The skateboarding bowl at Ballard Commons Park became the scene of a raucous skate showdown and chowder cook-off today.

Spectators lined the bowl to watch skaters grip and grind.

From blocks away, you could hear the announcer on the loudspeaker yell, “Whoa!” whenever a skater scored a gnarly move.

Or caught some serious air.

Then cooks competed in a chowder cook-off. The unusual combination of events was the brainchild of Salmon Agah, a pro skater who has put on similar events in San Francisco, but with chili instead of chowder. We have to wonder if skaters and chowder really go together, but it was an exciting event to watch.