11-20
Neal Hendrix, 1st Place trophy.
Dennis Martin, 2nd Place.
Brian Drake, 3rd Place.
SHUT UP & SKATE
Ams battle and pros are beaten back by a rain-out during the
4th annual S.U.A.S. contest at the Skatepark of Houston.
Story and photos by Bryce Kanights
Saturday morning brought relief,
as I awoke to sunshine peering through
my Houston hotel room's curtains.
The weatherman was a liar. Perhaps
he should start a career in politics.
By mid-morning I was watching
the amateur competitors lay down
the laws of powerful aggressive skat-
ing on the fast steel surface of the
large "Kahuna" ramp.
At noon the qualifying heats rolled
into motion. A field of thirty-four
skaters was narrowed down to a
twelve-man final four-run jam. Final-
ists (from twelfth to first) included
Donald Diederich (Nebraska), Bill
Weiss (Toronto), Chris Darby (Mary-
land), Scott Armstrong (Houston),
Mark Ricciardelli (Toronto), Pat Sher-
man (Dallas), Sean Jones (North Car
olina), Dennis Martin (Houston),
Brian Drake (Florida), Mike Frazier
(Florida), Danny Mayer (Minnesota)
and Neal Hendrix (North Carolina).
Due to a nagging wrist injury, third
place qualifier Mike Frazier abstained
from the finals. Therefore, Brent Fel-
lows (California), who came in at
thirteenth, became the only West
Coast competitor to qualify for the
finals. The East Coast rippers proved
they had done their homework.
The sun continued to shine
through dark clouds
passing slowly over-
head. Like a tornado.
out of Toronto, Bill
Weiss turned some gay
biggest of Madonnas, seizing sixth
place. In fifth, Brent Fellows galloped
well above the lip with six-foot-plus
body jars, lien cross bones, ollie-to-
indy nose bones, fingerflip lien-to-
tails. Danny Mayer pulled out a huge
arsenal of stunts like 360° varials-to-
360° varials-to-fakie, stalefish
McTwists, backside airs-to-disasters
and a walloping stalefish-to-tail
across the channel to fourth place.
Brian Drake tackled the surface with
five-Os-to-fakie, gay twists, fast-
plants-to-fakie, backside disasters up
the extension, slob air tweakers,
alley-oop disasters, pivot fakies and
nose grind tail grabs for third.
Skatepark of Houston staffer Dennis
Martin took second with frontside
ollie-to-Smith grind reverts across the
channel, ollie reverts and a full Nel-
son, which is actually a frontside dis
aster-to-backside smith-to-revert in
one motion. Qualifying in first place
to the final jam was Eastern Vert edi-
tor and warehouse local Neal Hen-
drix. Tearing into the ramp with five-
Os-to-fakie, gay twists, lien disasters,
Texas fastplants-to-revert, huge
melancholies-to-fakie, fakie-to-front-
side pivot-to-fakie and backside
chink-chinks, Neal retained the first
place spot and proceeded to victory.
"It never
rains at a
Sunday morning
brought the weather-
man's rain. By 12:30
the pro competition
had been called off.
twists and Twist Shut Up and The decision to not
into ninth place. Taking
home eighth place was
Jeff Phillips' Skatepark
Skate
Contest"
local Pat Sherman, who
boosted big Texas fast-
plants, fingerflip lien-
to-tails and inverted some keen eggs.
Eastern Vert ace Sean Jones blistered
the atmosphere with big airs, includ
ing six-foot backside ollie tail grabs,
Japan airs and Madonnas for seventh
place. Marc Ricciardelli launched a
series of McTwists, stale fishes, gay
twists, tweaked-out liens and the
THE
run both pro and am
events on Saturday
was a gross error by
the SUA.S. organizers.
Many pro skaters,
team captains and
sponsors felt cheated.
While skaters, spectators, and
friends said their farewells, I reflect-
ed on a quote by skatepark owner
Dennis Eppinette at a party the previ-
ous night: "It never rains at a Shut
Up and Skate contest."
Contest results on page 100
Neal Hendrix, half-Cab-to-feeble-to-fakie.
LOWDOW
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