Gatorade Free Flow Tour and Block Party Starting this Week!

The Gatorade Free Flow Tour is coming to Kona Skatepark this Saturday, and all this week rad stuff will be happening leading up to the event. More details coming soon, but in the meantime check out the rad Gatorade kicker below.

Skaters Saving Second Base - Charity Contest at Kona Skatepark

"Kona is hosting the Skaters Saving Second Base charity contest this Saturday! Odds are looking very good for anyone who enters to win! This is still anyone's race, and the prizes could go to YOU! With a minimum $300 in projected donations, you could win : 

1st Place : Ultimate Skate Vacation
7 day all expenses paid trip starting in LA
2nd place : a free week at any of the Woodward Skate Camps
3rd place : You will be flown out to the Vans Downtown Showdown in Hollywood

Anyone planing to enter must call Kona at (904)725-8770 to confirm!

This is an incredible opportunity to help a great cause! Get out there and get sponsors today! If you land 6 tricks and had 5 sponsors, your sponsors would only have to pledge $10 per trick. And all the money goes to fight breast cancer!"

VOTE FOR KONA SKATE PARK

Thanks TJ Gaskill
To Vote Go Here

Blaine Partridge

Kona Boom and Bang

Free Flow @ Kona, July 31st 2010

From Kona's Website:

"As most of you know the Gatorade Free Flow Tour is coming to Kona July 31st!! And with your help this year Kona can win $10,000 to go towards revamping the park!! All you have to do is go to the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Facebook and vote for Kona! It's as simple as that!! Thank you too all of you who have already voted! Be sure to spread the word, and help us win the opportunity of a lifetime!"

Skatelab AB's Vert ramp moves to Kona

According to a post on Kona skatepark's facebook page, anyone willing to help with the move should show up at Skatelab after 3pm.


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Kona Spring Fling 2010 - Saturday, April 17th

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Snaps: Duane Weeks @ Kona

Volcom's Wild in the Parks @ Kona - Sept. 11, 2010

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Snaps: Juan Pineiro @ Kona Skatepark

Heelflip Indy

Florida Bowlriders Cup 2010 - Part 1: Saturday

Am phenoms, crusty old rippers, skate legends, and everything in between. That's Florida Bowlriders for you. In case you haven't been following the news on the site, or you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, The 2010 Florida Bowlriders contest series went down this past weekend, and if you didn't catch it, you missed out on some epic skating.

The 1st contest took place in a moderately secret location not far from Kona Skatepark on Saturday. The contest started off with the Groms division, then progressed through the ranks to finish off with the pro division at the end.

Though not officially built for competition, the 3-section bowl more than held up to the task. On one end of the structure lies a moderately sized circular bowl with rounded brick pool coping. Transitioning into the center miniramp section lie two roll-ins, opposite of each other. On the other side of the center miniramp lies the vert bowl, which is pretty substantial in size. Altogether, this thing is a beast, and I was amazed when I first saw it. That's one hell of a secret, this thing.

Lizzie Armanto

When I arrived at the contest, the girls division was just getting started. The girls division is always a breath of fresh air to me. This is probably because I rarely if ever get to see girls skating in person. This division featured a pretty wide range of talent, and included a 10 year old girl named Hannah, who happened to be the youngest competitor of the contest. All in all, the girls ripped and I was glad to watch.

Up next was the Open Am division, which was the biggest surprise to me. Many of these kids Had skills that could easily place them in with the pros, with tricks like 540s, kickflip melon grabs, and McTwists along with difficult lip tricks that boggled the mind. In the finals, Dalton Dern took the win with some technical gnar wizardry and even threw down a 360 ollie from the deck to the flatbottom of the vert bowl, demonstrating his all-terrain prowess. Also notable was the skating of Clay Kreiner, with a young Tony Hawk-style steez that made him a tough competitor. (and some yellow shorts to set him apart.)

After the Open Am division was the Masters, which is aptly named. Dudes like Duane Peters, Buck Smith, Lester Kasai, and Legend Chris Cook gave everyone in attendance a good show, each skater with a signature style you couldn't replicate no matter how hard you tried. These guys might be old, but they sure as hell still rip.

Steven Pineiro

Buck Smith

Duane Peters, Frontside Rock 'n' Roll

The Pro Division was expectedly insane. I never know what to expect, and this year was no exception. Notable rippers included Sky Siljeg (one of my faves to watch), Steve Reeves, Kona local Tim Johnson, and Mike Barnes. The one to watch, however, was Pedro Barros from Brazil. Not only did Barros do two nearly flawless runs, he consistently pulled big tricks during the jam format and stayed on his board longer than anyone. His bag of tricks included one foot ollies over the coping on vert, 540s, and being able to smile the whole time. For his effort, he won the first place medal. Bom Trabalho, Pedro!

Sky Siljeg

Tim Johnson

Men's Winners

Masters Division Winners

Pro Winners

At the end of the the day, the food stand opened up to everyone, and free food was available to everyone who wanted it. It was an awesome end to the first part of the contest series. Thanks for the food and the awesome memories!

Check back for part two covering Day 2 at Kona Skatepark, coming as soon as I can get a free minute to recap.

A few Questions with Benji Galloway

Konatage - Filmed by Matt Oistacher

Kona Skatepark Series Pool Contest - UPDATED WITH NEW DATE

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Florida Bowlriders Cup Dates Announced

The dates for the 2010 Florida Bowlriders have formally been announced, courtesy of Martin Ramos of Kona Skatepark. Kona skatepark is going to be providing a base of operations with free camping grounds at the park. As always, bands, barbecues and bonfires are on the itinerary. Be on the lookout at Kona's site for more info about what to expect. For reference, check out BusStop's coverage from last year's event here and here.

This Year's Schedule:

Friday March 19th	NSB Skatepark, New Smyrna Beach, FL
Saturday March 20th	Secret Backyard Bowl, Jacksonville FL
Sunday March 21st	Kona Kidney Pool, Jacksonville FL

More from Previous Years:

Kona Pool Contest, Saturday Dec 12

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5boro Florida Tour - This Weekend - Updated!

Update From Kona:

November 25, 2009

Looks like the weekend will be too cold for a campout, so instead we're having a night filled with activities! Come out this Saturday the 28th and skate with the 5boro Team and enjoy a cookout and movies on the big screen after dark. We're even breaking out the timers and having races down the snake run. The fun will get started around 5pm, so dress warm and we'll see you there!

Kona Skatepark Series: Street - Nov. 21st, 2009

On Saturday, November 21st, Kona Held a jam format street contest as part of the Skatepark Series contests. I wasn't able to get there till the tail end, but I did get to see the final showdown of Marshall LaFrance and Will Watson, which was pretty fun to watch. For full results, check out the Kona Website here.

Will Watson, Backside Flip over the Pyramid

Jake Sykes, Tre Flip over the Hip

Judges

13 & Up Winners. 1st - Samuel Rooks 2nd - Corey Falls 3rd - Jake Miller

Sponsored Winners. 1st - Will Watson 2nd - Marshall LaFrance 3rd - Nathan Kirkland

Photos from the 2009 Halloween Am Jam at Kona Skatepark

Bro Flip up the Euro gap. That's Nick Blanco flipping Max Martin's board with his hand.

For the gallery, click on one of the above photos or go here.