Around this time last year, I was hanging around at Moe’s Tavern and saw Jake Brown’s slam on the corner TV’s. I was the only skater in the group I was with, and apparently the only person there who gave a shit. Brown pulled a 720 over a 70-foot gap and then set up for another trick, compressing too much and sending him over the flat. The resulting slam is internet video infamy. The drop-in alone was burly and the air on the quarterpipe was over 45 feet above the ground. He bailed and landed in the flat and is famous for having the worst televised slam in skateboarding history.
A year later, he’s still skating, and ESPNx was waiting for him. The commentator buildup before his run talked mostly about how he would handle it. There were lots of cutaways and slo-mo footage of his slam. And there was plenty of armchair psychoanalysis while they panned footage of future pain-fame riders from the motocross class coming up next.
“so, do you think he’s worried, lining up his skateboard on top of one of the largest ramps ever made?”
Well, I think the three HD cameras crammed in his face had at least a little bearing.
He dropped in and circled a 360 mute grab over the expanse and then did a huge 540 (20 feet out) on the quarterpipe. Hell Yeah. Mostly, all the commentators were relieved he didn’t die. But to come back from that and nail it was fucking rad.
Danny Way stepped up to the deck and dropped in without much fanfare. He’s a star of the big ramp scene and cemented his stake with a 360 over The Great Wall in China.
I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who’s only experience with skating is that Jake Brown slam video, or the Tony Hawk games. There was a certain amount of glee from them in a lot of that, mostly from people who were happy because “ha ha, dumbasses, they think they’re so cool, harhar, why do that? har”.
Danny Way’s second run found him connecting with the coping on the quarterpipe, which sent him into a 10ft backflip that left him laid out on the flat. He spent some time there and it looked like Andy MacDonald was even praying for him.
The EMT’s led him off the ramp to a stretcher and he blew it off and walked to the Medic room.
Less than ten minutes later he was up on the deck, dropping in for his next run.
There was no bullshit in his walk, something’s fucked up in his back. I’m not sure why he went back up, but when he did, he drops in to an indy-nosebone backflip and then pulls a varial 540 on the opposite wall. Fucking sick.
From the story itself, he should have taken it. But Bob Burnquist sets up and nails a huge switch backside 180 ollie over the gap, into an indy 360 ollie 20ft out. It’s up to the judges now and they give it to Bob.Sick tricks, for sure, but Danny showed real character.I could just see the drops of drool falling from the ESPN executives. If they only know what actually happened. Well, maybe they wouldn’t give a shit anyway.
Danny Way gives a fuck. He tried hard. And tried again, and nailed it.
So what did you do last night?
