2014 Videos #4: LRG Video

It's pretty interesting when a clothing company comes out with a full length video in skateboarding. I can't think of too many instances of this happening. Ambig came out with a solid 15 minutes or so of insane shredding with great editing via Modern Art, but that's definitely a promo as opposed to a full length video. I was super stoked on Ambig since the video and their sick team, but after a few team member cuts I can't back them as much. Anyway, LRG is the other clothing company in my memory that has pulled off the legit full length video just a few years ago. Give Me My Money Chico turned out to be really sick; it combined a pretty versatile and stylish team with editing inter-connectivity to give a consistent vibe throughout the whole video. And everyone's parts were definitely memorable to still be brought up today. A good 35/40 minute video with full parts from everyone is priceless these days in the increasingly viral world of skateboarding.

Since then, the team has changed up a little bit (I still find it funny that almost immediately after GMMMC came out Tommy Guns, Billy Marks, and Tom Asta were added to the team) and has some new heavy hitters now: Felipe Gustavo, Carlos Ribeiro, and Trent McClung. Recently, LRG introduced Miles Silvas to the team (welcome video above), who has been on an absolute rampage this year with coverage and sponsors. With that welcome video I saw that LRG is officially working on its next full length video for 2014. With a lineup that LRG has now, a full length video can be extremely epic. Definitely something to be hyped for this year.

A quick highlight run through of some of LRG's skaters to be ready for their upcoming video:
You know what Billy Marks, Tom Asta, and Carlos Ribeiro are capable of.
Tommy Sandoval - just look at his Cold War part
Miles Silvas - can't wait to see probably the biggest back noseblunt ever!
(And if any of their international dudes have parts too...oh boy!)

In addition to the LRG video, I should probably mention the upcoming video from Gold Wheels: Gold Goons. I just saw the trailer this week, so I didn't plan on posting about it. But just looking at the lineup in the info underneath the trailer, there are so many tight dudes on the team that even semi-full parts from some of them would be satisfactory. I'm not too sure which ones have been stacking clips for Gold Goons specifically, but a lineup like that leaves plenty possibilities for a full length video.

Clipper #4: Jack Curtin

Jack Curtin is definitely one of the most underrated dudes out there. His ability to skate everything from ledges to flatground and especially to rails/hubbas in any stance is really quite incredible when you think about some of the rather "tech" tricks he puts down some handrails. Hitting the big Clipper hubba is a perfect example of this: Jack has nailed 3 pretty heavy switch tricks down the famous ledge. At 2:19 in Give Me My Money Chico you can see Jack rather perfectly execute a switch backside 5-0 grind down Clipper. There's something about switch 5-0s in general that just seem so uncomfortable to handle as easily as the regular version, so Jack's fluidity with the trick is definitely awesome. Since the switch 5-0 wasn't enough, Jack grabs two more switch bangers at Clipper, both seen in his Parental Advisory part above. At 3:22 he switch kickflips into a switch backside 50-50 grind, a pretty nutty switch combo down a hubba that size, and then for his ender at 3:34 Jack somehow gets the pop and control to switch back lip the ledge. 3 heavy switch tricks at Clipper put Jack Curtin in the top 5 Clipper skaters for sure. And the story behind the switch flip back 50 for a Transworld cover is also worth hearing about, just adding to Jack's radness.

UPDATE: I just realized that I completely bypassed two other super gnarly tricks from Jack down the ledge! Apparently he also has done a nollie noseblunt down the hubba as well as another switch trick: switch crooked grind for his FTC part at 2:05. Not only are those both really gnarly but that puts Jack's collection of Clipper tricks up to 5, which definitely moves up his position in my top Clipper skaters.

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.