Adrenalin Award Weekend Recap

When speaking to the Adrenalin guests, we asked if they had enjoyed themselves and the overwhelming reply was “yes”. The weekend started Friday, April 30 with a formal awards ceremony at the Doubletree Hotel in Wilmington, DE. Skaters arrived dressed and ready for an elegant evening of dining, dancing and the main event. They were escorted to their tables by Az1 and SkateGroove.com. The emcee for the evening was scheduled to be a return performance by Cocoa Brown but last minute travel problems left her stranded in Los Angeles and she could not make it. Cocoa contacted a fellow Comedian and friend, Cool Bubba Ice (New Jersey), who has also appeared on BET Comic View, to take her place. He filled the room with laughter from the beginning to the end of the ceremony. Since Cool Bubba Ice is not a skater, he was not familiar with everyone’s names so some of them proved to be quite a challenge. The one that should not have been a challenge was when he called Will and DeLow (Chicago) to present. He announced “And next to present the award for Best Steppers is Will Beard and De Wayne and Good Low”. We all had to laugh at that one. So when you see references on SkateGroove to De Wayne and Good Low, you know we are making fun of DeLow.

The ceremony started off with a brief introduction by SkateGroove.com, followed by a poetry reading by D-Breez (Chicago), a commentary on Adrenalin by Kevin Edmonds (Flint Roller Skating Association), and a gospel duet by singers DJ & Lisa (Delaware). The presenters were called to the podium where they were handed the envelope with the names of nominees listed on the outside and the winner enclosed. Skaters who presented the awards were either pre-selected during the year, chosen from the audience or chosen because they expressed a desire to be a presenter.

Chicago walked away with the majority of the awards with the Washington, D.C. area following close behind. Atlanta skaters, Joi Stafford and the Atlanta Hardwood Steppers took home awards as well. There were a couple of repeat winners in the same category. The 2003 and 2004 winners are: Rob Hunter for Favorite DJ , Chicago for City with the Most Unique Skate Style and the North & South Carolina Freestyle Rollers for Best Party of the Year. A list of 2004 winners and nominees is available for review.

There were twenty awards categories and this year, featuring an extra special award, the Bill Butler Adrenalin Award for Outstanding Achievement that was presented to Mr. Tyrone Dixon, producer to the Award Winning Documentary, “8 Wheels and Some Soul Brotha Music”. With Bill Butler’s commendation, Tyrone was selected to receive this award by Three-0-Two Entertainment and SkateGroove.com for the achievements he as made, bringing roller skating to the big screen.

Tyrone dedicated a few years and several thousand dollars to promoting free style roller skating with an emphasis on the African American skate scene. In 2003 he released his documentary to the skaters at the 8th Annual Labor Day Skate-A-Thon in Atlanta, GA. The film was well received by the skaters. Tyrone went on to enter the documentary in several Film Festivals nationwide, winning a first-place award in the Pan African Film Festival, the very same day of the Adrenalin Awards Skate Jam. Tyrone is currently working on other projects that will further fuel the reemergence of African American roller skating in the non-skating public eye.

After the ceremony, some stayed after to dance at the Stepper’s Set led by Chicago steppers DeLow and Roulene, while others either prepared to either shut down for the evening or head to the rink. The skating session that evening was a warm-up where music from each city was played, providing a little hometown flava for every skater.

The party started early Saturday when the hospitality suite opened at Champp’s Restaurant. Skaters came in to eat and congregate at the sports bar, located in the Concord Pike shopping mall. After they ate, they went right out the door, into the mall to do some tax-free shopping. Others headed on excursions to other parts of the city or even ventured out to Atlantic City to hit the casinos.

Chicago Skate Exhibition
Five O’Clock p.m. rolled around and the Chicago JB Skaters were ready. They had already peeped out the perfect spot for their afternoon outdoor parking lot festivities. They found an area of the hotel/mall parking lot with no traffic and plenty of room to get their roll on and practice for the Youth Skate Invitational later that evening. For the next two hours, all of the JB Skaters rolled to music played from their SUV and after seeing how much fun they were having Michigan decided to join in. I never thought I would ever see anyone attempt open house on concrete. I think Reggie needed a new set of Fomacs by the time it was over. Concrete and Fomacs don't mix, not if you want to roll smooth on them again.

Youth Skate Invitational

Take six hundred of Delaware and Philly’s young people under the age of 18, add Az1 of DC and the JB Skaters and you have a show. The Youth Skate Invitational was a real treat for both the children and the adults. Each year, as part of the Adrenalin Awards ceremony, we invite a different group of skaters to go to a regular family session at the Elsmere Skating Center to exhibit their style of skating so the children can get a glimpse of the diversity in freestyle skating. In 2003, the Easy Rollers (Columbus, OH) and Skatemasters USA (Kansas City, KS) displayed their talents for the children. This year, it was the JB Skaters (Chicago, IL) and Az1 (Washington, D.C.). Az1 came to the floor first, exhibiting the traditional style of DC Metro area skating with a special added touch of strobe lighting. They were followed by Chicago who really impressed the children with their Flying Nutcracker stunt. Photos of the Invitational can be found in Groove Cliques.

The Main Event

The vendors were ready, the food was ready and DJ Wiz was all set. The Adrenalin Skate Jam was on. The call for food came and you could see a large opening like the parting of the sea. There was a soul food buffet style meal readily awaiting, served by Nikki, Linda (Wizards on Wheels), G-Man and the Elsmere Staff. People ate, and ate, and ate until all of the food was consumed.

Roll Call
DJ Wiz rocked the wheels of steal from midnight to five in the morning. The floor was smooth as silk and the rink was immaculate, giving the skaters the perfect environment for a night of enjoyment. Among the guest list were skaters from Charlotte, NC, Columbia SC, New York, Chicago, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Kansas City, MO, New Jersey, Philly, Ohio, Atlanta, Alabama, Flint, Detroit and the host city, Wilmington, DE.

Overall, it was a great weekend of networking, bowling, tax-free shopping, eating and skating. We look forward to seeing everyone next year.

MIND, BODY AND ROLL

Adrenalin 2004 Issue