I didn’t mean for this to happen but all 3 tricks this week involve putting your feet on the floor. Sorry for any Berrics Game Of S.K.A.T.E purists out there. Here’s the Triple for January 22nd 2021.
3. Kevin Kowalski’s Fastplant Lien Tail
About 10 years ago I saw a video called “Mall Grab” by Steven Reeves, and it quickly became one of my favourite skate videos. One of the dudes who had a lot of footage in that video was Kevin Kowalski: a sick transition skater who blasted shit high, grinded stuff real fast, and always seemed to be having a laugh. He’s been largely synonymous with Bacon Skateboards for as long as I have known about him, and they are a company that is pretty much summed up by skaters like Kowalski.
This trick in particular, is exactly the kind of rad trick I expect from both Kevin Kowalski and Bacon Skateboards. Fastplants rule. Lien Tails rule. Put ’em together, boost it real high, slap your tail as hard as you can on the way in, and your onto a winner. I haven’t seen this trick before, and I guess I never considered it myself, but if I still had Fastplants and Lien Tails in my trick bag like I did 10 years ago I’d be trying this one for sure.
2. Kane Caples’ No Comply Disaster Revert Manual
Kane Caples is one of those skaters who has almost made it into The Triple on many occasions in the past, only for one other clip to come along and sneak into my top three for the week. This week, however, is Kane’s time to shine! I discovered Kane via the Skatism account, and they’ve got one hell of a rad, technical style on street, busting out some lesser seen moves in a really creative way. Definitely give them a follow!
The trick in this clip is something I haven’t seen before, and combines two tricks that I don’t often seen coupled together (unless I’m watching Chris Pulman skate). No complies and manuals are really hard to combine, I’ve always had trouble trying to do so and the most I’ve ever managed is one of my awful straight no complies to manual up a curb. Seeing this trick blew my mind, and even though Kane admits it was a little sketchy, I would definitely class this as a make just because of how quick and dextrous you have to be to catch it.
Step by step: No Comply FS 180. Land in disaster on the ledge. Frontside revert out of disaster onto the top of the ledge. Manual. Drop off. It sounds simple, but the speed and momentum you need to make this work is really tricky to maintain. Truth be told I’m not sure if the disaster was even intentional, but the movement of the No Comply 180 causes a crazy staple gun effect as the board claps down on the ledge into disaster. Even if it’s a “happy accident”, it’s rad a hell.
1. Samuel Norgren’s No Comply Bluntslide
It was a close call between Kane Caple’s No Comply FS Revert Manual and Samuel Norgren with a No Comply Bluntslide, but in the battle of the No Complies, Norgren came out on top this week.
If No Complies and Manuals are rarely seen together, I think No Complies and Bluntslides are even less so. I’ve seen people get into Noseblunt this way before (on transitions or banks), but not a normal Bluntslide, and definitely not on a ledge. Samuel gets bonus points here due to the trick being, in my personal opinion, the best Bluntslide variation (Front Blunt), and the sheer pop on the No Comply to get himself up there in the first place.
It drives me kinda mad that he just does it all so casually as well. Compared to Kowalski’s Fastplant Lien Tail which is done with his trademark aggressive speed and flow, and Caple’s No Comply Manny, which was performed with a very obvious amount of concentrated skill and determination, Samuel Norgren is effortless, relaxed and pops this thing like he’s popping an ollie whilst heading down to the shops. Major props on this one, because it ain’t an easy or common trick!
The Terrible Company 
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