Robert Brink - Writer

PHX You

June 13, 2007 | Skip To The Comments (3)

PHX You: Phoenix Am '07: Serious Business
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag July 2007

Sometimes, with skateboarding contests, there are the people who win and then there are the people who are remembered.

Which is better? Hard to say. I suppose that depends whom you ask and what the situation is.

Cowtown's Phoenix Am was a blast this year. A real contest at a great park run by great people. Lots of cool folks skating and hanging out, good weather, an abundance of cleavage … you name it. Collin Provost earned himself a well-deserved first place—his second Phoenix Am victory. Any more of the typical contest rundown isn't necessary here. However, there's a quote from Fight Club that I often apply to many things I see around me, and it epitomizes how I felt after watching David Gravette's contest runs. It reads:

"After a night in Fight Club, everything in the real world gets the volume turned down." —Narrator (Edward Norton)

Skateboarding is a lot of different things to a lot of different people—open to interpretation by all. But something most everyone in attendance will agree on is that Gravette's runs were pure skateboarding. Old tricks, new tricks, funny tricks, tricks that might not be considered tricks at all. Hard tricks, easy tricks, tricks that involved the help of his friends (Jaws and Andrew Cannon), slams, personality, finesse, continuity, a giant gong, raw talent, high fives, Brimley shades flying all over the place, shouting, irreverence, and spontaneity. In essence, Gravette did everything you wouldn't do if you were truly trying to win a contest these days, which is exactly why he probably should have won the contest. Or at least placed higher than … ahem … eighth.

Commonly, a skateboarding contest is a series of timed runs, or jam format judged on consistency, trick difficulty, number of tricks landed, use of course, etc. Frequently, certain obstacles will carry more weight with the judges than others and the best of two or three runs counts. Consider too, that judges are humans just like the rest of us, and have ingrained preferences and opinions about skateboarding. Some like street skating, some like bowl skating, some like vert skating. Some of their best friends or favorite skaters might be about to take a run. Not that its necessarily a bad thing, but it might actually be impossible for their personal opinions and preference not to come into play at some point during any given event. We just have to trust and give the benefit of the doubt that they are being as objective and fair as possible.

But sometimes, when something is so right and so on the level, there's just no denying it as skateboarding.

Gravette's runs brought me back to Tampa Pro 2003, when Mic-e Reyes won the Team Manager contest by donning a suit and helmet, tossing money and beer out to the crowd, stapling up banners, stickering the ramps, wooing the judges, and basically, well, basically being a team manager for 45 seconds in his run instead of skating well and doing tricks.

Humor, parody, sarcasm, skateboarding … sounds like a good combo to me. And that's why Mic-e won. I entered that contest myself this year and it was probably one of the funnest things I have done in my skateboarding industry career so far. And isn't that one of the few essential things life is truly about—the quest for fun? Because how do you judge skateboarding really? By how hard the tricks are and how many someone lands and what obstacles they do them on? I dunno. Sometimes, I suppose.

But what about how connected one is with his board, like Alex Olson was? How about the old soul of Grant Taylor despite him only being seventeen years of age? Jon Goemann's got heaps of soul too. What about Andrew Cannon not giving a fuck or Sean Malto's effortless finesse? What about Taylor Bingaman's speed and control? What about Gravette's fun factor?

How about rewarding skateboarders for the differences in their skating and encouraging diversity and out-of-the-box thinking? Are there categories and checkboxes on the judge's sheets for finesse? Being punk as fuck? Being one with the board? Best outfit? Most fearless? Most drunk? Least rehearsed run? Most slams? Easiest run? Most heart? Underdog points? Most progression since the last event?

They all seem to be very vital or realistic parts of skateboarding to me. And far more entertaining and inspiring to see than a four-down on the bolts tricktionary-wielding, stair-and-rail-hitting robot anytime. Dare I quote Fight Club again?

"I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect. I say let's evolve. Let the chips fall where they may." —Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt)

Thankfully, many contests have shifted somewhat from standard, timed-run formats over the last few years, or at least added other elements to the contest idea. Events like GvR, the Game of S.K.A.T.E. and SPoT's vert version of S.K.A.T.E. and vert Six-Pack, King of the Road, Lord of the Lines, Krux Kickflip Challenge, Seek and Destroy, Downtown Showdown, and on and on—all great ideas making things way more fun and exciting lately. But why not keep going?

Would a best trick contest on a red curb or series of parking blocks be a borefest or would it be a memorable 30 minutes of entertainment and fun? A slappy-only contest? How about a launch ramp contest or mimicking a well-known contest run by a past pro? Imagine how stoked you'd be to see a remake of Neil Blender's run at the 1986 Streetstyle in Tempe contest?

How about bringing an old video part back to life in a contest run?

Why not replicate an old Back to the City set-up and throw some slalom cones on the corner of street course for good measure? How about a rule where you can't pick up your board during a run between tricks unless you have slammed or bailed? Or a mandate that you must do a flatground trick in your run? What if a street course didn't have a handrail, hubba, and a big set of stairs?

How do you remember skateboarding? How do you "judge" a good day. Think back to the stuff you're most fond of. Were they fun times? Most likely. Did they have a placing or time limit attached to them? Were judges watching? Was there a monetary reward waiting for you and video cameras filming you? Most likely not. But after that enlightening PHX Am weekend, I somehow feel obligated and proud to spread the word on Gravette because I feel he skated how he wanted to skate—did the right thing—and was overlooked on the clipboards and by the score keepers.

So why didn't David win? You'll have to ask the judges about that one. And perhaps Gravette himself could give a shit about whether he got eighth or first. Or even that he was, and will be, remembered.

Actually, I hope he doesn't.

You know what? I'm pretty sure he doesn't, because that's the right thing.

Remember?