The pants report
Plus: Ian Browning talks to Slow Impacters about their lives and bottoms, Bufoni is in and Ream is out at World Skate, Tyshawn Jones leaks, Alexis Ramirez has shoes, 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.
Slow Impact pants report
A special correspondence by Ian Browning
I’m sure you’ve heard by now but Staten Island Chuck (who has been reported to be 83% accurate at this sort of thing) predicted an early spring. Warm weather means more skating, and for many skaters, it also means new chances to show out.
With that in mind, I hit the streets of Tempe, Arizona during Slow Impact to document one of skateboarding’s favorite subjects: Pants. Broadly, black was everywhere. There were plenty of baggy pants, but also a notable amount of slimmer cuts. (This may correspond with the median age of the event, which was somewhere in the thirties.) At any rate, I spoke to a few people about what pants they were wearing and how the weekend was going.
I'm wearing the Chandler Burton CCS chinos with the leopard print. They have a great baggy fit, and honestly, leopard print gets a lot of attention. I've never gotten more compliments for wearing a pair of pants other than these. I think it's a little bit of the sort of surprise of a man in an animal print. And the fact that they have a baggy cut. probably one of the most affordable leopard print pants you can get.
What has been your highlight of the weekend?
I showed some art, which was awesome. It was really cool to have to show some art in the space where Kyle [Beachy's] “Anything at All” [was held]. Having the art up while people were giving such personal details was a really humbling way to exhibit some work. I loved kicking it with and hearing the words on the panel from Natalie Porter about women’s skate history. Her awesome librarian nerdery is just so infectious and cool to witness.
"The most important part of the pant is the pleat. You can hem them, you can cut them. But if you don't have the right pleat, it’s hard to fix."
I think they're Brooks Brothers. Got them at Goodwill, cut the bottoms off. The most important part of the pant is the pleat. You can hem them, you can cut them. But if you don't have the right pleat, it’s hard to fix.
What brought you here?
I came because I have a master's degree in urban planning, and I got that degree because I want to create skateable public spaces. I think skate parks are super cool. I think skate plazas are super cool, but I want to create spaces that are for the public, and that includes skateboarders instead of excluding them. Not necessarily “let's make this place for skaters,” but I think let's make them for everybody, and let's include skaters in everybody.
They’re Palace Realtree shorts. They’re made out of a duck canvas, have a carpenter loop, and some pockets on the side to throw my phone in there. They fit kind of big, and I bought them from the store and didn’t try them on. When I got back to my hotel and I put them on, I got so embarrassed at first. They’re crazy big, they go too long, and they didn’t work for me at all, but I ran 'em on a skate trip to SF and that was it.
Is this your first Slow Impact?
This is my third one. I’ve been to every single one. Every year I’ve had a life-altering experience being around all these people. I quit drinking at the end of the first Slow Impact; I finally saw a lot of people that were just like me that didn’t drink and still live the life I want to live. After year one it solidified that I’m never going to miss it. Last year I came back and made some really good lifelong friends, and had to come back for year three.
Bobby Pourier’s paper highlighted the term “communal mastery,” essentially that I can accomplish goals because of the community around me. That fucking blew my mind, and I’ve been saying it all weekend long. That’s a feeling that I've been feeling over the past few years, being supported by the skate community and my friends. Bobby dropped that early on the first day and it set the tone for the whole weekend.
"Bobby Pourier’s paper highlighted the term “communal mastery,” essentially that I can accomplish goals because of the community around me. That fucking blew my mind..."
These are Levi's classics, and they're probably from 1972. They're 100% Lycra. They're perfectly pleated. It's got a tag that says, “Made in America” and these will never fade, because they're like that material.
My friend Tanner works at this place where they do moving. They evacuated this guy, I don’t know if the dude passed away or had to move. But they packed all the stuff, and he hit up all the homies “Hey, we got a bunch of clothes, anybody can come to the house and pick some up.” I got these and some Hawaiian shirts. This guy had clothes from decades ago in perfect condition.
What has been your highlight of the weekend?
What stood out was probably the walk on the mountain, because we started with the video at Mitchell [Park], and then we went to Casey [Moore's] for a beer. Then from there we walked up and there was a festival called the Innings Festival, and they had their line of fireworks. So we're on top of a mountain, you get a 360-degree view of Tempe. You can see fireworks, you can see the water, and they have a building that reflects light so you can see everything. The hike was super awesome. And everything else is cool because, you know, it's the Spot Seekers. We have so many spots out here in Tempe. You just skate for five minutes [and] you'll find something because everyone here makes their own spots.
These are Supreme workwear pants from before they put the pocket on the side, and there's no star patch or anything, They stay up if you stay on your weight [and] they're pretty good on their own. Otherwise, there’s nice arty belt loops [and] a snap on the wallet pocket so that the phone doesn't fall out every time. Solid.
What brings you here?
I wanted to kind of be merch guy for Plank Magazine, and there was limited documentation from last year, so I figured you just got to show up [to experience it]. I don't have this community in my own community, so I visited somewhere that feels like I'm at somewhere between camp and a comic book convention.
All the food has been amazing. I haven’t really encountered anything bad outside of my hotel vending machine, which had a Caramello bar that was funky white by the time it came out of the packet. People are super nice. The weather seems perfect.
WKND carpenter jeans. I love everything about them, but these grommets go all the way through. It feels cold on my leg when it touches. You don't really get used to it. Occasionally it feels like a bug going up your leg.
What has been your highlight of the weekend?
On a personal level, I honestly think we're making lifelong friends. It’s really cute. There are people that I met the first year that I talk to on a daily basis, but we only see each other here. That never happens as an adult.
I did doubles with Kenny Reed yesterday, and he followed and reposted me. My high school skater group text is giving me actual props for once, which never happens. They literally said “I thought he lived in India.”
"They have this crotch."
Well, instead of answering your question, what I'll tell you is that I have five pairs in these: three in cotton, two in linen. I like that the belt is built in. They are baggy without being “look at me, look at me,” I like that they are made for movement. They have this crotch. They were pants originally made for rock climbers. So they're great. You can actually move around in them. They're good weight, they're hefty, they last, and they're on sale at least once a year. Substantially on sale. I would also like to add that Portland Terry got me on to these.
And I will also say that last year, I was wearing a blue pair of these. One of the first things Ted Barrow said to me upon seeing each other was “Are you still wearing those?”
What has been your highlight of the weekend?
I just got acupuncture for the first time in my life. By Adriana, Ryan Lay’s partner, who is out here doing it for the sake of fundraising, because she is trying to essentially spearhead a program in a local prison to educate incarcerated people to train and heal themselves, and it strikes me as the most beautiful thing. Also deeply skate in its spirit. I'm really happy to have that experience.
And I'm staying at the same Airbnb I stayed in last year. By total coincidence. It's a weird fucking feeling to go back to an Airbnb.
Low-effort travel blog: Slow Impact edition: addendum
Rank: 1
Mood: ❤️
If you attend Slow Impact, the now-annual skateboarding conference of sorts, you may feel an afterglow. That might be corny or the effect of some idealism held tight and inhaled, but it's real. Being around so many people who care deeply about the thing you care deeply about has an invigorating effect. Being around so many people you care about has an enlivening effect. I have a piece that should be out next week about the strangeness of heading to Tempe, Arizona, during these times and the relief and beauty found there, but if you can, you should go next year. If there is a next year. I mean that generally. In the meantime, spend time doing things you care about with people you care about.
Video via Ryan Lay on Instagram.
Or just make a big ol' pot of stew. I'm talking a motherfucking vat. Cauldron. Whichever is bigger. Nothing makes you feel better than having an enormous receptacle full of hardy, wet vegetables. I'm serious. Tonnes of onions, carrots, potatoes. Throw some kidney beans in there. Kale. Bits of beef. Whatever you want. And spice that shit up. Consider it an alternative means of being invigorated and enlivened (and probably gassy).
Here today, Gary tomorrow
Rank: 2024
Mood: 👋
On February 9, World Skate, skateboarding's Olympic governing body, announced that Brazilian skateboard icon Letícia Bufoni had joined the organization's Executive Board as Chair of the International Technical Commission. As Sam May at insidethegames.biz reported, Bufoni will now "advise on aspects of the World Skateboarding Tour, including contest formats, point allocations, and rankings, as well as represent the views of the five continental Chairpeople. This position also grants her full voting rights on the Executive Board."
This looks to be an unusually competent move from the often blundering World Skate, and at least on its face, shows that they're serious about appearing serious about repairing their fractured relationship with the Brazillian Skateboarding Federation and including skateboarders in the process of shepherding the sport into the Los Angeles 2028 Games, something it hasn't shown much interest or care about in the past, to the point that skateboarding federations from multiple countries, including Brazil, threatened to remove themselves from World Skate entirely.
Cole Nowicki
It should be noted that Bufoni once served as the chair of World Skate's athletes' committee but, according to comments made in Executive Board meeting notes from October of 2022, "Bufoni... unfortunately has never participated in EB meetings; the Secretary General hopes that the athletes will soon have a new representative."
Now the International Technical Commission has a new representative. To that end, Bufoni has replaced Gary Ream, who I've described previously as "the founder of Woodward and the disgraced former board chair of USA Skateboarding (USAS). Ream was forced to resign after a number of allegations surfaced back in August following a damning audit of USAS, up to and including financial impropriety."
While his actions were serious enough that much of the USAS staff and board would resign in protest, USAS would get threatened with decertification by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Ream would resign in shame along with Bored Ape "senior producer" and former USAS CEO Josh Friedberg, Ream stayed on as Chair of World Skate's International Technical Commission through the Paris 2024 games. At the time, World Skate explained their decision to insidethegames.biz as such: "...we must highlight that no legal or sport authority indictment, incompatible with his technical position at the IF (International Federation) level, has been made to Mr. Ream."
That was curious as it was never made explicit or public what the allegations of "financial impropriety" against Ream were. Now, nearly three years after the news first surfaced, and less than a year after Ream helmed the commission in Paris, we still don't know for certain. Ream is simply out and Bufoni is in. No publicly available statement from the former, many boosted plaudits for the latter. There's also no mention of the decision in the available Executive Board meeting minutes going back from 2024-2022, the last minutes posted being from June 2024. So it goes in the slipshod, opaque world of Olympic Skateboarding.
New old game(s)
Rank: 3-4
Mood: 🎮
You know that you've reached a certain level of fame and notoriety when you find yourself in a position to "leak" information about an unannounced project from a multi-billion dollar corporation, which is exactly what Tyshawn Jones did last week when he teased his inclusion in the next Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remaster while appearing as a guest on The Breakfast Club.
That degree of cultural transcendence makes sense for Jones, a professional skateboarder sponsored by the storied French fashion house Louis Vuitton. He's one of the most prominent figures to emerge from professional skateboarding into the mainstream. Tony Hawk is obviously the apex, with names like Bam Margera and Jason Lee several levels below.
But Jones is a purist. He's broken through on skateboarding and its spoils alone. He didn't have to become a reality television star or an actor in a syndicated sitcom; he simply skated hard, occasionally in a pair of Timbs, and now he's here — from stealing skateboarding video games to starring in them. And at just 26, he's got ample time to spoil the roll-out plans of various entertainment properties for years to come.
Finally, Jesus Christ
Rank: 1
Mood: 👟🎉👟🎉
Some two years after getting laid off from DC Shoes, SK8MAFIA powerhouse Alexis Ramirez finally has an official shoe sponsor in Nike SB. Why it took so long to get here is unclear, as Ramirez has been one of the best and most productive skateboarders on the scene for nearly a decade, but let's not dwell, he's arrived and he's (presumably) getting a paycheque. That rules. Let's all celebrate by putting our index and ring fingers together. You know how to do it. Are you doing it now? Great. Feels good, right?
Something to consider:
Samer Kalaf
Good thing:
Another good thing:
Ben Fowlkes
Okay, another one:
The Editors
Yes, yes, more:
Gareth Watkins
A good, fresh off the presses thing:
Until next week… if you are near a human baby and it reaches out in your direction, you must offer it your finger to hold onto. That is the social contract. It must be done.
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.
