The first BOWLZILLA™ was launched this week in Basque Country – Euskaltel BOWLZILLA™ Getxo and was ripping!
BOWLZILLA™ is the culmination of the long history - and ripping future - of bowl skating which launched this week with three days of amazing skating and culture with music, art and comps. We launched at La Kantera skatepark, Arrigunaga beach, and will be taking the competition to the rest of the world with new stops being announced shortly.
Created by a team of skaters with more than 60 years’ experience with professional skateboarding and events, Euskaltel BOWLZILLA™ Getxo was a celebration of art, music, parties, industry catch ups, sideshows and Masters and Professional skate competitions. Skaters and fans had a big week and we will be sleeping in Monday.
The comp is part of the points of the International Skateboarder’s Union bowl series and ISU used this event to launch a 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.
The opening day of Euskaltel BOWLZILLA Getxo was amazing. Kako and The Captain did an amazing job with Cruzade Skateboards to stage the opening day's proceedings with The Tournament at Las Arenas skatepark. It was a unique format with over 50 competitors trimmed down to 32 which then saw them skate face to face in 16 groups of two and then the final 2. In the final were Ian Campbell and Danny Leon. Ian the local favourite and Danny the incredible Spanish talent everyone is starting to take notice of. After all the different heats both of them were beat but put in their all. If one fell the other helped them get up. They were both skating fast and blasting all over the park. In the end Danny came through with the win but it was close.
Friday was time for the Masters to show everyone how rewarding a lifetime of skating can be. They had the stands on their feet cheering. We had riders who have been professional for nearly 40 years in the bowl. With skaters like Brad Bowman, Sean Goff, ISU 2014 Masters World Champion Pat Ngoho and a gang of euro legends it was a heated session. In the end Txus Dominguez came through to win. Txus is a local artist, skatepark builder and legend. He designed and built the La Kantera pool the comp is in 15 years ago. To say he knows the lines in the pool better than anyone else is an understatement. It was very close between Txus and Pat which is how you want it in great competitions. 1st Txus Dominguez, 2nd Pat Ngoho, 3rd Diego Dural.
The Pro show was on today with a large field of European riders complemented by a couple of international showings. James Moore was here from Australia and made an impression on the fans. With 5 very competitive heats being cut down to a final of 8 it was a tough task for the judges. They put in a hard day’s work. Ian Campbell’s skating really stood out as he really embraced the whole bowl. Danny Leon blew people away with some of the lines he chose in the bowl. Ultimately someone had to win and Kalle Berglind ended up on the podium today. He had the most consistent, long, smooth, fast and unique lines which saw him grab the top spot.
1 Kalle Berglind
2 Danny Leon
3 Alex Halford
4 Ian Campbell
5 Ivan Rivadon Alvarez
6 enrique giles
7 Borja Casas
8 Yago Dominguez
Euskaltel was incredibly generous with their support of skateboarding and Getxo have been visionary in their nurturing and promotion of the skateboard lifestyle in their community. Euskaltel BOWLZILLA™ Getxo was our way of giving a massive thank you to them, the riders, the wider community and the dedicated fans.
We will have the clip from today up as soon as they finish in the edit suite.
Thank you to everyone who made today possible; Euskaltel, Getxo Kirilak, La Kantera Skate Club, San MIguel, Red Bull, Kako's Skate Shop, Iluna Bar, ISU, Marca and all the many people who worked tirelessly for everyone to enjoy skateboarding here in Getxo this week.
Next year is going to be HUGE!
