Photo: Simon Phipps
When Brickies got demolished, and the foundations got closed off a few years ago, I was gutted. I talk about that place a lot, but for Coventry skaters the spot was legendary. Sifting through all the footage I had from the spot during the 20 years this blog has been running, I thought it was only right I run down my own personal favourite Top 5 I’ve seen done at my favourite spot in the city.
5. My Front Tail Shuv Out
From Batface (2009)
Is it lame of me to include one of my own tricks on this top 5? Should I do it? Screw it, I’m gonna do it.
This trick is my favourite thing I ever did at Brickies. The steep banks found at each entrance into the underpass were a little spicy compared to the other banks, but there was one that had a safety net, with a little deck behind the bank. Every once in a while you could have some fun skating this 45 degree angle bank, and I’ve seen a fair few rad tricks go down on this part (Stan Byrne and Tony Lui have both done wraparound tail blocks on it, and Moose got a few cheeky moves on it in Franchi$e).
The reason this trick is my favourite thing I’ve done here is because the bank is kinda steep, and my front tails are abysmal (I kinda powerslide/kickturn into them rather than ollie), so getting into the front tail on this specific bank felt proper rad. The shuv out was something I honestly didn’t think I could get away with, and you can even see in the clip that it doesn’t quite spin all the way around. Watching it back definitely made me want to relearn this though.
4. Rosko’s Boneless Noseblunt Revert
From Storybook (2008)
I’ve seen Rosko do all sorts of mad blunt variations on Brickies – this one is probably the definitive Rosko maneuvere, though. The thing about these mellow banks is that blunts lock in perfectly, you get this little ledge to perch yourself on, so practically any blunt variation is fair game. Both Rosko and Ralph Cooper were in a constant arms race to outdo each other with silly Blunt variations on this thing.
The Boneless Noseblunt is a trick that Brickies saw many, many times over the years it was a skate spot. Rosko always knew how to eye up something a little left field though, and with this trick, he basically took proper advantage of Brickies being a fairly mellow bank spot and got a Boneless Noseblunt with an amazing twist.
3. Gaz Taylor’s Melon Grab
From Storybook (2008)
This one was good enough for the pages of Sidewalk, so it’s good enough for my Top 5! This gap was often referred to as the “Gaz T gap” because Gaz was one of the few people who could skate it. The take off is the same bank from my trick at number 5, so remember it’s a 45 degree angle bank, and then you have a good 2 or 3 foot to clear, and then a 2 foot high drop. It’s a tricky gap to get over.
Gaz’s Sidewalk photo was from the mid-90’s, but he came back and did it again for my video “Storybook” in 2008. He also hucked a Backside 180 over the gap – proof that Gaz is one of the best skaters to come out of Cov!
2. Ryan Stanway’s FS Pivot Fingerflip Out
From Cannonball Holocaust (2012)
When I filmed this one, it was a total surprise. Ryan is a pure street skater, ledge dancer, manny magician and flip trick master: he isn’t known for doing lip tricks at all, and also I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen him put his hand on his board to do a trick before.
So when he rocked up and did a Frontside Pivot, with a fingerflip out, at a spot with rough as fuck ground and unforgiving brick banks, I was completely gob-smacked. Ryan’s rad as hell, but this trick was something truly surprising, and it was proof that when the time came to it, he can practically skate anything.
1. Ralph Cooper’s BS 360 Kickflip
From Batface (2009)
Bloody hell, Ralph Cooper is good on a skateboard. I could think of several spots in the centre of Coventry, and guaranteed Ralph would probably have done my favourite trick there. And without a doubt Ralph will always bring something very technical and seemingly impossible to a spot. I tended to skate brickies a bit like a skatepark – carving the banks, hitting the lips and grinding/stalling. Ralph skated it like the dirty, nasty street spot that it is.
That’s not to say that Ralph didn’t hit the lips of these banks. He would often really push the definition of the term “lip trick” with some out of this world combos, but he really skated the whole spot, and it shows. In particular, this Backside 360 kickflip (or 270 if you’re being a pedant), is the best thing I have personally seen him do at Brickies. It’s just utterly mental.
Honourable Mentions
Chris Mander’s BS 360
From 4 Horsemen (2012)
Harry Myers’ Kickflip Pivot Fakie
From Cannonball Holocaust (2012)
Daryl Nobbs Switch Front Tail Revert
From Storybook (2008)
The Terrible Company 
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