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