want to support women and see them equitably treated. What was already an amazing day in New Zealand skate history just became the best. Not only the first but a very large Equality in Skateboarding moment in New Zealand. It would be safe to say today was the proudest day in New Zealand skateboarding history.
The National Champions crowned were; Women - Krysta Ashwell, 16 & Under - Soul Kropelnicki, Masters – Ramon Thackwell, Open – Shaun Boucher. With Competition title going to Australian RJ Barbaro, for the third year straight. R.J and Shaun were both successful in maintaining their titles from 2016 and 2017, what an amazing feat that is. With New Zealand having the representative competitor for all of Oceania at last year’s World Championships; Bowman Hansen, there is a lot of interest and excitement building in the local talent. BOWLZILLA Wellington as the National Titles is the greatest platform for local riders and their stepping stone onto the world stage. The skating at this year’s event shows there is a bright future ahead for New Zealand skateboarding.
BOWLZILLA Wellington 2018 placings:
OPEN
1 R.J Barbaro
2 Shaun Boucher
3 Bowman Hansen
4 George Richards
5 Josh Wilson
6 Mike Bancroft
7 Chris Wood
8 Aaron Kingi
9 Sockz
10 Orson Reynolds
11 Brodie Lee Jarrett
12 Diego Casal
13 Dereck DeSouza
14 Chris Curren
15 Felix Macilfe
16 Rob Ayton
17 James Huntley
18 Levi Jardine
19 Dallas Marshall
20 Patrick Maessen
21 Jordan Roderique
22 Scott Wilkinson
23 Ken Maka Pakoariki
24 Luke Hayward
25 Tyler Holdsworth
MASTERS
1 Lester Kasai
2 Ramon Thackwell – New Zealand National Park skating Champion
3 Sean Ritchie
4 Shaka Wereth
5 Nolan Ewart
6 Dave Crabb
7 Adam Wheelden
8 Robin Oneleg
WOMEN
1 Krysta Ashwell – New Zealand National Park skating Champion
2 Tanja Swanepoel
3 Rhya Henare
4 Oksana Lines
5 Gala Baumfield
6 Poppy-Joe Garratt
7 Kiri Binnersley
8 Chrystal Doller
9 Sharee Dowdall
16 & UNDER
1 Soul Kropelnicki – New Zealand National Park skating Champion
2 Louis Newman
3 Rimus Henare
4 Rico Henare
5 Niwa Shewry
6 Riley Jackson
7 Mitch Jordan
8 Jude Albiston
9 Alex Moreu
10 Jackson Wilcox
There was NZ$8,000 in prize money and that ended up growing to NZ$13,350 distributed amongst the Women, Open and Masters divisions. There was also $2000 worth of prizes, donated by; Fusion Surf / Skate, Vans, Manual Magazine and Dickies, for the 16 & Under and Women’s divisions, which were distributed amongst all the competitors.
“There could be no better place for the National Titles of Park skating in New Zealand than the Nation’s Capital – Wellington. The partnership between BOWLZILLA Wellington, SBNZ, ISU, Miryoku Agency, Redhead Or Dead Events and all the sponsors; Irrom, Spitfire, Fusion, The Cambridge Hotel, Manual Magazine and Manky Chops is doing great things for New Zealand skateboarding. The talent we have coming up and the amazing riders we already have on the world stage backs up what we are doing at SBNZ. There are great times ahead for New Zealand skateboarders and we look forward to assisting them every way we can” Jesse Peters – Director, SBNZ.
It was another great year for BOWLZILLA Wellington with the festival hosting; ARTZILLA – art show, which was produced by Manky Chops, Fusion Surf / Skate – welcome party, the competition and wrapping it up with the Dive In - party at Basque supported by Tuatara. Every single part of it lived up to Wellington’s reputation as the best place to be in New Zealand.
"Three years in and we’re just getting started. Every year we see the local talent get better and more skaters drop in. The level of skating and interest in them is growing noticeably each year. There are some exciting times ahead for New Zealand skating that we are looking forward to sharing with everyone but right now we just want to celebrate the epicness that was BOWLZILLA Wellington 2018 and thank all of our supporters, sponsors, fans, the skaters and especially Yeah Gnar!” Chad Ford – Director, BOWLZILLA Wellington.
Without the very generous support of the sponsors none of BOWLZILLA Wellington would be possible, so a huge thank you goes to; Wellington City Council, Skateboarding New Zealand, International Skateboarder’s Union, Fusion Surf/Skate, Manual Magazine, Manky Chops, Yeah Gnar, Powerhaus European Vehicle Workshop, Basque, The Cambridge Hotel, the generous prizes from Dickies and Vans and the organisational skills of Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency. With ongoing support like this the opportunities for New Zealand skating are awesome.
We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the international attending skaters for their support of the event and skateboarding in New Zealand; Louis Newman - Australia (16 & Under), Oksana Lines - USA (Women), Lester Kasai - USA (Masters), Sean Goff - UK (Masters), George Richards – Australia (Open), Brodie Jarret – Australia (Open) Sox – Wales 9 Open), Rob Ayton – UK (Open) and of course R.J. Barbaro – Australia (Open).
WELLINGTON WEBCAST
11am – 5pm New Zealand time
9am – 3PM Australian PST
2pm – 8Pm USA PST
10Pm – 4am UK time
7pm – 1am BRAZIL TIME
View here or our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bowlzilla
Wellington weather can be cruel so times may change to when we can get the skating done. We will get through it all on the day though.
BOWLZILLA IN NUMBERS TOO BIG TO IGNORE
Yeah Girl and Surf Dive ‘n Ski along with International Skateboarder’s Union, Australian Skateboarding Federation and Miryoku Agency are breaking boundaries and setting standards this year at BOWLZILLA Gold Coast.
Yeah Girl and Surf Dive ‘n Ski have partnered up to assist BOWLZILLA in creating the highest paid Equality-in-Skateboarding event in Australian history. Australian Skatepark League launched 2017 with equal pay for the first time in Australia in both the Open and Women’s divisions and in 2018 BOWLZILLA Gold Coast gratefully acknowledges and raises that bar. As the international women’s skateboarding community grows stronger and blazes their own path, BOWLZILLA is proud to do its part in supporting them.
“To be able to work with BOWLZILLA and help to raise funds for an equal prize purse is an honour. It’s something that the women’s skate community has been constantly pushing for and it's great to finally have events like BOWLZILLA, that support the push for equality and recognise the talent and dedication in women's skateboarding." Yeah Girl – Director; Sarah Huston.
The foundation all of this is built on is the incredible support and recognition of skateboarding by City of Gold Coast. CoGC has built more skateparks per capita than any other city in Australia which has provided the best stage to produce an event like BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. This year Tourism and Events Queensland are facilitating the opportunity to promote and boast about that epic achievement and the fantastic community it represents.
The Queensland Government, via Tourism and Events Queensland, is proud to support BOWLZILLA which features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar. Queensland, just the place to experience Australia’s best live events.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is not just a skateboard competition, it is a festival of skateboarding. As part of the festival this year there is; a girl’s learn to ride clinic with Yeah Girl, Gold Coast Skateboard Coaching and Surf Dive ‘n Ski, art shows, food and parties with Beach Burrito Company, Yeah Girl and Surf Dive ‘n Ski and loads of gathering and sessions at the many amazing skateparks the Gold Coast has to offer.
City of Gold Coast Councillor Daphne McDonald has given huge support to skateboarding on the Gold Coast through; funding facilities, upgrading and maintaining those facilities so they can support amazing events like BOWLZILLA Gold Coast and even supporting those events that promote the best of the Gold Coast community both near and far. “I am proud to partner with BOWLZILLA for the third consecutive year and sponsor the largest meet for skaters in Queensland at Pines Skate Bowl at Elanora. The growth of BOWLZILLA is really exciting as the Gold Coast sets the stage for this first class athletic and creative international event. BOWLZILLA is a festival bringing together, world champion and local skaters , music and art. An event for the whole of the Gold Coast community to enjoy.” City of Gold Coast – Councillor Daphne McDonald.
More and more riders from around the world are being drawn to this fast paced, exciting and fun part of skateboarding. With the growth in public skateparks around the world which means easier and less restricted access to this type of skating plus how much fun it is, it is no wonder it is the fastest growing part of the community.
“BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is the biggest gathering of skateboard generations in Australia at a by skaters for skaters event. We are about our community 100%. The incredible support we receive from GCCC, TEQ, Yeah Girl x Surf Dive ‘n Ski, ASF and everyone else in supporting skaters as they want to be supported and represented is something we work very hard to honour year in year out. What we are achieving this year is a huge testament to our communities strength. Equality in Skateboarding has taken another step forward. ” Chad Ford; BOWLZILLA – Director.
Event info:
14th March: Gold Coast Grill – local hosted BBQ skate session
15th March: Tic Taco art exhibition – Beach Burrito Company; The Strand Shop 25/26, 72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 4225
16th March: Gold Coast Grill – local hosted BBQ skate session
17th March: BOWLZILLA™ Gold Coast competition - Pines Lane, Elanora QLD 4221
17th March: Yeah Girl and Surf Dive ‘n Ski hosting; Dive In – official after party – Beach Burrito Company; The Strand Shop 25/26, 72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 4225
BOWLZILLA SHAKING THE CAPITAL
New Zealand skating is put on the world stage at BOWLZILLA Wellington 2018. Wellington City Council, International Skateboarder’s Union, Redhead or Dead Events, Skateboarding New Zealand and Miryoku Agency are all combining forces to get Wellington shaking.
BOWLZILLA Wellington is the all-encompassing New Zealand National Bowl / Park Skating Titles. SBNZ the National Governing body of skateboarding in NZ, sanctions this event as the National competition series final. With such great honour, all stops are pulled out to ensure it is the biggest celebration of skateboarding and its culture all year in New Zealand.
There is excitement building for this third year of BOWLZILLA Wellington; 10th March at Waitangi Park, Wellington. The competition is on for the next National Champions with divisions for 16 & Under, Women, Masters 40+ and Pro/Am Open. With; art shows, parties, music, gatherings, barbecues, good times and the competition itself, BOWLZILLA Wellington is going to be the greatest weekend of New Zealand skating in 2018.
With BOWLZILLA Wellington taking on such an important role in the national landscape and the partnership with national governing body SBNZ and skateboarding now an official Olympic sport, there is greater interest and support coming from national government agencies and the public at large. When you add in that the Oceania representative rider Bowman Hansen at this year’s Park World Champs comes from Taupo, New Zealand, there are big things ahead for New Zealand skateboarding and BOWLZILLA Wellington on the 10th of March 2018 is the biggest stage for it.
"What a year for New Zealand skateboarding! Bowman Hansen has done us all proud and proven what we have been saying all along – we have the best talent pool of skaters in New Zealand. We have had a big year of behind the scenes planning, to lay the ground work for a stable platform for New Zealand skateboarding for a long time into the future. Having BOWLZILLA Wellington as our National Final is the feather in the cap" Jesse Peters, Director – SKATEBOARDING NEW ZEALAND - SBNZ
To create fantastic opportunities like these for skateboarders in New Zealand you need great support, that is provided by; Wellington City Council, SBNZ, International Skateboarder’s Union, Fusion Surf/Skate, Manual Magazine, Manky Chops, and the organisational skills of Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency. They have all pooled together to build events that help nurture scenes, create opportunity for local skaters and create amazing moments to celebrate all that make New Zealand skateboarding great with art, music and the competitions.
“Art, music, parties, friends and the best skating of the year all mixed together in the funnest town in New Zealand. BOWLZILLA Wellington is going to be the biggest celebration of our friends and their talent for 2018 in New Zealand. We invite everyone to come and be part of it.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford.
BOWLZILLA was born out of likeminded friends in the skateboard community looking for new platforms to promote their friends extraordinary talents, talents that run in oversupply within skateboarding but not are often seen in the outside world. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the biggest platform for showcasing all of this amazing talent in skateboarding in New Zealand. There is an open invite for everyone to come and be part of the celebration.
The will be more information coming shortly about all the great events happening as part of BOWLZILLA Wellington 2018.
Dates: Competition; 10th March 2018, Festival events 8-11th March 2018
Event info:
8th March: Fusion Surf/Skate Welcome Party
9th March: ARTZILLA – Manky Chops
10th March: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington competition – Waitangi Park, Wellington
Dive In – official after party
11th March: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2017 Storms the Coast
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast dodged all the weather and managed a perfect blue sky day and amazing competition for the second year running.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast built upon last year’s successes to give Australian skating its own fun skater owned and run event. It was an awesome week to celebrate all that makes skateboarding great with art, music and the competition.
The weather looked terrible all week with some even predicting catastrophic conditions for the Saturday. Thanks to some good connections (thanks Sarah) the sky turned blue and the competition ran with Saturday remaining mainly hot and sunny. Given only half the competition could be held in Wellington the week before it was decided on the day to amend the schedule and push through as quickly as possible to ensure all skaters got their fair share.
New BOWLZILLA Gold Coast champions were chosen across 3 of 4 divisions. As it is a park / bowl competition the scoring is based around use of the whole park in each run with the best run counting. The riders that embraced this approach best by using the whole bowl in their best run ended up on the podium.
The women’s skateboarding scene is going from strength to strength at the moment and BOWLZILLA wants to do everything it can to support and encourage this. For the first time in an Australian major skateboard competition, a female judge was on the panel for the whole event. Shari Lawson did an amazing job along with her fellow panellists Bevin Newton and Brodie Jarret. Shari wasn’t chosen because of a quota but because it is long overdue and she deserved the job. This will be a permanent position at BOWLZILLA Gold Coast from here on.
The week’s festivities kicked off with Beach Burrito Company hosting the opening party on Thursday night at Coolangatta, then on Friday night Yeah Girl did the Gold Coast premiere of the international all women’s skateboard film “Quit Your Day Job” which opened to thunderous applause and they were kept company on the night by Fiik Skateboards and their film premiere of “Steady Lurking” showcasing the best of local talent and humour at Warehouse No.5. The competition ran Saturday at Elanora skatepark and on Saturday night it all wrapped up with Dive In at Beach Burrito Company in Coolangatta. Another great week to finish off the summer season on the Gold Coast. 2018 BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is going to be amazing, given what has been done so far.
The placings for BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2017 are;
WOMEN – prize money donated by Yeah Girl, prizes donated by Dickies, Goliath, Protec
1st Taniah Meyers $250
2nd Aimee Massie $150
3rd Izy Mutu $100
4th Tenille Licari
5th Haylie Powell
6th Indiana Barnard
7th Tora Waldren
16 & UNDER – prizes donated by Dickies, Goliath, Protec
1st Loius Newman
2nd Bryce McKean
3rd Sam Windhorst
4th Ash Wilcomes
5th Karlin O'Halloran
6th Riley McComb
7th Elijah Devlin
8th Oscar Southerden
9th Nixen Osborne
10th Bailey Ryan
11th Jack Lewis
12th Kayden Bate
13th Ezekiel Joel Munro
14th Koby Roberts
15th Logan Kennedy
16th Cooper Graham
MASTERS
1st Nick Hepenstall $500
2nd Trevor Ward $250
3rd Chris Enwright $100
4th Iain Watt $90
5th Robert Brasher $80
6th Justin Leslight $70
7th Leigh McKenzie $60
8th Simon Bate $50
9th Nic Couscouris $0
OPEN
1st Jesse Noonan 264 $1000
2nd Matt Kitai 263 $750
3rd Willy Lara 254 $500
4th George Richards 245 $400
5th John Boyd 232 $300
6th Sam Renwick 193 $200
7th Kobe Graf 188 $100
8th Quaid Munson 0 $50
9th Nathan Trew
10th Cody Wilson
11th Ethan Mannix
12th Steve McIver
13th Nick Southerden
14th Christian McEwen
15th Izak Reeves
16th Jordan Burling
17th Michael Mitchell
18th John Dickinson
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast has long term plans to grow every year to increase the fun potential for Australian skating by using a competition as the excuse to gather the widest range of generations of skaters for good times and great skating. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast invites all the skaters to come and be part and have a say in how they want their fun.
City of Gold Coast Councillor Daphne McDonald proudly supported the BOWLZILLA Gold Coast events for a second year running. She was instrumental in the funding of the skatepark, getting the lights in, building out the site to better enable events to happen and being a fantastic advocate for skateboarding in general. Everyone at the event is grateful for her ongoing support.
“When you mix together a great local scene with a deep history, awesome skateparks, the most supportive council in Australia for skating, a community that encourages board sports because they believe in the benefits of it for the community as a whole rather than as a revenue stream, incredibly talented and friendly local skaters and sponsors that are involved because it is their community, then you get great things happening. We’re so fortunate to be able to be part of all of this. We will work hard every year to make BOWLZILLA Gold Coast the best it can be for all of them to show our appreciation.” Chad Ford – Director of BOWLZILLA and Miryoku Agency LLC.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is working to develop gatherings that use championship competitions to get everyone together to share and skate and grow and enjoy skating. With the TV show being distributed by IMG to a potential single view audience of over 640,000,000 viewers it is a great way for the world to see how talented our friends are and why they are worth supporting with great events, skateparks and sponsorship. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is growing each year with increased benefit for the locals and all divisions will expand with the world’s top talent while encouraging and benefiting Australia’s best.
CR McDonald said; “We have worked hard to support the growth of the exciting and healthy activity of skateboarding on the Gold Coast and it was fantastic that the Pines Skate bowl at Elanora, the first open full pipe in Australia, was chosen to hold BOWLZILLA Gold Coast event. There are increasing opportunities for skateboarding and the Gold Coast is poised to be the hub of it all, especially with skateboarding now recognised as an official Olympic Games sport for Tokyo 2020”.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast would not be possible without the incredible support of its sponsors and supporters, a huge thank you to; Gold Coast City Council, Beach Burrito Company, Protec, Goliath Distribution, Fiik Skateboards, Gold Coast Skateboard Coaching, Yeah Girl, ISU, Darkside, Dickies, ASF, Redhead Or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2017 webcast
The BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2017 web stream is live and embedded on our www.facebook.com/bowlzilla/ page from 12pm Queensland time
BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017 final results
Wellington City Council, International Skateboarder’s Union, Redhead or Dead Events, Skateboarding New Zealand and Miryoku Agency staged the New Zealand 2017 Park / Bowl Skateboarding Championships with BOWLZILLA Wellington in the Nation’s Capital.
SBNZ and ISU combined to establish the first ever New Zealand National Skateboarding Park / Bowl competition series. It all culminated on the weekend with BOWLZILLA Wellington. Wellington maintained its reputation for inconvenient weather for the entire weekend but luckily the Open and Masters divisions could be held and winners chosen.
The National Champions crowned were; Masters 40+; Leigh McKenzie, Open; Shaun Boucher. With Competition title going to Australian RJ Barbaro. R.J and Shaun were both successful in maintaining their titles from 2016. The weather made it impossible in the end to run the Women’s and 16 & Under divisions. The fast-developing talent in both divisions left everyone disappointed they did not get to see and support these amazing skaters. SBNZ will be integrating the 16 & Under and Women’s National Championship 2017 ranking into a future event this year.
BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017 placings:
OPEN
1 R.J Barbaro – BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017 Open Champion
2 Shaun Boucher – SBNZ National Open Park / Bowl Skating Champion 2017
3 Willy Lara
4 Bowman Hansen
5 Mike Bancroft
6 Josh Wilson
7 Chris Wood
8 George Richards
9 Luke Hayward
10 James McGuiness
11 Chris Curren
12 Patrick Ryan
MASTERS
1 Leigh McKenzie - BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017 and SBNZ National Masters Park / Bowl SkatingChampion 2017
2 Stephen Crump
3 Nick Bennett
4 Ramon Thackwell
5 Nic Couscouris
6 Lee Ralph
There was NZ$15,000 in prize money distributed amongst the Open and Masters divisions. There was also$2000 worth of prizes, donated by; Fusion Surf / Skate, Vans and Dickies, for the 16 & Under and Women’s divisions, which were equally distributed amongst all the competitors after the wash out.
“Park / Bowl skating is clearly on the rise in New Zealand as was evidenced by the new talent entering our competitions over summer and the rise in skill level of the current skaters. The new series we established here at SBNZ is a real boost for the local scene and is bringing out more riders from near and far. We have interest from a lot of organisations to help us find ways of funding and supporting skateboarding now and well into the future. With our involvement in assisting communities develop and build better skateparks, working with promoters to establish competitions for local talent to develop and providing a community and voice for New Zealand skaters, the future is looking great. Having BOWLZILLA Wellington be the series final gives us a great chance to cap each year and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.” Jesse Peters – Director, SBNZ.
Even with the challenging weather BOWLZILLA Wellington was a Capital success with the festival hosting; ARTZILLA – art show, which was produced by Manky Chops, Fusion Surf / Skate – welcome barbecue, the competition and wrapping it up with the Dive In - party at San Fran with the SUB:BASS crew raising the roof for the final celebration.
"This year BOWLZILLA Wellington was a real game changer for us, we managed to triple the prize purse, saw an increase in international competitors, more friends and fans at the festival events, far more support from a wider group of sponsors and the growing talent of the skaters. It means we have a long future in Wellington. Being able to integrate this all in with SBNZ so we can crown the National Championships for New Zealand makes it that little bit extra special for us. Thank you one and all for everything you did to contribute to such an amazing but wet week.” Chad Ford – Director, BOWLZILLA Wellington.
Without the very generous support of the sponsors none of BOWLZILLA Wellington would be possible, so a huge thank you goes to; Wellington City Council, Skateboarding New Zealand, International Skateboarder’s Union, Coffee Supreme, Fusion Surf/Skate, Manual Magazine, Manky Chops, Powerhaus European Vehicle Workshop, San Fran, The Cambridge Hotel, the generous prizes from Dickies and Vans and the organisational skills of Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency. With ongoing support like this the opportunities for New Zealand skating are awesome.
We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the international attending skaters for their support of the event and skateboarding in New Zealand; Louis Newman - Australia (16 & Under), Sari Simpson - Australia (Women), Nic Couscouris - USA (Masters), Sean Goff - UK (Masters), Willy Lara – USA (Open), Patrick Ryan - USA (Open). We'll get it next year!
Stay tuned for announcements about BOWLZILLA Wellington 2018.
BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017 webcast
Click here to view the webcast. Check times above.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2017
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is rolling into its second year and getting everyone together for the largest skate gathering by skaters for skaters in Australia.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is building on last year’s success to ensure that the future for Australian skating is fun and owned by skaters. Making fun times for everyone to celebrate all that makes skateboarding great with art, music and the competition.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast has long term plans to grow every year to increase the fun potential for Australian skating by using a competition as the excuse to gather the widest range of generations of skaters for good times and great skating. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast invites all the skaters to come and be part and have a say in how they want their fun.
City of Gold Coast Councillor Daphne McDonald is proudly supporting the BOWLZILLA Gold Coast events which is running concurrently beside other great events on the Gold Coast. It all starts with the Tic Taco skate art exhibition at Beach Burrito Company Coolangatta on Thursday 16th March, Friday 17th the famous Gold Coast hospitality will be shared with all our well-travelled friends with a barbecue and good times, the competition itself is at Elanora skatepark on Saturday 18th March and Dive In; the official BOWLZILLA Gold Coast after party is on that night to wrap of the festivities. Yeah Girl will be helping curate and stoke everyone.
Park and transition skating is being talked about as the fastest growing discipline in skating globally. This is because of how fun it is and the proliferation of so many new and amazing skateparks around the world. The flow and speed of it is awesome to watch and in our opinion definitely the funnest thing on four wheels to do. Its uniqueness has shaped skateboarding since the 70s with that initial shockwave of the Dog Town and Z Boys. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast takes the freeform approach of our forefathers to build a platform that is less about the strict structure of competition and more about the opportunity of gathering all our friends from far and wide and encouraging their weird and amazing approaches.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is working to develop gatherings that use championship gatherings to get everyone together to share and skate and grow and enjoy skating. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast's top riders will be promoted globally through the BOWLZILLA media platform of social media and television to ensure they are internationally celebrated. With the TV show being distributed by IMG to over 640,000,000 homes, it is a great way for the world to see how talented our friends are and why they are worth supporting with great events, skateparks and sponsorship. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is growing each year with increased benefit for the locals and all divisions will expand with the world’s top talent while encouraging and benefiting Australia’s best.
“Gold Coast City Council have proven themselves to be the greatest supporters of skating in Australia by providing the most skateparks per capita in the nation and encouraging the growth of the industry and lifestyle. We could not be in a better place to grow Australian skateboarding. The future is brighter because of them and we’re glad to be a part of it”. Chad Ford; BOWLZILLA director.
CR McDonald said; “We have worked hard to support the growth of the exciting and healthy activity of skateboarding on the Gold Coast and it was fantastic that the Pines Skate bowl at Elanora, the first open full pipe in Australia, was chosen to hold the first BOWLZILLA Gold Coast event. There are increasing opportunities for skateboarding and the Gold Coast is poised to be the hub of it all, especially with skateboarding now recognised as an official Olympic Games sport for Tokyo 2020”.
Supported by Gold Coast City Council. Sponsored by: Beach Burrito Company, Goliath, Protec, Fiik, Yeah Girl, Gold Coast Skateboard Coaching, International Skateboarder’s Union
Event Name: BOWLZILLA™ Gold Coast
Dates: 16-18th March 2017
Event info:
16th March: Tic Taco art exhibition – Beach Burrito Company; The Strand Shop 25/26, 72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 4225 Ph: (07) 5536 4192
17th March: Yeah Girl barbecue
18th March: BOWLZILLA™ Gold Coast competition - Pines Lane, Elanora QLD 4221
Dive In – official after party - Beach Burrito Company; The Strand Shop 25/26, 72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 4225 Ph: (07) 5536 4192
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/bowlzilla
https://www.facebook.com/yeahgirlskateboarding/
Instagram:
@bowlzilla
#bowlzilla
#bowlzillagoldcoast
#yeahgirl
BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017
Wellington City Council, International Skateboarder’s Union, Redhead or Dead Events, Skateboarding New Zealand and Miryoku Agency are building New Zealand skating with BOWLZILLA Wellington in the Nation’s Capital.
BOWLZILLA Wellington launched the first all-encompassing New Zealand National Park Skating Titles in 2016. The first National Champions crowned were; 16 & Under - Rico Henare, Women - Rhya Henare, Masters 40+ - Stephen Crump, Open - Shaun Boucher. With Competition title going to Australian RJ Barbarro.
There is excitement building for the second year which is on; 11th March at Waitangi Park, Wellington. The competition is on for the next National Champions with divisions for 16 & Under, Women, Masters 40+ and Pro/Am Open. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the rallying point to get everyone together to celebrate all the great parts of skateboard culture with; art shows, parties, music, gatherings and good times. There's a prize pool over NZ$15,000, making it the richest skate comp in New Zealand.
This year BOWLZILLA Wellington titles take on a more important role in the national landscape. With the formation of the new national governing body; Skateboarding New Zealand, greater interest coming from national government agencies, we are on the precipice of a big new future for skateboarding in New Zealand. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the official Skateboarding New Zealand National Park Skating Titles. All park and bowl competitions in New Zealand now lead to the finals in Wellington on 11th March 2017.
"SBNZ is proud to present the 2017 SBNZ National Bowl Series consisting of the upcoming 3 events; Mangawhai (Feb 5th), Christchurch (Feb 18th) and Wellington (March 11th) as the finals destination. Bowl Skating is growing from strength to strength in NZ. Our strategy is to provide a platform that celebrates and supports our top bowl skaters while over the next few years building a network of grassroots transition events that will provide pathways for those up and coming skateboarders from across New Zealand" Jesse Peters, Director – SKATEBOARDING NEW ZEALAND
None of this is possible without the incredible support of sponsors and groups such as; Wellington City Council, Skateboarding New Zealand, International Skateboarder’s Union, Coffee Supreme, Fusion Surf/Skate, Manual Magazine, Manky Chops, Powerhaus European Vehicle Workshop, San FRan and the organisational skills of Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency. They have all pooled together to build events that help nurture scenes, create opportunity for local skaters and create amazing moments to celebrate all that make New Zealand skateboarding great with art, music and the competitions.
“BOWLZILLA was formed and is 100% conceived and run by skaters. To be able to get so many companies and agencies willing to support such a unique organisation with our focus based solely on getting our friends together to have a good time doing what we love and promote their talents to the world is incredible and not something we take for granted. That is why you see so many more smiles at BOWLZILLA. The stoke level is high! You are all welcome to come and be part of it all in Wellington.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford.
BOWLZILLA started in Getxo, Spain, in September 2015 and has since built the first proper concrete bowl in Chile and run the first international professional competition in Chile, created a new format and platform for Australian skaters with BOWLZILLA Gold Coast and established the first National bowl skating titles in Wellington, New Zealand.
There will be more information coming shortly about all the great events happening as part of BOWLZILLA Wellington 2017.
Event Name: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington
Dates: Competition; 11th March 2017, Festival events 9-12th March 2017
Event info:
9th March: Fusion Surf/Skate Welcome Party
10th March: ARTZILLA – Manky Chops
11th March: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington competition – Waitangi Park, Wellington
Dive In – official after party
12th March: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington
YEAH GIRL
Yeah Girl were massive supporters of our first year of BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. They even donated cash so there was prize money for the Women's division. They went above and beyond and on top of all of that, put on one of the best art gatherings we've been to in a long time.
We cannot thank them enough and hope that whatever we do is seen as thanks for their generosity.
Check the Yeah Girl 2016 recap and wrap up in this vid put together by Art-Work Agency. If you're still not sure what it's all about, want to see what you missed or you just want to relive the good times, check it out!
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2016 Highlights
Here it is, the highlights clip from our very first BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. We had skaters coming from; Brazil, USA, New Zealand and all around Australia. Women, 16 & Under, Masters 40+ and Open sections were all coordinated with ASF and their bowl series and also ISU and the international bowl series. We're already counting the days till next year. There is more filmed content coming in the form of a TV show so we will let you know when that is going to air around the world.
BOWLZILLA GOLD COAST IS GETTING BRASH!
The very first BOWLZILLA Gold Coast was on this weekend and was bigger and better than everyone had planned with entrants coming from; Brazil, USA, New Zealand and all around Australia. The competition had sections for; Women, 16 & Under, Masters 40+ and Open, and was coordinated to work with ASF and their bowl series and also ISU and the international bowl series and rankings. Big bold steps for a first outing that had thousands cheering.
Having so many riders turn up from far and wide really lifted everyone’s skating to a level many were surprised by. Gold Coast City Council and Councillor McDonald have done amazing things for skating on the Gold Coast and two weeks before the competition they installed lights which were somewhat responsible for the higher level of skating. The skaters were able to practice at night when it was a little cooler and the finals ran into the night with the lights. The lights definitely raised the energy levels – thank you!
Beach Burrito Company have just opened a new restaurant in Coolangatta and held the opening night party Thursday which combined with the skate centric Tic Taco art exhibition. Great food, amazing location and an awesome night to kick things off. The following night our friends had - Yeah Girl, which showcased women photographers documenting the steadily growing global female skate scene. This was held at Dust Temple and blew everyone away with the location, the photos, the subjects and the incredible job they did at throwing an amazing event like this. Yeah Girl were also incredibly generous and supported the prize money for the Women’s division of the competition as well.
The generous support and encouragement from Gold Coast City Council, Bleach* Festival, Beach Burrito Company, Australian Skateboarding Federation, International Skateboarder’s Union, Palm Beach Hotel, Goliath Skate Distribution, Corona and Redhead or Dead Events was what made the first BOWLZILLA Gold Coast possible. It cannot be overstated how much support they gave and how important it was to the success of the event.
The Masters divisions had lots of surprises. This year is going to grow into a very large beast of its own in the coming years. Robert Brasher is an enigma and a legend. He is the first Australian to do a frontside rock. He still has them as stylish and consistent at the age of 53 as he did 30 years ago. He has matured with age and his skating is possibly better now than it ever was. He is amazing. Joining him in the bowl was another slightly younger Masters legend of Australian skating: Brian Garland. Brian has always had a unique approach to his life, fashion and skating, and age has not wearied any of it. Brian blew everyone away with his switch skating from one end of the bowl through the pipe to the other and back. The Masters division really deserves its own release. Thank you all for showing what is still possible and congratulations to Nick Hepinstall for taking the heavily competitive win.
The Women’s division was one of the largest seen in years in Australia and is encouraging for what is to come. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is really looking forward to working with the women to ensure they have their own voice and platform to grow their scene while being part of the larger skate community. Tenille Licari managed the win in a very talented field.
The 16 & Under division is shockingly rich in its field of talented skaters. Bowl skating is no longer the domain of the older skater. The Australian 16 & Under division is gaining worldwide notoriety and deservedly so. It is too hard to single out one individual for praise over the others which made the judges jobs so hard. Dylan Donnini was in first going into the final was pipped at the post by Bryce McKean. They make it look too easy except for the judging!
The open division had competitors from as young as 12 all the way up to 38. It was a wide field of incredible talent and varied approaches that spanned generations. The previous comments about the 16 & Under division show proof in the placings in the Open division. Keegan Palmer at 12 years old won and Luke Russell at 15 placed second. This was against a highly competitive international field with skaters like Willy Lara (USA) and Dan Kelcher (NZ). This is no small feat. With the Masters division starting at 40 this gives 28 years of future growth in the Open division for Keegan Palmer. We look forward to developing the BOWLZILLA events further each year just to see how far skaters like Keegan can go with their talent.
“The first year of an event is always difficult. The support given by Gold Coast City Council and the local skate community removed the difficulty for the first BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. The skaters that turned up from around the world and Australia to be part of this means there is nothing but bigger and better and more amazing things coming for BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. This really is the golden age of skating” Says Chad Ford; Director BOWLZILLA.
Results:
Women:
1 Tenille Licari
2 Tania Meyers
3 Shenae
4 Sierra Kerr
5 Izy Mutu
6 Aimie Massie
7 Haylie Powell
8 Indiana Barnard
9 Elie Ryder
10 Shari Lawson
16 & Under:
1 Bryce Mckean
2 Dylan Donnini
3 Samuel Windhorst
4 Karlin O'Hallarin
5 Louis Newman
6 Zane Hetherington
7 Josh Godward
8 Ben Hennessy
9 Nixen Heperi
10 Bryson Palmer
11 Riley McComb
12 Jackson Donnini
13 Kaleb Hyde
Masters
1 Nick Hepinstall
2 Brian Jacobsen
3 Tony Chavez
4 Chris Enwright
5 Iain Watt
6 Sean Ritchie
7 Daren Bartles
8 Robert Brasher
9 Gunther Viveiros
10 Fred Garland
Open
1 Keegan Palmer
2 Luke Russell
3 Willy Lara
4 Jesse Noonan
5 Ian Davidson
6 Kristian Philips
7 John Boyd
8 SteveMcIver
9 Khan Alberts
10 Shy Balmer
11 Trevor Ward
12 Mitchell "Mashy" Howse
13 Matt Kitai
14 John Dickinson
15 Jamie Leigh Bunt
16 Kobe Graf
17 Indigo Feidler
18 Dan Kelcher
19 Quaid Munson
20 Mat Chigwidden
21 Sam Renwick
22 Dylan Philips
23 Nathan Trew
24 Ethan Mannix
25 Jeremia Chilly
26 Keegan Williams
27 Brody Jarrett
28 George Richards
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast opening with a Tic Taco
10th March 2016
Beach Burrito is proud to present TIC TACO™ ʻan exploration of skateboardingʼ bringing together an eclectic group of artists from across Australia to interperate ʻthe art of skateboardingʼ.
TIC TACO™ is proudly supporting BOWLZILLA™ and aims to grow alongside the skate contest over the coming years.
BOWLZILLA™ is a celebration of skateboarding, music and art, set to attract some of the world’s most exciting transition skaters to the Gold Coast for the final stop of the Australian Skateboard Federation national series.
TIC TACO™ is curated by Beach Burrito brand manager Jimmy Baxter, and this year features an exciting line up of artists.
JMD, SARAH HUSTON, FRENCH, CHAD FORD, BRETT CHAN, LAUREN WEBSTER, ADAM SCARF, ANDY MURPHY, JOHN FOX WILLIAMSON, BEN BROWN, KON, SKY GUYATT, TIM NATHAN, CHRIS FRAPE, DALE BIGENI, TEEM, JRB, GREG POISON, ANDREW MAPSTONE, BACKWOODS COPNCEPTS, MIKE WATT & GRIZZLE.
The night kicks off at 6pm, all works are for sale, with a 100% of profits going directly to the artists.
The exhibition is one night only. Thursday 10th March 2016. Beach Burrito, Shop 25/26 72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta.
Photo: Andrew Mapstone Skater: Jesse "Red" Noonan
THANK YOU LEE RALPH!
The skating has just wrapped on the first New Zealand National Bowl Skating Titles; BOWLZILLA Wellington. Everyone who could skate a bowl was welcome to come and participate with sections for; Women, 16 & Under, Masters 40+ and Open.
Everyone has been working hard on the first BOWLZILLA Wellington to encourage every bowl skater; women, kids, rippers and old timers to get in the bowl and have a go. Some amazing talent flew in from overseas to be part of it; Willy Lara (USA), Paul Kefalas (AUS) and R.J Barbarro (AUS). These guys inspired the locals and pushed them all to new levels.
Events like this are not possible without generous support from sponsors and partners and their incredible support; Wellington City Council, International Skateboarder's Union, Manual Magazine, Irrom Distribution, Spitfire, The Cambridge Hotel, Manky Chops, ALC Apparel, Fusion Surf / Skate, Redhead or Dead Events and countless volunteers and friends all contributed. Even with all of this, the biggest surprise was at the awards ceremony...
Lee Ralph is the most famous skateboarder New Zealand has ever produced. There is currently a documentary being made about him; Barefoot – The Lee Ralph Story, which is being talked about all around the world. Beyond Lee’s skating he is an accomplished Maori carver who has been in shows all around the world. Lee had a surprise for everyone at the competition and did not tell anyone. Literally, no one knew. Lee carved two Maori totems for 1st place for Open and Masters. What incredible gifts. Every single person associated with the event is so thankful for Lee’s generosity.
“Being able to be part of an event like BOWLZILLA Wellington which is about nurturing a scene and helping give it a platform for all to benefit not just from competing but the comradery and social interaction is the best feeling. Not money, ego or platitudes can top the feeling of skating with your oldest and newest friends and seeing them all enjoy themselves on such a big national platform.” Says Chad Ford; Director BOWLZILLA.
The first New Zealand National Bowl Champion is: Shaun Boucher, as the highest placed local in the Open division. We congratulate Shaun and hope to see him at events far and wide around the world.
Results:
Women:
1 Rhya Henare
2 Sharee Dowdall
16 & Under:
1 Rico Henare
2 Soul Kropelnicki
3 Rimus Henare
4 Jett Partridge
5 Benny Lindsay Williams
6 Kaleb Hyde
Masters
1 Stephen Crump
2 Nick Bennett
3 Mike Spittlehouse
Open
1 R J Barbarro
2 Willy Lara
3 Shaun Boucher
4 James McGuinness
5 Dan Kelcher
6 Chris Wood
7 Benjamin Wallis
8 Mike Bancroft
9 Kyle O'Reagan
10 Jordan Nunns
11 Orson Reynolds
12 Dereck De Souza
13 Kadin Elliott
14 Diego Casal
15 Scarecrow
16 Jesse Peters
17 Paul Kefalas
18 Chris Curran
19 Patty Gibson
20 David Kim
BOWLZILLA Wellington is on!
The festivities kick off today in Wellington. Come and join us.
BOWLZILLA SHAKES COAST
The Australian Skateboarding Federation, International Skateboarder’s Union, Bleach* Festival and Miryoku Agency are shaking things up in Australian skating with BOWLZILLA Gold Coast.
We at BOWLZILLA are starting something. Partnering with likeminded skater run organisations around the world to build events that help nurture scenes, create opportunity for local skaters and have an amazing time celebrating all that makes skateboarding great with art, music and the competitions.
BOWLZILLA started in Getxo, Spain, in September 2015 and has since built the first proper concrete bowl in Chile and run the first international professional competition in Chile and established the first national bowl skating competition in Wellington, New Zealand. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast will be adding something to the Australian scene and ensuring skaters retain their voice with by skaters for skaters events.
Proudly supported by City of Gold Coast Councillor Daphne McDonald. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast has several events as part of the celebrations and is running concurrently beside other great events on the Gold Coast. It all starts with the Tic Taco skate art exhibition at Beach Burrito Company Coolangatta on Thursday 10th March, the next day there is a great event running the same time as BOWLZILLA Gold Coast on Friday 11th and we will all be there to celebrate the incredible talents of female skaters and photographers at Yeah Girl, a photography exhibition exposing the often unseen and rapidly growing world of women’s skateboarding. The competition itself is at Elanora skatepark on Saturday 12th March and we have; Dive In, the official BOWLZILLA Gold Coast after party that night to wrap of the festivities. All of this is part of Bleach* Festival which is the Gold Coast’s signature arts and music festival from 4-20 March. Across three huge weekends of Bleach*, hundreds of Gold Coast artists, along with a formidable team of renowned Australian and international artists, will present eight world premieres and a blockbuster line-up of easily accessible and mostly free events.
Bowl skating is fun. It is why we do it. Period. The unique approach that bowl skating encourages should have its own unique approach in how it is represented. So BOWLZILLA is less about the strict structure of competition and more about the opportunity of gathering all our friends from far and wide and seeing what weird and wonderful approaches we all have and finding ways of rewarding and celebrating these achievements. It is why we are working with ISU and their bowl skating specific judging criteria.
BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is the culmination of the ASF championship series and sees the best performed riders in ASF qualifier events seeded into BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast's top riders will qualify for International BOWLZILLA events making BOWLZILLA the complete contest pathway for Australian riders from the local park to the international stage. Year on year BOWLZILLA Gold Coast will grow in stature and benefit for the locals and all divisions will expand with the world’s top talent while encouraging and benefiting Australia’s best.
“A couple of the greatest things about skateboarding is it is in constant motion and its direction is determined by its participants. Skaters know what skaters need. BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is developed by, guided by and run by skaters with skater’s best interests at its centre. City of Gold Coast, International Skateboarder’s Union, Australian Skateboarding Federation and Miryoku Agency are all working to build a new more skate centric platform and the future starts 12th March. Come and join in”. Chad Ford; BOWLZILLA director.
CR McDonald said; “it was exciting that the Pines Skate bowl at Elanora, the first open full pipe in Australia, was chosen to hold the first BOWLZILLA Gold Coast event, bringing in world champions and providing a wonderful opportunity for local talent providing the pathway to the world stage”.
BOWLZILLA™ Gold Coast
10th March: Tic Taco art exhibition – Beach Burrito Company; The Strand Shop 25/26, 72-80 Marine Parade, Coolangatta 4225 Ph: (07) 5536 4192
11th March: Yeah Girl Photography exhibition; 54 Currumbin Creek Rd, Currumbin Waters QLD 4223
12th March: BOWLZILLA™ Gold Coast competition - Pines Lane, Elanora QLD 4221
12th March: Dive In – official after party - TBA
www.bowlzilla.net
http://www.bleachfestival.com.au/events/bowlzilla/
http://www.bleachfestival.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/yeahgirlskateboarding/
https://www.facebook.com/BleachFestival
@bowlzilla
#bowlzilla
#bowlzillagoldcoast
#yeahgirl2016
@bleachfestival
#bleachfestival2016
BOWLZILLA CAPITAL CELEBRATION
BOWLZILLA Wellington 2016
Wellington City Council, International Skateboarder’s Union, Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency are bringing a heavy line-up of skaters to BOWLZILLA Wellington’s biggest bowl-skating competition.
BOWLZILLA Wellington is the start of something new in Aotearoa. We’re partnering with likeminded skater-run organisations around the world to build events that help nurture scenes, create opportunities for local skaters and have an amazing time celebrating all that makes skateboarding great with art, music and competitions.
BOWLZILLA started in Getxo, Spain, in September 2015, and led to the first concrete bowl to be built in Chile alongside the launch of the first international professional competition there and now we’re establishing the first National bowl-skating titles here in Wellington.
BOWLZILLA Wellington launches with the Fusion Surf/Skate Welcome Party at The Cambridge Hotel on Friday 4 March. The following day, sees the skaters battling it out at the inaugural BOWLZILLA Wellington National Bowl Skating Titles. In the evening ARTZILLA showcases the best skater art at our official after party; Dive In. We’ll still be celebrating on the 6th of March at the Karori Vert Jam.
Bowl skating is fun, it’s why we do it. Period. BOWLZILLA is less about the strict structure of competition and more about the opportunity to gather our friends from far and wide, seeing what weird and wonderful approaches they bring to the bowl.
The competition has divisions for all the bowl talent across New Zealand. Year on year we expect these titles will grow in stature, benefitting both local skaters and the local economy.
At BOWLZILLA we stand on the shoulders of giants and we strive in all we do to acknowledge the influential skaters and the scene that came before us; Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Dog Town, Steve Alba, Pat Ngoho, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Social Distortion, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Glen E. Friedman, Thrasher, Independent, The Bones Brigade, The Beastie Boys, Lance Mountain, Lee Ralph, Andrew “Morri” Morrison, Chris Miller and Tony Hawk.
The new guard of Alex Sorgente, Chris Russell, Grant Taylor, Lizzie Armanto, Danny Leon, Rune Glifberg, Omar Hassan, Bucky Lasek and Pedro Barros, would not be here without those that blazed the path.
BOWLZILLA™ acknowledges and celebrates this heritage with plans to build on the past and write a bright and energetic future for skateboarding.
BOWLZILLA™ Wellington
4–5 March 2016
4 March: Fusion Surf/Skate Welcome Party at The Cambridge; 28 Cambridge Terrace, Te Aro, Wellington, PH: 0800 375021
5 March: BOWLZILLA Wellington competition at Waitangi Park, Wellington, Cable Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011
5 March: ARTZILLA art show; TBA
5 March: Dive In the BOWLZILLA Wellington official after party: TBA
6 March: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington
http://www.facebook.com/bowlzilla
@bowlzilla
#bowlzilla
#bowlzillawellington
Shaking Things Up with BOWLZILLA Chile 2016
“SHAKING THINGS UP”
BOWLZILLA™ Chile 2016
16th January 2016: BOWLZILLA™ Chile was held for the first time this past weekend at Ritoque Beach and delivered big.
BOWLZILLA™ Chile Sport Music Festival is the first of its kind in South America. Having the combination of the two was brilliant in being able to give fans access to their favourite skaters and bands at the one time and each inspiring the other.
Steve Caballero was easily the busiest person at the event. He skated in the Masters heats and qualified for the final. In between he went on stage and did a guest bass appearance with Strung Out and then skated in the Masters finals and placed 2nd overall. That wasn’t enough though, he then went on stage with his best friends and their band The Faction, playing for the first time to a South American audience that has been wanting to see them since the early 80s when they formed. Steve wins BOWLZILLA Chile MVP for 2016!
Skating with Steve in the Masters was 2015 International Skateboarder’s Union Masters World Champion – Pat Ngoho. This honour gave Pat the best position to skate in during the qualifying heats; last rider in last heat. Included were riders from Brazil; Marco Cruz, Miguel Catarina, Bruno Passos, Evandro Mancha, the USA; Bill Rennie (Tristan’s dad), Chris Patton, Kevin Staab, Tony Hawk and from the UK and a close 2nd to Steve Caballero for MVP with MC duties, webcast compare and Masters competition; Sean Goff from the UK.
For most of these riders it was their first time to Chile and for the fans it was decades overdue and they showed their appreciation by screaming and shouting their support for them all day. In return the skaters gave their all. This was a brand new bowl and a new style of bowl so there was no home field advantage and it had them all working harder. Although the placings may read like a foregone conclusion, if you ask the riders they will tell you it was far from that. Because of all of this the fans got a much tighter competition. Tony Hawk won and the huge number of his dedicated fans were over the moon to see him add to his legacy of competition winnings but he fought for it.
BOWLZILLA Chile 2016 Masters results:
1 Tony Hawk
2 Steve Caballero
3 Bruno Passos
4 Pat Ngoho
5 Kevin Staab
6 Evandro Mancha
7 Chris Patton
8 Marco Cruz
9 Miguel Catarina
10 Bill Rennie
11 Sean Goff
There was a huge pro field and they came from all over to have a go at the inaugural title of BOWLZILLA Chile Pro Champion. There was a big contingent from Brazil and especially RTMF, the USA, Dominican Republic, Italy, UK, Basque Country, Argentina and the local Chileans. With no home field advantage as the bowl was finished the Sunday night before the comp and crowd favourite and 2nd placed in the 2015 ISU Pro World Bowl Series – Pedro Barros taking himself out the day before while out sightseeing with friends and family (he hit a patch of sand on his skateboard and broke his collarbone) it made the field wide open. You could have given first place to any of the top three and most would have been okay with it but in the end it came down to who utilised the whole bowl best and was closest in style to the bowl competition guidelines ISU has put out there to showcase the best bowl skating in the world.
We've all been hoping and waiting and cheering and encouraging and then finally it happened on Saturday and we couldn't be more proud of being part of Murilo Peres first major pro win. EVERYONE was stoked. He didn’t even get a chance to accept his award before he was carried off on everyone’s shoulders. We can say we were there.
1 Murilo Peres Brazil
2 Tom Schaar USA
3 Chris Russell USA
4 Tristan RennieUSA
5 Vi Kakinho Brazil
6 Trey Wood USA
7 Jono SchwannUSA
8 Kevin Kowalski USA
9 Josh Borden USA
10 Ben Hatchell USA
11 Daniel Cuervo Dominican Republic
12 Rony Gomes Brazil
13 Otavio Neto Brazil
14 Felipe Foguinho Brazil
15 Nilo Pecanha Brazil
16 Caique Silva Brazil
17 Marcello Jimenez Chile
18 Sky Siljeg USA
19 Ivan Federico Italy
20 Alex Halford UK
21 Lada Amarilla Argentina
22 Gonzalo Rodriguez Argentina
23 Patricio Perez Chile
24 Sagas Braulio Chile
25 Benjamin Perez Chile
26 Alan Young USA
27 Borja Casas Basque Country
28 Dario MataroloArgentina
29 Nacho Galo Chile
30 Lucas Rojas Argentina
BOWLZILLA is more than just skating. There is art and music and good times all round as part of the whole gathering. The week’s festivities kicked off with BOWLZILLA’s cultural event partners Love & Guts throwing an art show / welcome party for everyone in Santiago at Mall Sport. Loads of the riders showed up and had their art on display and for sale at the show with an impromptu session happening at Bowl Park skatepark and a bunch of the skaters; Renton Millar, Chris Russell, Alex Halford, Trey Wood and Sam Beckett got wet on the permanent wave set up they have there. It was a great launch and welcome.
The music side of things was huge with; Mucho Muchacho, Zaturno, Dj Rafik, Strung Out, DJ Sien, Yuksek, Gui Boratto, Gentleman, Cody Simpson, The Faction and Capital Cities playing. The music was the backdrop for the skating and once the competition was over everyone went to party and dance till last call.
The sponsors for this first year were very generous and supportive and helped bring everything together. Monster, Globe, Volcom and Movistar. Good event sponsors offer more than just a logo and a cheque and all of our sponsors this year gave more and everyone at the event benefitted from their participation.
The competition is part of the points of the International Skateboarder’s Union bowl series and it launched the ISU season for 2016. This event continued the utilisation of the ISU’s new bowl specific judging format that the riders have been wanting for a long time. It is focused on proper bowl skating with lines and use of the whole bowl being rewarded more than single tricks. The judges really embraced it and we saw many riders change their approach to the bowl. As these guidelines develop and improve so is the riders level of skating and approach.
