Winter is among us in Kimberley, South Africa. It is also nearing testing time for those in school, so most of our regulars are cooped up studying for their big tests. As a result, only our most hardcore local skaters still find the time to make it to the skatepark after their studies. Take those variables and add them to cloudy skies and a weekend forecast filled with chances of rain, the previous sentence was only proven further.

Anyways…

Vert Fridays brought upon an unusual and more grueling contest- the longest pump contest. Yep, that’s right. The longest pump. Pump until your legs give out. Of course, the guys were required to reach and maintain a certain height during their run. Muhammad upped the Kimberley record by a few minutes and pumped for an exhausting 14 minutes. If that wasn’t enough, vert whiz Damian Bramley used his stamina to his full potential and stuck it out for 21 minutes before he couldn’t take it anymore. Brad Balie came along, always motivated to win, and upped Damian’s ante by a few seconds and took first.

Fridays Night Lights presented by Panarottis Kimberley brought another rad sesh under the lights full of sodas and delicious pie. Each skater was entered into a raffle to win some MMC gear and 3 lucky skaters ended up with a shirt, a hat, and yes; a complete skateboard. Plenty of pizza fueled several games of skate into the late hours of the night.

Last week’s rain date for the Game of Skate contest was held this Saturday. Skaters came from as far as Bloemfontein to try their luck for a chance at a deck. It was anyone’s game, and heavy hitters like Gerhard Botha, Rudolph Odendaal, Ernie Halberg, Alec Balie, Dylan Niemand, and a few others were laying it down. One particular match with Olivia Feilding and Gerhard Botha, a first round game, could have been a finals game, as it was still running while a few second round games were occurring in other lanes. In the end, Alec, Ernie, and Dylan made it to the finals. Alec set the first 6 or so tricks, giving several letters to his competitors. Alec finally fell and gave Ernie and Dylan a few shots to set their tricks, but it didn’t last long. Fakie flip sex change, fakie heel sex change, and nollie heels were a few tricks that Alec used to his advantage to take home a new Flip deck.

After the game of skate, it was pretty much a 4-hour long hammer-time session. The Bloem guys were throwing down on the 5 stair rail and hubbas. Armand, Chenai, and Dolf killed it! Armand and Chenai’s bs 5050 on the 5 rail definitely pumped up moustache to later throw one down of his own for the first time. He even took it to the A-Frame rail and the big 4 hubba! After his 5050 rampage, Moush threw a boardslide down the big 4 rail. This fool is hungry in every sense. He has an appetite for pizza and new tricks.

Sunday’s contest was held on the 3 stair area which included the 3 stair, of course, alongside the hubbas, manual pad, and the lauch to rail. Everyone killed it. The results can be found below!

Check below for the photo gallery and results from the weekend’s competitions.

Vert Fridays- Longest Pump

1) Brad Balie (21 mins 14 secs)
2) Damian Bramley (21 mins)
3) Muhammad Hassan (14 mins 41 secs)

Game of Skate

1) Alec Balie
2) Ernie Halberg
3) Dylan Niemand

3 Stair Section Best Trick

1) Katz Morena (Nollie flip off launch)
2) Brad Balie (bs 180 3 stair)
3) Damian Bramley (fs 180 3 stair)