BOWLZILLA Gold Coast was the stereotype of a perfect Gold Coast day. Everyone who made the effort was rewarded with amazing skating across the generations and a week of fantastic music and art.

The week started off with inclement weather like last year and the threatened shut down of all major events around Australia due to COVID-19. The sun came out on Friday and with that a large turn out of our interstate friends. The real spirit of skating is making the best of it regardless and everyone who did was rewarded with the best skating seen in the five years of BOWLZILLA Gold Coast.

The seed that Yeah Girl planted the first year of BOWLZILLA Gold Coast by ensuring proper support for the Women’s division has really grown into something amazing. The level of Women’s skating in Australia is incredible. What they have bought to BOWLZILLA Gold Coast is really showing the world what Equality-in-Skateboarding means. From Shari Lawson being Head Judge of the whole competition, to the depth of talent in the competition, to Yeah Girl’s hosted after party at Beach Burrito Company with women DJs and bands, means the whole week is a step above and damn good fun.

Gold Coast City Council and Division 13 of Council have been continuously investing in and supporting skating for years which is why the Gold Coast is the epicentre of great skating in Australia. Every year it seems like more and more of BOWLZILLA’s competitors and friends and family are relocating to the Gold Coast because of it.

Tourism & Events Queensland have been helping amplify the fantastic contributions skateboarding makes to the Gold Coast and Queensland and raising wider interest in all parts of BOWLZILLA Gold Coast. BOWLZILLA being on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar is having a great effect on the festival and the local community.

The festival was full of the usual Gold Coast stoke with parties, DJ, bands and art at Beach Burrito Company Coolangatta, gatherings and barbecues at some the Gold Coast’s most amazing skateparks and the competition itself. There really is not better place to celebrate the end of summer.

“There was a changing of the guard this year with the competition. If comps are your thing and you don’t turn up you will be left behind very quickly now. As a fan of skating it feels so great to be a part of BOWLZILLA Gold Coast and as a lifelong skater it is truly inspirational to see the level of skating in the Masters, the very quickly developing talent of the Women and 16 & Unders. The support that the government agencies, sponsors, entrants and fans give means we have many years ahead for this festival.” Chad Ford; BOWLZILLA – Director.

Sponsors and prize givers for BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2020 were: Council Division 13, Gold Coast City Council, Tourism & Events Queensland, Red Bull, Pirate Life Brewing, Vans, Fiik Electric Skateboards, Yeah Girl Skateboarding, Gold Coast Skateboard Coaching, Beach Burrito Company, Fruity Griptape, DSCO Bearings, Ace Trucks, Santa Cruz Skateboards, GoPro, Protec, FUEL TV, Grassfires Magazine, Girl’s Skate Gold Coast, Truck Stop Skate Shop and ASF.

The placings for BOWLZILLA Gold Coast 2020 are;

YEAH GIRL SKATEBOARDING – WOMEN – equal cash prize purse with Open, prizes donated by Girls Skate Gold Coast.

1 Indiana Barnard – ASF Australian Park Skating Champion 2020

2 Charlotte Heath

3 Grace Cochrane

4 Haylie Powell

5 Anneka Lewis

6 Aimee Massie

7 Lily Britton

8 Mistie Mildenhall

9 Tora Waldren

10 Summer Kopelman