October Ninth (9th)! Vans Skatepark in Orange! Be there or be... Or watch it LIVE on Vital BMX actually. Here's the first round of dudes that will be there:

Ryan Nyquist
Todd Meyn
Sean Sexton
Brett Banasiewicz
Kevin Kiraly
Morgan Wade
Aaron Smith
Mike Spinner

For the sixth year the Pro-Tec Pool Party has come and gone at the Kombi bowl in the Vans Skatepark at the Block at Orange, and for the second time Bucky Lasek brought home first place in the Pro division. In what is possibly bigger news, for the first time in the history of the contest Chris Miller did not win the Masters division. His five year streak came to an end when skate legend, Steve Caballero, bowled his way to victory.

For the few years of this contest Rune Glifberg and Chris Miller had been dominant with Glifberg winning three, and Chris Miller winning five, but that all changed on a sunny Saturday at a mall in Southern California. Caballero was able to tap into what made him one of the best skateboarders of the 80s, and in the process ended Miller's streak.

In the Pro division everyone knew the winner was going to be one of three guys: Bucky Laksek, Rune Glifberg or Omar Hassan. The later two being your quintessential pool skater, relying on "the way your supposed to skate a pool," and that's where Lasek steps in. He is the reigning Dew Tour Vert Champion, and has brought a new twist to the world of bowls. He links all the inverted spins that have become a necessity in the world of vert into flawless pool runs. He throws down the tech stuff that gets the old guys pumped, then goes huge to get the crowd pumped. That's what he did on Saturday, which climaxed when he did a gay twist from pool to pool, which sounds weird but believe me, it was heavy. Here's list of the full results:

Full Results:

Masters
1. Steve Caballero (San Jose, CA) $13,000
2. Chris Miller (Del Mar, CA) $7,000
3. Lance Mountain (Alhambra, CA) $4,000

Pros
1. Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, MD)$30,000
2. Rune Glifberg (Copenhagen, DEN)$18,000
3. Omar Hassan (Costa Mesa, CA) $10,000






Here's some photos from the day:



Rune gets his Madonna on.

You have probably heard it a million times from parents, from police officers, from skatepark employees, and sometimes even from your favorite action sports athlete. You have to wear your helmet. Or, at least it is strongly recommended. BMX has seen it pretty tough recently with helmets. Mike Aitken went down without a helmet and probably could have avoided a lot if he had one on. Stephen Murray went down with all of his pads on and he remains in a wheelchair to this day.

Mike Aitken riding his bike after 5 months of rehab after his severe head injury.


So, those two examples may contradict each other, but what I want to get across is helmets are something I encourage and recommend and with that, you should also get the right helmet for you, right? Many of you may have helmets that you never wear because they're uncomfortable, heavy, and look dumb. I'll be honest, I have seen many a helmet I wouldn't wear just because it looks dumb. Mike Aitken said in a recent interview he is looking into designing a helmet that would be better looking and more comfortable so people will actually want to wear a helmet.

When you are buying a helmet I would avoid helmets that come in vague sizes such as small/medium or large/xlarge. Go for something with more specific sizes meaning they have a more specific fit and find the perfect size for you. This is also why it is important to try these on and support your local store instead of buy the wrong size from the internet.

When you search for helmet brands you will probably first arrive to Pro-Tec. You may also run into s-one and Bern, younger companies that have made great strides in modern helmets. Don't count out Triple Eight, TSG, POC, and Bell helmets. As a BMXer, you may want to look for helmets that are bike specific but don't disregard helmets for skateboarding or anything.

Pro-Tec Classic helmets in assorted colors.


Half or full? If you ride skateparks or any terrain with several other people you want to avoid full face helmets as they limit vision and limit mobility for when you're looking out for your friends so you don't run into them. Full faces are more commonly seen in vert riding and BMX racing. Half cut helmets are more commonly seen in street/park riding and even in dirt and vert riding.

Obviously, it isn't recommended to skimp on helmet buying. The more high end helmets on the market won't even exceed $50 generally. You may see a CPSC sticker on some helmets. This means that it is qualified for bike use and may be a better option for your BMX helmet. However, you don't have to go CPSC it's just recommended. With CPSC helmets you will probably get EPS foam to take the abuse of bike riding. This may mean that the helmet is a single impact helmet, however, so if you take a big one with it on you should check to see if it's done for and need to get a new one. And this is why some prefer to get multi impact helmets which may be less protective but more thrifty.

A not-so-new feature that has become more popular recently, that I recommend, is a terry liner sweatband for the helmet lining. This soaks up the sweat so it doesn't drip into your eyes and everything while you're riding. It's also really comfortable compared to the more standard lining. (I wear a helmet with terry liner.) The only companies I can see, just through google search, with terry liner is s-one and Triple Eight.

I wear the S-ONE OG DLX helmet in white. Comfortable, affordable, protective.



One more picture because this one makes me feel really good and warm inside. Mikey and his boy, riding together.

The Pro-Tec Pool Party is set to go down tomorrow in the Combi-Bowl at the Vans Skatepark at the Block in Orange, CA. When it comes to bowl skating this is the comp to watch. The best of the best in transition will be there with their sights set on their share of the $90,000 purse. Names like: Omar Hasson, Bucky Lasek, and Chris Miller will be killing coping all day.

Rumor has it, one name that will not be competing is three-time event champ, Rune Glifberg, due to a recent concussion. This leaves everyone asking one question. Will this be Lasek's year? Glifberg has been the only person standing in the way of a Pro-Tec Pool Party victory for the bowl slayer simply known as, Bucky.

Another question is, will four-time Master's champ, Chris Miller, be able to make it five? He seems to be on another level when it comes to the guys who have been there from the beginning. If you're in the area, this is for sure worth checking out. Make a day of it, do a little shopping at the mall, and then check out some bowl destruction at the Vans park. Here's the schedule:

Contest Schedule:
1:00 pm - 2:20 pm Womens (20 minute jam)
2:20 pm - 4:20 pm Masters Pool Jam (Prelims)
4:20 pm - 6:20 pm Pro Mens (Prelims)
6:20 pm - 7:00 pm Van Doren Block$ for Buck$
7:00 pm - 7:40 pm Masters (Finals)
7:40 pm - 8:30 pm Pro Mens (Finals)
8:45 pm Awards