Omar Hassan at Vans Combi Bowl

This Saturday, May 22, the 6th Annual Vans Pro Tec Pool Party skateboard competition will take place at the Vans Skatepark in Orange, California. The event is a gathering of the world's top pool skating pros and is a hallmark to skateboarding's southern California roots.

In the late 1970s California suffered a severe drought forcing many residents to drain their backyard swimming pools. Unwittingly the act invited interest from skateboarders looking to challenge themselves on the vertical transitions in the now empty bowl-shaped surfaces.

The birth of pool skating and vertical transition riding soon became the precursor not only to the modern halfpipe or vert ramp, but also the gravity defying tricks and maneuvers now synonymous with the sport.

During this time dozens of concrete parks were built throughout California meant to replicate the pool skating experience, yet vanishing municipal budgets and waning interest in the sport through the late 80s resulted in many being closed and demolished.

Such was the case in with the original "Combi Bowl" in Upland, CA -- considered ideal for it's unique combination of two bowl shapes connected in the center. In 1998 Vans built a replica of the Upland Combi Bowl and later created the Pool Party event as a means to pay homage to history.

"For years, concrete pool skating was the measure of the top skaters in the world," says Steve Van Doren, VP of Events at Vans and son of the shoe company's original founder. "Today the original pioneers and the current generation compete together to make The Pro-tec Pool Party a skateboarding contest like no other."

Scheduled to compete for the $100,000 prize purse are current top pros like Bucky Lasek and Bob Burnquist, previous champions Rune Glifberg and Omar Hassan as well as legends like Lance Mountain, Chris Miller and Christian Hosoi.

The 2010 Vans Pro Tec Pool Party will be webcast live on May 22nd LIVE by Fuel.tv at vans.com/poolparty