Dave was not what you call a "Contest Rider" by any means but he placed well in his early contests grabbing first in 17 and over novice at the Pipeline 1984, second in 17 and over expert overall at Venice, first 17 and over expert at Huntington, first 17 and over expert at Joe's Ramp Jam, second in pro at the second Nor Cal ramp jam and the same at Joe's II.

Dave jumped into the King of the Skateparks series with very little skatepark experience but in true Vander style always found a way to be noticed. Like the Combi-Pool acid drops, his flyout wasn't exactly the height of technical abilities in a skatepark but people dug it none-the-less.

Life was a show for Vander and he always entertained. From day-one he was doing "weird things" in his runs. Jumping the van off the wedge ramps in the first Venice contest, airing Christian Hosoi at the second and later doing combination skateboard bike tricks. He also had a knack for saying exactly what was on his mind...

As the competition heated up over the years he found it tougher to place. Riders from both 17 and over expert and 16 and under expert had gotten a lot better and turned pro. Tricks were moving away from bar endos and track stands. A vanderoll just wasn't the trick anymore. The new style of tricks required more and more precision and Dave was getting tired of "practicing" and just wanted to ride for fun like "the old days" just a few years earlier.