Big Prize Money For Skateboarders At Porirua Fest

Big Prize Money For Skateboarders At Porirua Elements Festival

A major prize of $1500 will be on offer for skateboarders at a major skate jam to be held as part of the Porirua Festival of the Elements on Waitangi Day on February 6th.

Top Porirua skateboader - Bennett Field.

The big prize purse is expected to help attract some of New Zealand’s leading skateboarders to the competition, being held for the first time at the Festival. The skate jam is being organised jointly by the Festival, the Porirua City Council, and DVS Shoes.

Festival Chairman Bob Cater says the skateboarder’s relationship with the air and the earth fits well with the Festival theme of the Elements, and he believes the top line skateboarding talent on display will be a big crowd pleaser.

The competition’s coordinator, Paul Assur from the Porirua City Council, says the competition is shaping up as a national event.

“The $1500 prize will be offered in the Open section, and there’ll be plenty of other great prizes on offer in the other section,” Mr Assur says.

“Skate brand Elements and New Zealand’s leading skateboarding and snowboarding lifestyle magazine Manual have come on board as major sponsors. And Manual has designed a special Festival skateboarding poster that is being distributed through Fusion Surf Skate stores over the summer,” Mr Assur says.

Manual magazine has been involved with supporting the Porirua City Council with skateboarding competitions on a smaller scale in the past, but this will be the first time the magazine has taken a leading role with its sponsorship.

Mr Assur says Manual’s editor Dave Read will be one of the competition judges, and will photograph the skateboard action for the magazine.

Dave Read has praised the Festival, the Porirua Council and DVS for their support and encouragement for the skateboarding community, and says the prize money on offer definitely has the potential to attract the interest of top NZ skateboarders.

“The main cash prize is pretty awesome. I’d expect skaters to come from throughout the Wellington region, as well as from Napier, Auckland and New Plymouth,” Mr Read says.

“Even within the Wellington region, there’s some international class skateboarding going on. Events like this are a great place to showcase the local talent and put it in the public eye.”

The competition will be divided into various categories including the Open event, and sections for less experienced and younger skateboarders. Registrations will be taken at the Festival before 11am on the day.

There will also be special ‘learn to skate’ sessions with top skateboarders providing coaching assistance from 9am to 11am.

Entry will be free for 16 and under, and for unsponsored skateboarders. There will be a ten dollar entry fee for the open section.

For further information on the skateboarding competition contact Paul Assur at the Porirua City Council on (04) 237 3811 after January 11.

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