Tampa AM report.

Ah yes, another year at the Tampa Am has passed. Friends were made and stories of the past were rekindled. The best part of the Tampa contest is obviously the skateboarding. 2006 was the year of the "NEW FACES". I have been to the Tampa contest 6 times and this year there were tons of new kids whom I have never seen before, and it looks as if skateboarding is in good hands for the future. My trip this year was made possible by the mega corporation Tum Yeto. We had a strong crew and all the brands were represented. From the Foundation family we had Angel Ramirez, who ripped the bowl all weekend long but didn't fair too well in the contest. We also had new guy Alex Gourdouros from Maine ripping the course, but fell short of the 16 man cut. Foundation European team guys were also present but could not compete due to injuries.They were bummed but kept in good spirits through out the weekend. The brightest spot from the F troop had to be young Tommy Gurrola.Talk about smooth!!! This kid is amazing on a skateboard. His fluid style and mellow demeanor make him stand out in any crowd and believe me there were heavy crowds in that type of setting. Tommy qualified 11th out of 106 skaters and then missed the cut to the finals by 3 places. He ended up 32nd out of 213. Not bad for a kid who rarely skates contests. I really am looking forward to seeing his video debut in Cataclysmic Abyss. Pig had its fare share of guys out for the contest as well. Newcomer Eric Hamamoto held his own on the course all weekend. His half cab nose slide reverts had the crowd wanting much more. The two Pig Wood and Wheels veterans Shuriken Shannon and Adrian Mallory were ripping all weekend. From the bowl in the back warehouse to the main street course, these two were holding it down. Shuriken has one of the best tre flips in skateboarding right now and threw it down the three flat three with out effort. Adrian on the other had can skate anything - his no comply tailslides on quaterpipes are just insane..... The Toy Machine team had Matt Bennet in the mix in Tampa, actually new pro Johnny Layton was out in Tampa as well ripping the back the bowl and shooting gnarly nose picks with Thrasher's own Mike Burnett. Now back to Mister Bennet....this guys is my new favorite. His skating is so clean and stylish and his attitude is that of a veteran pro. He didn't do too well in the contest but it really didn't matter. His skating in practice was what had people talking. The guy has "THE BEST" 360 flips I have ever seen. Matt also has a great taste in music. Toy had a few of their flow guys out there too. Nick Trepaso from Az and Jonathan Yanez from CA ripped the whole weekend but just fell short of the finals.

I will say this had to be the best trip to Tampa in my 6 years' going. The contest was amazing. The kid who won had by far the best contest run I have ever seen and the fact that he was some no name from Texas was the best part.....Viva la Tampa 2007! I can't wait.