Pow-Wow VIII was great. After landing back in San Diego we shot some questions over to Blake Taylor to get his thoughts on the event. Here’s what he had to say about his creation.

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Blake, the event has come and gone. What’s the most vivid memory in your head?
Honestly, it’s all a blur. For me Tuesday to Sunday morning was all smiles. However, Sunday afternoon? The crew’s not doing those anymore.



As you know, this was our first Pow-wow. How would you rate this one against previous outings?
This was easily the best Pow-wow. Years of planning finally fell into place and the event ran how it was supposed to. From the date, to camping, live music, the contest format. It created the festival-like atmosphere we’ve been striving for. Was it perfect? No. But we’re on the right track.



What kind of feedback did you get onsite and afterwards from attendees?
Ha, the feedback has been amazing. When pros, OGs, girlfriends, and sponsors email, tell you in person, or via a Facebook post, “best contest/weekend ever” it’s inspiring to start the push for next year and keep this ball rolling.



How did the Inline-X event work out?
The Inline-Cross was a success. We started the event with that division for a reason, and it kind of just set the tone for the rest of the weekend. It started out a bit rough because it was all new and the crew was unsure how to communicate, and the course was not clear to the racers, but once Kennan grabbed the mic we settled in a groove and the excitement took over. The bracket style format lead to some serious match-ups.

Next year, we’ll correct a lot of the technical issues we ran into this year, and upgrade the course markers. Oh, and more cowbell.



Planning an event is so hard — a lot of people don’t understand. Did any “emergencies” come up over the weekend that called for your special attention?

People don’t realize what really goes into the making an event. I’ve been full-time since late Jan ‘14. Frank, Jesse, Cameron and I prepared for seven days onsite, working until sundown. We were still working all the way up until 4pm on Friday at the start of the event. On top of that, Greg has been creating the branding. We were still understaffed. I knew we would be but I wasn’t expecting to be that over worked.

Friends that know me, know the depths of my passion for skating but it’s simply not possible to create this event on love alone anymore. It’s a job now, and we’ll be hiring.

Back to your question about emergencies? I don’t recall anything too dramatic. Pablo took a screw head to the hand but other than that you’d have to ask Jesse James. He’s the head of our safety dept.


Who do you think had the strongest #doyouevenpowwow experience? And I’m not sure you can count yourself in that answer. Ha ha.
We’ll if I’m off the table, that award goes to Jesse James & Ben Weis. #trashcan

What did you learn for next year?
We need a bigger staff. Did I say Pow-wow IX is hiring interns? Stay tuned to powwowproam.com for details.

Also, I think we need another day on the schedule, more side events, and an actual stage. We’re working on a Pro/Am Vert contest too. 



Anything else you wanna add?
Thanks you to the crew — Frankie Terranova, Greg Hartmann, Cameron McEachin, and Jesse James. Shout outs to the Emcees — Kennan Scott and Shane McClay. The Bands, DJs. And lastly my mom and aunt for running the booth.



All right man, well we’ll see you in 2015!

Photos by John Goez, JE, and Noah Zipser.