Mobbin' with Rob Maatman
by J.M. Sneep
This job I’m working is a seven minute skate from my girlfriend’s door. I turn left downhill and carve to control speed, check scene and time gridwork. I can’t see the approaching avenue’s stoplight since her one-way street goes against my traffic, so I watch the crosswalks then turn right onto the avenue for four block downhill cruise. Traffic lights cycle twice during this time, then I push uphill with the remainder of my downhill speed, passing a church with a skate spot, then turn left for a block further downhill.
On my crosstown return I skate the further, quieter avenue around the corner, downhill for a few blocks then flat for a couple until I turn left on her street. I push the first block uphill switch, navigating with my healing left knee. One car is double parked on the right and a car behind me waits to pass me until I’ve passed this one. Further up, I push around a double parked car on the left. Just when I have passed it, a car that has appeared behind me honks. The driver could have shown a second’s more patience instead of honking, as I carve toward the now wider siding and toss my hands up in some bafflement. He drives past and apologizes. I swing around to resume pushing regular and catch up to him waiting at the red light. My girlfriend asked me to grab parsley, so I carve right on red and grab five flavors of Tepache at the grocery too. Back home, I pop open the pink Watermelon Jalapeño can and see Dutch Master Rob Maatman’s two-minute fresh box of grip clip at the top of Free Skate Mag:
Presentation begins with crisp white Mob logo blowing up in smoke while Gangsta Gold and MC Money “Load da ammo”, Memphis rap sandpaper game stepping into Shake Junt sonic territory. Rob Maatman’s name appears in green and black flourish on white Seek Sect minimalist groe. Grainy kief filters Rob’s goofy pushback to ollie exhaust vent lily-pads in Pop shirt with back graphic as local youths onlook. He approaches in sharp focus to ollie flat gap onto monument based back 5050. He wallies consecutive quarter-circle bicycle racks in two-toned blue Half Cabs. Along a canal walk, he pops quick crooked grind into thin banked descent, shown twice, quality Hollandaise with barber pole weathercock looming.
POP logo in white across back of black crewneck leads to front bigspin front tail to fakie on a gap to ledge in one particularly fluid pirouette. Rob pops over frolicking fountain fencing to back noseblunt ledge onto brickwork fountain edge into bricolage. He slides a single, long, upper deck noseslide then next waterfront clip depicts switch flip over wooden platforms gap. Rob ollies into thin bicycle chute that runs down 10 stair alongside a public toilet wall. On black wheels in a white tee, Rob uses a granite propped drain to loft kickflip up a handful with tweaked, down the barrel catch. He points back salad on strip of angle across exhaust structure that he skated in his 2021 Pop x Vans part, further treating this Lurker Lou spot to bluntslide to fakie. He wallies vertical pole jam over a bike path, then ledge front blunts across a dirt gap bouncy pop to fakie.
Ollie north nosebonk on bellpole gap stands out at halfway as a rarely apparent trick done with steez, then same spot gets fakie front shove Karim style. Wearing painter’s white with his brunet mustache, Rob front tails along a long, lower, second level ledge. When his turn to fakie clips on lower level, I remember my tail smacking the bottom stair on an indented Philly step noseslide to regs, at which point I was as happy to share my snappy clip as Rob appears here. He snatches switch pop-shove down stairs with a style that reminds me of Gino and a face that reminds me of Watermelon Alex Mosely.
In line, Rob tweaks front feeble upon boulevard walkway flatbar, then helicopters 360 flip before a couple pushes to pop crooked grind transfer along the next flatbar. Without his previous grate propping street mod, but within similar spatial structure, Rob ollies from a loading lift’s little bank up to the loading dock. He crooked grinds an out ledge down to fakie, then noseslides an upper ledge level, dropping down early to fakie five-oh base ledge in shorts and Vans crew socks. He back and front boardslides mirrored tree guardrails popped over perpendicular to fakie past further gaps. His kickflip to fakie from front tail shows yoyo control. Rob’s third trick over the bellpole in sun dappled plaza is front bigspin wearing shorts channeling Javier Sarmiento.
Closing time comes in cooler weather, through windswept waterfront civic space. Rob in sky grey hoodie ollies over granite bench-backing onto seat ride. His frontside 5050 ender appears ascending same seating’s further, higher bench-back rail gleaming salmon silver, transfer pop over with a back 5-0 tail clap en route down. Rob’s intuitive stylings well consider and display Holland’s public accommodations. Designed democratic socialist spaces provide intricate movement templates, upon which Maatman blueprints further suggestive use. He wears enough back graphic POP shirts that viewers may imagine what that team has cooking this year. As sticky griptape ambassador, Rob has things covered up top.