Thrasher Magazine

Twenty-one years after the inaugural competition, it just doesn’t feel right to call it the “Belco Bowl Jam” anymore—this thing has turned into a three-day rip riot with a huge lineup of Oz’s heaviest, traveling to a place you usually wouldn’t, Canberra. Only banter, we love you, Canberra. Thanks to your legal people for putting up with what was a relatively unannounced mass gathering through the streets of your city, kinda like a bogan/Australian version of Copenhagen Open—Boganhagen. Oh, and the skateboarding—there were cash grabs from arsehole to breakfast, with crews throwing down all over the joint to take their piece. Many kings and queens were crowned over the long weekend but the big one, “Lord of the Bowl,” went to Kieran Woolley, who etched it out with his foot-to-the-floor ripping. The expert judging panel agreed he deserved his title for the second year running. Honorable mentions in the pictures and captions below. —Wade Mclaughlin

Some of the crew rolled into Canberra early enough to hoon a Kambah session before the cash was even flowing. Ryan Helm, stale with a nod to GT

Mashy, frontside dead horse

“Hey, Kieran, do a backside air”

Nixen Osborne, Marley Rae and Jakob Robinson patiently wait

Kizz sniffs out a new one

Every edit needs a few clips of the cement

And Nixen Osborne flipped upside down to close out the session

Let's go back to the city to kick off the actual event

Liv Lovelace, front 5-0 in hot pursuit of Simo

This happened in the first five minutes. Ben Weir shot into an inconveniently-located pole. He was out for the event but was back grinding handrails through restaurants by Sunday

Then a short stroll across the road

It’d be unAustralian if there weren't benis

T Fynn in the house

Sammy Atkins has already done this blunt pop over, but he did it again for beer money...

Mitch Robertom, frontsy

Another short stroll to the next spot. Hi, Tegz, Adelaide and Sheezy!

Canberra Raiders made an appearance

Zesty throws a quick kickflip noseslide

Following up, Tommy takes his kickflips into a front board

From one Queenslander to another—get it, Diddy

Sam Atkins, frontside noseblunt

Sam Fairwether made light work of a few heavy tricks. Frontside 180 50-50

Barry Taniwha had a whoopsie. Aunty Sheezy to the rescue

Then Church Bar were rad enough to accommodate all of this

Cons Tapaited emerges from his shed

Jett Dehaan, waste enclosure yank out

Jakob goes frontside with it

The ol’ challenge Cons to a leg wrestle

But he’s built like a brick shit house

Kob taking the dump truck to the waste enclosure. Sorry…had to

Jay Runciman, barside Smith grind

Scooter girl even got some cash

Day two, we sparked the session at Telstra hip. Ben Currie goes at it the wrong way with a back 5-0

Mashy getting the legs going after a night in The Shed, back tail

Always love some doubles action

Rob Pace, front crooks to fakie

Carry on then

The triple set copped a Creature-coffin extension this year. Zesty tests it with a beautiful back lip

Next up, George Richards, back Smith

Another day, another fat noseblunt from Sam Atkins

Rob front crooks before things moved over to the double set

More additions, this time it's a kicker for Sam to boost off

Rob backs him up with a 180 nosegrind up

By the power vested in me

Lognardo blesses us with an NBD back 180

Shit went turbo when the local Canberrian rolled away

Lognardosh

Then the flip attempts ensued. There were three or four people trying kickflip at one stage. The shitty bricks and huge set claimed everyone else this year. Ben Currie got the closest. He basically rolled away then got bucked into the crowd

Ben got robbed of this kickflip and his carcass just couldn’t take any more hucks

Bit of claret

Justin Shmidt tried this hardflip for at least 45 minutes. He got close, lots. Let's revisit this photo when he lands it next time

"ONE MORE"

But soon enough, we had to move on. Lognardo for the win

Back to Belco skatepark. Uncle Niddy and Wacko enjoy a couple cans

Jesse Noonan AKA MC Yung Rad Dad

Liv throwin' down for some cash

Simo, Stipo, Reeceos and Floydos

Sam Atkins, switch back lip

And it's officially ON. Cons decks out a rock 'n' roll to fire it up

Same as it ever was

If you’re not first, you’re last

Mashy throwin’ the arse end out on a frontside air over the channel

Nixen used to be a Belco Boi. He’s never sad to be back

MC Cons

Kieran shut down longest grind. The Smith to 5-0 revert you saw on Instagram

That must have felt nice

Nixen, from where you’d rather not be

And he pulls it

Ryan Helm, gap to back tail

And a backside alley-oop Indy

Kieran, over the channel frontside invert

Yep, that was cooked

Steven Pineiro tamed a backside 360 to fakie and then backed himself up with a 540

Then threw an Omar

Cheers, Shavies!

And the moment we've all been waiting for, high-air time!

Cons tryna catch some three meteries

Ten-year-old Harvey Campbel throws his two cents in

Steven Pineiro, well up

RJ!

Not even a bread clip could fix this blowout

Back on! According to Cons, the best bait for a high air is a plugga

RJ, chicken wing to...

Broken wing. Hopefully next year we don’t see RJ carted out by paramedics

And again we have the annual "Watch Cons Try to Get Out of The Bowl" event

Enough halftime entertainment. Mitch Robertom wants to see a FRONTSYYY!

Lachie Abbott, padless madman

Cons flicking his lure at this exceptional three-metery by Lachie

Yep...

Josh Matwijiw, hooked

One more time

Channel extension was something else this year. Kieran tests the waters

Lachie christens it with a Smith grind

Kizz putting the foot down on a backside boneless

That’s a wrap on the bowl jam. Congrats, Kieran, on defending the title

THANKS, BELCO!

Now, off to the pub

On day three, everyone was feeling it from the last couple of days, plus the after party, plus The Shed. All those that remained headed to this heaps chill spot. Nixen Osborne, feeble fakie

Sam Owbridge kicked out some cash-money incentivized shits 'n' gigs

Kob Robinson had a spew in the bushes, dusted himself off then nosepicked the thing

Cons, a fine specimen

Nixen rifled off a few tricks where no one has hit before, and threw in this backside disaster for good measure

Then got busted up on a pivot fakie

Only three concussions on the weekend, not too bad

Jezza, Mash, Leaf and Brad—a vibe

Now, take another look at a couple blokes. That is all from this year's Belco Weekend. Thanks to the sponsors and everyone behind making it happen. 'Til next time, Canberra, you beauty