International Skateboarding Event Comes to City

Local skateboarders, take note: Red Bull Manny Mania comes to Bethlehem on Saturday.

It's more than freestyling fun: Manny Mania -- one of the largest skateboard competitions in the world --  provides amateur skaters a chance to win a spot in the U.S. National Finals in Los Angeles later this year. That prize awaits the winner of Saturday's event at .

The ticket to L.A. will not come easy. The competition is expected to be tough, said Andy Po, local coordinator for the competition and the owner of in Bethlehem.

“Last year when we held Manny Mania at the parking lot we had roughly 500 attendees,” Po said, via email on Thursday. “This year we hope to see that number grow."

Manny Mania is a play on words, which refers to a wheel-balancing trick known as a “manual,” according to Po. The Manny Mania competition -- now in its fifth year -- is the brainchild of Joey Brezinski, one of the best manual skaters in the world, who is sponsored by Red Bull, Po said. He describes Manny Mania as “an international competition that caters to the more technical skateboarder."

Event organizers say it “combines serious skateboard skills with a relaxed vibe as it seeks to award the highest level of technical trickery on two wheels.”

The competition will be judged by professional skateboarders, including Dan Pensyl, a Catasauqua native.

Registration is from 10-11:30 a.m. at Bethlehem Skateplaza, 1325 Steel Ave. The Manny Mania event runs from 1-5 p.m.