Westside Skateshop Sinks Competition at Red Bull Battleship

WESTSIDE SKATE SHOP SINKS COMPETITION AT RED BULL BATTLESHIP EIGHT REGIONAL SKATEBOARD SHOPS DOCKED IN WILMINGTON, NC FOR FIRST OF ITS KIND EVENT

WILMINGTON, NC - December 13, 2008 - It was all hands on deck for Red Bull Battleship, a head-to-head team skateboarding tournament set on the historic WWII USS North Carolina. Eight southeast skate shops looked to capsize the competition, but it was Westside Skate Shop whose three man team, Brent Sowinsky, TJ Sparks and Willy Kane, avoided being sunk throughout the double elimination rounds. In the final battle, they faced off with their hometown rival, Skatepark of Tampa, to narrowly edge them out and take the first ever Red Bull Battleship title.

"Today was a lot of fun and it was really cool that Red Bull was able to get us to skate on the battleship," said TJ Sparks with Westside Skate Shop. "This was definitely a once in a lifetime thing."

Batten Down the Hatches!
The battleship, which is located on the Cape Fear River, was transformed overnight into a skatepark with a course layout that incorporated kicker ramps, manny pads and rails with natural features of the ship to ollie. The technical course might have left some competitors swearing like a sailor, but it didn't stop local skater Josiah Gatlyn from landing a double kickflip fakie on the quarter pipe or Skate Park of Tampa's Dylan Perry from pulling off an ollie 5-0 over the gap. In the end, it was the team from Westside Skate Shop who nailed the most consistent runs and best tricks to take home the victory.

Event Results:,
1st Westside Skate Shop, Tampa, FL
2nd Skate Park of Tampa, Tampa, FL
3rd Endless Grind, Raleigh, NC
4th Ambush, Atlanta, GA
5th Vertical Urge, Raleigh, NC
6th Double Wide Skate & Surf Shop, Wilmington, NC
7th Continuum Skate Shop, Charleston, SC
8th Board City, Jacksonville, FL

Click here for photos from Red Bull Battleship Contest.
Click here for video from the Red Bull Battleship Contest.

Watch the FINALS video here!