In appreciation of the specialist | Simply Ranked
Plus: Reese Nelson is PRO, Kevin Long is the best at being PRO, the great Cariuma exodus, and more.
The definitive weekly ranking and analysis of all the skateboarding and other things online that I cannot stop consuming and how it makes me feel, personally.
In appreciation of the specialist
Rank: 1
Mood: 🕴️
One of my favourite things to witness in professional athletics is the specialist at work. No matter the sport, if there is a person who excels at one particular aspect of their chosen field above all else to the point that it becomes a signature, sign me up. It could be something as overwhelmingly destructive as Naoya Inoue's liver shots or frustratingly effective like Kyle Lowrey's ability to draw a charge. To know something is coming but be unable to stop it or to still be awed by what you're seeing — it doesn't get much better than that.
Skateboarding is full of specialists. The sport was, and to some extent still is, rigidly defined by those specialties: street skaters and transition skaters. Those categories have subcategories: rail skaters, ledge skaters, manual skaters, huckers, vert skaters, pool skaters, etc. Now, for the most part, everyone is good at everything, and those boundaries don't feel as relevant.
Still, there are some skaters whose talents dominate a very specific act within the already specific act of skateboarding. Jamie Foy is the pinch gawd. Jimmy Wilkins is the leader in contorting himself and his board in fantastical directions mid-air. But to me, one specialist stands out above the rest: Myquel Haddox. Haddox has easily taken one of skateboarding's most coveted specialist titles: Guy Who Can Jump High as Hell.
Even if you don't recognize Haddox's name, there's a good chance you've seen him in action because when he Jumps High as Hell, it goes viral.
There's almost no other choice. Haddox grinds flatbed trailers from flat. He decided to make skating construction sites his thing, jumping onto and off of heavy machinery and flying over chasmic man-made holes in the earth. What he does on a skateboard is a genuine human marvel deserving of our marvelling.
In Brian Panebianco's latest edit Not bad!, uploaded by Thrasher last week, we see Haddox soar around and over Philadelphia. How can a person made of flesh and blood get their skateboard to backside flip over that giant's domino piece? His abilities beggar belief. To witness this in person must be akin to a religious experience or a stunning, rapturous liver shot.
While googling Haddox to find out if he has any sponsors (still unclear), I came across a Reddit post from seven years ago titled "Nobody has more pop than Myquel Haddox." Close to a decade later, that still holds up.
Doing a switch-540-tailgrab all by yourself
Rank: 1
Mood: 🍬
In one of the more touching moments in recent professional skateboarding memory, Tony Hawk turned 11-year-old phenom Reese Nelson PRO for Birdhouse Skateboards. As these things tend to go, and thankfully so, it was a surprise. Nelson had claimed to Hawk that she'd landed a switch-540-tailgrab while skating alone (!!), and the Birdman suggested they film it. The kicker being that once she rode away, Nelson would be handed a box filled with candy and her signature board models.
The result is, as you'd expect, incredibly sweet. It's a notable thing that a young female skateboarder is getting this type of recognition from, by far, the biggest name in the sport. And while it might seem a bit odd that someone who just entered double-digit years on this planet is getting this honour, a couple of things: First, if you've never seen Nelson skate, do it. She is on another planet. Secondly, turning a literal child PRO AF is a throwback. In the '70s, '80s, and early '90s, most professional skateboarders were barely teenagers. Hawk himself got the nod at 14, and most of his contemporaries assumed they were washed up by 20.
What's different now is that Nelson's career horizon has the potential to extend for decades, something Hawk and the others of those eras couldn't anticipate. For her to get such a well-deserved jumpstart now is significant. Is it also a part of Hawk's long-term gambit to bring vert skating back to its former glory by fostering the next generation of awe-inspiring talent? Totally. And more power to him.
Another installment of Kevin Long hagiography
Rank: 1!
Mood: ⏳
This is not an uncommon sentiment in the official Simple Magic canon of thoughts and opinions but is one that can and should be repeated as often as necessary: Kevin Long has done an incredible job at maturing into his career as a professional skateboarder. I'd argue that Long has not only managed the incredible feat of improving on all aspects of his skateboarding as he's aged into an over twenty-year run in the game, but he's done it better than anyone else in the history of this amorphous swirl of business, sport, and culture we call skateboarding.
Just consider the following: Long emerged as an exciting prospect on CityStars Skateboards, was solidified as a PRO on Baker Skateboards, then struggled with motivation and partying, ultimately flamed out of his skateboarding career, and had to earn back his PRO status. In the years since, he's not only been more productive than at any point previously, putting out multiple video parts a year, but those video parts only keep getting better. I'm sure some of that increased appeal can be chalked up to a change in tastes and trends favouring a more low-impact creative approach to skating, which Long excels in, but he can still huck when need be.
On top of that, in his more recent role as art director for Baker, he's helped rejuvenate the aesthetic of the longstanding legacy brand, and if there's one thing skateboarding has shown us, is how difficult it is for a brand to remain "cool" and current for an extended period of time.
What a story! Also, the guy will drop a video part for pretty much any sponsor who wants one. His most recent, HOURGLASS, was for Ace Trucks. That's his second full-length effort for Ace after 2022's Lucky Shirt.
Two video parts! For a truck sponsor! That's a company man, right there. Again, these are all things I write every time Long releases something, and I look forward to doing it all again for the next one.
Getting bodied on bodies
Rank: Another 1
Mood: ⚰️
Leave it to 'sletter friend Ted Barrow to inform the skateboarding world that one of its most hallowed spots, Wallenberg, where generations of skateboarders have cut their teeth and made their names, is built upon the former location of a catholic cemetery.
"There are probably corpses under the ground here," Barrow says as a sequence of TJ Rogers' switch-frontside-360 flashes past in his latest episode of This Old Ledge for Thrasher. Will skaters now think twice about throwing themselves across this cavern, knowing they are about to get bodied on bodies, wary of some soul-deadening curse? Doubtful. That's part of the power of a spot like this and why skaters keep returning and we keep talking about it. It's a place where history has and continues to live.
We also get a subtle and touching testament to the longevity and impact of Wallenberg itself, as the episode starts with a young Jim Thiebaud ripping the blocks in the early '90s and ends with him embracing a young Toby Ryan as he rides away from an astounding nollie-backside-kickflip down those same blocks some thirty years later. As Barrow puts it, "Great skate spots survive by their potential, and this is one of these great skate spots that sustains by the potential of things that not only have been done but have not yet been done."
The great Cariuma exodus
Rank: Mmm... 5
Mood: 🌬️🍃
Last week, I went (probably too) long on brand relationships and the current state of the industry, closing by criticizing Cariuma's puzzling marketing vis-à-vis the Berrics, the shoe company's promotional arm in the skateboarding world. One of the things I noted was an atrociously written YouTube video description for a recent Cariuma-branded shared video part between Tyler Peterson and Levi Loffelberger:
"This Title, the skating, and this entire video speaks for itself. Tyler Peterson and Levi Loffelberger having fun during their time with Cariuma. If you're watching this, you'll know it was fun."
That trio of sentences is as awkward and clunky as the pair of sentences that serve as the name for the video: IF YOU'RE WATCHING THIS, WE HAD FUN. A skateboard video with Tyler and Levi.
However, while I stand by my criticism, I did get one part of it wrong.
"Tyler Peterson and Levi Loffelberger having fun during their time with Cariuma" reads as if the two are no longer riding for Cariuma, which doesn't appear to be true as the Berrics YouTube account can be seen replying to comments teasing what one assumes will be a Peterson PRO shoe part.
About an hour after publishing last week's edition, I came across Peterson's announcement on Instagram that he was, in fact, no longer riding for Cariuma. This Thursday, Loffelberger did the same. On Tuesday, Timothy Johnson, who just starred in a shared Cariuma-branded video part with Cody Cepeda, followed suit. As of writing this, neither Cepeda nor any other Cariuma rider has made public statements about leaving the brand.
So what's happening? DVS, I guess. That was the tease. The one-time market player has since refreshed its website and Instagram account and announced Peterson and Loffelberger to the team. Curiously, all those social media posts tag the Berrics, leading one to assume their involvement. That poses a number of questions, given that Steve Berra of the Berrics works with, or, perhaps, now worked with, Cariuma. Dear Simple Magic reader, James, laid them out in a comment in last week's newsletter:
Are Berra and his riders jumping from Cariuma to DVS and will now compete against them in the shoe market? Or is it 1 ownership group controlling both brands and using Berra as the TM - a market segmentation strategy?
James also noted that, apparently, "DVS's sales materials for their reps reveal they are the sponsor of the upcoming Battle at the Berrics." I'd assume that means Berra is no longer involved with Cariuma and is all in on DVS — but I made assumptions last week, which, as the timeless truism predicts, made an ass out of u & me.
I reached out to Cariuma for clarification on their riders leaving and the status of their relationship with Berra and the Berrics, but have yet to hear back. There isn't a press or general info email address available on the DVS website. What we do know is that as it stands, the companies have different owners, as DVS was acquired in 2021 by the footwear conglomerate Elan Polo International, Inc., which describes itself as "a global organization which designs, sources and delivers millions of pairs of men's, women's, and children's shoes to retailers around the world."
Fun fact: Some of DVS's stablemates at Elan Polo include Tempur-Pedic and Dr. Scholl's Kids.
Something to consider:
Sharif Abdel Kouddous
Good thing: Vladimir Film Festival is back, September 19-22. If you can get to Croatia during those dates, I would suggest it.
A good Josh Sabini round-up: Sabini might be skateboarding's most prolific (and ripping) media member.
Josh Sabini
Village Psychic
Another good thing: 'sletter friend Alex Coles with another great piece for Jenkem.
An anniversary thing: Speaking of Fuel TV, if you're in the area, there will be a 15th-anniversary screening of Machotaildrop at the Rio Theatre here in Vancouver on September 17th. I'll be hosting the Q&A with filmmakers Alex Craig and Corey Adams, McCrank, and maybe some other folks. I think it'll be a nice time.
You can get tickets by clicking right here.
A moving image(s) thing: The "Recording the Ride" exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image looks amazing. Congrats to curators Jacob Rosenberg, Michaela Ternasky-Holland, and the invaluable archive of Brendan Spohn for putting it all together.
Ted Schmitz's caption game is reaching peak performance in this one.
Yes! Another good thing: John Thurgood in Short Story, Long.
Short Story, Long
Until next week… autumn approaches. You may feel it in the air. There is nothing to worry about; this happens every year. The only thing you should concern yourself with is sweaters. What sweaters will you wear this season? This is your opportunity to shine, sartorially.
Laser Quit Smoking Massage
NEWEST PRESS
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My new collection of essays is available now. I think you might like it. The Edmonton Journal thinks it's a "local book set to make a mark in 2024." The CBC called it "quirky yet insightful." lol.
Book cover by Hiller Goodspeed.
Right, Down + Circle
ECW PRESS
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I wrote a book about the history and cultural impact of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater that you can find at your local bookshop or order online now. I think you might like this one, too.
Here’s what Michael Christie, Giller Prize-nominated author of the novels Greenwood and If I Fall, If I Die, had to say about the thing.
“With incisive and heartfelt writing, Cole Nowicki unlocks the source code of the massively influential cultural phenomenon that is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and finds wonderful Easter-eggs of meaning within. Even non-skaters will be wowed by this examination of youth, community, risk, and authenticity and gain a new appreciation of skateboarding’s massive influence upon our larger culture. This is my new favorite book about skateboarding, which isn’t really about skateboarding — it’s about everything.”
Photo via The Palomino.
