Favorite Spot With Cyrus Bennett on The Sombrero

Photo by Colin Sussingham 📷

“If you’re not doing shit and you strike out a couple of times, you can just go there and punish yourself.”

After a long hiatus for the “Favorite Spot” series, Farran has brought it back with the second most-requested episode after the Max one. (Which now, makes it the most-requested episode?)

In a city as dense with spots as this one, it’s really something for a spot to feel isolated from the rest of skateboarding, and this one certainly fits the bill — as anyone who has been stuck here watching a friend try a trick can attest. Cyrus Bennett was kind enough to share his history with this innocuous corner of Maspeth on the side of a highway, between two cemeteries.

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Five Favorite Parts With John Gardner

The best skaters are often the ones whose skateboarding defies the rigid linguistics of trick names.

Like, are you going to say John Gardner backside 5-0’d a Philly step into a rail and then tucked into a keyhole to get out — or did a back smith on the CBS ledge, immediately changed direction so he could ollie up one short ledge, over another, onto a platform and down a surprise police barricade? Or maybe it is easier to point at the spot and say he “did some John Gardner shit.”

(“Some Max Palmer shit,” and of course, “some Daewon shit” are other common ones at the QS office.)

John is one of those skaters doing what cannot easily be explained, and him being a Bob Burnquist fan makes perfect sense.

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Favorite Spot With Max Palmer on the Canal Fountain

Since starting the “Favorite Spot” series, there has been one skater + spot combo that has been requested above all the rest. And with the fifth installment (second local spot in a row!), we are proud to present Max Palmer and the Canal Fountain — or just “the fountain spot,” or what we have even lovingly renamed “Max Palmer Park” on the spots page.

(FWIW, it’s technically called Albert Capsouto Park, but nobody has ever called it that. Probably not even Al’s family.)

So, this one needs no further introduction. Max is a man of sparse words (in most cases, not all), and we’re all grateful he was down to talk about this absolute mess of a spot.

Biggest thank you goes to Johnny obvs, but shout out to everybody who contributed their footy ♥

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A Conversation With Rowan Zorilla About Baseball & *The* Double Set

Two weekends back, we sent our L.A. correspondent, Adam Abada, to the skater baseball game hosted by Rowan Zorilla and Vans. (Yes, this means that over a few short months, we sent one of the guys who skated from Boston to New York in 2013 to cover a skater basketball game, and the other guy to cover a skater baseball game.)

It was one of those media-heavy events when many of our colleagues were all vying for their share of Rowan’s time, so we couldn’t dive as deep as we would have liked to, but we covered two subjects most important to the QS office.

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It’s Hollywood, Baby!

Via @lord_give_me_a_sign_nyc

Just like that, the final remaining of the “Big 3” east coast skate plazas is in jeopardy of being lost to re-design. (We all know the Love one turned out great 🤮) Please sign the petition to help save Freedom Plaza A.K.A. Pulaski Park from reconstruction.

You don’t need to be one of the sentimental-about-skating types to get emotional watching Revolutions on Granite, the documentary that Thrasher premiered late last week about the central spot in Kiev and Ukrainian skate scene — which was made before the Russian invasion, but obviously takes on new significance and urgency now. (Turn the subtitles on in the YouTube options.)

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