Brian Schaefer | The Nine Club #411
Brian Schaefer discusses 33 years of Skatepark of Tampa, what came first Tampa AM or Tampa Pro, faxing 100 contest flyers from a hot attic for a $1,000 Airwalk purse, how Paul Zitzer’s vert ramp and a trip to San Jose led to opening SPoT in 1993, his parents’ backyard Bro Bowl & Thrasher ramp plans, his parents taking a second mortgage to fund the warehouse, living in the warehouse, the Moat Race, slamming on the loop and waking up in the hospital, Bob Burnquist doing the first switch loop, bringing vert back, Tampa AM vs Tampa Pro, supporting local skate shops and much more!
The History of Skatepark of Tampa—Short Documentary | Core
Ready to learn about the origins of the emblematic Skatepark of Tampa, aka SPoT!? It all started in response to Paul Zitzer’s vert ramp being deconstructed in 1991 when Brian Schaefer sought out a warehouse to give it life again. The warehouse in Tampa, though, doubled as a temporary home in order to make their dream a reality. What has happened since will be forever etched into skateboard history.
The legacy of the Tampa Pro claims the longest running contest in skateboarding (BONUS nugget: the first prize purse was $1,000 sponsored by Airwalk) dating back to 1995. Fast forward 30+ years and SPoT has become the quintessential proving ground in skateboarding.
Today, Tampa Am and Tampa Pro are considered THE events that solidify a skater’s path to being a respected professional, and skateparkoftampa.com has become a cornerstone of the skateboard e-commerce space.
Tap in with Schaefer and Zitzer in this episode of CORE to relive the series of events that created SPOT, hear iconic stories, and get a glimpse into the world that created and continues to breathe life into the legendary Skatepark of Tampa.
SPoT Life-Flogging Molly Salty Dog Cruise 2025
Brian Schaefer and the SPoT crew head out on the Salty Dog Cruise for a week to put on a skate demo and adventure out to the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.
Far’n High 2022 – SPoT Life – Ivan Monteiro, Nassim Lachhab, Vinicius Santos
SPoT OG’s Brian Schaefer and Paul Zitzer made it out to Paris to support Etnies and the Far N’ High crew for their 14th Pro/Am Contest that took place May 12-15, 2022. Featuring Ivan Monteiro, Jan Hirt, Remco Erkeland, Jonathan Jean-Philippe, Justin Sommer, Matias Dell Olio, Wallace Gabriel, Max Berguin, Becker Dunn, Nassim Lachhab, Joseph Garbaccio, Julian Jeang-Agliardi, Benjamin Garcia, Noah Francisco, Hugo Corbin, Angelo Caro, Vinicius Santos, Alex Decunha, Richard Tury, Zuzanna Bone, Weronik Choromanska, Juul Plaggenborg, Auro Bredart, Lucie Schoonheere, Camille Fleurence, Lea Schairer, Xenia Maricheva, Roos Zwetsloot, Lore Bruggeman and Diego Fiorese.
Rating the Legendary Skatepark of Tampa | Official Skatepark Review – Red Bull
Joey and Rip meet up with Skatepark of Tampa’s Brian Schaefer to get a tour of the park, meet the locals, and check out the on-site skateshop. Think Rip could hold his own at the next Tampa Am?
Old Man Bowl Jam 2021 – Skatepark of Tampa
SPoT’s 11th annual Old Man Bowl Jam was a few weeks ago and these “old” dudes shut it down as if they were 17 again. Huge shout out to Kyle Randall for coming through and locking in Free beer/prizes for all these skate veterans. We even got our fearless leader, Brian Schaefer, to take a couple of laps. Check out the highlights!
Converse Concrete JAMdemic 2021: Finals
With $10,000 on the line, the Top 12 skaters from hundreds of entries go all out on the concrete of their choice. Hosts Brian Schaefer and Paul Zitzer talk you through the shredding with scores and insights from judges Darren Navarrette, Zion Wright, and Mike Sinclair. Featured Skaters: Hampus Winberg, Iago Magalhaes, Taylor Nye, Elijah Akerley, Riley Kozerski, Steven Pineiro, Augusto Akio, Luigi Cini, Gavin Bottger, Jonny Gasparotto, Tristan Rennie and Chris Russell.
Converse Concrete JAMdemic 2021 Semi Finals – SPoT
Skatepark of Tampa put the call out to concrete skaters around the world to post their best run from a bowl, pool, or DIY transition spot. And these are the top 30. Welcome to the JAMdemic Semi Finals where Brian Schaefer and Paul Zitzer get feedback on every run from SPoT judges Darren Navarrette, Justin Brock, and Mike Sinclair.
Clips From The Moat: Tampa Pro 2014
Tampa Pro 2020 is officially less than a month away. We pulled this episode of SPoT Life out of the archives to bring us back to the action of Tampa Pro 2014. Watch now, as Brian Schaefer, Manny Santiago, and Ryan Decenzo kick things off.
How Social Media has Changed Skateboarding – Pushing Forward – Part 2
There is no doubt that social media changed skateboarding and Instagram is a perfect example. Red Bull hangs with Joey Brezinski, Alex Midler, Zered Bassett, Wes Kremer, Mike Vallely, Jamie Thomas, Steve Berra, and Brian Schaefer.