The story really starts on Friday. Late evening Friday my good friend Magii calls to ask if I want to go to the All Nations Skate Jam at Vans Skate park in Orlando the next day. He informs me that he will be competing around 3pm and he would like the bird and I to show our support. I wanted to go and I wanted to be there, but I got a race a week away I really need to just put a little more conditioning into the legs.
What alot of people don't know is that I run the Shaolin School for Cat Training and I have a student named Mo Mo. Its an important part of feline development to fight and play fight, especially for little Mo, he likes to test his skills. And this Saturday morning was no different then the others as Mo Mo and I engaged in mock battle. Its good times to see him developing his self defense skills.
Shortly after that session, I decided to just go ahead and shoot out there early to the skate jam and skip the ride all together, I figured I will ride the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to make up for the ride I will miss today. Everything you do when it comes to kids turns into a mission and this morning was no exception as we made our way to drop my sons of with their Biological Mother. As I was dropping them off I found the most curious piece of wood with spikes sticking out of it I had to take a picture.
We had a pretty good drive out there, stopped at Olive Garden for Unlimited soup and salad and then made our way to Vans Skatepark. Its actually my first time being in this place and I was really curious. Were walking around, we find my friend practicing, I go ahead and buy a membership to the park and sign up for a session. We make our way upstairs and I spot a table that was hosting the sponsors of the contest. I start checking out their merchandise and notice the announcer of the skate contest was at the table. The people putting on the contest are based out of Michigan and their company name is Native Skates. They are one of a couple of Native American owned and ran skateboard companies. I introduced myself to the announcer, Jim, and for the heck of it I asked if I could help judge the contest. He asked for my credentials and I told him, I have been skating for about 24 years, I think I can do it. He motioned to another Judge named Bill and asked him if we could use another Judge, and Bill said Yes.
I have ALWAYS wanted to judge a skateboard contest ever since I was a kid. This was such an awesome moment for me, I got to sit up there and judge the contest. The contest started in the street section with the Beginners 18 plus. The skating was pretty fierce, and I judged well. Bill then came back and asked me to judge the two remaining events.
The bowl contest was Bananas. The kids, even the small ones were just doing so well, so fierce and so fearless. I was thoroughly impressed by the caliber of the riders. The last street contest really set it off. One kid pulled a 540 off the big quarter to the slant bank, pretty much guaranteeing the win. The last street contest final street jam was crazy to say the least, they were doing some hardcore innovative enormous tricks.
In between contest. I met the owner of Native Skates, Todd. And I basically asked Todd if he ever considered sponsoring a MTB Racer. And he said he hadn't, but he also said he would, and hooked me up with tons of shirts and tons of all natural Tanka Bars for my upcoming race. So I am now sponsored by Native Skates for Clothing and related accessories, I'm sure he will hook me up with a free deck. Magii got picked up as well for skateboarding and we went to dinner with the whole crew.
Before dinner, Magii and my wife were driving around in my car when he told me that the other Judge was Bill Danforth(damn skateboarding Legend) and the announcer was Jim Murphy (another skateboarding legend). I about had a heart attack. There I was judging a skateboard contest with a skateboarder I looked up too as a kid and the announcer was a legend as well. Turns out they were all going to dinner as well, so we got to hang out for several hours, sat right by him, talked and drank beers all night, it was good times with some really good people. Incredible.
One Saturday, one sponsor, two legends and a skateboarding contest. That's the stuff dreams are made off. Its amazing what you can get when you simply ask. By asking, not only did I get to fulfill a dream of contest judging, but I also got a new sponsor to dud me up for all my future adventures.
Final Picture, Do you got a little captain in you?
Laters,
LOS
2 comments:
Congrats on the score... you must be stocked about the whole weekend deal... So you oging to let us taste those tanka bars?... Kool logo.. you need to work on it and add it to your page now.
Ya, I have like the longest list of sponsors that I need to logo up and put on my page but ya know im not that smart, so next time your on line coach and develop me on the process.
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