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Vice Blog

BILLY WENT TO TAMPA

The Tampa Pro is one of the few skate contests left that's still put on by skateboarders. The park has probably been around for longer than you've been skating, and it's still run by the same guys who founded it almost two decades ago. Time was, the Tampa contests (Pro and Am) were the be-all and end-all of the skateboard contest circuit. Winning the Am was the springboard for turning pro, and winning the Pro gave you a damn good chance of getting Thrasher's coveted Skater of the Year award. While those things are still true to some extent, the rise of fancy schmancy contests with obscene purses has made Tampa more of a relaxed, good time sort of deal (especially for pros). The Tampa Pro wrapped up on Sunday, and Dennis Busenitz ripped the park a new butthole while skating 300 mph for first place. New York's skateboard diplomat, Billy Rohan, went down south for the contest and spoke with Taji about the weekend and getting in a fight with Chad Fernandez.

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Vice: So what's all the hype behind the Tampa Pro? How does it differ from the Am contest?
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.

How long have you been skating in the Pro? Did you try to pull another 540 this year?
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.

Bobby Worrest's new ink
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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How does the Tampa police department and local non-skaters feel about the event?
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.

Chad Fernandez

Chad Fernandez was definitely blowing it the hardest, as usual. The dude is a beam, he is constantly looking for attention. I was up there in Ybor City and I went to say hello to my friends Kyle Berard and Mike Peterson, and Chad was there. He goes, "I'm going to kill you Rohan," and started trying to fight me. I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I had to pull off my belt like Pootie Tang and say "Listen, I'm going to whoop you like a bad child if you don't drop this shit right now." He charged at me like a whirlwind and got smacked in the face with the belt. Then he tried again and I took off my fake Rolex and threw it in his face. It was hilarious, everyone thought it was a real Rolex. He kept trying to punch me and I kept moving out of the way, and in the end he landed on his face in the concrete. So I walked away and picked up a pile of police horse shit. When he came back up to me I asked if he wanted to make peace, but he said no so I smashed it in his face. All in all I'm sorry that Chad Fernandez fought himself because I never wanted to fight him. So I would like to publicly apologize to him for moving out of the way while he jumped onto his face.

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Thanks, Billy.

TAJI AMEEN

And if you haven't seen Dennis Busenitz's winning run, here:

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.