Download the Kit
Download this pack of PDFs containing the brackets, score card and sign-up sheet and print them out!
How to
View our video on how to organize an éS Game of SKATE
The following information explains how you can hold your own éS Game of SKATE Tournament. Anyone can create their own local events and have a lot of fun doing it–playing skate, and skateboarding, are not about free stuff, and you don't need prizes or pros to have fun. Check out this information and create your own éS Game of SKATE. Keep in mind that some of this info was written for our skate shops and distributors around the world. If your local shop isn't doing their own éS Game of SKATE, show them this website and get them on it!
Space
Generally, the area needed for the Game of SKATE depends on two things: the amount of skaters in the Game, and the amount of spectators expected.
For every 16 skaters in the Game of SKATE, you should have one 15' x 60' lane. If you have 64 skaters, you would have four lanes, and the total area is about 60' x 60', or about 20m x 20m.
Use éS pressure tape or red duct tape to create lanes inside this area.
Remember that the ground must be smooth!
As for spectators, any additional area outside the lanes should be used for your scorekeepers, announcer, and spectators.
A space of 100' x 100', or 25m x 25m, is perfect for most sizes of the Game of SKATE.
Sign Ups
It is great to be able to have skaters sign up early for the Game of SKATE. This is a good indicator of how many people will be there, but it also encourages discussion and excitement when people see names of their friends, or good skaters.
However, because each skater must be present at the start of the tournament in order to continue, a check-in about 30 minutes before scheduled start time is essential.
Only skaters who are present should be put in the tournament bracket.
Do not fill out the tournament brackets until the start time of the tournament!
As people check in, their names should be randomly dropped into spots on the tournament bracket. Do not put them in order, because then friends will be playing each other in the early rounds of the tournament. The names must be put in random order.
How to Run the Game of SKATE
Once the tournament bracket is filled out, call the first two skaters to the first lane.
Flip a coin todetermine which skater skates first, and the skaters start.
As soon as that game is going, call the next two skaters on the list, in order, and continue until all lanes are filled with skaters playing SKATE.
As soon as a game is over, announce the winner's name, and write down that person's name in the second round of the bracket, and call the next two skaters on the list.
Continue on until all skaters from the first round have played one Game of SKATE. Do not move on to the second round until the first round is 100% complete.
When the first round is complete, the Game of SKATE tournament is half over!
Continue with the second round until it is complete, and then move onto the third and fourth rounds until there is a winner. If at the end there are three skaters, hold a three-way Game of SKATE until there is a single winner.
Scorekeepers
Scorekeepers must be skaters who know and understand skateboarding, and they must have a knowledge of tricks.
They can be shop kids, or local skaters who are respected in the community, or employees of the distributors or shops.
Scorekeepers are not meant to be judges; their main role is to keep track of the score of the game.
The rules of the Game of SKATE clearly state whether a letter is given--if the trick is made reasonably, no letter is given. However, there are times when they must make a decision on what is "reasonable." In this case, have the scorekeepers make a decision quickly and move on.
Once each Game is over, the scorekeeper tells the bracket-keeper/announcer the winner's name and gets ready to flip the coin for the start of the next game.
Announcer
Choose an announcer who has a great personality, who can keep the crowd involved and explain what's going on.
Along the way, the announcer should announce the winner of each game, and explain to the crowd and the kids what is going on.
As each round progresses, the skating gets continually better, so announcing that Johnny Skidmore made it to the fourth round, which is the "Top eight skaters!" really helps get the crowd going.
Prizes
The Game of SKATE is about the joy of skateboarding, not about free stuff. However, if you are a skate shop partnering with us on this Game of SKATE, contact your sales rep and we'll be happy to get you some prizes. We like to give prizes to the top eight skaters--those who made it to the semi-finals. T-shirts for the five thru eight spots, and more for the two thru four spots, and a grand prize for the winner. There's no need to give prizes beyond that. Because this is an amateur contest series, cash prizes are not recommended.
Advertising, Collateral, Promotion
If you're an éS dealer interested in holding an éS Game of SKATE, please contact game of SKATE.