For the past, idk, ten months maybe — Antonio Durao has been referring to everybody as “O.G.” It didn’t matter what your age was, you were O.G. The dude pulling up to Tompkins? “O.G.” The cashier at the store? “O.G!” An actual O.G? “O.G!!!” O.G. Anunoby? OMG.
Things come together in cosmic ways, because the name that he matched up with from the mystic Quartersnacks Knicks hat was the O.G: Dennis Busenitz.
Back in the fall, when a couple of Adidas heads were in town for the Long Ledge Jam, we had an idea to get a few of them and a few local-based friends to do a casual, multi-person game of S.K.A.T.E. over the Flushing grate flat gap. Here was a spot that you could run single clips over in your part maybe ~25 years ago, but in the ensuing quarter-century, pretty much every single flip trick imaginable had been done. It is probably up to par for some talented skaters to get competitive over. Unfortunately, due to a few logistical issues, it didn’t work out in the fall.
Last month, however, we made it happen. We got eight skaters to Flushing by noon! That was a miracle in and of itself.
Way back when, we were reporting on a new skatepark across the Atlantic opening and someone left a now-immortal comment.
“I’ve always wondered what skatepark builders have against STRAIGHT FUCKING LEDGES. I live in CO and there’s a skatepark in every town with A 20 foot cradle but not a STRAIGHT FUCKING LEDGE at any of em. What are the kids gonna do with a 20 FOOT CRADLE?!?! Just build us a STRAIGHT FUCKING LEDGE and be done with it!”
In the twelve years since, anytime we have reported on a built-for-skateboarding structure, we simply had to commentate on whether or not the park, plaza, et al. included a …Straight Fucking Ledge™.
Today, more New York City skateparks have Straight Fucking Ledges™, though probably not in the abundance that a Straight Fucking Ledge™-enthusiast would want.
We built a longass box and are throwing a cash for tricks jam at Tompkins this Saturday, October 18 at 3 P.M. 📅 First person to one-foot crook the entire thing gets a hundred bucks.
Follow Filming, a new YouTube channel that does skate-related video essays, compiled a fifteen-minute dive into the history of something everybody reading this has skated at one point: “The Story of the Element Flatbar.” Farran said “It’s like 99% Invisible for kids who grew up skating in their driveway.”
New fifteen-minute video out of Pittsburgh, forever one of the most unique skate scenes in the country: “THIS PLACE SUCKS” is a new one by Gavin McGinty. Unique spots, thoughtfully put-together, and why do Pittsburgh videos always feel like they skate completely different shit than the last big Pittsburgh video you saw?
Green Lady repping QS ♥ Spotted via @newyorknico on IG
ICYMI: A message from Tyshawn Jones ♥
Christian Kerr is selling prints from a 2017 visit to Lebanon in order to fundraise for disaster relief in Beirut.
Our family at NJ Skateshop spent a lot of time at the Hebrew Hideout D.I.Y. spot, and they have a new “Freddy & Friends” edit of that time over on Thrasher.
