Where did Blake Taylor come from?

My blading days were born in northeast Ohio, Akron (Norka) to be exact. My folks moved down to Pensacola, Florida when I graduated high school. Not really having any post high school plans, I was soon to follow. In between this transition, there was a six month stint when you (JE) and I roomed together in Akron. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t ready to be the only 18-year-old in a house full of 20-somethings.

I now live in Tallahassee, Florida. I work full-time as an insurance sales rep.,and just got engaged last fall. My mid-20s almost ended my skating days because it kept getting lower and lower on my list of priorities. It’s funny how graduating college allowed me to put my focus back into skating. I now skate pretty frequently, like 3-5 times a week. I would say that at almost 30 years old, I am better than I have ever been, and am actually peaking again.

I know you’ve been blading forever. I’ll get off topic for a second with this: Best set up you ever skated?

Every time I get a new pair of skates, they are the “best set-up” I’ve had. When purchasing a skate I am more concerned about fit than anything. I truly believe a skate is a skate, some just have subtle differences. None makes me better than the other.

Lately, I’ve been into the whole aftermarket parts things, and clashing colors. I currently skate the REMZ OS2s, turquoise soul plates, white GC featherlites, JUG argyle v-cuts, over an anti-rocker set-up(this week). My skates gotta be fresh, so I’ve always got bearings, frames, wheels, etc… I think I bought four sets of wheels at the BCSD and didn’t need any of them. I just like being able to try different brands out.

Other than your own event, what is the best event experience you’ve had as a blader?

There have been so many good times throughout the umpteen years I’ve been on the blades. If I had to pinpoint just one though, it would be attending the first-ever ASA that was held in Chicago. That’s the fuel that has lit my fire all these years. Magical times really. It was right after the first X-Games. I was 14, on my own in Chicago. I could only frontside at the time, I had never skated ramps (let alone a skate park), but somehow managed 3rd

place in the beginner division (won some Euro Funk gear that I still have). The NSGA tradeshow was that weekend and the K2 and Oxygen skates were introduced. “Hoax 2” premiered. The pros really were rockstars in those days. I could go on for days about that weekend. So much went down.

What would you say makes your event special?

The Pow-wow is organized chaos. I realize that so much goes on at events, and everyone has their own little cliques. However, none of them do the same thing. Some go out to this bar, some go to that bar, some party at the hotel, etc… The Pow-wow tries to embrace everyone’s individual needs, but at the same time bring them all together. I formulate ideas, some good, some bad. Some work, some don’t. I try to make it much more than just a skate contest. I like to do an official after party. In the past it’s been a kegger at a ramdon house in Tally (We went through seven kegs at the second.

Each Pow-wow has been so different because I like to change it up. Doing the same thing year in, year out becomes stagnant, and I think has been the downfall of other major events. I know I’m doing something right when I see other more established events using ideas from the Pow-wow. It’s flattering actually. This year in Pensacola, I’m stepping it up with two after parties at actual bars. Friday night the after party will be at the bar in the same complex as the skate park where we’ll premier Footage Tape #3 (+21 and up). The Award Ceremony will be held Saturday after the contest at this beach bar (all ages welcome) where we will announce the winners. This has become a tradition—to not announce the winner until late into the evening at the after party. I am actually planning to do a type of award show this year that will have Aaron “Pinky” Entsminger doing his stand up comedy. It should be interesting.

How about judging and format; how does that work?

Funny you ask. I am always experimenting with different formats and judging techniques. This Pow-wow will be no different. The qualifying rounds will be your typical jam session format. I found that’s the best way to weed out the riff raff. For the finals of the Pro and Am division, I’m gonna switch it up and present a format that has never been used in any skating event. I’m calling it a slo-jam.

After the BCSD debacle, it couldn’t come at a better time. I don’t want to go too in-depth about it, but there will be a “formula” to win the Pow-wow. The format will have a beginning (and more importantly, a definite end), a complex scoring system, six carefully selected judges, and a definite winner based on points. I know it sounds a bit too structured the way it is presented, but it’s supposed to. Trust me, though the “formula to win the Pow-wow” won’t be easy, it’s set up so the competitors will know what will be expected of them, and how many chances they will have to accomplish it. My judges and I have been simulating contests, and applying the format, so hopefully there are no holes. If it sucks, then we just go back to old jam session format.

Who are your judges?

As I said before, I have carefully picked my judges. I don’t want any judges with company affiliation. I want them to be skaters, or involved with skating for over 10 years, and I try to get a wide variety of personalities that represent different aspects of skating.

As of now I am two judges short. So if your meet this criteria, and would like to be on the judges panel, contact me. As of now, my head judge is Greg Hartmann, filmer/photographer out of Miami. I’ve worked with him the most on the new format, so he understands all the ins and outs. Joining him will be “no use for an introduction” Charles Dunkle, “internet drama queen” Rob Squire, and “everyone’s best friend” Dennis Illingworth. All very experienced, and tenured skaters.

Hypothetical: I walk in with a check for $20k to sponsor your event; what do you do with that money to blow the Pow Wow up?

With $20k I could do a lot. Every event I’ve broken even, and it looks like a possibility to be in the green this year. So $20k would be a huge boost to what is already being done. I would put $10k towards the prize pool, $8k to building metal obstacles that could be broken down and transported easily, and pocket $2k. I feel I’ve worked hard enough to deserve 10%.

Worst memory from a Pow Wow?

The worst Pow-wow memory would be the inebriated spectator falling off a quarter pipe railing. It could’ve been so much worse than it was, but my worst nightmare came true. I’m not glad it happened, but at least it happened to one of us, and that was the end of it. If it was an “outsider,” who knows what would’ve happened. Hindsight is always 20/20, but it could’ve easily been prevented. Keep your boys in check, especially on someone else’s time.

Best?

The best Pow-wow moment for me would’ve been during the award presenting of the second event. Everyone one was anxiously awaiting the results. I was about to announce the winners, and everyone just started to chant my name, over and over. I had to wait until the crowd silenced in order to announce Montre as the winner. It really meant a lot to me, and made me feel appreciated.

What’s on the agenda for this year? We know you had the qualifiers this year; how will that impact the main event?

The qualifier event was a huge success, attracting just as many in attendance as any other Pow-wow. It was just one of those things that kind of snow balled. It started as a not so serious event. It was just a way to get everyone together at a park with a beer and wine license. More of a party than anything. Then I got word that the Pow-wow was going to be a 5-star WRS event. So I figured what a great way to cross-promote the events by connecting them. The qualifier awarded five ams with an automatic bid to the Pow-wow pro event. No having to qualify the day of.

There will also be five more ams that will qualify at the Pow-wow. So 10 ams in total will compete in the pro event. I think the entire format of both the am and pro event are going to be great. I’m hoping it’s going to be another one of my ideas that catches on and other events start using it.

Top three reasons people should come out to Pow-wow?

1)Hotel Parties suck 2)The Beach this year 3) Nobody gets down like the Dirty South

Who do you need/want to thank, or care to espouse and last words?

There are too many to name. So not leaving anyone out, I want to thank everyone that has anything to do with the event.

All right, thanks Blake. Best of luck with the event.

— ONE