DIY Riot 2018

Around 16:00, skaters and spectators began arriving to the parking lot bowl and the atmosphere was quickly that of a festival. With warm summer temperatures and beer flowing by the tap, we were getting ready for a hell of a night! Manuel Schmieder from Vans brought along his team riders Joscha Aicher, Jan Hoffmann and Max Pack. Daniel Beck arrived together with Alex Ullmann from Frankfurt, Tim Rebensdorf aka “Eumel Tim” from Stuttgart, Tom Tieste from Bremen and Lenni Janssen, Björn Klotz, Antoni Zeyer and Deo Katunga held down the “Ruhr Region” of Germany. The local Münster bowl shredders were of course with us and we welcomed our close friend Rob Roulaux from the Netherlands as the event announcer, whose Dutch accent just added to the fun of the night!

We started in the Bowl with "Cash for Tricks" and it’s always interesting to see how Lenni Janssen gets better from year to year. Lenni has been with us for every DIY Riot so far so he knows every corner of the bowl like the back of his hand. This is the only explanation for how he can blast such huge airs out of the tight transition of the bowl. Antoni Zeyer was back from last year and you can already see a bright future ahead of him. I have rarely seen such a fearless young skater who simply tries everything that seems possible and doesn't shy away from a slam – especially without pads! Tom Tieste flew through the bowl and Joscha Aicher brought some new lip tricks from Munich. After a gnarly bowl sesh, we decided it was time to take it to the side street for the next event.

On the way to the side street, it was the perfect opportunity to grab an original “Vans” waffle to eat or a beer provided by the kegs from Finne Brewery. Finne not only provided us with tons of delicious beer, but also empty barrels, which were now lined up in the street for the next event. We started with 3 barrels, but quickly the number had doubled. You could pretty quickly see what amount of barrels was relatively easy to jump, so one barrel after the other was added. Titus CEO Julius managed to jump 9 barrels, already one more barrel than last year's winner Max Pack! However, it soon became clear that there would be a new record this year. Deo Katunga and Alex Ullmann soon started a (friendly) battle to up the ante and the spectators went completely crazy. 13 barrels seemed impossible, but both Deo Katunga and Alex Ullmann landed it...first try! But after just one more barrel, Deo bailed and we weren’t sure if it was possible for either skater to land it. Deo gave it three tries before Alex landed an incredible, high-speed 14 barrel jump. The crowd went uncontrollably wild while Deo and Alex called it quits together, making Alex the barrel jump champ of the event.

Next on the agenda was a “death race” back in the bowl. Like last year, this involved the skaters racing around a series of cones set up inside the bowl, competing for the fastest lap. Christian Krause took the win, closely followed by Lenni Janssen and Eumel Tim. Daniel Beck also dropped in for a run, but was just a few hundredths of a second short from fastest lap. We took the cones out and continued with a session on a “bar ledge”, literally designed to look like a bar, complete with beer and liquor bottles inside. Eumel Tim went above and beyond with a Frontside Wallbash on the wall behind the bar (which just happens to be the outside wall of Julius’ living room/house!). This was another first of the night, as no one had even dared to try this without the bar set-up in the way. Mad Props Tim!

In the end, we can only give our greatest thanks to everyone involved in the event. Especially Nico Asselmann and all the Titus crew, Manuel Schmieder von Vans, 24/7 distribution for the many prizes, and Finne Brauerei for the beer. Also a special thanks to our Dutch friend Rob Roulaux, who provided the best possible atmosphere with his unmistakable accent on the microphone! Last but not least, a huge "thank you" to all the skaters who made the event what it was. Next year it will be the 5^th anniversary of the event, so get ready for what’s to come!