Skaters Say Fire And Wood Was 'Sick'

Skateboarders from all over the Tampa Bay area turned out to show off their tricks and vie for prizes in the first ever Fire and Wood Winter Sk8Boarding Competition Jan. 29.

Held at the , the first-ever event was sponsored by the Pasco County Professional Firefighters Local 4420, the Ian Tilmann Foundation and the skate park. The nonprofit foundation promotes skating safety and offers free helmets to prevent injury.

About 50 registered contestants participated in the event and even more than that turned out to watch, support the cause and soak up the sunshine on what many described as "a perfect day."

A couple of local sponsored Westside Skate Shop skateboarders, Jimmy Mastrocolo and Matt Benevides had a “sick” time at the event, meaning it was a really good time. They both expressed willingness to come back to skate the park, but they also compete in other events held like the Fire and Wood Competition.

“There’s nowhere to skate around here,” said Mastrocolo.

Local firefighter and skateboarder David Miller organized the event. He also announced the competition, and said it was "awesome" to be able to give local skateboarders the opportunity to showcase their skills.

“There’s a lot of skateboarders out in the community that aren’t able to get to a lot of the skateboarding events that we have in the tri area.”

 The day kicked off with the 8 & Under skaters, followed by the 9-12, then 13-15, preceded by the 16 and up, and ended with the sponsored group.

Winners received duffle bags, trophies and skateboards. Mastrocolo came in fourth in the sponsored group.

 All the skaters in each age group looked as if they were flying, and literally flew when attempting and landing tricks.

The trick to wipe out ratio is a little to a lot, which makes landing them that much “sweeter,” said Benevides. “I love to wipe out,” he said jokingly, but his motto is, “Never fall off!”

West Side held a product giveaway. Westside skaters tossed T-shirts, stickers, hats, wheels, and posters to everyone in the event.

 It was a “long and tiring” day, said Mastrocolo. However, that’s nothing new to these skaters. They get back up after falling down, attempt the same trick, and fall back down, exemplifying the perfect definition of diligence.

“(Skateboarding) is truly a lifestyle. You don’t just skate, you live to skate,” said Miller said.