Tricks Over J-Kwon Ledge

CJ Tambornino, no comply.

As the era of the LOVE Park plaza has transitioned into that of J-Kwon's, one can say that just like every make down LOVE's fountain gap, every trick done over the long ledge at J-Kwon instantly adds to the spot's history. And Josh Kalis is once again at the center of all the action. J-Kwon's ledge is special because there aren't a huge number of spots recognized for individual flatground tricks done. The picnic bench comes to mind (TWS has already archived its historic ABDs), but it can be considered more of a prop. Pier 7 offers a couple more memorable options, as Marcus McBride perfectly demonstrates, though the manny pad technically has a drop - thus not exactly flatground - and I think the last actual flatground ledge in the part is no longer around. Regardless, J-Kwon's ledge is easily recognized and provides a sizable challenge to those that think they have their fliptricks down. (Luan, if you're reading this [it's too late], please skate this spot.)

It's been quite a while since the last post, but the timing could not be any better. I've been wanting to catalog the tricks done over the long ledge at J-Kwon for a while. So when Nick Tucker shocked the web with his turning pro part for Primitive, not only did he DEMOLISH the LA courthouse ledge, but he startled everyone with 3 sick NBDs over J-Kwon's ledge. Getting one new trick is remarkable enough, but 3 back to back to back tricks was simply thrilling. This already got me thinking about the blog post, but the cherry on top was when Walker Ryan and Kelly Hart astonished me with their J-Kwon additions today. Walker's already one of my favorite skaters, and the switch backside flip is probably my favorite trick to see done (because of guys like Walker), so the combo is too good. Couple that with my personal favorite trick to do (fakie 360 flip) done by a master of that trick and I am completely flipping out in excitement from this short video.
(And soon after Matt Gottwig almost ollied over the whole super long ledge too!)

Now to the rest of the catalog of tricks chronologically (for the most part):

1. The "Basics"

The first trick done over the J-Kwon ledge to my knowledge comes as a pleasant, but easily unnoticed, surprise from the Boss himself. We already know his kickflip is one of the best ever, so it's fitting for him to casually open up his Bake and Destroy part in 2012 with a kickflip over the ledge, to start out a line of course (0:10).

Diego Najera was seriously placed on the radar when he was welcomed to Ammo a couple years ago. Besides incredible switch skating and trouble flipping the Hollywood 12, Diego nails a solid line at J-Kwon, speedily setting up for a buttery switch heel down the stairs by frontside 180ing over the whole ledge (1:34).

While Brett Sube's trick (or pair of tricks) is the most basic on flatground, it's possibly the most impressive of all of these cataloged entries so far. Huge double ollies over the extra-high ledges document his impressive pop and control to close out his part in Gracias Skateboarding. (Also note that Alex Olson ollies over one of these extra-high ledges in a line in Pretty Sweet.)

2. 360 Flip - Jordan Trahan

A video posted by Josh Kalis (@dgkalis) on May 4, 2014 at 9:17pm PDTh

 The first trick that really put this spot on the map. Jordan Trahan's unearthly pop and one-of-a-kind miraculous 360 flip, captured by OG 360 flip master Mr. Kalis himself, is a thing a pure beauty.

3. Switch Frontside Kickflip - Carlos Iqui

A video posted by Josh Kalis (@dgkalis) on Jun 1, 2014 at 8:54pm PDT

Leave it to a Brazilian to pop much earlier than necessary and fly insanely far over the whole ledge. Quite a few tricks come to mind before a switch fs flip to try at this spot, but Carlos Iqui once again proves his technical wizardry is no joke. UPDATE (6/2/15): Carlos apparently has decided to one-up himself by doing this trick again in a pretty heavy line.

4. Caballerial - Abbas Glass

I've honestly never heard of Abbas Glass before, but I'll never forget his name after this. This caballerial was executed perfectly, with bonus steeze. NOTE: The original video seems to have been taken down, so here's a separate link to substitute.

5. No Comply - Bobby De Keyzer

Now I was pretty blown away when I saw the photo of CJ Tambornino (above) no complying over the ledge. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any footage surface of his trick. But another technician in Bobby De Keyzer released a shockingly awesome part for DC not too long ago. What better way to start off a part than arguably one of the best lines in recent memory, including that wonderfully enormous no comply (4:10). Mad props!


UPDATES:
I basically would like to keep an ABD Archives of this JKWON ledge spot, much like Transworld is doing. However, I'm going to keep it strictly for tricks done over the ledges because the entire spot itself is definitely blown out. Please comment any tricks that I may have missed!

A video posted by THRASHER MAGAZINE (@thrashermag) on Jun 8, 2015 at 7:59pm PDT

6/9/15 - Kelly Hart, contributor of his great fakie 360 flip over the ledge, filmed the homie Myquel Haddox adding TWO new tricks to the spot's history for eS! Another name I won't be forgetting now after the beautiful half-cab kickflip and fakie big flip.
6/18/15 - Myquel just isn't stopping! Chalk up another one over the J-Kwon block: frontside heelflip. Hope a video comes soon!
7/22/15 - This dude is unreal. Myquel adds one more trick to the list: switch heelflip. He could probably put out a full part soon of just these J-Kwon block tricks...
8/28/15 - I definitely missed this the first time around. Not exactly sure when Furby switch back heeled the ledge, but it can be found in the Supra commercial in the sponsors menu in TWS' Outliers. Unfortunately I could not find a video or picture online so you'll just have to check it out in Outliers for yourself!
9/24/15 - Sabotage 4 was released on DVD on 9/11 and after receiving my package and peeping the video, I was psyched. Not only is Philly footage the best, but parts from Ishod, Suciu, Kalis, and Walker Ryan all got me super amped as well. Amidst the hour long video was a nice little gem from J-Kwon frequenter MATT GOTWIG (see above). While Myquel may have had a picture of his front heel, Matt to my knowledge was the first to release a video of his FRONT HEEL over the J-Kwon block in all its beauty. Cop the full length to see it featured in Brian Douglas's part!
10/8/15 - And of course, a 5 trick fix over the ledge for Myquel. Only a matter of time. Wow!

A video posted by Myquel Haddox (@quel615) on Oct 7, 2015 at 8:05pm PDT

12/25/15 - Cyril Jackson has had a super productive rookie year and capped it off with a solid Deathlens part featuring a tight late shove over the J-Kwon Ledge! Check the full line at 1:18 for the awesomeness.
1/3/16 - Even with Walker getting the trick first (most likely), Matt Gotwig shows again that he's a J-Kwon local by switch backside flipping the block in his Aguora Lifestyle part.
4/29/16 - Quel is back at it! Now getting into the awkwardly gnarly tricks: fakie varial flipping the block in style.
1/14/17 - Like many others in DGK's new "Saved" video, Adrian Del Campo gets his AM intro to the team and comes correct with a solid switch front heel over the block, even if Nick Tucker did it first.
7/9/17 - Never took this one into account back from 2013: Yuri Facchini with a proper heelflip to start a line and his Damn good Blind part!

Pro Too Soon #1: Tom Remillard

Though Tom used to be flow or something for Antihero back in the day, I really had not heard anything about him until the Shuffl Video (Tom's part above) via Walker Ryan and the crew. That was back in 2010 and since that one part, the only part I'd seen of Tom at that time, I don't think I've seen more than a few small features through Converse maybe up until his latest part this summer in Perpetual Motion. Now he definitely rips very hard in the TWS video - defying all sense of logic and physics by literally ollieing on a vertical wall at one point. It's certain that Tom's last video part has some incredible clips and really awesome tranny lines, even some street tricks in there too. Great part without a doubt. But the fact that he had just been welcomed to Expedition two months before the video after basically being in sponsorship limbo for a good few years really stands out with the news of Tom going pro this past week.
This piece of news was the kickstarter for the theme of the posts this week, so I found it fitting to save Tom for the final day. Again, much like the other guys mentioned this past week, the time spent actually on Expedition is way too small to warrant a pro model. In terms of coverage and being recognized in the skate world, I doubt that many people actually know much about Tom other than from his PM part. There needs to be way more coverage of Tom killing it for Expedition, and even Converse for that matter, as well as more time spent with the crew to cement that loyalty a professional needs to have.
On top of that...Kelly Hart is still am for Expedition! Almost 8 years ago is when Kelly's It's Official part was released, and Tom has been on the team for maybe 10 months. A very good video part cannot outweigh sponsor loyalty and experience by that much to justify this situation. Nothing against Tom, but I definitely feel like Expedition turned him pro too soon not only because of his coverage and experience, but particularly because of Mr. Hart's.

Ams that Should be Pro #2: Kelly Hart

It feels like Kelly Hart has been around for quite a while.  And all through that time I always felt that he had a very grown up, professional steeze that would grant him his own deck at some point.  Kelly is easily one of the butteriest skaters out there with his easy-looking but dominantly high pop, flicking and catching tricks, and bending his knees for one of the best landings styles I could imagine.  Kelly can manual like he's in a video game with cheat codes, holding a single pose throughout entire long manuals like nothing.  He's got a mastery of nollie and fakie pop shove its and varial flips (and when I say POP shove it, I mean it), which no one else has as smooth as him. Another thing I doubt many people give him credit for is that with his skills to skate switch as smoothly as he does regular, he is able to film tricks that are mirror images of each other, which is a clever way of making his parts more interesting to watch (nollie pop shove nose manny followed by fakie pop shove fakie manny for example).  One of his first major parts was in It's Official, where I'd say all the tricks from 0:50 - 1:11 perfectly demonstrate his pop shove it abilities, his pop, his manual abilities, and his gorgeous tre flips.  His part in Give Me My Money Chico (above) is also really pleasing to watch, just to see exactly how tricks should be executed.  I love his varial heelflip at 2:18, he has a perfect switch heel over a bump to bar at 2:50, and he displays his craftiness with his last two tricks by mirroring a fs 5-0 kickflip out with a switch one afterwards that looks just as buttery as the first. His Berrics Recruit part once again comes through and shows Kelly's mastery of good-looking flip tricks and perfectly balanced manuals. He comes again with two nice mirrored lines starting at 1:02: a front tail then a beautiful fakie tre over a bench and a switch front tail and nollie tre.  His nollie inward heel over the fire hydrant at 1:57 is just another piece of eye candy. Kelly also has some great clips in the latest Expedition offering Madness with some very speedy and smooth cruising lines, in one of which he approaches a handrail and decides that with a tre flip as good-looking as his, he might as well just tre flip over it instead of worrying about any grind tricks, which I fully back.  Throwing a switch flip in the middle of a switch manny at 2:23 is not even fair because he almost doesn't flinch or waver at all! And the fakie POP shove it at 2:35 may possibly be the best one ever done.
So with a really solid collection of video parts, a proper style that is the perfect amount of butteriness without going overboard, and some of the most correct flip tricks in skateboarding (he has the most Berrics' Trickipedia entries for a reason), it's really a shock that he hasn't gone pro yet.  Even just some talk of turning him pro would be nice, but all I can hope for is that he's working on another attractive video part for his first pro board.