wolves in the throne room

A king will go forward alone. Vans/Protec Combi contest approaches. It is considered the High Holy Day in bowl riding. The once -a -year gathering is highly anticipated by many. I am one of these. I have seen most of the contests and am always surprised at the insanity I witness. From Dave Duncan's implosion off the peninsula and the cat -fighting ladies one year, to the impossible- to -believe LIncoln Ueda airs over the TV towers, to the slam-atron between Cookiehead & Stafford, to the full-on insanity of Lance Mountain's first run last year, to the absolute mastery of Caballero in 2010 and --lastly-- the undeniable  majesty of Chris Miller's final flight in 2011... it is always inspiring! The crowd. The energy intoxicating. Winners. Their names stitched onto a crimson banner overhead. This year there are wolves in the throne room. Chris Miller is a hard one to usurp. He has ruled the Vans/Protec with an iron grasp for most of the contests. It will be interesting to see what occurs. Steve Caballero is injured so his imminent threat is nullified....  for now. Christian Hosoi could be in contention to shatter the shield. Lance -- who absolutely killed it last year--has the name and skill he needs to make a point. Will a lone Hawk be drawn in by the smell of fear and the promise of conflict?  Eddie Elguera has been ripping consistently and he might take a stab at it. There is also:  Duane, Salba, Nash and the others. All are legendary slayers still on top of their game. A clash of Titans. It will be an epic event as always. I am looking forward to watching the battle unfold. Thanks to MRZ for the images. Skate- Ozzie ... and with the end we'll believe. "Here now in his triumph where all things falter stretched out on the spoils that his own hand spread, as a God self-slain on his own strange altar, Death lies dead." - Swinburne