The Bro Bowl
Words: Marshall Dickson
Photos: Lance Robson, John X. DeMaio

In anticipation of Skatepark of Tampa’s 2008 Pro, I spent a Sunday afternoon hanging with 30 Yrs of Tampa Concrete director Troy Durrett, photographer Lance Robson & videographer John X. DeMaio, who are creating a documentary film about a local landmark: the Bro Bowl.  Legendary in skateboarding circles and internationally know from appearing in a Tony Hawk video game, the Bro Bowl is a unique landmark that is fun, free and welcoming to boarders of all ages and experience levels.  Sadly, there is a reason this movie is being made; the bowl is scheduled for destruction to make way for civic expansion.  A main artery out of downtown Tampa is being widened, and the bowl has to go.  There are plans to relocate & recreate the bowl in another area, but will it ever be the same?

REAX:  While other activists are trying to save the skateboarding Mecca in Perry Harvey Sr. Park affectionately known as “The Bro Bowl" from being destroyed, such as the now-defunct SavetheBroBowl.com and the Tony Hawk Foundation, what makes your effort unique and sets it apart from the other rescue missions?
Lance Robson:  All of us are fans of documentary journalism. Like any other art form, there is the good, the bad and the ugly.  And yes, like other art forms, I enjoy all the flavors to greater or lesser degrees, at any given time.  The plan is to finish with a punky-arty-NPR-ish film about a uniquely Tampa skate spot – sort of “Future Primitive” meets  “Crumb.” Anyway, we have the documentary mapped out, but there is plenty of room for getting stupid and creative with it.
John X. DeMaio:  Our idea for the documentary was to let the locals of Tampa tell the story of the bowl in their own words, including the guys from the Save The Bro Bowl organization and the city officials involved with "moving" the bowl.  We want to give everyone a voice and tell the entire story.  We’re simply there to document the events and tell the story of the Bro Bowl from past to present, and hopefully, future.

REAX:  Why are you so passionate about this place?  What makes it different from spending the day at a commercial skatepark or skating the streets in your neighborhood?
Troy Durrett:  It’s been a skate spot in Tampa for so long – before there were commercial skateparks. Of all the Tampa spots I’ve skated since I was a kid, the bowl is the one I continue to go back to. It’s a gravity drop, a pool, a ditch – it’s addictive!
JD:  This place is a community in and of itself.  No matter who or what you are, you are accepted at the bowl.  I was able to see that the first day I spent out here and I'm sure that by watching this film you'll be able to feel that same community spirit from thousands of miles away watching on the screen.

REAX:  What plans do you have for your documentary once it is edited and complete?
TD:  We are shooting and collecting for the rest of 2008, getting into post-production in 2009. We still have to see where the story goes. The bowl is alive and well, and should be for the rest of this year. I am hoping for a theatrical release, a run on Fuel TV, DVD, YouTube, bootlegs…etc. I would really like to tour a rough cut around to skateparks and screen it. That would be a blast to skate different parks, meet the locals, tour around like a band & get feedback, then make a final cut.
JD:  We are planning a film festival release before it makes it to television or cable.  I have some very close friends in the distribution and syndication industry and they are absolutely dying to have a look at this documentary.  Part of the appeal is the story, and the other is that we're shooting in High Definition. HD programming is a very hot commodity these days.

REAX:  Every great flick needs a greater soundtrack.  For a film so deeply seeped in the history of Tampa & Florida's skateboarding scene, are there plans to include music from the area and era?
TD:  Yes, the plan is to use all Tampa / St. Petersburg homegrown music. We have several long time friends that are still involved with music scene. We want to promote all the arts of the area, and the music scene here has always been killer.
LR:  So much good music has been produced in the area over the last quarter of a century.  There’s tons of variety and quality. Having been a record-selector almost as long I’ve been skating, I’m getting really amped about this part of the film. I can’t wait to discover all the great music lurking in the shadows, so if we don’t find you please find us.

REAX:  Each of you plays a unique role in bringing this story to the screen.  What brought you to the project, and what pulls you all together?
TD:  All three of us are producers, currently doing it on our own dime. I’ve been involved with visual production since high school. After working in the industry for several years, mostly as an editor, I’m ready to do my own production. Skateboarding is a huge part of my life, and once a skater, always a skater! It’s great to be able to mix my two passions. Lance and I have worked on productions and projects since the early 90s. We did a video called The Star Wars that has a cult following. I’ve known John since I moved to Orlando & he is very talented in all aspects – shooting, editing, and graphics. He is the man with the camera, the editing gear and the office. So, he is the man!
LR:  I designed the graphics and built the website for the documentary. I was looking for a project not overseen by a stupid client and I dove head first into it. Prior to doing web, I was a volunteer reporter for WMNF 88.5 here in Tampa. I produced my reports for about two years & spent about a year covering a high-profile trial birthed from the bogus War on Terrorism. That whole mess is still going on. Around that same time I was working on putting together an archive of a photojournalist and documenting his experiences. I credit that great working experience with renewing my interest in photography, which began with Star Wars trading cards and continued with 80s Thrasher, Transworld and Club Magazines. As far as the crew, I meet John recently, and he came highly recommended by Kevin Weber.  He became one of us after we got him on a skateboard again.  Troy is Troy.  He’s one of those unique individuals who make things look easy, especially with girls and jobs.

REAX:  Besides being a free and legal outlet for skateboarding and trick BMX biking, the bowl also supports an evolving and ever changing graffiti/street art collection. How will this element of the Bro Bowl be illustrated in the documentary?
LR:  The first couple minutes of every session are spent checking the new work. There’s some really cool stuff and some really juvenile stuff, but it’s all good. I try to photograph as much of it as I can, usually in black & white. A dream of mine is to have Gonz and Blender put down some paint down, but whether or not that ever happens, I hope new work will continue to grace the surface.
JD:  From day one, Troy and Lance were planning to have a 30-year celebration event at the bowl sometime this year.  The idea is to have artists completely paint the bowl and record the entire process.  I think graffiti art is a huge part of the culture and it further drives home the fact that the bowl is so many things to so many people.  It's a hang out for some; it's a skate park for others ; a few see it as a canvas, but all of them see it as a way of life.

brobowldoc.com