Risky moves and head-banging tunes will be the pulse of the Canadian Rockies this weekend.
Bowlapalooza, a grassroots skateboard competition and live music crossbreed, rolls in to Canmore Skatepark this Saturday (Aug. 23) for a showdown in the valley.
“We just wanted to showcase different styles of skateboarding that a lot of people haven’t seen for a long time, and pair that together with some good local music,” said organizer Jordan Kendal. “Most skate contests recently have been kind of a new genre of skating, but I feel like more people can relate to a transitional style of skateboarding, especially if you’re in snowboard country.”
For the third annual event, Kendal said there is hype around the switch of locations from a two-year stint in Cochrane to Canmore for the mountain town’s inaugural Bowlapalooza.
“We’re excited to be at the Canmore (skatepark) bowl this year because it’s kind of a tighter space and has deeper walls, so it’s going to force the contestants to ride faster and (have) bigger air,” Kendal said.
“(Cochrane’s skatepark bowl) is just a bit bigger, (and) a bit burlier so the guys who like riding fast and going hard are really going to have the upper hand in Canmore, I suspect.”
As part of the added notoriety of the event, live music will be showcased throughout the day.
Headlining will be Calgary-based rock band, Chron Goblin, whose members are skateboarders as well, Kendal says. Other bands scheduled include Mancub, The Detractions, and The Ativans.
“I think that’s part of the beauty of the event – how grassroots it is,” Kendal said. “The bands who are coming aren’t getting paid, they’re coming because they love skateboarding.”
Kendal says the cross between skating and live music works well for participants and fans, and is one of the contributing factors of why Bowlapalooza has grown each year.
Skaters from across Western Canada will kick off Bowlapalooza at 1 p.m., competing in a bowl jam with an elimination format.
“We’re going to have heats throughout the day … and then we have a final round at the end of the day where the best riders from every round will be pulled together,” Kendal said.
For the competition’s first trip to the Rockies, Kendal is intrigued to see how Bow Valley skaters perform in their backyard.
“In Canmore, you have a great group of young skateboarders who are proficient at riding that bowl. It’s going to be cool to watch them rip,” Kendal said.
Registration to skate starts between noon and 1 p.m. and $1,000 in prizes are up for grabs.
