Most of the time in skateboarding events happen because of a product launch, a video premiere or as the continuation of a festival ala CPH open. For this event, we wanted to create 2 pieces that clicked together like lego but would still stand up as separate entities. We teamed up with adidas Skateboarding to present you “JUS KICKIN IT”
All photos by Daan Dam.
Text by Roland Hoogwater.
PIECE 1:
The first piece was this video by Nizan Kasper in which skateboarding and table soccer were connected. The idea being that we as skaters often frequent bars and participate in barroom activities for fun. We found a table soccer bar called “Kickerbar Platzwart” were we could one, record our table soccer adventures and secondly host our event.
PIECE 2:
Our second piece was our first table soccer invitational tournament. We invited some of Berlin’s finest last Saturday, December the 15th, to join us and play in our 16 team – Two VS Two style – tournament. People were excited and thus showed up in high spirits hoping to win the 300€ “winner takes all” prize purse home with them.
The tournament started with all the teams being divided into 4 different groups, like in a world cup every one in the pool played each other which would culminate in the top 2 moving on into the KO phase of the tournament. Hopes were high but so were the skillsets between the teams, certain people found out right away where they stood where others fought to stay in the tournament with mixed results.
At the end of the first KO round we were left with the 4 best teams that then battled it out in the semi-finals: Team Lensing VS Max Obert & Eric Erhardt and Paul Röhrs & Finn VS Sascha Scharf & Philipp Oehmige. Needless to say, the games got more intense, hands got sweaty and nerves got tested as the money got closer to the winner’s pockets.
The finals ended up being the best versus the best, Team Lensing played Paul Röhrs & Finn the number 1 and 2 of their respective groups. Paul and Finn had beaten Team Lensing in the group phase and as such, they were feeling confident as the finals approached. On the other side of the table, Team Lensing was hungry and focused on winning not only to win the money but also because they wanted to restore their damaged pride.
In the end, Team Lensing got their revenge and beat their competitors 6:0 in a long and hard-fought final game. Both teams shook hands and agreed that the score did not represent the level of competition in the finals but the right team had come out on top.
Radio Baws and Kreuzberg local Arne Krüger then took everybody outside for the ceremonial champaign money shot!
What is left to be said? First off, Thank you to adidas Skatebarding for the continued support!
Platzwart Kickerbar and Mirco in particular for helping us before, during and after the event!
Arne Krüger (announcer) and Daan Dam (photographer) for covering the event together with us.
And last but not the teams and the crowd for showing up and giving your all. We hope to welcome you again for our next tournament in 2019!