Quiksilver North Shore Bowl Jam
On Saturday December 9th residents and visitors to the North Shore of Oahu witnessed what was arguably the most insane skate jam ever assembled. An eclectic mix of old-school legends, underground pool-dogs, bowl masters, young up-and-comers, along with hometown rippers all converged to have the jam session of a lifetime in a Dreamland-built bowl located on an island paradise.
Twenty of the world’s best riders were invited to participate in the skate world’s version of the Pro Bowl. In addition, 20 wildcard skaters battled it out for five open slots into the main event.
To avoid “stacked” heats, riders chose their heat numbers out of a hat the eve of the event. But “stacked” heats were hard to avoid with the likes of Steve Caballero, Omar Hassan, Rune Glifberg, Bob Burnquist, Danny Way, Chris Senn, Lance Mountain, and Chris Miller — every heat was a final.
The wildcards were a mix of locals that have the bowl dialed, up-and-coming amateurs, and pros that made their way over to the islands looking for a chance to make the main event.
It was game-on as soon as the first heat hit the bowl. Wildcards had the privilege of being judged by Dave Duncan, Steve Ellis, and Christian Hosoi. Advancing out of heat one was young Oregon ripper Steve Reeves, Bennet Harada, local Lucas Hancock, and O.G. Pat Ngoho. Blowing up and making it out of heat two was Aaron Astorga, Ben Shroeder, young Tyler Mumma, and local Chris Kays.
With the heat sheet full, the most anticipated event of the year began with five heats leading into a mind-blowing, dream-session final. Riders wasted no time laying it down in the perfectly manicured amoeba-shaped dream pool. Chris Miller and Jimmy “The Greek” Marcus advanced out of heat one, followed by Jeff Grosso and Rune Glifberg coming out of heat two.
Omar Hassan and Danny Way were lucky enough to move onto the finals after beating Ryan Johnson, Steve Caballero, and Aaron Astorga in heat three.
Bob Burnquist put on an aerial show and a clinic on technical bowl skating in heat four, while Lance Mountain had fast lines and a deep bag of tricks. Local style-master Mark Partain showed no age while he skated padless with his bum thumb wrapped in a cast in heat five. 20-year-old Southern California rider Tyler Mumma joined Partian in the finals.
With two more spots left in the finals, the riders that placed third in each heat duked it out in a last-chance qualifier. Legend Steve Caballero and Hosoi team rider Aaron Astorga moved on into the 12-man final.
The 45-minute jam-session final started as the sun was setting to set the mood. The crowd pushed in closer to the edge of the bowl as the energy level erupted like a volcano. With the music at full volume, the snake-session got underway.
Miller’s fast, fluid lines, and lofty ollies set the pace for one of the most awe-inspiring finals that gained instant legendary status. But Chris’s session was cut short as he hung up on one of his runs, landing straight on his face. He stood up, spit out blood and teeth, and immediately left for the hospital to be stitched up. Danny Way rose to the occasion by making history for the first McTwist ever at Cholo’s pool. Way continued ripping with bio backside airs and kick-flip indies for the entire session.
Soon after Miller’s fall, Hassan had a slam of his own, cutting open his chin. While the blood flowed down his chin and onto his shirt, he continued to battle his way to the top of the ranks in the eyes of his peers.
Burnquist felt the energy right away and showed it with flowing, spontaneous lines filled with crazy tricks and switch-stance moves — he dominated the session right from the start. Glifberg also kept his flow going with amazing runs hitting every piece of coping on the bowl. All finalists fed off each other’s energy with two, three, and sometimes four riders in the bowl at once — making for controlled chaos and carnage.
After 45 minutes, every rider had given every ounce of energy they had; there was plenty of blood and sweat in the bottom of the pool. All 25 riders laboriously poured over their score sheet with more than $10,000 on the line. Everyone judged based on their own strict criteria and opinion — some with 25 years of skate experience. When all was said and done, Rune Glifberg came out on top winning $8,500 in cash, followed by Burnquist in second winning $1,000 and Hassan in third pocketing $500. Vans and Quiksilver threw in $2,000 to split amongst the finalists after deciding that it was too good of a show for any finalist to walk away without some cash.
Special thanks to the sponsors: Quiksilver, Vans, and Cholo’s Homestyle Mexican for making this event possible. A big shout-out for skater and bowl owner, Steve Ellis.
