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Last Saturday set the weekend off with the Bank to The Banks 2008 skate jam. The format for the event was full-on, jam-style and open to everyone and anyone who was down to throw down on all of 4 obstacles. When I arrived to The Banks, I was greeted by all-out pandemonium. I've never seen the place more packed in my life. There must of been thousands of kids in attendance. Amongst an array of skaters, suspicious looking "Dad's" snapping "photos" and a collective of trim throughout, there were appearances from a bunch of pros and ams who were in town. Johnny Layton, Dave Bachinsky, Justin Figueroa, Peter Ramondetta, Bobby Worrest, Colin Provost, Alex Olsen and so many others were spotted skating around the place, signing autographs and talking to kids. I pretty much missed every event due to the lack of visibility factor attributed to the dense crowd, but had a good look at the Bank To Ledge jam. Justin Figueroa killed it with a back tailslide, kickflip noseslide fakie and a buttery backside hurricane. Willy Akers was trying noseblunt pop-outs on it before hurting himself. And Colin Provost was working on bluntslide bigspins in. Not sure if he landed it though. He got second so he must have. Also, couldn't see what was happening during the jersey barrier contest, but I did manage to catch Chad Fernandez ride away from a 270 ollie over it's hip. That was insane. Also, 5boro's Jimmy McDonald was trying frontside lipslide, backside reverts into the damned thing. That was equally as insane. Not sure if that gives much insight into anything that happened at 2008's Back To The Banks.

Jersey Barrier

1. Dillon James
2. Chad Fernandez
3. Jimmy McDonald
4. Dude in a brown Tee
5. Justin Figueroa

Bank To Wall

1. Jimmy McDonald
2. Dustin Something
3. Robert Lopez Mont
4. Willy Akers
5. Dude with the Mohawk and Osiris banana shoes

Bank To Ledge

1. Figgy
2. Collin Provost
3. Aaaron Suski
4. Willy Akers

Rail and Steps

1. Davis Torgensen
2. Doogie
3. Dillon James
4. Timmy Knuth
5. Mike Franklin



Check the insanity that took place on the infamous Banks rail from a bunch of dudes I've never seen before in my life. Peep that floater of a nollie heel up and over the rail, the hard way.

Manny Mania MC's Jeff Pang and DQM Dave

The very next day would be another day of sore knees or aching livers, depending upon where ones priorities were at, when Red Bull's Manny Mania began. Set up at Chinatown's Manhattan Bridge Skatepark, the event began pretty much before any of the official contest skating happened as practice ensued. Entrants were skating non-stop getting in some serious practice before things popped off. Eli Reed was absolutely destroying early on, with switch heel nose manuals on lock, hard flip manuals and back lips on the big box to nose manual on the small box. Bresinski was also destroying the very course he designed, nailing half cab flip manuals to to front board fakies on the connected flatrai amongst other combosl. A Snipered Iphone Photo Of Judges Eric Koston, Steve Berra & Rodney Torres
Chico Brenes was skating real solid with super stylish varial heel flip manuals and nollie heelflip manuals up and down the slanted box. One of the sickest things I saw all day came from one of the event judges, Mr. Eric Koston, who backside 180, fakie manualed up the box to halfcab flip manual down it. What? Stevie Williams was skating real good, nailing switch nose manual fakie hardlips and solid nollie half cab heel flip, switch manuals. Beibel was handling the course with half cab heel nose manual reverts, as was Daniel Lebron who didn't skate well in practice but handled his time on the clock real well with switch crook pop-out fakie manuals. After an exhausting day for all entrants, skating 7 hours straight, the end result looked like this...

1. Joey Brezinski
2. Brandon Biebel
3. Chico Brenes
4. Eli Reed
5. Malcom Watson
6. Kelly Hart
7. Stevie Williams
8. Sad
9. Danny Falla
10. Jason Dill

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