When Street League announced there were five US spots open for the 2012 pro lineup, Matt Miller knew he had an opportunity and went all in. See how Miller submitted his video to “The Selection” qualifier and became one of the new pros selected for Street League 2012. Featuring: Matt Miller, Mike Mo Capaldi, Mikey Taylor, Nyjah Huston and Chris Cole.

Full coverage of the Volcom Wild in the Parks championships at Belconnen Skate Park in Canberra, Australia. Featuring champion on the day Mitchell McCarthy and other Kiwis Mike Bancroft, Sam Allen, Tai Wepa, Enya Hunt and Izy Mutu. Head over to the Volcom site for full coverage.

Wednesday 2nd May 2012: It’s a hard road to the top and once you get there what do you do? You bask in the glory and look back at the trail of shred you’ve left behind.

We here at Manual Magazine thought it was about time to reward our finest skateboarders by giving them their rightful title, that of New Zealand Skater of the Year.

From this year on our accomplished panel will keep a watchful eye over the moves and shakes in our fair industry. Not only will they be looking for one consummate individual to crown as our finest, but they will be taking notes about our under and over achievers, the rebels and the upstarts, the slow burners and the yearners. Awards will be forthcoming to those people who define our industry in each and every way, be it from the podium or the pit below.

In February next year, with input from our readers, we will announce the first winner of Manual’s inaugural New Zealand Skater of the Year award. Other outstanding kiwis will also be decorated with fitting titles to match their accomplishments.

Until then, get out there and do your best, or worst. We’ll be watching.

For information and sponsorship opportunities please contact us here.

Go see four bands for a measly $5 at SFBH on Saturday the 28th of April! Your cold hard cash will be going straight towards concrete and supplies to build more DIY ramps and rails at the Newtown Ghetto Spot!

Providing the ‘entertainment’ for the evening:
NUMBSKULL (Lorne St’s Sweatiest Dudes!)
ROGERNOMIX (Relentless Scandi-Attack!)
INFLUENCE (Scathing Skate Hate!)
FANTAILS (66.6 % East Coast Punk!)

Plus we got DJ Suave spinning classics, and there are drink specials all night!

Please spread the word, bring all your mates because maximum cash = maximum concrete!

See ya’ll there..

Dennis Durrant switch crook'd the hubba with ease.

Head Judge Morgan Campbell breaks down the 2012 Billabong City Squared in Melbourne over on the SBA site.

Skate or Die comp, Underground Carpark, Opposite the Meteor, Hamilton, 21 April.

Saturday the 17^th of March saw the first Wild In the Parks at Barry Curtis Skate Park take place. On arrival to the park that morning all looked doomed. The clouds were thick, and the rain fell hard. A stubborn bunch we, so with the rain bucketing down, we commence setting up the event… to see full coverage of the event check out the Volcom site.

A new teaser for Street League Skateboarding‘s 2012 schedule for the DC Pro Tour fueled by Monster Energy.

We are proud to announce the winner of the Sony Shoot To Win Competition. After all the votes came in Daniel Peterken’s shot of George Rowe doing a feeble grind came out on top. Once the reader votes were tallied and combined with our panel votes Daniel came through as the obvious favourite with 45 percent of the vote. He walks away with a Sony Alpha D-SLT Camera (valued at approx $1199.95).

Nixon came to the party offering up a Nixon Rubber Player watch (worth $329.00) to one of the voters. The prize went to voter sk8tolate.

Both the winners will be notified by email. A big thanks to all the people who made the effort to vote (even the ambitious spammers).

Daniel Peterken's winning shot of George Rowe.

More about the Sony Shoot To Win Competition at Billabong City Squared Auckland

As part of the 2012 Billabong City Squared event in Auckland’s Aotea Square on February 25th, Sony welcomed members of the audience to try their hand at shooting the action and atmosphere of the event for a chance to win a Sony Alpha D-SLT Camera.

At the Sony kiosk on site at the event over 50 people demoed the Sony Alpha/NEX cameras at their special shoot zone tower. The nine images below were handpicked by Billabong, Manual Magazine and Sony Staff. We now welcome you to choose your favourite. A final decision on the best photo will be chosen by our panel, reader’s votes will make up 50% of the final vote.

View the rest of the shots here.

Click the pic for the full photo set.

“After flying out of rainy Melbourne, the SUPRA team was greeted by the sunny skies of Auckland, New Zealand. It was a perfect opportunity to check out Auckland’s famous Mt. Eden that overlooks the city. We learned—from the signs that read “Do Not Enter Crater”—that Mt. Eden is actually a huge dormant volcano.” – See the full post and all the pics over at the Supra Footwear site.

A special thanks to Brad, Ben and Pete from Substance NZ for making the Auckland demo a reality.

Complete coverage from the 2012 Billabong City Squared Auckland, featuring interviews with the skateboarders and organisers of the event. Made for Billabong TV by Bill Bycroft and Jake Mein.

Official highlights of this year’s Billabong City Squared event in Auckland’s Aotea Square. Shot by Bill Bycroft and Jake Mein. A full-length behind the scenes video is coming soon.

As part of the 2012 Billabong City Squared event in Auckland’s Aotea Square on February 25th, Sony welcomed members of the audience to try their hand at shooting the action and atmosphere of the event for a chance to win a Sony Alpha D-SLT Camera.

At the Sony kiosk on site at the event over 50 people demoed the Sony Alpha/NEX cameras at their special shoot zone tower. The nine images below were handpicked by Billabong, Manual Magazine and Sony Staff. We now welcome you to choose your favourite. A final decision on the best photo will be chosen by our panel, reader’s votes will make up 50% of the final vote.

Grand Prize: The winning photographer will receive an Alpha D-SLT Camera (valued at approx $1199.95). The winning shot will also be published in Manual Magazine’s June, 2011 issue.
Voter Prize: Nixon have come to the party offering up a Nixon Rubber Player watch (worth $329.00) to a voter who will be chosen at random.
How To Vote: Place your vote by commenting in the post below with either the number, or the photographers name, of your favourite picture.
Voting Closes: Voting will close on Friday March 9th.
Winners Announced: Winners will be notified on Monday March 12th.

1. James Kingston, crooked grind. Photo by Scott Brodie.

2. Reuben Baker, crooked grind. Photo by Johnny Walker.

3. Chris Wood, frontside flip to tail. Photo by Liam Pringle.

4. George Rowe, feeble grind. Photo by Daniel Peterken.

5. Dallas Marshall, noseslide. Photo by John Mabutas.

6. Sam Allen. Photo by Hammany Honor.

7. Scott Olds. Photo by Seb Parker.

8. Cam King, kickflip. Photo by James Rutter.

9. Sean Cupples, bluntslide. Photo by Julie Ly.

One of the nine finalists will win this Sony Alpha D-SLT camera worth approximately $1199.95.

Place a vote and go in the draw to win a Nixon Rubber Player watch worth $329.00.

Mangawhai is having a Bowl Jam on March 11th. Get on up there for some fun times in one of New Zealand’s finest vert bowls.

Jack Woodrow, switch backside 50-50 grind.

Photo set from the 2012 Billabong City Squared that was held in Auckland’s Aotea Square on Saturday February 25th. Click here for the full results and write up from the event. All photos by David Read.

We’re going to be clogging the feed with BCS and BAR footage over the coming week, so please get use to it. Each of these clips offers a different perspective on the event so it’s worth it. Collin Evans is the eyes on this occasion. I have to say Jack Fardell kills it in this clip, casual padd-less shredding, with a fine five-o lipslide to boot. Pedro Barros is insane in the final – he’s unstoppable.

Lead up and competition day coverage from the 2012 Vans Bowl-a-Rama Bondi from official Vans filmer Callum Preston.

Pro winner Pedro Barros styling out a boned frontside air. Photo: Dave Pang

February 25, 2012. Bondi Beach (AUSTRALIA).

Thousands of people today crowded beachfront grandstands to watch the world’s best skateboarders compete in the eighth annual Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi 2012.

Sixteen-year-old professional skateboarder Pedro Barros (BRAZIL) took out his third consecutive Pro Title after a heated final that saw him using every inch of the bowl at full-throttle speed, busting everything from head-high stalefish 540s, to technical lip trickery like alley-oop frontside 50-50s around the tight corner, just beating an impressive Bucky Lasek (USA) and Rune Glifberg (DEN). Competition was equally fierce in the Masters Division with an epic display of skateboarding genius. Legendary skateboarder Steve Caballero (USA) wowed the crowd with his effortless style, experienced consistency and signature frontside inverts, fingerflip Indys and of course his original Caballerial spins that saw him take home his fifth consecutive Masters Title at the event.

Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi is one of skateboarding’s biggest concrete bowl events and this year’s event included an unprecedented prize purse of $80,000 AUD ($85,000 USD).

Today’s action was watched by tens of thousands of people around the world via a global webcast from www.bowlarama.com.au, live Fuel TV broadcast and Vans Live 2.0 App. While the event grows every year it prides itself on being an event for skateboarders, by skateboarders.

“The prize purse has increased dramatically this year and we feel we have set a precedent for other competitions. Professional skateboarders put their lives on the line at these events so we feel they should be justly rewarded. When the riders are stoked they skate better and when that happens the crowd gets the show of their lives. That was well and truly the case today.” – Chad Ford, Frontside Events director.

Masters winner Steve Caballero doing a backside air. Photo: Dave Pang

For amateur skateboarders the Dew AM Jam saw Australia’s top Under 18 bowl riders invited to skate alongside the Pro’s. In the 12 months since the inaugural Dew AM Jam at Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi 2011, Australia’s top Under 18 bowl riders showed the world it will soon see more Australians represented at the top international levels in bowl skateboarding with the likes of 13-year-old Lachie Aboott and 14-year-old Jakob Robinson ripping up the bowl. Aussie World Vert Champ Renton Millar was stoked to see his group of handpicked groms rip it up at the event.

“In the year since we started searching for Dew AM Jam skaters, I have been blown away by how many more skaters there are and the bag of tricks they all are claiming under their belts. No doubt the young Aussies are inspired by the new, young wave of international bowl riders and they are showing they want to stand up alongside them in the next couple of years with a view to taking out the Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi title,” says Millar.

After eight years Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi continues to wow a growing audience; “We are proud to have been involved with this event from its inception eight years ago. Each year we make a real effort to increase the prize money and elevate the event for the benefit of both skateboarders and spectators. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of Steve Caballero’s Half Cab shoe, so to have him win the Masters is particularly memorable. It’s an incredible result to have Pedro win the Pro’s too.” – Deena Colman, Vans Australia Marketing Manager.

www.vans.com/bowlarama

http://www.facebook.com/officialBOWLARAMA

www.bowlarama.com.au

OFFICIAL RESULTS

PRO FINALS
1^st Place – Pedro Barros ($16,000)
2^nd Place – Bucky Lasek ($9,000)
3^rd Place – Rune Glifberg ($5,000)
4^th Place – Nathen “Jimmy” Beck ($3,000)
5^th Place – Nolan Munroe ($2,300)
6^th Place – Joshua Rodriguez ($2,000)
7^th Place – Steven Pineiro ($1,700)
8^th Place – Jack Fardell ($1,600)
9^th Place – Kalani David ($1,500)
10^th Place – Juergen Horrwarth ($1,400)

MASTERS FINALS
1^st Place – Steve Caballero ($5,800)
2^nd Place – Nicky Guerrero ($3,000)
3^rd Place – Mik Mulhall ($2,000)
4^th Place – Rob “Sluggo” Boyce ($1,800)
5^th Place – Sergie Ventura ($1,500)
6^th Place – Eddie Elguera El Gato ($1,400)
7^th Place – Adam Luxford ($1,300)
8^th Place – Pat Ngoho ($1,200)
9^th Place – Sean Goff – ($1,100)
10^th Place – Lester Kasai ($1,100)

Jack Woodrow (4th), James Kingston (1st), Cam King (2nd) and Dallas Marshall (3rd).

In a heated final that saw eight of New Zealand’s finest skateboarders go head to head, James Kingston came out triumphant. Hot on his heels were fellow Cantabarian Jack Woodrow in fourth, South Auckland’s Cameron King in second and Ohakune resident Dallas Marshall in third.

The second annual Billabong City Squared occupied Auckland’s Aotea Square where and all-time showdown took place. Battling with rain and wind skateboarders from all over New Zealand pushed the limits on the rail, ledge and quarterpipe set up. A last minute edition of a vert extension on the quarterpipe added another exciting element to the course.

With an impending storm rolling in James Kingston landed trick after trick, most first try. With a backside Smith grind down the rail in the closing moments with a rain soaked landing securing him the win and $3000 in prize money.

Cam King stomped stylish switch and normal frontside flips, while Dallas Marshall kickflip noseslide the down ledge and general assaulted the stairs. Jack Woodrow took a refreshing approach with switch Smith grinds and switch backside 50-50s on the down ledges. Best trick went to Mitchell McCarthy with a kickflip backside lipslide down the rail.

It was an epic event with a massive turn out from Auckland’s skate community and an impressive crowd of public and passersby who enjoyed the gnarly skateboard battle in downtown Auckland.

The Billabong City Squared Skateboard Invitational is presented by Sony Ericsson with support from Monster Energy, Amazon Boardstore, The Edge, Von Zipper, Nixon, Manual Magazine and Skinny.

Final Results

1st James Kingston – $3000
2nd Cameron King – $1500
3rd Dallas Marshall – $750
4th Jack Woodrow – $500
5th Sean Cupples – $250
6th Dan Kaspar – $150
7th Simon Prakash – $100
8th Mitchell McCarthy – $75

The Billabong City Squared is happen right now in Aotea Square. If you can’t get down there you can watch it live on UStream. Everyone’s warming up right now shit is getting heavy already.

The first stop on the Supra Footwear OZ Man Out Australia and New Zealand tour. (Click the pic for the video.) The tour is heading to other stops around Australia over the coming week then to Vic Park, Auckland on Sunday March 4th.

Full coverage from the 2012 Bowl-a-Rama Wellington filmed and edited by Nick Bennett. Many thanks to Pania for making the aerial shots possible.

A sick highlights clip from BOWL-A-RAMA Wellington 2012 featuring interviews with Pedro Barros and Kalani David.