In The Know: Bitter Cold Showdown

The 9th annual Bitter Cold Showdown is soon approaching and is shaping up to be more exciting than ever. This year the event will be making the move to Modern Skate Park in Royal Oak, MI. Modern Skate Park is a newly built facility that offers some of the best obstacles in the Midwest for rollerbladers along with plenty of space for the Official Industry Trade Show. After the event the "Jack Be Nimble" premiere will take place at the Royal Oak Main Art Theater in Downtown Royal Oak. This much anticipated rollerblading film recently won Best Documentary at the Illinois International Film Festival.

Once again, all competitors must register for the event online at www.bittercoldshowdown.com. While on the website be sure to vote for who you think this years champion will be, check out trailers for all the videos that will premiere at the event, look at photos of the new host park along with tons of media from past events.

The Bitter Cold Showdown is completely organized by rollerbladers, for rollerbladers and supported by the rollerblading community. At a time when there seems to be less and less support for rollerblading we will continue to do everything we can to bring rollerbladers together and help strengthen and grow the rollerblading community.


Freddy White: How cool was it to have a Frenchman fly all over the Ocean to attend the '08 event, and why wasn't my picture taken and my interview recorded since I'm a lot cooler than Erik Stockley???

dk: I am always excited when bladers decide to cross the ocean for the event. The international attendance at the event is not nearly as strong as I would like it to be. This year there will be another Frenchman coming over, Roman Abrate, and some South Africans will be making the trip as well. And I apologize but nothing can be cooler than Mr. Stockley's shagtastic hairdo.

Hoch: How long will it take for the local Police, EMS and/or Fire Department's show up this year?

dk: Ha. Not funny. No matter how much you plan, when you have 1000 rollerbladers in one facility I have learned that inevitably some sort of emergency organization will be contacted. It is like the bat signal or something.

Mbrols: Why this new skatepark?

dk: Thank you for this question. I have been surprised that there has not been more discussion about this. There are a lot of reasons for the switch but the main reason is that the area used at The Flow for the trade show is up for rent. Meaning that everything could be in place for the event and the landlord could decide to rent out the space at the last minute and we would be left with no room for the trade show. However, there are many advantages to moving the event to Modern Skate Park. It is a brand new facility, with many obstacles that were heavily influenced by rollerbladers. Also it's in Detroit, which is a city that has a great rollerblading history and current scene. For these reasons and a lot of other behind the scenes stuff I am really excited about Modern Skate Park.

Mbrols: Who's YOUR prediction for winner?

dk: I think the poll on the website has it right. Chris Haffey.



Mbrols: Will you indeed where your trademark blazer and hoodie?

dk: Meh. I don't know about that.

ap_muh_fuckaz: Is there gonna be a best trick?

dk: Yes, there will be a best trick. As of right now, no company has come forward to offer the funds for the best trick, but it will be rewarded.

gRANT: Why are you so awesome?

dk: Anyone that really knows me, knows how un-awesome I truly am.

gRANT: Other than some crazy love of rollerblading what gives you the ambition/conviction to keep organizing this event?

dk: Wow. Deep question. I do really love rollerblading but to go along with that I am what you could call a "workaholic." I don't really feel settled unless I am working on improving or developing something. This can often get in the way of what some would call a social life. Which leads me to my next point. On top of that, I am pretty introverted. Most of the time, I would much rather be by myself, or with my girlfriend, than in any sort of larger social setting. All of this along with the question below is what drives me I guess.

BlackGold: My question is, how much of my $$$ am I going to drop at the tradeshow?

dk: You sir, are my main motivation for the event. Yes, you. Knowing how much of a financial boost that the trade show offers every company involved and how excited every rollerblader in attendance is to provide that boost, a.k.a. get shit cheap, is truly the driving force behind the event.

gatsby: i dont know if your associated with any other skate companies. if not, any plans in the works? if no skating involved business plans, are you starting any other business endeavours?? you seem like the entrepreneur type

dk: I don't know if many have made the connection but I edited "Blood, Pride & True" last year for Sixwonsix and am now Online Marketing Manager for Integrated Distribution. So anything you see online from Integrated I have either posted, designed, edited, encoded or all of the above. I would not consider any of these "business plans" and really think of myself as a terrible businessman; just someone who likes to be involved in a lot and get shit done.



Hoch: Other than organizing the Bittercold Showdown what else did you work on in 2008? What will you be busy working on in 2009?

dk: Like I mentioned above in 2008 I completed "Blood, Pride & True" and watched it sell out in 6 months. After that I moved from my home in Indiana to Madison, Wisconsin with my girlfriend and got a new job at a larger video production company as a video editor. I just finished a Super Bowl commercial and have been working on a lot of other great stuff. All on top of any involvement I have with rollerblading.

In 2009, I will complete the Bitter Cold Showdown 2009 DVD, continue working with Integrated Distribution, blade as much as I can in my new city and work my ass off at the 9-5 because it pays off. Once again, working your ass off at anything does actually pay off.

Bassimastprime: Watermelons, oranges, or apples?

dk: Be-nanas.

StephenDurasa: Do you know what they are going to do with the huge crowd?

dk: Thank you for asking this question. First of all, I would like for everyone to understand that there is no "they" (host facility) involved when it comes to almost every aspect of BCSD. BCSD rents the host facility and it is up to us to control the crowd. Modern Skate Park will be providing their staff to handle admissions, some equipment and the space for the event. Anything outside of this is our responsibility.

What we plan on doing with the large crowd is the same thing we do every year. Tell everyone to get out of the way and watch everyone stand around in a stupor.

StephenDurasa: Are they going to keep EVERYONE thats not skating BEHIND the fenced in area of the park???

dk: We are not planning on keeping everyone behind the fenced in area of the park. This area will provide excellent overflow for any attendees that would like to stay out of the direct action of the event. We will be taking steps to ensure that this area is best utilized for spectators.

For those that do want to be within the direct action of the event the layout of Modern Skate Park provides much more deck space and viewing areas with an obstructed view of the entire course than in years past. These areas are also on top of ramps that will not be utilized during the competition and will not disrupt any competitors. Like usual we are hoping for the best but are expecting the worst.



StephenDurasa: They are quite strict there, and they are 100% HELMET nazis, have you spoken to george or his wife about the normally "Laid back" atmosphere that usually comes with BCSD?

dk: BCSD has the same helmet and waiver policy every year and it will be enforced equally this year. My apologies for not directly answering your question but for many reasons you must read between the lines on this one.

Alex Coe: I wonder, what are your priorities in setting up this event. There are such things to think about as availability for people to get there, how the park is able to be skated, where the tradeshow will go, where the fans will go. How to advertise for it, and whatnot. What do you think is most important to the event and what gets put on the back burner. What does the ideal event look like? How do you want me to behave, inebriated or not?

dk: My priorities for the event are first and foremost the trade show. The trade show makes this event possible as well as provides the most benefit to rollerblading as a whole. When choosing a host facility this is the first priority. The next priority is the overall size of the skate park. Not the ramps or the obstacles but simply the size. Next is the willingness and or capability of the host facility to work with us. After these main priorities are considered we are only left with very few options in the Midwest.

gatsby: which BCSD was the best, in your opinion, so far?

dk: The two best events so far were in 2008 and 2001. The first event in 2001 was amazing for so many reasons. Mostly due to the fact that the turnout and level of skating was entirely unexpected. In 2008, it was Shima and the overall level of blading from everyone else. Absolutely amazing and very exciting. I hate seeing a start rail contest and last year could not of been any further from that.

Boris from Russia: Do you love this picture?



dk: Yes, except for the douche in the middle. The dude on the right in the black hat is pretty cool.

Boris from Russia: How does it feel to organize the biggest gay fest in the world?

dk: It feels sausagey. How else can you describe a 100 to 1 guy to girl ratio?

SilentAssassin: What do you think about moving bittercold to the northeast ? Somewhere like Woodward, X-Dreams, Rye Airfield, Borderline..etc?

dk: Maybe but probably not. 90% of attendees drive to the event and having it in the Midwest places it somewhat centrally between the near west, east coast and south. Also, I live in the Midwest and logistically it would be an absolute nightmare for me to organize BCSD anywhere but the Midwest.

emmett pope: Do you really feel it was necessary to ban Roger Langley from the event?

dk: Unequivocally yes. Keep in mind that we have had many embarrassing incidents at BCSD involving individuals that have shown enormous amounts of disrespect with their actions. However, no one has come close to showing the amount of disrespect that Roger Langley displayed.

denialchild45: How has wisconsin been treating you? You and I both can say it has honestly been "bittercold" this week with these -30 temperatures

dk: Wisconsin has been great so far for a lot or reasons. Job, food, cheese, beer, apartment, etc. Rollerblading has been great too. 4 Seasons in Madison has been OK during this frigidly cold winter. But when it was nice I've really been overwhelmed with how many bladers are here. Good times. Can't wait to blade more with everyone in the spring.

Mr. Floyd: Why are you the nicest person alive? I mean really. I dont think I've ever seen you be angry. How do you do it under all the stress?

dk: I am far from the nicest person alive but yeah, I don't think I really get angry like the Hulk or some shit. I actually work better under stress and the more stress I am under the better I work so that helps. To vent I am just a really sarcastic ass. See below. Then with some alcohol it gets worse and I have something to say about everything. The one thing that does truly get under my skin is unprofessionalism. Stupidity or ignorance I can deal with but you can definitely get on my bad side with unprofessionalism.

al dolega: How much do you hate rollerbladers whining about things that you can't control or have to do a certain way for very good reasons?

dk: I love every attendee equally and everyone is entitled to their opinion about the event. I especially enjoy criticism that lacks any sort of common sense or knowledge of the history of the event.

al dolega: How much do you love telling said rollerbladers to STFU? Do you prefer doing so explicitly or implicitly?

dk: It warms my heart to be as kind and as thoughtful to every attendee. Year, after year, after year...

al dolega: How much do you earn from doing Bittercold?

dk: Not enough.

al dolega: What's your total time and monetary investment for each Bittercold like? Are they getting easier or harder to do?

dk: I have tried to calculate the total investment I make in BCSD every year but give up figuring it out pretty quickly. If I kept doing the same thing every year, they would be easier. However, every year I am trying to improve something so it evens itself out.

al dolega: Why didn't my dawg Billy SpinsaLot win last year's event? He did a pencil 1260 to frontside to royale with the ill roll-da-windows-down steeze, and then didn't land or even try anything else. Obviously Bittercold is a best-trick comp, so I don't see why he didn't win.

dk: Clearly Billy SpinsaLot should have won. Can you give me his email, cell or Myspace? I would like to shoot and edit his "sponsor me" tape. Also I can make things happen for him this year at BCSD, I know people.

al dolega: Compare/contrast the skate scenes in Madison and back home in Indiana.

dk: Simply put Indiana is my home and I miss everyone, but Madison has been great so far. There are a lot more bladers here than I would of thought.



al dolega: Give us a rough estimate of how many shitty t-shirt companies, per year, try to talk you into giving them something for nothing at the event, or a discount on a booth, or all 37 of their no-name riders free admission, or something along those lines; citing that you should do so "to support rollerblading"... because terrible designs on t-shirts will obviously be our sport's salvation.

dk: Oh, no you didn't....

al dolega: Pantz? Confirm/deny.

dk: No comment.

al dolega: How do the finances of the event work? What money pays for what? Why isn't admission free? Why does it cost so much to compete? How did all this sand get in my vagina?

dk: The trade show and competitor registration fees help fund the event and make everything possible. Competitor registration fees are completely in line with the supply and demand of the event. We had 232 competitors last year; clearly the majority of competitors have no problem with the registration fees. Admission fees pay the winners and if admissions were free Alex Broskow would win only a sledge hammer trophy instead of $5,000. If your sandy vagina has a problem with any of this and how we have decided to support the rollerblading industry and its worthy professionals I would encourage you to stay at home.

al dolega: I own a video camera and a fisheye lens, and I swear, I am going to be making, like, the ILLEST edit of Bittercold.... can I get in for free? I already have the illest song picked out by my friend who is a terrible "underground" rapper.

dk: Will you edit the Bitter Cold Showdown 2009 DVD for me?

al dolega: Can we have a Superman division for Chris Haffey this year? No, seriously.

dk: We are actually going to be introducing something similar. Good call.

al dolega: I know you just told me to not stand on this ramp, but I had a section in a video once, doesn't that make me like super-cool and elite and thus the rules don't apply to me?

dk: Yes, actually it does. There are a lot of attendees that are genuinely just too cool to be at such an event and the rules definitely do not apply to them. Feel free to tell me where you think you should stand and how the contest should work around your needs for maximum comfort. Nevermind that shaggy looking dick that is one of the most respected bladers in the world. You standing on that ramp is much more important than anything he may do with it.

al dolega: How much sleep are you going to get (or not get, rather) leading up to and right after the event?

dk: I do get enough sleep. I am not sure about this year though. I am looking forward to and hoping for some late night Detroit blade sessions at the park before hand.

al dolega: I missed seeing some of the tricks during finals last year, because The Flow had a lot of sweet things to skate all over the park, and it was physically impossible to find a spot where you could see every trick that was done. This really chaps my ass. Could you please sequester everyone to the handrail area at this year's event? Everyone knows that the only tricks that count are done on downrails and downledges anyways. Kthanx.

dk: I totally agree and am truly sorry that the diversity of the contest stretched outside the limits of your immediate vision. Having the most exciting rollerbladers in the world take advantage of every obstacle in a skate park is clearly not working and I will do what I can to limit this years event to one easily viewable obstacle. That way everyone can stand, sit or hang from every other obstacle in the park and we will have plenty of space for spectators.

al dolega: I'm lame and can't/won't make it to Bittercold. Will there be any live updates or anything like that going on so I can kinda pretend I'm there? Or will I have to wait for all the the really ill edits that pop up a week later or so? I hope there's one with really bad underground rap.

dk: As of right now I am not making any promises for John Q Stayathome. But one of my earnest goals for the event is to allow for it to be accessible live from anywhere in the world.

al dolega: The URL for the Bittercold site could not be more obvious, and yet I still haven't figured out how to use Google to find it, or any other info on the event. Will you spoon-feed me all the information I need? Or will I actually have to pull more than three brain cells away from the Jailbait thread and plan my own trip?

dk: I do apologize for the inconvenience but you are going to have to quit wucking it to the Jailbait thread for a few minutes and do it yourself. I do truly work my ass off on the website and there is very little about the event that cannot be found or accomplished on the website.

manley: How do you feel about the events progression from a midwestern am event to becoming one of the largest events in North America?

dk: It is absolutely unbelievable. Starting as a really small event, at a mediocre skate park in a crappy city in Indiana with no money to becoming an event where every major manufacturer in rollerblading not only sponsors the event but sets up a booth, is nothing short of incredible.

manley: Do you ever feel that the event has lost any of the midwestern community feel that it had when it used to include a street skating day in Southbend, a bunch of midwestern kids getting wild at the red roof, and a mostly locals only jam session in Elkhart?

dk: I actually really feel like the event has not lost any of that Midwestern community feel. Granted there are bladers there from all over the country and the world now but at least I feel like they are just simply coming to visit this Midwestern event. The overall attendance of the event really kind of hinders it at times but in the end we are still doing the exact same thing we did 9 years ago, just on a larger scale. Ask me this questions again when a sponsor is paying to move the event to an arena and we are building our own skate park just for the event.

Minkus: dk - thank you for bitter cold, it is my favorite event of the year

dk: You are very welcome.

Minkus: this park does not seem like a flow-ish park...it seems like there will just be a bunch of sessions at each section of the park...how will this be handled as far as judging? or am i just retarded?

dk: There is no skate park like The Flow; there is no skate park like Vertigo and there is no skate park like Blindside. Every time we move the event, the skate park obviously changes. Judging however, is always looking for the same thing. The judges look for exciting, stylish and creative skating, but most of all use of the entire park. I think everyone will be surprised at how great of a park Modern is. I cannot comment on your mental state.

Minkus: Due to this new industry "movement" that has just been creating...how is this going to effect bitter cold or qualifications? I already see people registered under pro/am that are not even am or even ride for a boot company period...how will this be handled or what is the plan for this upcoming showdown?

dk: I have already had discussions with representatives from the World Rolling Series and there will be changes. However, I have had long discussions insuring that these changes are not changing the core of the Bitter Cold Showdown. Details will be announced on www.bittercoldshowdown.com shortly but in the mean time I can tell you that the changes will be no more drastic than when we decided to introduce Qualifications.

Answers by Daniel Kinney
Photos by Jero, Drew Amato and Andrew Nemiroski

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