| Red Bull ‘Dala The City’ saw some of SA’s best skate crews session Pretoria’s most iconic spots this past weekend. Part skateboarding contest-with-a-difference, part celebration of the roots of street skating; Dala (dah-lah) meaning ‘do what you must’ featured crews from Cape Town,Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
In an all-for-one battle the crews put individual honours aside to ‘do what they must’ as a collective to win the city. Final bragging rights on the day went to Skate Society Soweto, one place higher on the podium than where they finished in 2018.
“Today was a really good day with the kids. We had some of the younger guys there and they were just sick on those obstacles,” said crew leader Sechaba “thebakersman” Teefu.
Teefu was full of praise for the format and what it means for showcasing South African core
community skate-crew culture, as the skate spots on offer in Pretoria. “Skating Pretoria is mellow – not nearly as hectic as Jozi – and there really are a lot of spots,” he said.
According to head judge Luke Jackson the standard on the day was really high all round, but SkateSociety Soweto produced the most consistent all-round performance on the day, with each of their skaters making the most of his allotted session times.
“It was really cool to see all the crews from around the country skate spots they never have before and adapting to them,” Jackson said. “To have an event of this magnitude on the streets of Pretoria is really good,” he added.
Skate Society Soweto didn’t have it all their own way however, as the unique event created the opportunity for eight prominent crews to meet one another and hang out on the streets together. Veg Squad came in a very close second, with Cape Town’s defending 2019 champions 20sk8 rounding out the podium.
The organic nature of the competition made for a high level of performance with all the crews shredding hard and enjoying the epic day out. “Having all the dudes here from around the country – all the old friends – was like a reunion of sorts. That was cool and we need that every once in a while,” said Pretoria skate legend Charl Stein.
Watch out for the video edit of the day’s action on Session Magazine, soon.
RESULTS:
1- Skate Society Soweto
2- Veg Squad
3- 20sk8
For more images go to www.redbullcontentpool.com.
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