One of the first roller-skating bowl contests was in 1978 at the Marina Skate Park in Marina Del Rey, California. It features the likes of Duke Rennie and Fred Blood. These photos are of the Dog Bowl and represent what were the hot moves of the day.

Duke Rennie weighs in,
“You posted a picture of Fred doing the first 540 anyone had ever seen! I was also excited to see pictures of Beth sideskating on vert. Not to mention everyone else. Very exciting stuff. That last photo in the series is actually Kenny Means. He was the grand daddy of vertical rollerskating. ”

Your intrepid webmaster was eliminated in the first round. I thought my stylized interpretation of Frank Zappa’s Dancing Fool in the Dogbowl was brilliant. The judges didn’t agree. So unfair.