Island fever: or how to throw a bowl contest the right way.

SKATEBOARDING unlike roller derby or stock car racing, is pretty much an activity most enjoyed by the participants, and most skateboarders would rather be skating than watching it happen, no matter how good it is. In order to catch the attention of some spectators, a few contest requirements have to be organized differently.

For starters, make it a party. Free beer can do a lot for attendance. Invite the best bowl skateboarders of all time, not just the younger guys. Don't worry, though, most of the older guys no longer drink, so more for the rest of us. And be sure the bowl is a good one, built by a company like Dreamland, in a cool location like the North Shore of Oahu. To top it off, have the best judges in the world (the skaters themselves) decide who takes the cash.

Sounds complex, doesn't it? Not for Steve Ellis and Roger Harrel, who set up a $10,000 winner takes all deal. They also bought all the food and beer. The list was pretty much a who's who of professional bowl riders; everyone was legit. No halfpiping the deep end, no Quarterpipe Larry on the list, nor were those guys who can only go frontside. Can't do a head-high air? Stay home.

A HAOLE GOOD-TIME

JIMMY THE GREEK is always entertaining, never stressing, and one of only a handful of guys who can properly perform the Fall Guy. He tore through the bowl with backside ollies, crail body jars, crail disasters, and even threw out the alley-oop 50-50 to lipslide into the deep for a solid fifth place. I don't know how you go from riding a 25-foot MegaRamp to blasting airs in a nine-foot bowl, but Danny Way does. His wrists took a beating in the days leading up to the event, but he persevered and managed to pull out the first 540 ever in Cholo's bowl. Omar Hassan is no stranger to this bowl, or Hawaii for that matter. He's treated like a local out in the surf, and he looks like one, too. Lots of brown skinned guys with no hair trying to catch waves in Pipeline.

RUNE = CONCRETE TERROR

IN TYPICAL Omar fashion, he stepped up as the contest went on. Once everyone started trying 540s in the bowl, Omar was right there going for it. Unsuccessful, he took his face to the drain and stood up bleeding and looking like he was trying to call the whole thing off. Two minutes later he was back in, with close to a 20-block 5-0 to fakie. Bob Burnquist definitely isn't afraid to take a slam. He put down the most technical moves of the weekend: kickflip to fakie, frontside Cabs, front blunts, tailslide shoves and more to earn a solid second place. Rune's been on a concrete terror all year. Consistently placing in the top at all contests, (unless it's avert ramp) he leaves his pads at home. The judges must have noticed the variety of lines, big-ass bag of tricks, and lack of pads to put him in yet another first place finish. Who else can do a switch backside flip, padless, on concrete?

LONGEST BOARDSLIDE

AFTER THE main event, rather than a best trick contest, Cholo's restaurant put up an additional $300 for the longest boardslide. Pat Ngoho, Tyler Mumma, and Christian Hosoi were the regular footers, while Grosso was the only one coming from the goofy side. It seems that rails are a definite help in this event, and both Grosso and Hosoi were rocking a three-rail technique. Hosoi held the lead for most of the event with 20 and a half blocks. Ngoho slid an impressive 18, with Grosso sitting at 20 for the duration ... until right before time was called. Grosso then took one more drag off his cig, put his tail up, dropped in, took it over the hip and across 22 and a half blocks to collect a little more than $13.50 a block. When the prize money was handed out, the philanthropic Grosso asked, "Where are the guys from Graveside?" and handed them the cash.