Events are part of the blading community’s life blood, as they serve the important role of bringing skaters together. Whether or not someone wins or loses, when bladers unite in a location to celebrate our love for skating, well, we all win. And that was the case recently in Seattle as the regional event Beat The Chump returned for its sixth outing. But what makes this year’s installment special isn’t just that PacWest bladers got together for a session, but that BTC has become a multi-generational contest, where 2nd generation bladers got to shred in front of their blader parents. Plus there was some really great skating, too! So check out the write-up by James Pratt with photos by Alannah H. for inspiration of what you should be doing in your hometown.

[Darren Wilkerson / Negative Makio]

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Beat The Chump is a staple of the Seattle competitive blading scene, with five Beat the Chump events between 1999 and 2012. It’s an event that gives the Seattle blading community a reason to get together, compete, and celebrate blading. After a decade-long hiatus, the Chump decided it was time for a comeback. On March 9th, 2024, at the Bellevue Indoor Skatepark, the Seattle area blading community gathered for Beat the Chump 6.
 
Skaters journeyed from as far as California and Oregon, with competitors from every facet of the roller community, including Bladies, Quads, Kids, Beginners, Intermediates, and Open/Pro. I’d never competed in or attended a blading event, so I (beginner) signed up too! DJ Joey Roxville maintained high energy levels with a DJ set that covered the entire event, while MC Erik “Buckner” Holmquist ensured everyone stayed organized, well-informed, and pumped up. With 43 competitors and many spectators, every inch of the park was packed. Competitors skated to win money and prizes donated by Angled Souls, Kekoa, Rollerbones, Shop Task USA, USD, Intuition, Eulogy, DNA Skate School, All In, Unity Skate Shop, Feet and 4 Wheels, Equipment Share, Roller Warehouse, Moxi Skates, Death Squad Blading, and Dead. The winner of the Open/Pro division had the chance to pocket $1,000 from Angled Souls, along with an extra $300 in cash and a $350 store credit at Shop-Task.
 
In each heat, competitors took turns to skate encouraging them to string tricks together in lines. For many participants, this was the first time skating in a competition. Quads was a well-balanced round, with a lot of time spent in the mini-ramp and half pipe. As a blader, I enjoy the different trick vocabulary and the emphasis on style of execution in the quad community. Madison Huffman took 1st, followed by Ashly Brown and Daniela Ceballos Zavala.

Next up was beginner and intermediate. This was the group of people I see and skate with every week. Some thrived under the pressure and some — like me — found it hard going. But it didn’t matter; every trick or slam got a cheer, and you could feel the love and support in the room. The rest of the world might think inline is dead, but at Beat the Chump, the community was alive and well. Troy Cramer took first, the ever-smooth Derik Bautista second, and flip-master Mitchell Lustig third. I give myself an honorable mention as the only beginner and hence top of the beginner roster. The same can be said for Siobhan Fitzgerald, the only Bladie skating in the competition.
 

The kids’ heat was amazing, and a sign of a bright future for the sport. I’ve never seen so many small people with inline skates in one place. Experience ranged from tentatively rolling down a ramp to flying up the big quarter pipe without hesitation. All the competitors, including Dustin Jamieson’s son and Jeremy Townsend’s daughter, received a prize from Kekoa-Bogota, Kaltik, Shop-Task, Death Squad, and many stickers. Hopefully they all continue because they’re the future, when us older skaters finally admit our bodies can’t take it anymore.

Finally came the main event, the Open/Pro division, which also had the most skaters. This is where the consistency and big tricks started to happen. Two weekends previously, I’d watched the Winterclash live stream, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at Beat the Chump. I’m glad to report that the standard exceeded my expectations. I knew something special was happening when Sergio Arrechea tried a 6ft Acid Drop into the 3ft mini-ramp. With the Beat the Chump crowd behind him, Sergio made try after try until he landed it, or at least got close. It felt like I was watching Nils Jansons, Mery Munoz, Joe Atkinson, or Julien Cudot trying to hit their last trick, buoyed by the crowd shouting “One more try”.

Five competitors qualified from the pro heat: Arie Kellerman, Dustin Jamieson, Greg Tuthill, Max McDonald, and Zack Savage. Their reward was to face off against, and perhaps beat the Chumps in attendance, Jeremy Townsend and Randy Juarez. The chump round REALLY DELIVERED. The tricks came so thick and fast that it took me a few moments to decode what I’d seen.

The moment he dropped in, it was clear Zack Savage had come to win. His Backslide, Cess slide to Darkside Alley-oop Top Pornstar on the grind box was stunning. Arie Kellerman pulled off an impressive Alley-oop Wallride transfer. Dustin Jamieson contributed with a leg extend / pull back top then 360 Unity Cess slide on the vert wall. I’m not embarrassed to admit I had to ask for help explaining that one. I also needed help explaining Randy Juarez’s big Flat Spin, Fakie 540 Top Soul on the pool coping, gap to Kind grind, Alley-oop Makio Wallgrind then Zero Fish on the quarter. Without help, I would have written “apparently gravity-defying series of superhero-like tricks that I can’t explain but left me speechless”. And how can I go without mentioning the original Chump, Jeremy Townsend? I’ve hosted big events in my career, and it’s hard to be both front and back of house. I commend him for still putting skates on and competing. Jeremy hit a vertical wall stall to fakie, a Makio stall 6ft above the quarter on a tiny crack, multiple grind transfers over the channel, and attempted some of the biggest tricks with a McTwist Transfer, and Fakie 720 Misty Transfer, both to the vert wall.

After the Chump round, the crowd was so pumped it hardly mattered who won because everyone had been thoroughly entertained. But it would be remiss if I didn’t mention that pre-comp favorite Zack Savage took 1st place, deservedly in my opinion. Dustin Jamieson took 2nd, and Randy Juarez showed up for the Chumps in 3rd.

As the competition wound down, the party cranked up outside as people traded stories and shared their favorite moments over a beer or an All-In energy drink. Sadly, rain prevented an after-comp skate on the outdoor park. I left after helping with the cleanup, but if Instagram is to be believed, the party continued for hours after at Cowgirls Inc.
 
Blading was never about glory or prizes, at least to me. Blading is about friends, pushing yourself, and expressing yourself. At Beat the Chump, I saw people cementing friendships and reconnecting with old friends. Everyone who dropped in on that course found a way to push and express themselves.
 
Whatever the future holds for blading, I made the right decision to get on my blades and compete at Beat the Chump. I struggled to land tricks but gained respect from my friends for trying. My love of blading has deepened, and I’ve seen tricks that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thanks to Jeremy Townsend for organizing the event and if we had a date for the next Beat the Chump, I’d be adding my name straight on the list! — James Pratt

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Photos by Alannah H. @seattleshredders