Pro 3rd through 1st. L to R—Jeff Harrington, Eric Ravagnani, and Dave Mahoney.
Tampa Skatepark Toilet Bowl Jam
Location: Skatepark of Tampa, Florida
Date: March 28th, 2009
Since 2001, Skatepark of Tampa’s bowl has been one of the key elements in the Bay area’s riding scene. At five foot tall, its trannies are neither too big nor too small. It’s got just the right amount of wood to boost you into the rafters (quite a few people have hit their heads) as well as enough deck space for all the lip tricks in anyone’s repertoire. But most argue that the best attribute is its skewed lima bean shape (constrained to tight quarters) which allows for you to haul a serious amount of ass in and out of its four corners. Witnessing the process of it being built back in 2001, I know it was definitely a feat to create something this solid, something that has withstood SPoT’s test of time. The Bowl is nine years old and it has transcended nine different course alterations. Over those nine years, she continues to hold strong. She’s hosted hundreds of timeless sessions and is more than ready to have hundreds more. On March 28th, 2009, we had the first (possibly annual) bowl jam. I admit, I was a little concerned with how we would fit this many people in such tight quarters, but with organizational help from Forrest Roberts, Sean Albright and Jeff Harrington (as well as SPoT’s Ryan Clements, Rob Meronek, Brian Schaefer and Barak Wiser), on top of announcing duties from James Covington, the jam went much more smoothly than I had expected. Extra thanks to our sponsors, everyone involved, and a thousand thanks to everyone who either rode or just came out to support the event. Keep an eye out for a SPoT street jam this Fall. - Matt Coplon
