Our 2nd Annual Georgia Bowl Riders Championship is a wrap.  There are too many people to thank for its success, but here is the short list:

Woody Trend – He and the artists he partnered with for the trophies made the event special. Thank these people for taking their time and personal expense to create these awards:

Grom Division (painted acrylic): Boneless/Homeless Pete
Women’s Division (tierras): Jennifer Reed
Men’s Open Am (fishbowls): Jeremiah Babb
PRO/AM (mosaics): Woody Trend (along with a design collaboration with LURK on two of the Columbus trophies)
Master’s (metal sculptures): Raymondo

Bill Danforth – The American Nomad came to town at his own expense to support the local scene.  Special thanks to PD at Skull Skates and Per Welinder of Blitz Distribution for making Bill’s visit possible.

Toby Burger – This man has documented the underground concrete scene for years through his videos and photography.  Toby recognizes the legitimacy of the southern concrete riders.  Thanks for being part of this.

Load and Jenna – Load will soon be able to speak again.  He was amazing as our MC – calling tricks and keeping the crowd fired up – all I can say is AMAZING.  His wife Jenna was working in the background to ensure the event was operating smoothly.  Without these two we might as well have stayed home.

RXR – The original Georgia crew.  Whether it was judging, providing advice or ripping – these guys were in the background ensuring that it worked.

Our Sponsors – The economy is tough right now and we are grateful to the companies that generously supported what we are doing.  Remember these brands when you shop.

Don Hillsman – On the scene ready to do anything to make it work

Don Hillsmans elbow – We’re sorry

Don Hillsmans Helmet – Sorry again

Parish Green, Ken Forsyth and Rotnee – These guys will probably never take my calls again.  Too many things that nobody saw happened because of these guys willingness to do whatever it took to make it work

Brandon Campbell – I suspect he will never again admit that he knows how to work the stopwatch function on a Blackberry.  Two days of timing events>>>Semper Fi!

Nick Scott/Atlskater.com – Why can you find a picture of anything to do with Georgia skateboarding on his site?  Because he works his ass off for no money documenting it.  Paypal this guy some cash so the work will continue and he wont have to foot the bill.

Shawn Coffman – His years of contest experience provided an incredible sounding board throughout the months leading up to the event, plus he and Chris brought their A Game to the contest and ripped.

Every skater that came – We couldnt have hand picked a better group to come to the contest.  We know you had choices this weekend and you picked us.  THANK YOU!!!

People that came to watch – All that was missing was snow.  It was cold and sometimes cloudy, but you stayed and supported the skaters.  To those that didnt come – you missed it.

To those who believed in what we were doing and supported us in any way, I hope we delivered in a way that was meaningful.  To those who were in anyway local and chose to ignore the event, pull your head out of your ass.

A new player on the skateboard scene, UB Boards has chosen the Georgia Bowl Riders Championship to be their rollout event.  Thanks Matt; we appreciate it!  Here is the UB story:

Who are we?

U B Boards Incorporated, is a full service skate company based in Atlanta Georgia, that provides finished products related to the skate industry at the best price point per industry standard.  We have relationships with direct press board builders, apparel manufacturers, branding organizations, American manufacturing groups, as well as graphic design,  an most importantly solid relationships within a diverse network of businesses to provide the end consumer a professionally built, well represented product at well below market norm.

We are proud to add Vox Shoes to our list of sponsors.  This company is awesome – from the the regional reps Bobby Boyd to the shoe quality and o yeah – one of the most awesome lineups of team riders to be found including: Peter Hewitt, Daren Navarette, Emmanuel Guzman and Ricky Oyola.  THis company is all about supporting grass roots events like the Georgia Bowl Riders.

Our latest sponsor, Guayaki Organic has a unique approach to energy drinks and we say drink some – this is how they describe it: In South America, yerba mate has been revered for centuries as the “drink of the gods” and is drunk daily for optimum health, sustained energy and mental clarity.  Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world: yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana, yerba mate triumphs as natures most balanced stimulant, delivering both energy and nutrition.  The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. In fact, The Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific society in 1964 concluded “it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value” and that yerba mate contains “practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life.”

Many thanks to Freddy and the crew at Street Corner Distribution for their support of the Georgia Bowl Riders Championship.  Remember to look for their brands: City, Think, Hubba and Lucky at your local skateshop.  If the don’t have it; tell ‘em to get it!

DLX Distribution, home to Real, AntiHero and Krooked Decks; Spitfire Wheels and Thunder trucks is onboard with the Georgia Bowl Riders.  They have recognized the level of talent in the south through their support of riders such as David Clark and their latest pro – Justin Brock as well as several local Ams that they flow stuff to.  This company walks the walk and we appreciate everything they do!

Many thanks to Plan B Skateboards for their support.  Great street decks and home of an all star team of pros such as Danny Way, PRod, Sheckler and others.  Check em out!

Thanks to Monster energy for participating as a product sponsor for the Georgia Bowl Riders.  Their slogan says it all: A Lifestyle in a Can

Thanks to Kim at Gnar Dog Skateshop in Columbus for stepping up to sponsor the Saturday afterparty at Uptown Lounge on Broadway in Columbus.  Visit her booth at the Friday and Saturday Fan Fair and thank her for supporting the Georgia Bowl Riders!

Girls wanna go with the flow!  Based on feedback from entrants and potential entrants we are going to hold the girls class comp in the flow bowls at both Columbus and Brook Run assuming we get a minimum of five girl contestants.  Girls will be merged into their respective age brackets if we dont get five.