Minnesota Skateboarding Since 2002

The Familia Video from Familia Skateshop on Vimeo.

By now you've doubtlessly visited the official site, TheFamiliaVideo.com, or you were smart enough to go to the premiere, or else you saw it somewhere else; through all of it, it must be said that the Fam did a darn nice job on a video that was only one year in the genesis, and that, while not totally breaking new ground by offering their video for free on the internet, the dudes are on the cutting cusp of the new skateboard video world (are tangible copies on the horizon? I don't know). I do know that I have little regard for the run-on sentence.

Some brief thoughts and bullet points on The Familia Video:

-Production flashiness is not a must in regards to the open access free skateboard video; straight forward simplicity works on the net, no film flares or seagulls were harmed during production.

-Chad Benson is like a fine wine or bourbon; (as lovingly as this can be stated) he ages very well, and perhaps gets better with age. Content to keep things about knee high most of the time, the combo life is alive and kicking and dude can pretzel some switch nosebluntslides in some interesting ways; the switch crook fakie tre was, um, oh, five years in the making?

-No doubt, Nate Compher got seriously wrecked in a pre-skateboarding industrial accident, but they rebuilt him (everything save that end of that middle-finger), and they endowed him with the "One Million Dollar Switch Flip," among other tasty, tasty things (was that a passing reference to the pizza place where he was injured? No one knows.). Vintage (?) Nate is of course on display, with the speed and the pop and the back-when-he-was-rad-Wenningesque-steeze that we all know and love. One wonders if any switch flip hail-Marys were thrown up on Hubba.

-Seth McCallum comes through in a very Zedly, if fleeting way; a short creature feature.

-The only way to describe Dom Randazzo's skating is "froggy as fuck," and there is an open dare to anyone who wants to find a better descriptor. A penchant for very nice inward heel variations and panache for hairy gaps and whatnot (the whatnot being the deal sealer at The Roofs) pretty much sum the dude up. Cheers, and thank you Dom, for adding the no-comply frontside wallride to front board to the skate vernacular.

-Montage! It's a shame that more people weren't able to find a way into the section. While all rip, the aftertaste simply leaves a desire for a full part in next year's next video, from none other than Kirian Stone. Filming starts now kid.

-Minneapolis' finest balancing act on wheels, Jamiel Nowparver, will soon be vying for that title in Seattle with Josh Jones; in the very brief meantime, he's left us with somewhat of a farewell part that, shit, I'ma' watch right now...short and way sweeter than saccharin, Jamiel delivers in a way that a mini can of Diet Coke never will. We await future shredding holmes, bon voyage!

-Starting out as an "ollie on the mind" burler virtuoso, ending as an all-around shredder, part-time technician, full-time entrepreneur, always plotting the next move type of dude, Steve Nesser proves that one can be a daddy, business owner, globe-trotting Birdman knowing, professional skateboarder based in Minnesota, who can still turn in a dynamic and at times jaw-dropping part for his skateshop video. He, like me, has little regard for run-ons. The GZA truly abides.

-Prodigal student and one time caterer; now resurgent pro, Emeric sometimes Olu Pratt, proves that work on a magazine interview can yield results in a big way. Hops galore and melon grabs prove that Olu showed up to MCTC one day just to learn; there were no nefarious "hanging it up" reasons involved. That last bit makes sense to three people.

-David ~~James~~ Jaimes, anchor of the beloved Boondoggle and now The Familia Video, who should not even need a fake ID based upon his presence on the scene for what feels like ten years now, continues his quiet destruction of what is seemingly effortless and finesse-full skateboarding. Two words: scary ledge savvy and a power that is quite palpable on a skateboard; it's scary that I'd say it's only 75% complete.

-Big kudos to Dennis Burdick on his across the aisle editing and filming of the video. In a missed opportunity, Benji Meyer could have taken up the mantle as the John Geffrom of Minneapolis Skateboarding video specialists, but there's always next year.

Hooray to everyone that turned Oak Street Cinema into a standing room only house on Saturday night. Boo to the rain that somewhat handicapped the potential of the day, though at the end of it, I bowled a 157, and for that, I'm content.