Robert Brink - Writer

Festivus: Tampa Am '06

March 29, 2006 | Skip To The Comments (2)

Festivus: Tampa Am ‘06
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag May 2006

Of all skateboard wordsmiths out there, none have inspired like Dave Carnie. Mentally—never vocally, as to not “fan out” so much—I sometimes equate him to Shakespeare in the sense that, if you look at all the plays ever written since Shakespeare's day, it's nearly impossible not to rip off or be influenced by the works of Old Bill.

So I can't even pretend this Tampa Am contest article won't be influenced by Dave's Goofy vs. Regular article from issue #24, which I read on the plane to Tampa. In fact, my article will be worse and prove that Dave's a far bigger celebrity skateboard journalist than I.

Unlike Dave, who takes credit for the GvR concept (and even if he was kidding, he thought to claim it was his idea), the Tampa Am contest wasn't my idea and it never dawned on me to claim it.

Carnie: 1, Brink: 0

Prior to this year's contest, when I e-mailed Ryan Clements at the Skatepark of Tampa to get myself on the media list, he wrote back something like “Sure man, can't wait to see you. Thanks for all the support.” There was no talk of me being treated like a King or a Caesar. However, I did manage to score a dope gold wristband and it let me go wherever I wanted.

Carnie: 2, Brink: .05

Carnie mentioned how at GvR, the second he walked onto the street course, emcee Dave Duncan began shouting him out over the mic. I tried entering the SPoT street course (which is lovely, by the way) numerous times, but just ended up running for my life, clumsily climbing up with manpurse full of gear in tow.

Carnie 3, Brink: still .05

I, like Carnie, tried to wander around in search of free beer and food. However, I got no beer until I bought it for six dollars a pint at night. There was no free Wahoos, either. I bought hot dogs with Doritos and saved the receipts. Reimbursement is worth half a point, right?

Carnie: 6, Brink: 1

I didn't find any cool pros to hang out with. But Leo Romero said, “Hi.” No one threw unsolicited shakas at me either, but I did get a lot of “knucks.” I'll give myself a full point for the “knucks” and half a point for the recognition.

Carnie: 8, Brink: 2.5

Carnie didn't write about the actual skateboarding at GvR, so I'll just say that Cody McEntire won Tampa Am '06 and Keegan Sauder earned a well-deserved second place. Adam Dyet took best trick and Alex Perelson won vert.

What Carnie doesn't know, however, is that I've thought to conclude contest articles with quotes from message boards for many years now. In fact, that idea, much like his GvR idea, is one hundred percent mine. “Intellectual property” claim = 1 point.

Carnie: 8, Brink: 3.5

Posted by x-man on 1/27/2006 12:32:00 PM
I wish i was in tampa, i really want to see this good match-up lots of big names in this spit. omg this is gonna be nuts but i got rather nyjah, grant, or dylan winning this spit better come out on DVD or some spits

x-man isn't alone in wishing he was at the contest. Many kids across the world share the same sentiment. x-man even predicted the future by demanding a Tampa Am '06 DVD release, which will be happening soon. Congrats on your prophecy and clever replacement of the word “shit” with “spit.” An illustrious career of hijacking your peers' article concepts in order to write your own will soon be upon you.

I'll take half a point on x-man's behalf.

Grand total: Carnie: 8 Brink: 4

As promised, I've proved I'm merely half the man Carnie is. Maybe I should grow a beard.