The Spacewalking Dead, or An Ode to the Approaching Freestyle Apocalypse

North America: in spite of half of the continent being founded on the want of freedom of choice and a puritanical value set, said continent is, on a whole, more or less the global bastion of conformity and decadence. Skateboarders have always prided themselves in their countercultural spirit, with countless skaters rejecting the status quo, dressing different than the preppy, popular jocks at their high school, or being content to live in squalor as long as they have their skateboard. Clearly the skateboarding population of North America is a shining example of all the good things that all the unwatched masses within the allegorical cave are not.

The above is a paragraph that I wish I could have typed out with a straight face and lack of ironic sarcasm.

Dressing "Like a Skater" circa 1987: I'm pretty sure murder will brand you and instant "poser"

Dressing "Like a Skater" circa 2008: Do you think she watched the Pool Party?

I love skateboarding, I love my country (the one to the north, whose colonization was based less on religious freedom and more on making a quick buck off beaver pelts... funny thing, that role-reversal), and I will admit, as I just did, that the continent on a whole revolves around following trends and living in excess. That being said, I cannot help but humbly disagree with all the adolescent ideologues out there who believe that North American skaters are any different than anyone else on this particular landmass in either respect. How else might one explain the fact that, for decades, skaters who didn't dress "like skaters" were branded as posers? This trend seems to have finally dissipated, though, as the entire world's youth now dress "like skaters", diving into either their local Hot Topic or Hip Hop surplus and crawling out three hundred dollars later with outfits that look like they cost twenty five bucks at a goodwill. Further, if popular skateboarding isn't full of excess and trendiness, than how does one explain how modern street skating has divulged into either a game of chicken with one's own kneecaps, or an exercise in cramming as many maneuvers onto a single ledge as humanly possible? I'm all for progression, but this is ridiculous.

Skateboarders on this side of the pond are, by and large, just as trend-conscious and excessive as all the other sheeple they so adamantly claim to reject. This is why Vertical and Freestyle died as soon as the big ball dropped in Times Square in 1990. At least, this is why they died, in North America.

Above: A Rodney Mullen Trick

If nothing else, Europeans can claim that their value of art is far superior to any and every North American. It's not surprising, then, that it was in Europe that Freestyle managed to stay stable, albeit still on life support. While it took until the year 2002 for Freestyle skating to again see the light of day over here, it seems to have been largely relegated to a passing affection; thirteen-year-olds learning some "Rodney Mullen tricks" to best their friends in games of S-K-A-T-E until their legs grow strong enough for them to learn frontside flips. In Europe, however, Freestyle maneuvers were nurtured and cultivated. Contests were held, videos were made, and pros released models. It would seem that, in North America, Freestyle was cast aside, except for the parts that could be used to throw oneself down a flight of stairs, deemed as useless for lack of an ability to fuel North American skaters' addictions for excessive speed, while in Europe, the skill and artistry of freestyle was nurtured as just that. It is for reasons like this that it was Spain, and not the united States, that gave the world Kilian Martin.

I had watched Kilian's videos several months back, and was plainly amazed by them, but it was not until recently, when a friend favourited A Skate Regeneration on her youtube page that the thought occured to me to say anything about him. The above mentioned, and shared, video seems a perfect example of an avenue of skateboarding that has been ill-examined. In a world where Aaron Homoki is launching himself down two-story drops and Tory Pudwill seems content doing no less than two different grind variations at once, the question that is posed more often than ever is "where do we go from here?". Kilian Martin's admittedly unique brand of skateboarding acts as a welcome answer to this quandary. In the smattering of footage that the twenty-four year old Madrid native has shared one can see a world of opportunities for any street skater with a good sense of balance, an open mind, and undoubtedly a world of patience.

Parting Shot: Gonz doing a Rodney Mullen Trick

To all the skaters out there reading this blog: the next time you're out street skating, and you find yourself at an impasse in terms of what to try next, pull out your undoubtedly internet-ready phone and find some old freestyle parts. I mean, it worked for the Gonz, right?