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Pat Wachter Pro Bowl pre-contest week (friday)
Friday 4/27/07
Friday gets it's own page...too many pictures and too much going on!!! Friday was the day the "big boys" started to roll into town. I started the day with a little work from home as Greg "Sig" Sigfried arrived from Ozark. He and I met John Waight and Competition Skates owner, John Skelton for lunch nearby. During lunch, I get a call from Barry "Butters" Gililland. He says, "You're not gonna believe who just walked up to the bowl.....Lance Mountain!" What!?!? He did come!!! (*there had been speculation otherwise) So we all finished up lunch, and John, Sig and I hurried off to get to the skate park. I pulled up around 2 pm and found quite a few more people had come in town. Besides Lance Mountain, there was Sergie Ventura (Hosoi Skates), Steve Reeves (Creature), Johnny Turgeson (Bacon), Donovan Rice (Bacon), Tim Johnson (Crown) and his Kona crew, Susie "Sue" Strege (from Maryland with her GRO girls), and Blair Watson (reporting for Concrete Wave). They were joined by the folks already in town...Steve Steadham, Benji Galloway (Bacon), Josh "Skreech" Sandoval (Scum Skates), Tommy "Alabama" Little, Sasha Steinhorst, Dave Duncan, and Don Bostick. Later in the day, Load, Jimmy O'Brien, and Ray Fennessey made it through traffic and to the park. Of course, all the locals made it out too...Kerry Johnson, Tim Spinosi, John Waight, Patrick Jackson, Barry Gililland, Greg Sigfried (from Ozark), Ohio Paul (from Athens) and Chris Solomon (me). It was an insane gathering of ripping skaters!!! I can't begin to recount the whole day...I hope the pictures can tell the story. (I got lots of video too!)

One of the highlights for me, I will say, was hanging out in the parking lot with John Waight and Greg Sigfried talking to Lance Mountain for a good 30 minutes or more. It was like we were all old friends catching up. Lance is a great guy....real nice and somewhat humble in person. He was telling us all about traveling, his opinion of our park, contests, his decks over the years, being on Flip now, stories from the past and most surprising....about how Flip wants to build a bowl for him in his backyard!!! He said he is having to "think it over" because he and his wife doesn't like people just showing up at the house (or being there when they are not) like they use to do back when he had his famous ramp at Mountain Manor. He has to think about it?!?! A free bowl in your backyard?!?! Too funny! Sig joked with him "Just let us know when it is done, and we will show up on your door step to skate!" Without skipping a beat, Lance replied "Sure...come on over!" What?!?!? We were shocked! How friggin cool is that! Like I said...Lance is just a class act and definitely a highlight of the day (let alone the whole contest).
Walking up to find a session (Lance, Sue, Skreech, Steve, Packy, Benji and Dan Ray)
Walking up to find a session (Lance, Sue, Skreech, Steve, Packy, Benji and Dan Ray)
The KONA crew travels in styel and parks where the please....bowl side
The KONA crew travels in styel and parks where the please....bowl side
Session line-up (Lance, Sue, Donovan, Steve, Johnny and Skreech)
Session line-up (Lance, Sue, Donovan, Steve, Johnny and Skreech)
Tommy "Alabama" Little, Blair "Slob-Air"Watson of Concrete Wave and Barry Gililland
Tommy "Alabama" Little, Blair "Slob-Air"Watson of Concrete Wave and Barry Gililland
John Waight and Sig watching Lance take some runs
John Waight and Sig watching Lance take some runs
Sergie Ventura getting a feel for the coping
Sergie Ventura getting a feel for the coping
Sergie backside smithing
Sergie backside smithing
Lance boardslides 1/2 the deep end
Lance boardslides 1/2 the deep end
Reaction from John and Sig to Lance's boardslide
Reaction from John and Sig to Lance's boardslide
Lance finds a sweet spot for his airs
Lance finds a sweet spot for his airs
"Ohio" Paul and Kerry Johnson watching from the bleachers
"Ohio" Paul and Kerry Johnson watching from the bleachers
Lance...what can I say about this ?!?!?
Lance...what can I say about this ?!?!?
13 year old ripper, Morgan Burgess, frontside air
13 year old ripper, Morgan Burgess, frontside air
Benji Galloway inverts-to-fakie
Benji Galloway inverts-to-fakie
Will Powers sliding to fakie
Will Powers sliding to fakie
Benji Galloway works a long feeble grind-to-fakie
Benji Galloway works a long feeble grind-to-fakie
Benji coming out of a feeble grind-to-fakie
Benji coming out of a feeble grind-to-fakie
The GRO girls van decoration
The GRO girls van decoration
Jimmy and Ray watch as Load unpacks the truck
Jimmy and Ray watch as Load unpacks the truck
Greg "Sig" Sigfried and John Waight hanging out with old friend Lance Mountain
Greg "Sig" Sigfried and John Waight hanging out with old friend Lance Mountain
Patrick and Greg "Sig" Sigfried taking in the show
Patrick and Greg "Sig" Sigfried taking in the show
Josh "Skreech" Sandoval tail stall to disaster
Josh "Skreech" Sandoval tail stall to disaster
Session gets heated with triples snake runs (Donovan, Johnny and Skreech)
Session gets heated with triples snake runs (Donovan, Johnny and Skreech)
Another triples run
Another triples run
Sasha gets a feel for the bowl with highspeed carves
Sasha gets a feel for the bowl with highspeed carves
Sergie Ventura airs while Donovan Rice rolls under
Sergie Ventura airs while Donovan Rice rolls under
Sasha boardsliding
Sasha boardsliding
Donovan Rice pops into an extreme frontside tail tap
Donovan Rice pops into an extreme frontside tail tap
Sun goes down, session heats up
Sun goes down, session heats up
Tricia Spinosi holds court in the parking lot with Barry, Packy and Ryan
Tricia Spinosi holds court in the parking lot with Barry, Packy and Ryan
The GREEN Skateboards assault vehicle
The GREEN Skateboards assault vehicle
Session line-up as more join in
Session line-up as more join in
Sergie boosts some crowd pleasing airs
Sergie boosts some crowd pleasing airs
Session continues as lights come on
Session continues as lights come on
Huntsville's Scott Hughston works on his frontside invert
Huntsville's Scott Hughston works on his frontside invert
FAITH skateshop owner, Peter Karvanen, and his family came out to watch
FAITH skateshop owner, Peter Karvanen, and his family came out to watch
Jimmy O'Brien backside grindage
Jimmy O'Brien backside grindage
Johnny Turgeson floats a frontside ollie
Johnny Turgeson floats a frontside ollie
Tim Johnson goes HUGE over the hip
Tim Johnson goes HUGE over the hip