There are many things that stay with you well after they are over. They mark a time in your skateboarding career. Some are achievements and others are just events. The demo in Aotea Square was one such event. The demo featured such legends as Rodney Mullen, Guy Mariano, Gershon Mosley, Andrew Reynolds, Heath Kirchart, Mike York, and Jerome Wilson. People you read about or watch on videos, skaters you never expect to meet in person. That day I saw many seasoned skaters with wide grins clasping the signatures of their favorite pro skater.
The often apologetic, but always friendly Rodney Mullen held his own personal demo. Surrounded by a large crowd of mainly younger skaters, Rodney performed his trademark tricks including a casper on the Aotea fountain. He skated the boards offered to him by the crowd, autographed stuff, and posed for photos. Later he sessioned the box with the rest of the pros, and landed a manual nollie 360 out.
Gershon was possibly the most impressive skater, performing huge heelflips, 360 flips, switch heelflips over the dual wedges. Constantly covered in a thin glaze of sweat, he held the crowd in awe with his big powerful tricks. Towards the end of the demo he moved to the box and did some very fine frontside bluntslides and backside lipslides.
Other tricks of note at the demo were Andrew Reynolds massive frontside flip on the quarter pipe and wedge, and backside tailslide shove-it out on the box. Guy Mariano performed a switch nose grind revert. Mike York displayed his Bay Block styles with 360 flips, backside kickflip tailslide, switch nose manual, switch nose grind on the box. Heath Kirchart did some backside lipslides on the box and Jerome Wilson with a switch noseslide shove-it out.
The Aotea demo was very cool, not so much for the tricks, which were impressive, but for the stature of the skaters that had been lured to Auckland. I hope companies will continue this trend and include New Zealand on future tour itineraries.