One of the many beautiful things about street skating is that you can only plan it out so much. As I wrote that I realized that it’s also one of the things that makes street skating so hard and sometimes frustrating. You never know when a pedestrian might appear out of no where and be in your way, or when a car is going to honk mid-line, or if someone will yell out of their car window “DO A KICKFLIP”; as if you’re there for their entertainment.

The point is, a lot of what’s going on around you in the streets is out of your control. The same goes for the spot you’re at; you can bondo a crack if you want, but at the end of the day you’re going to be dealing with elements that make skating a spot a tough task.

With all that being said, I decided to look at some clips that are memorable to me personally, not necessarily for the tricks done, but for something like a kick-turn, a push, dodging a crack, etc.

Well, there was only one way to start this off, Guy’s kick-turn in Mouse. This clip is iconic. Just look how cool he looks! It’s funny that Guy did this to then just follow it up with another switch trick, but I think we’re all thankful that he did. In my opinion, making a mid-line kick-turn look cool isn’t easy, but Guy showed that it’s possible. The Switch Back Tail before this and then Switch Shuv Noseslide that follow it are both great, but no part of this line is stuck in my brain as much as the kick-turn. Thanks for the lesson in style, Guy!

Lucas showed the world a different way to switch stances in the middle of a line with this one. He did this as smoothly as possible and the way Torsten Frank swerves behind him is perfect. I remember being out skating and trying to recreate this step-around just to see how it would feel, and that immediately gave me even more respect for the fact that Lucas was able to make it look good.

Kyle Wilson’s skating is full of power, which is very clearly on display in this line. But, again, the most memorable part of this clip to me is hearing him tell Will Miles where he’s headed during the middle of this line. I was really intrigued by the back story of this, so I reached out to Will himself, here’s what he said –

“Basically we had a two-trick line planned there. The Switch Back 180 at the start was planned, but then he just went off script, so it’s actually him letting me know where we are heading. After the Switch 180 it was all first go.”

This clip and story really embodies what I want this article to be about, that part of street skating that is free, can’t be planned, and tends to be where magic is created.

Wade can make the most tech ledge trick look amazing and as if it took little to no effort, his overall presence on a skateboard just makes everything look casual. This little lift-up over the grate at Muni is amazing to me. He’s looking straight ahead at the next bench, he knows exactly when he needs to lift up without looking, and he’s rolling switch. Also, this comes just after he asks Eric Iwakura for confirmation on the first trick of the line. Thanks for all of the memorable clips over the years, Wade! Looking forward to more…

First off, Bobby at Pulaski will always be special. I love that he points to let the pedestrian know where he’s going, the pedestrian doesn’t understand, and he still finishes the line while dodging them. I love plaza skating and Bobby’s one of the best to ever do it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I’m sure that there are many other fitting moments for this article, so feel free to let me know what I left out. 🌀