Five days out since my last popping session, I wonder how my life would be different if I had stopped skating when my knee started hurting toward the end of my time at SoHo curbs. Instead, afternoon’s passing shadows what had been sunbaked minutes ago; February reasserts itself, however mildly, and I step up to skate more and see how a rest helped. I’m grinding slappy crooks most tries, but feel inner, lower left knee pain now, where earlier I didn’t. Back at the fence, I re-robe my layers and finish this Stella.
I look up and see Russian Steve coming toward. My purple pants confirmed his hunch I was me. I wonder if we’ve seen each other in the past decade. Steve wears grey Supreme fleece pants, riding a Kevin Taylor ScumCo & Sons, just skated up from LES. Nate suggests we dip; the spot has grown more crowded with less sunlight. Jason’s TF suggestion proves amenable. Steve’s pushing Dragons and I’m riding Clouds so we converse on quieter ride up Lafayette and over on St Marks. I haven’t been to Tompkins this year and try to recall definite last time last fall.
TF’s fourth green wooden bench is replaced with new, slightly smaller, less grandly durable replica. We sit on the middle bench and catch breaths for a minute, then cruise around the pitch and its twenty placed objects. My knee still hurts as I toss a boardslide onto broad middle box. I cruise back around and land a few, less painful to roll away, but still sharp sensation is unpleasantly asserting rather than disappearing during warm up. I should stop. When Jason and Nate arrive we set our bags in the outfield sun. I lean back on my board and talk with Cozy’s cousin DJ who recently moved to town from Hawaii.
Nate and Jason stack a few clips, then Steve asks me to film him nose manual up the banked box and hold his balance into a switch manual down. His boomerang trick will bring him back toward me at the end, so I continue sitting here with Nate and Jason while filming yo-yo angle. Steve asks me for five tries but I continue to film as attempts add into double digits and he grows closer. In a moment mixing conversation, I watch Steve shift his weight and hold balance as he rides up, down and off the box. He lands a switch flip afterward and I have to say I’m sorry, I didn’t film that. He says no problem, he’ll do it again.
Soon after, Steve lands one sketchy and of course he’ll keep trying. He’s reaching closer every attempt now and soon enough lands again the nose manual to switch manual then switch flip on flat that I film, airdrop to him and we’re all happy. Steve offers to film me get something but I say I really should be done with tricks for the day as I stand up stiffly and stretch out. The sun sinks behind buildings and our outfield grows shadowed. Nate and Jason are chilling, but Steve is gonna catch the Q train and I have to pick up things at mine before taking train to my girlfriend.
Steve offers me test his Dragon wheels down Ave A. They’re harder than my pillowy clouds, but I can see how they’re seeking that elusive middle ground. I once rode a board with three cruiser wheels and one street wheel on my back truck’s backside in similar search. We say goodbye on Third Street and I continue toward my girl. Showered after dinner, I feel body stiffness more than knee pain, but next morning into days since, knee pain appeared and lingered, akin to prodding a bruise. I recall similar aftereffects following previous sessions in which I’ve pressed my knee over past months and seasons and I realize this current version is milder than those were and remember I’m on the right recovery track. Though global warming has tempted outside in passing days, spring is still my real recovery date. I have exercises to do and cruising with my girlfriend always feels fine. I gave her a pair of Blondey’s for Valentine’s Day and she suggests a cruise through Prospect this afternoon.
**
Marble Mile features 18 new minutes from Washington D.C.’s Stop Fakin’ franchise. Alliterative title indicates idyllic ledge skating conditions within colloquial area descriptor with proudly Imperial distance measurement befitting this national hometown. Balled paper scraps uncrumple to reveal scribed skater names, as a melange of men pop up for trick or verse-length appearances. Hearty dinner preparation soundtracking accompanies adult contact points passing through grand granite avenues and bric-à-brac alleys. One section includes consecutive clips from Justin Helmkamp, Dick Rizzo, Keith Denley, Luke Malaney then Tyler Tufty, to show breadth of East Coast inter-generations. Pulaski continues to reign as premiere American skate plaza, where broad breathing room suffuses a southernness to the space and encourages maximalist pop development and clean lengthy lines. Rahzel shows rough elegance wall surfing amidst appearances from Mike Nalls and Ross Norman. These grown men take their knocks, including sequence of front-shove back-5050 hubba slams. As skater runs back up for more, onlooker asks filmer, “How many takes you got, about 30?” “Ooh, more than that by this point. And we were here yesterday morning too.” “Oh, that was y’all yesterday. Alright, alright.” Phone check shows 8:08AM dedication. We don’t see a make.
Ayoub appears in day and night clips as Manny Fresh interrupts broadcast and Kevin Augustin enters untitled for smooth single kickflip backtail turned fakie in Dunk Lows then a four-trick ledge path tour. Hardbody Jefe bicycles past then squad links at Pulaski, eating bowls for springy green energy. Kevin passes fresh-faced Ayoub an envelope containing a letter and photograph bearded Ayoub sent while incarcerated. Now he’s free, under Pulaski sunshine, and reunited with Kevin who he knew was here holding things down with him in mind. Quick cuts show the lens taps, tumbles and snapped decks inherent to high stakes rolling as Jeezy Black Dreams of death before dishonor.
For first trick after Kevin Augustine’s name on paper, he nollie frontside flips the highest side Pulaski block under summer sun. Ayoub pounds and hugs. “What a day to be outta jail, man.” From this point on, as Jeezy asserts Mob ties, Kevin gets down to some serious two piece tilapia talking Pulaski exclusive bombardment. He front nosegrind reverts main ledge, fronside half cab flips down four stair. Next bite around the corner chews nollie crooks pop out crouched for nollie inward heel downstairs into statue pit. Kickflip back nosegrind precedes four-stair nollie front heel. Nollie crooks, nollie back heel along same route in strawberry kiwi dunks and bleached braids. Pushing south in purple shoes, Kevin back 180 nosegrinds then switch back heels down the 5 toward the street. Nollie heel down white three prepares to display nollie back 180 switch back 5-0 in bumblebee dunk highs. Two piece line across main ledge starts with switch crook pop out and finishes with switch flip back 5-0 off the end before song fades.
Ambient sound echoes as Kevin’s switch flip back tail taps a jump bop into the chuting. Young Cairo asks “How did he land that?” then shows chops of his own as Patrice Rushen requests Forget Me Not’s that Will Smith sampled for Men in Black theme then Kevin returns to switch back tail shove planter ledge down drop. Even over a smoother beat his lines are relentless, nollie flipping the three stair diagonal to hit the ledge with front 180 switch front nosegrind revert. Three stair gets suction cup switch heel, then switch flip back tail with graphic grip. Kevin doesn’t land the fakie hardflip after, but next line twirls varial heel down the three, cruising past the ledge and choosing to back 180 nosegrind the 5 stair handrail. Nollie flip on flat in light colored clothing compliments plaza ground then he varial heels into crooked grind.
Kevin kickflips onto the southern ledge that seats the planters, then hits planter with nollie flip noseslide. The ledge over stairs gets switch flip backtail shove, then fakie frontside flip noseslide to fakie. Both trick finish with emphatic powerslide axel taps that showcase full control in limited space. No push line on the west side contains kickflip back tail, kickflip crooks over the stairs. He switch ollies upon ledge to switch varial heel the gap to three stair toward Pulaski statue. Kevin’s first clip outside of Pulaski is also his last trick in this part, at the waterfront ledge over cobblestones that appeared in Carousel. Awake to Venture, Kevin front blunt to fakie, shown in his first and only double angle. Breezy track keeps playing as Smalls rolls the credits.
Nearly 15 years since Stop Fakin’ introduced viewers to Kevin and his twin Kenny (who Kevin still tries to get on session,) Kevin is still progressing through his 30s. A carpenter by trade, Kevin intuitively understands the building blocks that lead to sound structures and shows his capability to create a cathedral out of thin air. DGK lists 10 pros on their website and I would bet Kevin will put out something and turn pro for them this year if that is what he wants.
I think I’ve mentioned it before, but you should switch your stance and become pure opposite footed purist skater for a spell as to give your knee a rest - it’s wacky, and fun and to switch your identity, and it’s compelling now viewing yourself through the lens of starting ground zero with new stance identity and allowing yourself to be less skilled — I was thinking this the entire time reading this review - my front knee has been paining from overuse, and I did the pure switch session just one night this week and the pain vanished from one day to the next just from one sessions rest.