I got a call from Tactics’ rider Nick Propios a couple weeks ago that there was going to be a contest at the Department of Skateboarding.  Immediately I was excited to round up some of the team and take a quick trip to Portland, Oregon.  As Nick was explaining the contest, he said, “Yeah, it’s called the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.”  ”Great!” I thought.  I’m single, unattached, and couldn’t think of a better way to spend Cupid’s day.

So on Sunday, February 14th, we all met up at the shop to make our way to Portland.  The crew consisted of Austin Arrowood, Justin James, Zach Bird, Jake Gascoyne, Tyler Cobb, and Nick.  The flier said sign up, registration, and practice started at 10:30 a.m. with the contest getting under way at noon.  Being the inexperienced team manager, I made sure we were all at the Department just before 10:30; seemed like the sensible thing to do, right?  Meh, well, let’s just say skaters aren’t the most efficient bunch.  The park opened a little after 10:45 and the contest eventually got under way around 1:15 p.m.

Anyways, Tactics repped hard and the team seemed hyped to be at the contest.  Zach ended up getting third, which caught him by surprise cause he didn’t think he made the finals.  Needless to say, he was hyped and went out and did his thing on the course and the judges noticed.  Good stuff and congrats homey!  I can’t wait to do it again.

Big thanks to all the sponsors including Shrunken Head Skateboards, the Department of Skateboarding, Tribute Skateboards, Jivaro Wheels, Bacon Skateboards, M&M Skateboards, Manik Skateboards and Skatedaily.net.

Things I learned at my first contest as the Tactics skate team manager:

• On camera flash is better than available warehouse light with your camera’s sensitivity setting cranked to HIGH; bring a flash next time
• Skaters from Portland: A) absolutely kill it; B) smile more than you; and C) did I already mention they kill it?
• An indoor skatepark in Portland has afforded skaters the opportunity to skate during the rainy winter months, and it shows
• It’s hard not to fan out when you see pros like David Gravette and Brent Atchely or skate photog legend Bryce Kanights
• Eugene has it’s fair share of rippers and I’m hyped to be apart of the Tactics skate family
• Fast food is unavoidable on any skate trip
• Always have extra decks for the team

So, how was your Valentine’s Day?

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