“Really, I just came here with the rest of my family to get lots of autographs on my board and bag” confessed Matthew Bidetti, age eight.
Matthew stood among a number of young skateboarders cheering on the pros and first timers who convened under the Manhattan Bridge on June 7, 2009, to kickoff the 15-stop cross-country Red Bull Manny Mania tour.
Created by in 2007 by Manny Mania 2008 winner Joey Brezinski, the idea behind the competition was to showcase the sport’s hardest tricks – manuals.
Matthew was impressed: “I like going to skate when my dad takes me but really I’ve only been skating for one year”
While the pros blazed manuals inside the park, Bidetti and some friends practiced hitting some tricks of their own on the sideline.
“I’ll probably be that good one day if I keep practicing a lot,” announced Josh Smith who diddled alongside Bidetti.
“I’m watching in the park to see what tricks I should try when I’m older.”Cans of Red Bull circulated alongside posters from different skate companies. Autographs and more autographs.
“I just like to see people skate,” said Henry Burch, age eleven. “But I also like seeing them before and after they skate, too. I just love everything about skating.”
Photos by Daniel S. Burnstein
