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Paniolo Pipe Showdown
July 13, 1996
Wade: Frontside
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Immediately following the Wild West Skateboard Contest, a halpipe demo was held at the Waianae Mall from 3pm to sunset, right in front of Blockbuster Video. The demo wasn't actually a demo, but more like a free skate session where anybody could ride the ramp as long as they signed a waiver. |
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(above) Grinch shows us his package
(left) Kevin holding on with his package
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Using the same mobile ramp that has appeared at The Groove (multiple times), the 50th State Fair, the Big Mele, the late Theater, and countless other venues, this ramp was a sixteen foot wide, seven foot high version with metal coping and new masonite. Because of the new masonite, the ramp was slippery as hell. It also had a few noticable kinks, but hey, the demo was only scheduled for 3 hours anyway.
Louie & John
guard the Van
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The turnout for the halfpipe demo was very impressive because of the promotion being done within the mall and the local BK surf store. There were actually a couple hundred people waiting for the demo when everybody arrived from the contest. After the first hour, a lot of the local kids got bored and left, and after the product toss was over, only the really greedy kids were left. One really evil long-haired hippy punk kid even tried to steal John Martin's board, but he wasn't slick enough. |
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Kale's been doing Slob airs for many years now... long before they were in vogue.
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The King w/ stitches
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Instead of skating the ramp, a lot of inspired kids started to skate the benches in front of Blockbuster, and the rent-a-cops decided they had to immediately call the police in order to get them to disperse. Imagine the cop's reaction when he pulled up in front of Blockbuster only to see a fully constructed halfpipe with 15 people sessioning it.
After the ramp demo, the halfpipe was taken apart and moved to the Kapahulu underpass, where it will be rebuilt as the first addition to the Kapahulu skatepark. All in all, the West Oahu Skateboard Extravaganza, which consisted of the Wild West Skateboard Contest and the Paniolo Pipe Showdown, was a success mainly because of all the support we got from skaters who came out to Waianae and enjoyed the festivities.
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