It's not everyday when you'll find skaters and surfers shareing the same turf, but with a birch bowl set up on the sand of Huntington Beach during the Philips Fusion U.S. Open of Surfing, fans had the chance to split their attention between these two spectator-friendly events. The Philips Fusion Soul Bowl--last seen giving Jessica Starkweather a bloody lesson on frontside roll-ins in Hermosa Beach this past June--played host to some sweat-heavy girls' skating on Sunday August 3, the last day of the event. Fourteen skaters signed on to tackle the Bowl's significant dimensions (10 feet wide, 1.5 feet of vert)--an increase of about a dozen riders since the last Bowl comp, and enough to warrant a two-heat format instead of the typical one.

Cara-Beth Burnside dominated the bowl with her usual style, ticking off tricks such as an invert handplant and a Les Twist (the move that won her SG's Best Trick Vert at this year's Slam City Jam), securing her first-place spot and check. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins easily took second with her consistent frontside airs and surf-style carving--no small feat for a 13-year-old girl who's just this side of pixie dimensions--and Brazil's Karen Jones Santos impressed all with her smooth airs. Third-place finisher Holly Lyons was by far one of the most aggressive girls in the bowl this time around, snaking as many runs as she could in the last few minutes of her heat. Not to be left on the deck, 12-year-old newcomer Ciara D'Agostino snaked Holly on some sweet, lengthy runs of her own, claiming one-half of the bowl for her own playground and keeping Holly cornered on the north end until the timer ran out.

Per usual, the Northwest cement crew (Nicole Zuck, Jessica Starkweather, and Kim Petersen) carved around like the vets they are, boosting above the coping and making sure the extension wasn't lonely. Mimi Knoop also showed some serious skill; though she wasn't able to get in as many runs around the bowl as some of the other competitors, her skating was solid.

An increase of double over the last Soul Bowl contest's rider roster definitely perked up the ears and eyes of those enduring the intense sun blazing down on the bleachers. Cheers went up at every drop-in, but perhaps the biggest came for Heidi Fitzgerald, who had a personal fan club, compete with poster, screaming her support. Strength in numbers, I always say...

Results
1. Cara-Beth Burnside (CA), $1,000
2. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins (CA), $500
3. Holly Lyons (CA), $250
4. Karen Jones Santos (BRA), $150
5. Heidi Fitzgerald (TX), $100