Earlier this year, some of the best skateboarders from around the world gathered at the Skatepark of Tampa in Florida. They all took part in the 26th annual Tampa Pro and first annual Tampa Women’s Open contests. The 2020 Tampa Pro officially began on February 28th, with the finals taking place on the first of March, 2020. 

It’s safe to say it was an incredible weekend for all the riders. Just take a look at some of the events that were held and the awards that were given out!

• Women’s Open Finals
• Men’s Street Finals
• Mob G For Effort Award
• Bronson Speed Killer Award
• Zumiez Destroyer Award
• Independent Best Trick Contest
• 2020 Converse Concrete Jam
• 2020 Converse Concrete Jam Best Trick Contests

In addition to all of that madness, we’ll reveal the identity of the only skateboarder powerful enough to be awarded something special. Yes, this skateboarder was dubbed the 2020 Tampa Pro Bromander-In-Chief. So continue reading to check it out!

History of the Tampa Pro

Before we jump into the results, let’s take a look at the history of this legendary event. The Skatepark of Tampa, where these contests take place, opened on January 2, 1993. The first Tampa Pro contest was held April 1st, 1995.

Mike Vallely took home the win in the street division and Danny Way won first place in the Vert Division. Every year since then, Professional and Amateur skateboarders alike have been coming together to compete. This skatepark and these contests are legendary, and every skater is there to push themselves and the sport forward.

The format is much like other skate contests. Skaters have to go through a Qualifier round, with 2 one-minute runs. The top 2 qualifiers get a Straight Shot to Finals. From 3rd to 30th place move up to the Semi -Finals, with 2 skaters going The Semi-Finalists each get another 2 one-minute sessions. The top 10 move on up to the Finals. The finals consist of 12 skaters, each getting 3 one-minute runs to battle for the gold.

As a disclosure, the 2020 Tampa Pro is NOT an Olympic Qualifying Event. This means their score does not affect their position in qualifying for the Olympics. However, many skaters here are on the path to the Olympics.

Now, let’s get into this year’s contest. Here is the recap of the 2020 Tampa Pro.

The 2020 Women’s Open Finals 

1. Samarria Brevard from Riverside, CA
2. Hina Maeda from Himeji, Japan
3. Margielyn Arda Didal from Cebu City, Philippines
4. Gabriela Mazetto from Sao Paulo, Brazil
5. Yumeka Oda from Nagoya, Japan. 

And here are the winners:

• 1st Place: Hina Maeda
• 2nd Place: Yumeka Oda
• 3rd Place: Margielyn Arda Didal

These skateboarders put in some serious work in the finals, leaving everyone thoroughly impressed. Let’s take a look at the winning runs from this contest!

Hina Maeda’s Winning Run

Hina Maeda started her sixty-second winning run with a frontside boardslide on a bump-to-bar. She followed up with a frontside 50-50 grind down a hubba ledge. Next, she locked in a solid frontside smith grind on a quarter pipe and a huge feeble grind down a handrail.

Going into a bump to ledge, Maeda stunned the crowd with a perfect kickflip backside 50-50 grind. With 30 seconds left, she stomped a nice kickflip over the bump to bump. Then, set back up at the top of a nearby quarter pipe. Want to see what she finished with? Watch the video below.

Congratulations to Hina Maeda and every other women skater that was there. Our team over here at Braille is rooting for all of you. Thank you for continuing to push the skateboarding world even further!

The 2020 Tampa Pro Men’s Street Finals

Here are the 12 skaters that made it all the way to the Finals.

1. Angelo Caro from Lima, Peru
2. Ishod Wair from Bordentown, NJ
3. Shane O’Neill from Melbourne, Australia
4. Dashawn Jordan from Chandler, AZ
5. Maurio Mccoy from Reading, PA
6. Manny Santiago from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
7. Carlos Ribeiro from Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
8. Luan Oliveira from Porto Alegre, Brazil
9. Alex Midler from Los Angeles, CA
10. Mason Silva from Manhattan Beach, CA
11. Kelvin Hoefler from Sao Paulo, Brazil
12. Nyjah Huston from Laguna Beach, CA

And here are the winners:

• 1st Place: Nyjah Huston
• 2nd Place: Shane O’Neill
• 3rd Place: Ishod Wair

This years finals were absolutely bonkers and you’ve gotta see it to believe it. We’ll walk you through the winning run below just to give you an idea of how crazy this contest was.

Nyjah Huston’s Winning Run

It was Nyjah Huston’s first run that earned him his contest-winning score of 92.13. But this is one you really have to see to appreciate. Watch his winning run below.

With a performance like this, we can’t wait to see what Nyjah can throw down at the upcoming Olympics!

Alright, we get it. You want to know who the 2020 Tampa Pro Bromander-In-Chief is. We’ll get to that soon, but first let’s go over the craziness that was the 2020 Tampa Pro – Independent Best Trick Contest.

2020 Tampa Pro – Independent Best Trick Contest

Nyjah Huston came out on top, landing multiple bangers during the contest. Most notably, Nyjah landed a kickflip backside smith grind, a gap kickflip backside noseblunt, and a kickflip backside tailslide bigspin.

In second place was Angelo Caro from Lima, Peru. Angelo landed a gap 360 flip noseblunt, and an even bigger gap 360 flip lipslide. Last but certainly not least, Jamie Foy took home third place in the Independent Best Trick contest for his beautiful gap frontside crooked grind.

Who is the Bromander-In-Chief?

At last, the moment you’ve been waiting for. The great reveal… The 2020 Tampa Pro Bromander-In-Chief is none other than… Braille’s favorite Canadian, Andy Anderson! I mean really, who else is worthy of such a prestigious title?

On top of the high-level skateboarding and classic Andy Anderson style he brought to the Tampa Pro Contest (as seen below), Andy Anderson was given the title of 2020 Tampa Pro Bromander-In-Chief by Boards for Bros.

Founded in 2006, Boards for Bros collects and refurbishes skateboards to redistribute back into the skate community for kids who can’t afford their own. Boards for Bros explained why they picked Andy in an Instagram Post:

“We were thrilled to name Andy Anderson our 2020 Tampa Pro Bromander-In-Chief. Andy’s pure and deep love of skateboarding and respect he has for his fans is inspiring. He is kind and patient with the kids and everyone who wants an autograph or a selfie. His creativity and ability is mind-blowing. He was this year’s unanimous choice.”

Braille Skateboarding couldn’t be more proud of Andy, and we urge you all to follow Boards for Bros on social media!

What did Braille Skateboarding think of the 2020 Tampa Pro?

Honestly, we are still picking our jaws up from the floor. Check out all the highlights on Skatepark of Tampa’s Youtube Channel and see it all for yourself. As expected, this year’s Tampa Pro was wild. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next year.

Braille Skateboarding can’t help but think of the upcoming Olympics. After witnessing this contest, we know everyone will be in for a treat at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where skateboarding will finally make its debut! Though most of us will simply be watching the Olympics, Braille Skateboarding knows that some of you dream of competing at the Olympics one day.

Well, we can help you achieve that dream! Check out Skateboarding Made Simple in our Online Shop. It’s the most detailed lesson plan for skateboarding in existence, and you will surely improve your skills after watching and studying our SMS tutorials. With 9 different volumes, you’ll go from learning how to ride on a board, to skating skateparks and landing more advanced flat-ground tricks…FIRST TRY! Now get out there and skate!

Feature Image Credit: Monster Energy