In just a few weeks, the hard work and determination of one man (well, one man and his team!) will transform the drainage canals of Albuquerque into a blade heaven. That man is Jeremy Morgan. The event is the Duke City Ditch Comp. And the date is April 18th. Last year’s champ, Josh Hayes, is on the injured reserve list following Pow-Wow, but he caught up with Jeremy to find out the latest on this year’s event and get some insight about just how much work it takes to bring it all together. Read on to learn more!

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What inspired you to come up with the idea for such a unique comp?
The actual idea for the contest came from a conversation I had with Adam Montoya, Mykel, Cody Lampman and Ian Walk one day after skating/filming in the ditches. Walk was actually the one who said “You should throw a comp here in Albuquerque!” I immediately responded with “A DITCH CONTEST!” The idea seemed great, but I didn’t really take it seriously at the time, just because I knew it would be a huge task to take on, and I’m usually very busy day-to-day as I’m married with three kids and two jobs. It’s sometime challenging just to find time to blade. However, the more the idea festered in my head the more I wanted to make it real. Next thing I knew I was hard at work trying to make it a reality.

Jeremy Morgan / BS Unity

Last year’s comp was incredibly fun. What will be new this year; are you making any changes?
We are having a BBQ food truck at the event which is new. They’ll have lots of BBQ and drinks for all those who get hungry/thirsty. It sounds like there will be more competitors, which always spices things up. There will be a “meet and greet” of some sort on Friday night like last year, though the location for that event has yet to be determined. We thought of changing the spot of the actual ditch contest, but we decided against that just because last year’s spot was so good to us. Although we do have a couple of backup locations just in case the law isn’t as friendly as last year. And we’ve got some new obstacles that we added this year!

Tell us about all the hard work that you put in to build the unique obstacles and plan the competition.
Oh, man. It’s a lot of work for me because of my lack of free time. I started planning this year just a few short months after the last comp. Just spreading the word, contacting sponsors, acquiring funds and material, that sort of stuff. I really got down to business after the new year, building obstacles and whatnot. The obstacles are challenging to build, but definitely something I enjoy. It’s fun to think of a unique thing to build and skate. I try to find the balance between do-able and crazy, so all the obstacles are challenging.

The amazing hand-carved trophies, and of course the cash, were what made everyone want to fight to place last year. Do you have something special for the skaters this year?
The trophies last year were hand-made by my incredibly talented amigo, Adam Montoya. He has definitely been my key co-conspirator in this whole venture. I really couldn’t have done this without his assistance. Unfortunately he is even busier than I, and he has been in especially high demand this year. I know he started on this year’s trophies after the last contest but I don’t know if he has or will have time to finish them before the comp. As for the cash it will be the same (about a grand total) as well as more product prizes, as we have more sponsors this year. I know GC sent out some BIG frames as well as some other goodies. Also Oak City, Razors, Rollerblade, Intuition, First and Lexington, Bakerized, and Sic Urethane, will all be sending product packages for the winners. So there will definitely be incentive to go big!

What does the future hold for the Duke City Ditch Comp?
Only time will tell, but I have hopes that it just gets bigger and bigger every year, with more competitors and more sponsors. It would be great to see it become a permanent staple in the blading community. As for now I just want everyone who shows up to have a blast shredding with the homies and enjoying all that the Duke City has to offer.

Want to donate to the cause and help these guys have the most kick-ass contest possible? Go to the donation site HERE!

Interview by Josh “Injured Reserve” Hayes
Photos by By Adam Montoya

Check out the action from 2014!