The Etnies 'Plazapalooza' came to Stokeplaza and rounded off it's first summer of madness!

The weather could'nt have been any better with a hot sunny day gracing us all day long, which made a real nice change, with a bumper crowd of well over 400-500 skaters and spectators enjoying it all!!!

Bob Sanderson was on the mic and had us all in stitches all day with his one-liners! I'm still laughing about the "slipped or fallen at work?" quote after Ben Grove took the most nastiest of slams!!!

The first comp got started around 1pm on the Pier-7 area and was soon a tech/block madhouse! Icon's Craig Smedley took the winnings with an array of flippery manual mentalness on the blocks, including a fakie bigspin manny! Local lad and rider for Simple- Jed Coldwell won himself a bag full of proddy by coming second place with a nollie flip nose manny! Well done mate! Stokie represent!!!!

photo:Peach.

Click here for a montage of some of the bits I caught on film-enjoy!(29.3mb)

The next comp took place on the big block at the top of the big-3. This was a hectic session to say the least with loads of manny and ledge tricks going down with the odd pile up and head on collision! Again, Craig Smedley ripped! Backside tail; backside tail shuv out landed with ease and got so close to kickflip backside tails too but taking the prize (and the piss!) with a noseslide bigspin shuvit!! Second place went to Ryan Evans from Exeter with a backside bluntslide down the hubba bit.

The locals were out in force too, putting the pressure on the competition!! Clone's Ben Lyttleton came so close to a huge backside flip off the top of the block and Mark Hall landed a few nice tricks including the noseslide on the photo!

photo: Sam Daniel.

photo: Sam Daniel.

Next up was the bowl session which really upped the ante! The crowds really gathered for this one and they were treated to some top tranny skating! The likes of Ben Grove, Chris Oliver and Nick 'park shark' Sharrat (who skated and carved the bowl so fast, must of gone back in time!!) absolutely caned the bowl. It was Aaron Sweeney, from London, and Coventry's Daryl Nobbs, though, that really deserved the shared first prize! Great runs with massive airs and transfers that showed the best skating I have seen in the bowl yet!

Their 'best tricks' were given for AaronSweeney- backside indie tailslap and Daryl Nobbs- Madonna air into the hip.

photo:Peach.

The funniest bit of the bowl comp though was when Bob was giving nicknames to all the riders and giving them all a bit of stick, during their runs! The so called 'Ginger Ninja' was getting loads off him and when he boneless 360'd into the 7foot end of the bowl and snapped his board he encouraged him to do it again. So, he came back with his deck taped up with gaffer tape and tried it again. Surprise! His board snapped into two bits and he went flying- so funny!!! He got a deck off Bob for his troubles and for being a good sport!

The 'steep-banks/hip' was next up for a punishing! It seemed as the day went on, the skating got better and better. This comp came up trumps with some wicked stuff. Local lad Gareth Callear nollie poppped it and yet again, Craig Smedley ('The Machine'!), tre flipped to flat, kickflipped the hip and to flat, frontside flipped to flat and got so close to landing a 360 to flat. Ben Grove was trying 360's also and too got very close, taking some evil slams in doing so (and getting right pissed off as well- great to see abit of passion!!!).

Gary 'Woody' Woodward took the urine and first place by landing a backside blunt fakie on the ledge! Ridiculous!

Barney Page from Exeter got a second place with a nice nollie heelflip over the hip.

photo: Morph.

The '4-set rail' in between the 'steep banks' was next up for a comp session. This saw some great rail skating and some wicked bails and slams to add to the entertainment!

Gnargore's Jack Mauger was hard at it trying a 50.50 body varial and eventually landing it to rapturous cheers! Craig Smedley (surprise) was feeling it but could'nt quite get his front board fakieout (or was he trying a 180 or revert???).

Young Barney Page and his mate Ryan Evans, from Exeter, were nailing some nice stuff, with Barney nailing a second place with a styled backside smith!

Ben Grove was warming himself up to the winning trick of kickflip frontside board with an array of rail tricks. He killed it!

The action was then focussed on the 'big gap-2', at the bottom of the plaza. This, of course, saw some mental stuff. Seriously balls out skating not for the squeamish!

The local lads represented with Mark Halls switch ollieing them and then trying real popped switch flips, getting well close! Also James Curless, Lil' Josh were having a good crack at it too, as fearless as usual! Gareth Callear was attempting an ollie late shuv down them but landed bad on one and tore his knee ligaments!! If he'd of landed that, it surely would of got close to the rewards!!??!! Well done to the 'locs'!

Jack Mauger landed a massive airwalk and a nice little acid drop to no comply off the 2! Pete Steele from Preston came close with a nice frontside flip.

Ben Grove was getting the feel of it by ollieing it, then frontside nollieing it. He was then trying to nail a backside flip of Grove proportions but taking some of the most evil slams. His ass must have been black the next day- all for skateboarding eh??!!

Ross 'The Boss' from Birmingham got a runner up prize for his varial heel.

photo: Sam Daniel.

Not for the first time, Craig Smedley got stuck in with his usual standard. He kickflipped it with ease and after a bad landing off a tre flip, which I thought would of seen him retire for the day as it seemed he had twisted his knee, came back and nailed it!

Jason Cane was going for the most ridiculously long ollies, being taunted by Bob to go longer each time. Once satisfied with the 'long jump' he tried a few flips which was clearly insane!

Joe Lynskey, from Morley, landed a perfect and clean switch flip and a sweet frontside flip to take a second prize.

John Fisher, who everyone was asking if he'd come out of retirement for this event, switch ollied the set up first go and proceeded to nail a fakie flip down it which got him the loot!

photo:Peach.

photo: Sam Daniel.

To end the day another comp was set up on the 'double-set gully' to check out the skaters' combos!

After a heated session (with some of the riders sitting out due to caning themselves on the 'gap-2'!), Tom Knox, fro London, took first with a half cab down the '5' to a feeble shuv out on the 4-set rail. Second place went to Anthony Demascio, from Harrow, with a kickflip down the '5' then a feeble on the rail.

All it leaves me to say is a massive thanks to Pete at A4 for setting it all up and bringing the 'Plazapalooza' to Stoke, all the riders that ripped (especially the ones that travelled from wherever!), to the people who came and watched/skated throughout the day and enjoyed it all, to the dj's for putting on the sounds and to the lads who helped me out (especially Morph, Peach and Sam for the photos-Ta!)- Cheers to the lot of yas!!

See ya next year-

MarkS.