NYC Courthouse Ledge #2: Adidas Team

After covering basically all of the facets of skating the NYC Courthouse, I've left the last two posts for this week for two specific videos. One of them is the Adidas team skating in NYC. Now even though Adidas is a mainstream company that you can say doesn't belong in skateboarding, what they've done in skateboarding is without a doubt pretty awesome. The primary ("American" maybe, though it's really made up of a good amount of internationals too) team alone is so stacked, but not stacked like DC or Nike with guys that are going to be in every contest. Not that contest skating is necessarily a bad thing, but the collection of guys on Adidas is supremely more tasteful to me than many other shoe brands. I think "tasteful" is an accurate word for what Adidas has been doing: the crew mixes up an eclectic group of styles, the shoes are classy and distinctive, and the videos they've consistently been putting out (including every single one of their tour videos) is exactly how I think tour videos should be. It may be the German roots or something but whatever it is the editors, filmers, and skaters at Adidas produce some of my favorite web clips.

Now that I'm done ranting on the tastefulness (last time I use that here, I swear) of Adidas as a whole, let's see exactly what the crew accomplished at the NYC Courthouse. Starting slightly after the 5 minute mark in the video, Lucas Puig surprises by coming in hot with a smooth-as-always switch flip back tail. I'd probably say that this is my favorite trick done on that main ledge at the courthouse, and I am fully embracing my biased support of the Frenchman. Dennis Busenitz of course comes through with speed - though it probably felt slow for him - and shrugs his shoulders on a back feeble, only to step it up with a sick back noseblunt pop out.
Some other rad skating ensues at different spots from Vince De Valle (gnarly boardslide!) to Nestor Judkins to Benny Fairfax (see what I mean about the team?) and then the official introduction of Mark Suciu pops up (SEE WHAT I MEAN?!?!). Just when you think all the ways of skating the NYC Courthouse have been explored, from the two ledges to the drop to manuals in between, Mark somehow thinks of a 3 trick line to perform. A narrow ollie over the edge of the column and a wallie 180 provide the set up for the perfect fakie flip into the bank. Sure it's ABD by Josh Clark, as mentioned a couple days ago, but that doesn't take away the gnarliness of the trick, much less the fact that it was the ender of a line too. And if that's not enough already, which I don't see why it wouldn't be, Mark seals the deal with a backside bluntslide 270 out on the ledge and twists back around with a bs 180 while dropping off the kinked bank (mimicking every viewer's smile of elation with the rollaway). Is he good or what?

NYC Courthouse Ledge #5: The Main Ledge

When I think of the NYC Courthouse spot, I think of the main ledge first and foremost. There have been numerous tricks done on the ledge, followed up by the infamous rollaway into the bank leading up to the large drop off. To me, landing a ledge trick with the spot's added difficulty captures the essence of New York's "big" spot. I definitely don't have all of the tricks done on this main ledge at the NYC Courthouse but here are a few that I found and a few that are personally memorable.

Above you can see Josh Kalis displayed his proper form on a frontside noseblunt on what I'd say is the lesser-used side of the Courthouse ledges, probably because the landing is much trickier with the poles at the bottom.
Matching that backside is Danny Fuenzalida for an older Think ad:

I'll be honest. I have no idea who back smithed the ledge in the picture below (almost looks like Wieger?), but it is super stylish! (I may be missing some blatant skate-nerd knowledge right here so please let me know who this back smither is.)


Now for a couple of personal favorites:
Brad Cromer nailed a front tail heelflip out, as seen in his Quartersnacks Pro-Fi Remix. The trick itself is definitely not one of the most common ones out there, so to see it done on an iconic spot like this and to be carried through the bank and drop by one of the smoothest styles in skateboarding was quite awesome.
Then there was Matt Militano. Underrated and undercovered by far, this dude rips too hard to not be recognized in the industry yet. He's got plenty of sweet NYC footage with great style, including a couple bangers at the Black Hubba, and his trick at the Courthouse Ledge is nothing short of stunning. Nose manual to back lip to back tail. Creativity, quick feet, and an oh-so-smooth style. Can't go wrong there.

(Now there are definitely some other gems done on this main ledge at the courthouse, but they will be visited later this week under a specific category.)

UPDATE: I forgot about Billy Roper's bs nosegrind pop shove it out with the original post. Definitely worth mentioning so here it is, better late than never.
UPDATE #2: I knew I wasn't going to remember all of the tricks done at this spot's ledge, but here's another one I just came across (not too much later thankfully): Zered Bassett gets to grinding and rotating with a solid front crooks to fakie and then a switch 180 off the end of the bank down to flat.

Clipper #3: Darrell Stanton

It should be illegal to look as casual as Darrell Stanton does on a skateboard. Being able to get 4 tricks at Clipper, including some gnarly blunt variations, all the while not shrugging a shoulder is not something you can practice. He's just naturally that graceful and managed to get 4 beautiful tricks at Clipper. 2 of those tricks were in his Roll Forever part above. At 1:11 Darrell starts off "easily" enough with a backside 5-0 back 180 out, and then gets blunted with a super steezy nollie backside noseblunt ender at 2:13. The right arm position while rolling away is priceless. There was also a cover of Thrasher back in 2002 of a regular back noseblunt from Darrell with the ultimate steeze, almost like he's just posing on the ledge. Lastly, in Free Your Mind Darrell does what seems like an impossible trick at 5:10: ollie over to front blunt. He somehow pops his way with enough control to slide the opposite side of Clipper, but despite the insane difficulty of the trick, his left arm remains as smooth in its balancing position as possible. Gnarly tricks with such style makes for remarkable tricks.