📷 Photo via Keith Denley
The 2025 Q.S.S.O.T.Y‘s Five Favorite Parts was a bit of a journalistic “My War.”
Not because he didn’t want to do it — he was really hyped to do one — but because he began getting in his head about what to include. Too many parts! Too much stuff he loved. (Speaking from experience, an abundance of beloved parts is better than the opposite experience: getting on a call with someone and it’s, “Umm… uhhh… what was that Jake Johnson part where he skated the thing again?”)
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.
Got told a dope story by someone during game six about how their friend got his eight-year-old, basketball-obsessed son a Josh Hart jersey, and told him a dictum along the lines of, “If you’re ever going to make it into the NBA, your best chance is learning to play like this guy.” 💙 🧡
Gabbers is Sporty & Rich in the latest installment of Skate Jawn‘s “$100 Chill” feature, which probably has the highest volume of beer purchases from any installment? 🍺
“REMOTE VIEWING” is the latest edit from Theories of Atlantis featuring a wide survey of midwestern crust. Includes appearances from QS favorites Nick Rainey, Connor Noll, Nyle Lovett + more.
Carl Aikens took a bunch of his bros on a trip to Milan and came back with this five-minute edit by Jeff Cecere and Ritt Pontepsiripong. Marcello’s flip 5-0 on that Centrale rail was too good.
“Calling It There” is a New Haven, CT-based video by Mead Franz with a good chunk of NYC clips. It feels like the Virtual Reality Bump has been popping up in more homie edits lately? Makes sense, since it’s probably been out of fashion for ~ten-ish years and you know how cycles go. Also, dude sliding down that rock bank in BPC kinda-sideways was crazy.
Love all of K-Rod’s crazy tricks obvs, but seeing Kevin Rodrigues do “normal” ol’ ledge tricks [sturdy back tail, back noseblunt pop-out…] is almost jarring to the expectations. K-Rod, Hjalte, and Dino XL (!) in this Copenhagen trip edit by Nico.
“My mom once sent my grandma a picture of a young Jake Johnson, and she replied, ‘Aww, I love Shane.'” Heckride interviewed Atlanta’s Shane Farber.
Definitely remember this one being a crowd favorite at the premiere: Kevin Taylor’s part in Static 6 is now online to commemorate K.T’s new spot on the Hopps team.
Jake Baldini becomes the first person to ever return a purchase and replenish his balance in the new installment of Skate Jawn‘s “$100 Chill” series. Shout out to Jake and his crew for that bank-to-ledge at Mosquito Beach.
“I do remember chatting to him when he was pranging out about having to switch flip the London Bridge stairs, that’s quite funny. He was pranging out the night before, I just remember thinking you don’t actually have to do this.” Lev Tanju nerded out over his favorite pieces of U.K. skate lore for Slam City Skates’ “Visuals” series.
