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Billy Rohan: The Tampa Pro is unbelievable because it's more of a reunion than a contest. The Am is super competitive, and while the Pro is still a competition, everybody is just a lot more psyched to see each other.


I've been going since I was 16. The first year I competed was 98'. This year I kept it pretty mellow and was there to talk to people about the skateboard diplomacy project I've been working on to bring more skating to the Middle East. I had fun skating the contest though. I got to frontside flip the pyramid a few times--the same thing I always do [laughs]. I went to some Ybor City clubs where the girls do a bunch of pole dancing. Anytime you're with the Skatepark of Tampa guys, they keep it as real as it gets.


Did a lot of New York locals make it out? How do they act in Tampa?
Well, the New Yorkers are always the coolest dudes. They held it down and were super happy to be out of the cold weather. Zered Bassett finished second in the qualifying rounds, so he went straight to the finals without having to skate the semi-finals. Some other New Yorkers who were killing it out there were Dan Pensyl and Eli Reed. They also are always surprised when they see the Florida booties. I mean damn, you just don't see that in New York.
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The local people have realized that the skateboarders are like the Samurai. They basically have got the star in Super Mario World and now they are in the coin world. The locals can't fuck with them, so they end up doing whatever they want and get away with it as long as they aren't stupid about it.Who was killing it the hardest and who was blowing it the hardest?
I stayed with Nyjah Huston at the Embassy Suite in downtown, Tampa and was blown away by how nice he was. He had a hard childhood and may seem overly focused on skateboarding, but that's his life and he needs the love that the people in the skateboard world can give him. He's only 16 and has already done more than most people I know in skateboarding.

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That, ladies and gentlemen, is how to properly ride a skateboard.And just for funsies, here's the Tampa Pro in 1995. Oh how the times have changed.
