Bicross magazine : Ces contests se déroulaient dans les skateparks : Upland et Del Mar, à leur issue était décerné le titre de King of Skatepark. Dans les bowls des skatepark, les freestylers réalisaient des figures autrement spectaculaires qu'entre un banks et une small ramp (Masters AFA). La fermeture de ces spots a laissé un vide dans une discipline en plein essor. Pour compléter ce que fait l'AFA, Ron Wilkerson organisera plus tard les KOV sur d'authentiques Half-pipes.
Report, results, pics (4).
Dean Bradley, BMX Plus! january 1983 : They call it The Badlands. As legend has it, years ago at the foot of California's rugged San Bernardino Mountains it seemed some overly adventurous skateboarders had discovered an inconveniently located dead body in an otherwise clean and skateable drainage ditch. (If you think they were bummed, how 'bout the stiff!) Ever since, the place has had, well, vibes. . . spooky vibes. Welcome to The Badlands: unseasonably cold and damp during the winter, blisteringly hot and deathly smoggy all summer.
A chamber of commerce nightmare, a transient's dream -a great place to pass through on your way somewhere else. Yep, these are Badlands all right. Officially Upland, California; unofficially one of the last remaining bastions of skateboarding activity left in the U.S. If you're going to risk your life cheating death on a wobbling wooden board with tiny little wheels, this is indeed one of the choice places to do it. If you're at all familiar with skateboarding, you might remember a rather rowdy rivalry between The Badlands and their neighbors to the north around Santa Monica, better known as Dogtown. During skateboarding's peak years this regional rivalry and raucous relationship between these two different schools of skate fueled the innovative fire of progressive skating taking it to brave new levels.
The hot park around Dogtown was Marina and the Badland boyz tapped into their local park, The Pipeline. Well, Marina's history but the ol' Pipe is still flowin'! The Pipeline, one of the originals (actually, the eighth constructed in the U.S.), is now one of the last surviving parks left in the nation. BMX has played a big part in keeping it alive. It seems the recent addition of a BMX track and increasing interest in BMX bowlriding are taking up the slack for the declining skateboard scene. For the increasing numbers of parkbound BMXers the tables are turning, for unlike in the past BMXers now hold first class citizenship at parks -ESPECIALLY the Pipe, where the last of the die-hard skaters now glady(!) share equal pool privileges with two wheelers. For without bikers the Pipeline's income and luck would have surely gone dry and the park been destroyed. (Is there a lesson ere for other park owners?)
Around southern California, with BMX freestyle and park and ramp riding literally reaching all time highs, it was really no surprise that the gears were turning and plans underway for a fully organized BMX skatepark association and competition series. Sure it was a long time coming but the rumors circulating in the trenches and bowls were indeed true and on Sunday, October 24, 1982, the premier ASPA (Amateur Skatepark Association) "King of the Skateparks" contest became a cold, hard concrete reality in the heart of The Badlands.
For any who may have doubted it, this was not to be another quiet Sunday in the park. This was a long awaited assemblage of California's top freestylers, park riders, aerial wizards, and concrete commandos. This was two-wheeled war in Pipeline's concrete jungle, a skatepark shootout to the death in the Badlands.
Eddie Fiola.
Dean Bradley, BMX Plus! january 1983 : Everybody who rides parks knows about transitions -passages from one place to another such as, from flat to vertical, from deep to shallow. Sometimes they're smooth, sometimes abrubt. It you're not ready for them they spell disaster ahead. You could say the ASPA (Amateur Skatepark Association), the nation's premier skatepark, riding sanctioning body, is currently riding out a transition -a period of change. Hopefully it will be a smooth one, and for the better. We think it will. When ambitious Bob Morales (first, rider; second. BMX businessman; third, promoter; fourth, ASPA founding father, prez. organizer, etc., etc...) founded the ASPA he created a monster -a specialized sanction, long overdue, with great potential AND A TON OF WORK to be done. Sooner rather than later Mr. Morales found that by trying to do everything himself something invariably suffered: his riding, his contests, his sponsors, his fellow competitors, the crowd, etc. That didn't work. So, in greater pursuit of park riding, sanctions, series, fame, fortune and groupies, Morales has boldly stepped down as president of ASPA. (A little background fanfare music, please.) Enter one Don Hoffman: owner/operator of the Pipeline Skatepark and BMX track and bigwig of CASL (California Amateur Skatepark League) and ASPO (American Skatepark Organization), skateboarding's counterpart to BMX's ASPA. Hoffman is a seasoned (spicy?) veteran of skatepark contests. He knows how to make 'em work and thoroughly intends to apply his years of skateboarding contest knowledge "to transform ASPA from an amateur to a fully professional organization." Don will come on as president and promotional and contest director. Fred Becker, a competitor himself, will assist Don as event coordinator, gopher, etc. Bob Morales will remain on as chairman of the board (bike?) or something to that effect. In the future ASPA will officially stand for American rather than Amateur Skatepark Association. Their 1983 season will tentatively feature a four event, California based skatepark series and two Pro/Am (professional/amateur) format freestyle events (which will include team and individual categories). Upland was the last contest to include freestyle in conjunction with a park event. So, all in all, the future looks bright for ASPA, freestyle and park riding. Hoffman's the man, professionalism and radicalism the plan. Just as exciting as the aspect of BMX competition they're promoting and sanctioning, the sky's the limit. We all sincerely hope the new and improved ASPA and their members enjoy their flight.
Bob Morales : Because I was offering a "Pro Class", I changed the name of the Amateur Skate Park Association to the American Skate Park Association.
Results, pic (1)
Date :
Media : BMX Action february 1984
Hugo Gonzales on the cover of BMX Action.
Report, results, pics (5)
Medias : Freestylin' #1 summer 84.
PRO : 1.Michael Dominguez 2.Hugo Gonzales 3.Brian Deam
EXPERT 17 and over : 1.Jon Peterson 2.Paul Nolan 3.Ted Emmer 4.Xavier Mendez 5.Steve Peralta
EXPERT 16 and under : 1.Marc McGlyn 2.Donovan Ritter 3.Rich Sigur 4.Robert Artigo
Medias : Freestylin' fall 84.
17 OVER EXPERTS 1. Paul Nolan 2.(tie) Rich Sigur 2.(tie) Robert Artigo 4. Steve Peralta
16 UNDER EXPERTS 1. Donovan Ritter 2. Brian Blyther 3. Mark McGlynn
17 OVER NOVICES 1. Dave Vanderspek 2. Angel Rosas 3. Dale Perez 4. Franck Lopez
16 UNDER NOVICES 1. Robert Aguillar 2. Jeff Carroll 3. Franck Garrido
BMX Freestyle UK, may 1985 : There's a new king on the trone ! The 1985 King of the Skateparks is ex Haro rider Mike Dominguez, now riding for Hutch. Despite Eddie Fiola winning the final round, Dominguez had already amassed enough points to clinch the title; turning up to the final round with broken leg thanks to an incident with a trick three weeks before.
The famous 'max air contest' was also won by Fiola with a height of eight feet and three inches exactly.
Report, results, pics, videos.
Freestylin' march 1985.
Hugo Gonzales fence 360.
Report, results, videos.
Eddie Fiola wins the King of the Skateparks series in Upland California.
Jeff Caroll at the pipeline during the 1986 AFA King of the Skatepark finals! He took three hard slams before completing his first one.
