Tom Coley-Sowry / 360 Top Soul to Fakie on the very high sub box.

Held in Adelaide, South Australia on April 17, the 2010 Australian Rolling Open wasn’t the international superstar showcase that we saw in ’09. In fact, some of our local stars weren’t present or competing. We did see the return of Gavin Drumm to the podium after having been out of the game for 18 months from knee surgery in ’08, and it did see the continuing rise of New Zealand’s Danny Jensen, whose stunts continue to change what we think is humanly possible on skates.

Danny Jensen does Wall Ride to AO Top Acid on the sub box. / Photo by Dale Travers

Danny Jensen’s massive 4m Disaster Kind Grind. / Photo by Jarred Pope

Having made an impression as a tourist at the national event some five years ago at the same skatepark, Danny wasn’t going to be overshadowed by the likes of then-champions Josh Clarke and Blake Dennis again, and without present day Aussie exports CJ Wellsmore and Rian Arnold competing, the door was wide open for Danny, now making Australia his home, who wanted to roll through it more than anyone. The guy goes big as you may well have seen in his numerous edits and DVD appearances. He was tipped to do better than he did at last year’s A.R.O., so it was great to see him hold it together on the day this time round, earning himself the first prize of an airfare to North America to a WRS event of his choice, the same award that saw CJ go to America in 2008. We wish Danny the same success that CJ had.

Robbie Pitts, definitely an innovator and stylist, riding AM for Valo.

Chris Pullar on the mic with Brad Watson to his left. / Photo by Dale Travers

It’s not a real Aussie comp without a barbeque. / Photo by Jarred Pope

Gav Drumm earned himself a few hundred dollars for his second place finish, lacing tricks all day with the creativity and ability everyone watching wished they had, as is illustrated in his INRI edit recently released online. That edit featured footage shot entirely prior to his August ’08 knee injury. Having had his own success in the USA some years ago, making Hoedown finals and winning a contest at Woodward West, Gav is back and you should all expect to see more from this dude who has more love for rolling and for his local scene than most.

Hayden Golder got through to the finals with his massive disaster tricks like this disaster Top Acid. / Photo by Dale Travers

Ben Granero with True Top Soyale on the coping. / Photo by Dale Travers

Third place Brock Midgley must be mentioned, he’s been around a long time with various successes in Oz, having much respect from his peers, particularly for his style which many compare to the likes of Aussie legend of the past Ian Brown, who Brock grew up skating with in their town of Wodonga. Australia’s a massive place, and getting between major cities usually involves a plane trip, and Brock was tossing up whether or not to make the journey — we’re all glad he did.

Johnny Jensen getting up to a Soul on the fence from the quarter. He was trying 360 onto this in the finals despite him hardly being able to walk 5 minutes before the jam! / Photo by Dale Travers

Jenny Logue, Top Acid, representing the only female competitor, but there are a lot of girls training under her wing!

In other news, the field for the Under 18 category was larger than expected, a trend we all hope continues. When the contest is in one capital city and the top three are from three other capital cities, you know you’ve got some committed kids in your scene. The winner was Tom Coley-Sowry, he’s 15 and getting some coverage for good reason. You’ll see more of him soon, too. And so ends the big day for another year.

Top 3 ARO Under 18 Division 2010: Robert Kellet, Tom Coley-Sowry, Paulie Haack (left to right). / Photo by Jarred Pope

Top 3 ARO Open Division 2010: Gavin Drumm, Danny Jensen, Brock Midgley (left to right). / Photo by Jarred Pope

We’re such a vast land and it’s this one contest that unites the entire scene. It keeps the excitement for Australian rolling alive across the country, with the core members in attendance each year all doing their part for either event organization, media coverage to show to their crew back home, actually competing, or simply coming along to roll around with the homies they haven’t seen in twelve months. In doing so, they all bear witness to the biggest contest of the year, experience the excitement first-hand, and see the stunts with their own eyes. We all know, there’s nothing like actually being at the contest. — Chris Pullar