80ies Riot - Palace Open 2025

Even though it must be said that the Palace Open is more of a local event, the 80's Riot should also attract skateboarders from further afield. That would certainly have been the case if there hadn't been five other events on that first weekend of September 2025. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, there were two other highly attractive events: the German Championships in Mönchengladbach and the Own-It Festival in Düsseldorf. Nevertheless, in addition to the usual suspects from Münster, welcome guests such as Deo Katunga (from Berlin), Leo Döberlein (from Stuttgart), and Robian Fifield (from Groningen) made their way to the Westphalian metropolis. The guys had barely arrived at noon when it was time to get started – with an add-a-trick contest in the mini ramp.

Was there ever actually an “Add-a-Trick” contest, or was it just something people did for fun in the 80s? Either way, “Add-a-Trick” is basically like a game of skate in transition, with an “I pack my suitcase” character. In other words, there are always two starters in head-to-head mode, one performs a trick, which the second then has to imitate and top. This continues until one of them forgets what to do next or bails. The whole thing also has a bit to do with fairness, but there are also riders who can do a blunt blindfolded and others who can't do the trick at all. Ultimately, however, the whole thing was very entertaining, and that's what the event was all about.

After the mini ramp, we moved on to the adjacent street, where there were two jump ramp events in true 80s style. First up was “Cash for Tricks” with jump ramp airs of all kinds. Whether early grabs, ollie grabs, or kickflips, everything was allowed and already had many children watching in amazement from the sidewalk. However, things got really interesting with Highest Air. The guys from TITUS had built a high jump bar, and it was amazing how high some of the jumpers shot out of the jump ramp. Collin Kiel deserves special mention, jumping a full 1.80 meters with an early grab. Looking at the picture, it's clear that he could have gone another 10 cm higher, but even this height was very respectable. In between, a few flares were lit, and then it was Jan Rehring who took the highest air and thus the victory with a 2.10m ollie.

Finally, there were a few barrels to jump over, and a barrel jump is always an event that thrills young and old alike. However, jumping from board to board over the barrels is not exactly easy and becomes potentially more difficult with each additional barrel. Deo Katunga has already shown off his “flamingo fly tactic” at many a barrel jump event, winning with a jump over seven barrels. After about five hours, the 80's Riot was over and everyone enjoyed a few beers or something tasty to eat. Thanks to Konni Brock, who not only did a great job as MC, but also showed off a few tricks of his own in between. Thanks to all the spectators and, of course, all the skateboarders, from near and far. See you next year, maybe on a weekend without other events.