6th Annual Bowl Jam Showcases Local Skater Legends

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Cameron Egger

Redneck Eric takes a spin in the bowl for his second run of the night.

  Skateboarding has always been a popular sport in the Bay Area, dating back to the 70’s and 80’s. It wasn’t until the founding of the Skatepark of Tampa in 1992 that Tampa skaters finally had a place that they could call home; a place to hone their skills and connect with other enthusiasts from the Tampa area.

  Over the course of this golden age of the Bay Area skate scene, many young skaters grew up at the park, practicing tirelessly day after day while steadily gaining local notoriety as Skatepark of Tampa regulars.

  Fast forward to 2016, and many of the original regulars still skate at the Park on a weekly basis, familiar faces to the skate park management as well as other skaters.

  On Feb. 25, the Skatepark of Tampa hosted its sixth Annual Old Man Bowl Jam, a competition geared toward these older local legends, showcasing the talents of skaters ages 25 and up.

  Over 25 skaters entered the contests, a positive turnout for the Skatepark of Tampa.

  “Our Old Man Bowl Jam is a really great event. This is our sixth year doing it, and we plan to keep the tradition alive,” explained Skatepark of Tampa employee Chris Monte.

  It is really cool to have all these older skaters out here together, some who have been around here for forever. The contest was held specifically in the bowl, one of the Park’s oldest attractions, with each contestant allowed three total runs in the bowl.

  Once the competitor’s turn was called, he would drop in the bowl, performing as many tricks as possible to gain points. Once the skater fell off his board, his run ended.

  Within the competition itself, there were several awards up for grabs, including Longest Grind Award, Longest Boardslide Award, Oldest Old Man Award, and Best Bowl Jam Award.

  “I’m just really glad they put something on like this for us,” longtime local skater and regular Bowl Jam contestant Brian Adams stated. “I’m originally from St. Pete, but this place is my home. I skate here every Tuesday night.” Adams was just one of several familiar faces from the Bowl Jam. Other renowned Skatepark of Tampa regulars on the contest roster included John May, Brian Schaeffer, Kyle Randall and Jimmy Marcus.

  Taking the crown for this year’s Old Man Bowl Jam was reigning champion Levi Combs, a Tampa native and dedicated skater, who’s passion for tearing up ramps and landing complex tricks has followed him well into his 30’s.

  To any casual observer of the competition, one could see that Combs was easily one of the most skilled skaters in the lineup, his spins around the bowl filled with tricks of various degrees and caliber.

  The Tampa skateboarding scene has grown exponentially since the early 90’s, and now being an industry mainly dominated by younger skaters, it is inspiring to see the Skatepark of Tampa paying homage to the older generations of skateboarders, those who laid the groundwork for today’s rising stars.

  The Old Man Bowl Jam is a great experience and chance to see some killer old school skaters in action, make sure to catch it next year at The Skatepark of Tampa, on 4215 E Columbus Drive.