July 7, 2011

What I Did On Summer Vacation

I'm back from the mountains and the West. Clocked about 2,800 miles. I didn't pay for that picture of old George.

I'm sure much has been written about The Big Bang (it's surprising the name was never used, some way or another. The lack of "Hammer Time" is still confounding), so there's no real need for in-depthness. BTO sums things up well, though I must disagree and say the shoulder-high backside tailslide (to straight?!) was, and should have been, the big bang. I do agree that Shane O'Neill's automatronics pale in comparison to the mad-scientist approach that Pudwill takes. Possible SOTY? No. Or. Shouldn't be.

Having not ridden a board for about a week and in the midst of my internet catch up day (I mercifully left the CPU at home), the latest Gabe in Wisconsin clip made me want to go out and get some. Plenty of other goodness on the Wiskate, so click the header.

To continue playing Six Degrees of Matt Murphy (and I'm still playing e-catch-up), how about those Ricky Oyola Epicly Later'd's? Pathos alert!

Two things come to mind watching them. Maybe more. First, is that I'm sure the 'nets will be awash in sentiments that Oyola is some washed up, jaded dude who should just give it up. That's pretty much wrong. Oyola seems like a dude who is about doing it his way, only his way, and in skateboarding acceptance of that fact seems contingent upon how succesful "his way" is. That also plays into his outspokenness. Compare Oyola and Kalis. I think the biggest difference is long-term success and perhaps the fact that Kalis picks his marks a little bit better.

Speaking of marks, just how about saying "he's terrible too" about Koston? The angry comments stream in, but wasn't he just talking about switch mongo, and then naming a guy that looks good doing it? Probably doesn't matter.

I totally agree on his point about the backside tailslide to fakie. I'll never understand the turn around.

1 comment:

Wylie Tueting said...

Personally, I think modern skateboarding needs more guys like Oyola, both in terms of his outspokenness and his rawly fast skating. Lord knows Koston isn't saying nor (in terms of his presence on the Berrics) doing anything new.