SOUTH AFRICA R34.95 OTHER COUNTRIES R30.04
Yann h o r o w i t z where is my mind
Moses
in california
Kimberley 2013 Halloween Jam + all the regular news, opinions and product issue 57 DECEMber 2013 / January 2014
MIKEMO MIKEMOMIKEM MIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIK MIKEM MIKEMOMIKE MIKEMOMIKEMO MIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEM MIKEMOMIK MIKEMOMIKE MIKEM MIKEMOM MIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIK MIKEMOMIKEMOM MIKEMOMIKEMOMIK DCSHOES.COM
OMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOM MOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOM KEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEM MOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOM EMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMO OMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIK MOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMO KEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEM EMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMO MOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOM MIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIK KEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEM MIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKE KEMOMIKEMOMIKEMOMIKEM SWITCH B/S FLIP | BLABAC PHOTO
WITH
MIKE MO: THE MIKE MO S
Cover: Yann Horowitz. Blunt Ollie. Photo Sam Clark
Contents: Matt Henderson. Frontside Feeble. Photo Andre Visser
Redial 10
Bizness 12
Blackboard 16
22
KDC 2013
the names, faces and sequences of the annual kimberley contest
Roll In Peace 18
Yann Horowitz
30
full feature on mr horowitz. the ups, downs, gnarly times and new found positive vibes.
Closet Envy 56
42
Gavin Moses Adams skate, eat, sleep, skate in los angeles, usa
Stick Tips 60
Halloween Jam
52
dc hosts a manic miniramp contest in pretoria
Dog and Bone 62
Rainy Days 64
Have an Adrian Day 66
louw
REDIAL brendan body
no free rides Moses was in the Session office 3 weeks ago to do this issue’s interview about him going to the USA, this after Steve Berra had given him a personal invite to the Berrics. Yann has also been in the Session offices working with us on his interview and both of them got me thinking about the current level of SA skateboarding or should I rather say the current level of some SA skaters.
allows you to pay the rent. Smaller skate scenes have a much lower ceiling and Yann and Mosi have definitely hit theirs here and not being able to go further would only frustrate both and limit their potential.
If you think you already have that you probably don’t
Both Yann and Moses skate very differently and look at skateboarding very differently but both are driven to make it on the international scene in one way or another. Yann wants to go back to Europe and Moses is heading back to the US because if you want to get noticed or make skateboarding your career that is what it is going to take, ambition, skill and the balls to move out of your comfort zone and take your skateboarding to the next level.
After speaking with Moses about his latest US trip he seemed to have changed his mind about his skateboarding, by that I mean he had realised that he may have a chance to make it as an international pro, something all of us have pondered once in our lives no matter how shit or good we are and he now knows what it’s going to take.
South Africa has a small scene compared to both Europe and the States that is why the likes of Bob Burnquist and Rodrigio TX left South America for the States, because that is what is required if you want to go pro or get an international deal that
If being a pro skateboarder is something you want or dream about then realise this, becoming an internationaly recognised pro skateboarder is no easy feat and it does not just fall out of the sky into your lap. It takes years of dedication, skill, flavour
Photographers: Jonathan Pinkhard, Clinton Theron, Jansen van Staden, Grant Mclachlan, Andre Visser, Sam Clark, Pablo Ponzone, Rayne Moses, Adriaan Louw. Editor: Brendan Body Sub Editor: Adrian Henderson Copy Editor: Luke Jackson Online: Darren Jacoby / Luke Jackson Financial: Clint van der Schyf Advertising: brendan@sessionmag.co.za
10 | sessionmag.co.za
Writers: Adrian Day, Brett Shaw, Luke Jackson, Brendan Body, Adrian Henderson, Ryder Nel.
Support Independent publishing www.sessionmag.co.za
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and the drive to go after it if that is what you want out of skateboarding. If you think you already have that you probably don’t so go sit back on the bench and watch because “thinking of” and “doing” are two different things. You have to eat, sleep and piss skateboarding constantly. You have to skate everyday not just on the weekend, you have to break bones, get knocked out, deal with heel bruises, rolled ankles, broken ligaments, security guards, cops, your parents, school, shitty jobs, being broke, sleeping on couches, living out of a bag, party or not party, go faster, harder and gnarlier than the last guy and maybe just maybe you will get noticed. Then you still have to keep that level up and get even better because there are a hundred young bucks just waiting in the wings to take that away from you, and that’s just the beginning. Pro boards and pro shoes don’t come easy but Yann and Moses could be the first dudes from home to get a taste, I hope so but let’s see.....the sky’s the limit. PS - Happy Holidays, we’ll see you all next year and if you’re driving don’t drink and if you did - Fuck You!
Physical Address Session Magazine, 2nd Floor, Earlgo Building, cnr. Kloof & Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, 8000. Follow us on www.sessionmag.co.za facebook.com/SessionMag twitter.com/SessionSkatemag instagram.com/sessionskatemag
Session Skateboarding Magazine is published independently 6 times a year. Session will welcome all letters, e-mails and photos. We will review the contribution and assess whether or not it can be used as print or online content. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the magazine, its owners or its management. Session Skateboarding Magazine is the copyright of Session Magazine cc. Any duplication of this magazine, for any media or sale activity, will result in legal action and we will sell your sister to some chinese business men as a souvenir.
SHOP T H E FU LL N I K E SB CH RON ICLES 2 COLLECT ION A N D MORE AT SBCH RON ICLES.COM
NIKE SKATEB OARDING PRESENTS THE SECOND FILM IN THE “SB CHRONICLES” SERIES FEATURING:
Shane
Ishod
Daryl
Theotis
Donovon
O’NEILL
WAIR
ANGEL
BEASLEY
PISCOPO
Justin BROCK
Luan OLIVEIRA
the bizness
van staden
Industry news and skateboard banter
nevermind the poodles Dope Industries The Dope x Plankie video is coming along nicely and the lads hope to get a lot of shooting done over the holidays, a possible roadtrip is on the cards. They have done 2 collaboration boards, caps, pocket tees and a 12 page calendar which will be available in all good skate stores before Christmas Visit www.dopeind.com for more details. Plankie captain Joubert van Staden fakie flip. Pics Andre Visser
Diversity Products Distribution
Intende Action Wear
Technique Skateboards has just recruited another member to the family and is proud to announce Mitchell Rice to the team. Jono Kay is currently filming Mitchell for an introductory edit that will be released in AV 21. Technique Wheels arriving soon (52mm 99A) & (53mm 101A) so get rolling on some. TWC is recruiting for a team, please send your videos to demo@diversitydist.com
Etnies, Emerica and Altamont are now available in SA through Intende Action Wear. Etnies is available at a variety of stockists countrywide. You can find Emerica at Baseline, Johnno’s Skateshop and Boogaloos. At the moment, Baseline is the only outlet that is stocking Altamont. The local Etnies team consists of Ryan Naidoo, Dylan Vaughan, Ofentse Ramakanye, Brandon Valjalo and Tao Havenga.
Selfish Skateboards has been active collecting 2nd hand skateboards and hardware in Canada, shipping them to SA giving back to skateboarding, helping out with product to the less fortunate skateboarders. For more info contact us at info@diversitydist.com
PTA skater Charl ‘Skippy’ Steyn is the first SA ripper on the local Emerica Team.
You can now purchase your Technique and Selfish decks from your nearest stockiest/retail outlets: Surf Centre, Century City - Cape Town, Push Skateboarding - Cape Town, Skatelab - George, The Yard - Knysna, Jonno’s, Skateshop - East London, Home Grwn - Johannesburg, Blue Cheese - Durban and Zoo Crew Studios - Richards Bay. For more details please contact sales@diversitydist.com Follow on Instagram # techniquesk8boards & Twitter # technique_skate for your latest Technique feed. DC ReelEdit
Revolution
Film and edit your own part to be submitted as a contest entry. Submit your entries between 28th Jan and 4th Feb 2014. All videos go live on the 5th – 28th Feb (for public viewing and voting).
The Berrics have asked Revolution to put together some skate and skate lifestyle footage from Cape Town. They will use the footage to make an edit and put it on their site in the upcoming weeks.
Public voting ends 28th Feb. International judges rate finalists and the winner will be announced mid March (once the results come from the judges).
Familia The Familia Euro team will be visiting SA next year in February and will be hitting up CT, PE, DBN and Jozi. Arriving will be Uk based Gavin Morgan, Steph Morgan and Shaun Witherup, joining them will be local Familia team riders Yann Horowitz and Loucas Polydorou. Check out www.familiaskateboarding.com for more details. 12 | sessionmag.co.za
The Verb Artist Series 2013 is out now, featuring local artists Daniel Ting Chong, Hanno van Zyl, Jade Klara, Justin Southey, Jaco Haasbroek and Gerhard Human, including a collab board with NinjaBeadBoy. Revolution and KFD team rider Justus Kotze has broken his ankle, but apparently he is healing up nicely and should be back on his board in no time. Revolution is a proud sponsor of Canadian Hardcore Punk band Comeback Kid’s South African tour next year. Kent Lingeveldt has been chosen to be one of Kryptonics’ International ambassadors. Andrew Nero is now on Darkstar flow and Jean-Marc Johannes is preparing to head over to Tampa Am.
Etnies Sunny’s Competition!! Intende Action Wear are giving away 10 pairs of Etnies sunnies. To win, go to the Intende Action Wear Facebook page, like it and drop them a message telling them why you need the sunnies the most! Winners will be announced end of February.
WIN!!
• 6 hand Japanese wide-eye chrono • 48mm / 200 meter • 3 link custom stainless steel band
Paul Rodriguez
THE 48-20 CHRONO
TEAM-DESIGNED, CUSTOM-BUILT, STEADFAST.
nixon.com DEALER ENQUIRIES: 042 2002665
Volcom presents ‘True to This’ (Coming soon) A motion picture celebrating America’s First Boarding Company. When Volcom was founded in 1991, it was the first company to combine surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding under one brand. This way of life influenced the “Youth Against Establishment” style and attitude that defined a generation. The cultural phenomenon was best captured when Volcom released “Alive We Ride” in 1993: a film documenting the raw excitement and spontaneous creativity inherent to the lifestyle. Twenty years later, with the release of “True To This”, Volcom again captures the energy and artistry of board-riding in its purest forms. Shot on-location around the world and showcasing iconic athletes, “True To This” is a tribute to the movement that inspired a generation and the people and places that embody the spirit today. The film drops in 2014, keep up-to-date with www.sessionmag.co.za for more details! Ultimate X 2014 Cape Town is playing host again to the Hunters eXtreme Ultimate X 2014 festival, which will take place on Saturday 1st of February 2014 at the Gateway Canal at the V&A Waterfront. The event, which is in its fifth year, expects thousands of spectators to attend the day-long festival. Gates open at 10am and close at 9pm, followed by an after party which starts at 7pm on site with DJs and bands playing into the night. Pre-bought tickets from Computicket cost R150 each. Tickets are also available at the gate at R200 for adults and R60 for kids between the ages of six and eight years old. (Children under four get in free). Gates open at 10am and close at 9pm. Visit the Facebook page ULTIMATE X 2014 - Presented by Hunters eXtreme for daily updates. For more information please visit www.ultimatex.co.za Vans JHB gnarler Evan Binge is the newest edition to the VANS SA team. He recently had his debut on AV 19 which you can check out online at www.avskateboarding.tv
Legion Skateboards Legion Skateboard’s Jacques Erasmus is busy working on a feature profile for an upcoming Session article. Fellow CT ripper Leon Bester is behind the lens. Keep up with the Legion team on their Facebook Page for more updates.
YOUR MOMS WHEELS Competition! “Your Mom is giving away a Your Mom’s Pizza Party Tshirt, Your Mom’s Sweat shirt, a set of Your Mom’s Wheels and a very special, Your Mom’s pink donut. Send in a “Your Mom” joke and the best one wins! Email your jokes to Your Mom at: toomuchradness@gmail.com Winners joke announced next issue.
Mmmm! Donut...
N I C K
G A R C I A
/
C R A I L
N I C K
G A R C I A #etnies #NickGarciaRCT
ETNIES.COM
R C T
TFs: Traning Facilities TFs are where you learn to hone your 4 wheel riding to chase tail, fly kites or you decide to take a few years off to get ready for your Idols audition. skills. They prepare you for when you head out When I was still wet behind the ears we had this killer TF onto the streets to film your at the back of a shopping mall. We built a flimsy fun box with a next part. They are tranquil rickety handrail and we loved it. it’s up to you and places where there are no Adrian’s sister even went Goth for one day. We went on cops, concerned citizens, rad your clan to create there stealth missions in Tony’s Dad’s dads or kooks. Everybody is Volkswagen Combi to steal wood in the hope that our fun box would on the same page so you don’t your own space. become sturdier. When we got need to explain anything and if kicked out of there we went to this you snake somebody they won’t write a scathing other mall called Cresta and that’s where almost everyone skated and where everyone got good because there was a post on facebook. Oh yeah and you can drink any lot of furious sessions. Then we all went and lived overseas beverage you choose, cuss and skate naked if for years. Bod, Clint, Hennie, Adrian, Ockie, Steak, Finch, Gav Morgan and countless other dudes. Damn I never thought you want. You also get to ride exactly what you about it before but we all still ride 20 odd years later, which want to, like hips, ledges, tight tranny or all three. is rad. What’s up with malls and skateboarding? It’s a very unlikely combo yet we can’t escape each other. I met all my You get to choose your poison. hardcore skateboarder/art friends at the back or on top of While you are still living under your parent’s roof your local TF may be a knee-high gap across the road from the Chicken Licken, the bird park’s curb or your neighbour’s pool. If you are lazy you may even have to fork out your hard earned cash to ride a skate shop park that is owned by a windsurfer. But chin up, your time will come unless along the way you quit
Moses filming at The Berrics - The Ultimate TF 16 | sessionmag.co.za
a mall. Some TFs become super famous like the Berrics, a lot of the big pros like P Rod have them and almost all the big companies have them too, like VANS, Alien workshop, the Girl Park, Blackbox, Transworld and Thrasher. Glen E Friedman summed it up best, I was watching one of his interviews
the other day and he was talking about skateboarding as an art form but at the same time it’s an athletic activity. So skateboarding will never be a sport in my eyes but the more you do it the better you’ll become so it’s good to have some place where you have time to learn tricks. Just make sure your TF isn’t the only place you skate. Get out there too! When you get older you can pool your money and create your own paradise. A place just for your friends and people you think are cool. No matter how old you are, if your TF sucks or you don’t have one, dragging your lip on the ground will get you nowhere so it’s up to you and your clan to create your own space. All those tools in your dad’s garage are for making cool shit. That’s where the whole seek and destroy thing comes in, if you’re not looking then you won’t find – so get some!
s n o i t a l u t a ngr
Co
matt berger sugarcane
h a j Ny n o t s u h
t e e r t s o r p 3 1 0 2 n o i NYJAH HUSTON p m a h c d l r wo Here’s to another year of skateboarding.
wes kremer BS NOSEBLUNT
ROll in Peace It was a month ago that I was speaking to Roland about shooting an interview for Session as he had an amazing story to tell as well as being a sick skateboarder, an OG SA ripper. He had been clean for 3 years and wanted to share his story about his life including all the ups and downs that had made him the guy he was today. Pablo spent a few days shooting with him until I got a call from Andrew Morck saying that Rolly had passed away after relapsing. I don’t want to say anything about his life or the way he chose to live it, only that the times I spent hanging out and skating with him were always memorable and some of the funnest times I remember on this skateboarding roller coaster. I will always remember him with a smile on my face, you are going to be missed my friend, Rest in Peace. - Bod
Roland Erasmus Roland had recently changed his life for the better, he had quit the drugs and party scene and found God, he even approached me a few months back to apologise for the past and make peace for the future. It was a full 180 degree change in his attitude and vibe from previous - it was amazing to see his true genuine character finally allowed to come out unrestrained, a genuineness that I feel was often tainted by drugs and circumstances in his past.
Roland Erasmus 1980-2013
PONZONE
Unfortunately his demons would revisit at times, and the fact that he reached out to me for help/guidance the day before he passed at first confused me, but then showed me he was committed to fighting the struggle that drugs had over his life and showed a true respect for me. Roland wanted to make a difference to the youth, he wanted to be an example and show them how to learn from his own mistakes - so that they can see them and avoid them. I know he was looking forward to a SESSION interview where he wanted to expose everything in the hopes of steering the future generations away from the pathway that eventually took his life - it is deeply saddening that he did not get to that opportunity. However, his message still remains - the youth just need to see it. I’m sure that if his story can make a difference to even one person - he will be smiling and proud. RIP Rolly - you will be missed brother!
PONZONE
Right: Blunt Nosegrab Fakie.
RYAN BROWN
Top: Roland never got a cover so here’s a momento from all of us at Session. Stalefish boost like only he could.
DEAN DU PREEZ
- Andrew Morck
POTRERO HILL THE G. COLEMAN BUNNY HATS BIG ROCKS ANT BITES CHALK MARKS
S K AT E B O A R D I N G C O L L E C T I O N
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E X C L U S I V E LY AT S K AT E S H O P S W O R L D W I D E
L E V I . C O M / S K AT E B O A R D I N G
Kimberley
2013 So by now you should have heard that Maloof have officially terminated their affair with skateboarding. Thankfully it was a clean break without too many messy phone calls or hate-filled messages. And skateboarding got to keep the parks they built together. A huge win for the now established skateboarding scene in the Northern Cape.
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WORDS AD Henderson PHOTOS Sam Clark, Grant McLachlan, Rayne Moses
sessionmag.co.za | 23
Braxton Haine Backside Noseblunt
If you’ve been to the Karoo you know it’s all dirt roads and terrible street spots. Parks are pretty much all they have. Since the pre-skateboarding boom in 2011 skateboarding has grown from a handful of die-hards to regular spotting of kids with boards on pavements, side streets, playgrounds and even the townships. In terms of the growth of skateboarding, it cannot be disputed that it’s exploded in the area.
The fact that the contest even happened was an example of pure dedication - dedication from people outside of skateboarding. Whether for money or not is irrelevant, the new entity formed to facilitate the newly titled KDC contest consisted of many of the same people that brought you the previous Maloof contests. All that really changed was Maloof’s exit. The announcement of the new entity was only made in August, leaving less than two months for the people involved to pull the event together while working from different cities all over the world. Nevertheless, with Kumba Iron Ore and Northern Cape Tourism backing it and huge assistance from Pragmatics, The Boardr, Old School Productions, Starcrow Productions, Africa Skate and various government departments, the event went down as a success.
An abandoned church became a free campsite
The momentum of the skate scene has obviously revolved around the skate park, so that’s where the majority of the skateboarding goes down. Kids would much rather enjoy the luxury of marble and smooth ‘crete the park has to offer than battle the streets. But even so, Kimberley has some spots to offer those inclined to battle the crusty pavements and shitty bricks to get that raw, virgin footage. Further exploration reveals ditches and other quirky, destitute infrastructures worthy of a session. An abandoned church became a free campsite to a bunch of homies this year. It was filled with makeshift ramps and boxes and with 30 odd skaters utilising it as their own free Skate Camp you can imagine the stories that came out of there.
Mel Williams Backside Smith 24 | sessionmag.co.za
The interest from Pros was obviously high. “You want me to fly to Africa for a contest?” Yes sir ‘three bags of ditch weed full’ sir. Most notable in the line-up were Nyjah Huston, Trevor Colden, Alex Majerus, Louie Lopez, Wes Kremer, Silas Baxter-Neal and Vert wonder kid Jagger Eaton. The return of Manny Santiago, Evan Smith, Felipe Gustavo and the likes were further fodder for the hungry eyes of SA skateboarding.
Nyjah Huston Backside 270 Flip Lipslide
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Felipe Gustavo Switch Flip Backside Tailslide
As always the main carnage happened in various establishments around Kimberley.
There was a host of NBDs this year like Matt Berger’s low to high backside lip UP the 4 Block Rail and of course Mr Huston’s Backside 270 Flip to front side Lip. I hate the hammer mentality but holy shit just go and watch the DC part he just dropped‌. Not so little Louie Lopez epitomised consistency with no bails in his 4 minute final run while Colden and Majerus displayed the effortlessness that has gained them so much attention this past year. Watching the tiny body of Jagger Eaton dropping down the mega mini was a sight that all the skate moms averted their eyes from, but his no hands 360 Flip across the gap was definitely one of the biggest things done on the Vert side, while Alex Perelson and Sam Beckett hit the walls of the Vert ramp like blood hungry vampire bats. Moses and Dlamini once again joined the Pro division and held their own amongst the international riders.
26 | sessionmag.co.za
Evan Binge charged out in the AM Vert section nailing a blunt nosegrab on the 12ft high ramp while the unstoppable Dallas Oberholzer arrived late and still took the title and the cash. The usual crew dominated the AM Street section with Mitchell Rice, Braxton Haine, Pieter Retief and others all taking their shot at making some moola. The Hood To Hood contest was a highlight for both SA skaters and the crowds. The Boardr introduced the new format which allowed the skaters to skate the whole park and it went down perfectly. One team from each city qualified at each of the Grand Slam events leading up to the contest with 4 qualifying through online entries judged by Ryan Decenzo and Adam Dyet. The Scumbags took it in the end but the fun and camaraderie that the format induced made the results immaterial.
Trevor Colden Frontside Hurricane
Manny Santiago Front Shuv Feeble
sessionmag.co.za | 27
Jagger Eaton Mini-Mega 360 Flip
Jono Schwan Japan Air
As always the main carnage happened in various establishments around Kimberley. The Protea hotel hosted all the pros once again and saw its fair share of Lutzka rapping, broken bottles and general bantering. The heated chest slap competition between skinny-ass Dwayne and some rugby playing local at the Halfway House got the most mileage in terms of psycho activities on the first night. Grant McLachlan got tagged to shit with a permanent marker by Kurtis Colamonico. A new crew was founded called Heat 9. The participants of which missed their heats due to some ditch skating. Find the edit on The Boardr site.
All in all, with late buses, last minute planning, live-stream hiccups, accommodation discrepancies and of course the hot and dry, dust-filled air of Kimberley, the first KDC was a resounding success with a ton of good feedback from skaters across the board. All the footage and photos have gone up on the kimberleydiamondcup.com site as well as a full feature in AV. The annual contest is still set to run for a number of years and with its new independent entity at the helm, and the close support of the Northern Cape government, we can be assured that witnessing some of the best skateboarding in the world, first hand, is a dream every skateboarding kid can now realise without having to leave our borders.
The annual contest is still set to run for a number of years
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Evan Smith Backside Smith Flip Out
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Y a n n H o ro w i t z W h e r e INTERVIEW Brendan Body PHOTOS Sam Clark
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i s
m y
m i n d
Wallie Backtail in the PE Wind. sessionmag.co.za | 31
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this is not a test of the emergency broadcast system.
this is the
real thing Through all the mispelled surnames, bowl competition wins, sponsorships and EU content over the years, Yann has proved to be someone you want to see on a skateboard. Creativity coupled with pure energy and Die Hard drive. This interview is gnarly as fuck and so are the photos. In your last interview you were on your way to Europe. Since then you have lived in Europe, moved back to SA, moved to CT, moved back to Durban and finally moved back to CT. Tell us how Europe went and how you ended up back here? The two years overseas were the best and the darkest times. Barcelona was a hurricane of good spots and cheap booze. I made a really good circle of friends there and our only obligations were to skate all day and then party all night. After about seven or eight months paradise was lost when I ran out of money. Familia had just hooked me up and seeing that the Morgan brothers were in the UK I decided to give London a try next. It was extremely hard at times living in London. Doing fourteen to twenty hour shifts in winter cleaning dishes or packing trucks just to get by, it can destroy anyone. Being broke half the time meant very seldom leaving the house. Besides the lack of funds it was still an amazing time for me. Living with two of my best friends from Durban (Ryder and Mark), skating with the Morgans in the summer and going on the Big Push with the Converse team around the UK were my overseas highlights for sure.
not to bring that back with me from Europe but Cape Town’s party scene is way too similar. Depression, partying and ultimately a run-in with the law were the main contributors to my first CT stay coming to an end. The run-in with the law made you re-evaluate things in your life, what happened and what were the repercussions? I was too drunk to be in public and I told the cops to get fucked when they tried to reason with me. After resisting arrest for as long as I could they ‘maced’ me several times and I got thrown into a police van. Try to avoid getting pepper sprayed, it fucking hurts! By the time they got me into the cell I still couldn’t open my eyes. There were at least seven other people in there with me but I couldn’t see them. I have never been so shit scared in my life. I took my shirt off and started throwing punches at thin air but then I slowly realised everyone was really chilled and half asleep so I just sat down and waited until I could open my searing eyes. A day and a half passed with no phone call and no food. I got bailed out thanks to a dude named Daniel that I made friends with in the cell. He told me he would have felt extremely unsafe if I hadn’t arrived throwing punches and screaming with my eyes closed. I guess we stuck together because he was the only other dude that didn’t look like he belonged in there. I walked out of there with no belt, wallet, shoes, jacket or house keys (thanks police, for nothing). So I walked to a friend’s place and fell asleep on the couch. Two days of sleeping and that’s when the real shit started. Next thing I know any little cut or wound on my body grew three times larger and proceeded to puss constantly. Something from the cell had made my skin septic and for about two weeks my bed and clothing looked like a murder scene. After constant medication my skin slowly went back to normal. Then I got migraines for another week. If you’ve ever gone to the toilet in the middle of the night and witnessed a sort of crimson red liquid replace the usual mellow yellow in your toilet bowl, you know something is wrong. Blood in your urine is hardly a sign that you are in good health. After frequent visits to the hospital, two weeks of peeing blood, full body rashes and zero energy, I was done. The doctors were having trouble diagnosing me so I decided to leave back to Durban where I could be closer to family. By this point I was terrified, I thought I was dying. A renal biopsy and copious amounts of pills later my sickness subsided but I still took a couple of months off in Durban to recuperate my body and my mind. I needed some time off just to eat healthy and swim in the warm Indian Ocean.
After that whole ordeal something changed in me. What a lot of people didn’t know (or are about to find out) is that I had been fighting heavy emotional issues regarding my sexuality from a very young age. I had been living in the closet for most of my life. Society had shaped me into believing that what I was feeling and what I wanted to feel was wrong and abnormal. So I suppressed these emotions and tried to carry on with my life. When I was younger I wanted nothing more than to be “normal” but the older I got the more I realised that I was wired this way and there was nothing I could do. The fear of being ostracised by my friends, family and the skate industry kept my mouth shut. Alcohol and drugs were the easiest escape from myself. To get absolutely plastered to the point where you can’t feel anymore, you’re non-human. Depression turns into self destruction and suicide
I have never been so shit scared in my life. I took my shirt off and started throwing punches at thin air came up in my thoughts all the time during my studies last year. When I got really sick I almost had a feeling of enlightenment. Bottling in all these feelings were manifesting into illness. I realised the only way to move forward and get better would be to confront my fears and speak out. My family was first and best friends were second. The utter fear of the ones I love turning their backs on me was enough to kill me. The only way to be happy is to be comfortable in your own skin, to know yourself for who you are and what you’re worth.
Getting sick and almost dying altered your perspective on life and how you are going to live your life going forward. You recently came out and you’re open about your relationship with Nick, what were your feelings with regard to what people would think and what has been the outcome?
Cape Town came about from being accepted into UCT for a BA. So I left London to try my hand at being a student. I quickly changed from UCT to a small college called SAE to do sound engineering. It was a year long course which was appealing because I could get back to travelling in a shorter space of time. I only got two terms into the course. I was getting out of hand nearly every day of the week and I had a lack of inspiration to do better. I tried hard He might not be the academic type but Yann could write a Thesis on how to conquer gnarly spots. Frontboard Pop out. sessionmag.co.za | 33
Yann Horowitz. Frontside Boardslide. Photo Sam Clark
To get absolutely plastered to the point where you can’t feel anymore, you’re non-human. This intense feeling of relief vibrated through me when friends in the industry and family were nothing but supportive and proud of me. I guess there will always be people that think differently on the matter, people that can’t wrap their minds around it. It’s ok. They are just people that I will never have time for. I’ve learnt to stop caring what other people think. It was a new beginning and I’m just glad that I made it this far to see it. So now you have settled in CT finally, tell us about living with Wong, working at Clarkes and the CT lifestyle? Cape Town for me is a brilliantly well rounded city. There are the beaches for hot days and the mountains for the sunsets. Everything in the city is in walking distance (skating distance) so not having a driver’s licence over here isn’t half bad. There are so many good homies from all over SA that have made the move here so there’s always someone to go grab a beer with. The nightlife can get dangerous though, it almost seems like its Saturday every day over here. I’ve landed a job as a waiter at an amazing place called Clarkes. It’s equipped with a concrete bowl and a mini ramp in the back, there’s no uniform and all the skaters come and hang out so it’s pretty much a perfect place for me to make rent. Jimmy Wong and his girlfriend Megs Moo took me in when I got back. They had just moved into their apartment so the place was pretty much empty. There were no light fittings so we had to melt candles to the floor and all we had was a couch and a fridge. I slept in the lounge for a good six months on a roll up mattress. It looked like something out of Trainspotting. The toilet hasn’t been able to flush for four months and if you close the bathroom door you lock yourself in. Wong’s cousin spent nearly a whole day calling out for help from the bathroom window. We have nick-named our spot “Calcutta” because it looks like a Bollywood porn studio. There are always good times with our wonderfully dysfunctional family so stop by for soup kitchen Wednesdays if you’re feeling peckish. You have a long list of sponsors: Familia, Baseline, Your Mom’s Wheels, RVCA and adidas. Tell us about juggling your connections to all these brands? Right now I have a solid line up of sponsors that have been keeping me nice and busy this year. I’ve hopped around quite a bit when it comes to shoes. I went from DC to Cons UK and then to Vans.
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Front Shuv to rollercoaster ride with all the homies in support.
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Pieter Retief sat me down at a bar last year and he offered me a spot on adidas and after seeing the Mozambique trip they did online it was a definite yes. Pieter is the best at what he does whether it is business, parties or shredding, being a skater himself (a fucking boss one at that) he knows how to take care of us. He is always taking us on trips and keeping us busy, that is really important if you want a happy team. Khulu pulled some strings and got me a spot on RVCA earlier this year. Everyone’s so mellow and friendly and I love popping in for random visits at the J-bay offices. With good incentives and banging clothes I’m super down for RVCA. Familia has been hooking me up with boards for the last three years. I love the art direction that goes into a Famila series and have gained massive amounts of respect for the Morgan brothers and what they are up to in London. Because they’re based in London I still get some coverage overseas when I’m
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back here which I’m grateful for too. Clint and Adrian hooked me up on Baseline last year. It’s the meeting place for all the skaters in Cape Town. You can catch Bod having his daily burger on the bench outside, set up a board or learn some fun facts from Luke Jackson. There’s always a rad party going down with free beer and pizza. Adrian and Clint have got their shit down. Your Mom’s Wheels are my latest sponsor. The team is amazing and we are always on a good mission. We’ve been fixing up old spots around Cape Town and even creating new ones. Seek, fix and destroy with beer and pizza along the way. You are a well rounded skater and skate pretty much everything that is thrown in front of you, what’s your take on all of it? Contests are a good way to keep your sponsors happy. I don’t get too bent on winning. I just have fun with it,
chill with friends that I don’t get to see often and if I place it’s a bonus. When I’m super strapped for cash I’ll put my game face on for some bucks. Growing up in Durban definitely helped me with riding transition. Good transition orientated parks and emptying backyard pools with The Murth crew had a big influence on my skating. I learnt how to skate bowls and ramps first and then started to get on the streets. I looked up to skaters like Louie Barletta and Ali Boulala who are both creatively well rounded when they ride so naturally I made it my mission to adapt to anything that was in front of me. Most things except some handrails, they scare me. You grew up in Durban, how did you get into skateboarding and what were your early influences?
I grew up in a little surf town called Umdloti. There’s one bar, one Spar, a couple restaurants and that’s about it. I tried surfing for a while but skateboarding just felt right (my fear of sharks probably has something to do with it). Along the way I made a solid group of friends through skateboarding and this was the birth of 8 Ball Crew. The crew consisted of Simon Stipcich, Gary Mcnaughton, Calvin Davie, Kelvin Kotze, Frankie Pretlie, Braxton Haine, Ryder Nel and I. Ryder Nel had a video camera so every weekend we would meet up to go filming and literally skate till we couldn’t move. The city itself is littered with amazing spots and as you go deeper into the suburbs you get the craziest hills to bomb. So all-in-all I guess it’s my friends that I grew up with and Durban’s architecture that influenced me most in my life. What interests skateboarding?
do
you
have
outside
of
I did a lot of art and writing when I had time in London, mostly short stories that were for my eyes only and random drawings along the way. But lately with work and skating I haven’t given myself time to do much of either of these things. It might be the lack of inspiration or pure laziness on my part. I definitely want to start these up again and try to do something with them. Even if it’s writing more articles for Session, it’s good to have a creative outlet. You recently started collecting ink. What inspired that and how far do you see it going? I got my first tattoo as soon as I got back from London. It’s a surreal depiction of David Byrne on my left inner bicep. After that I guess the snowball effect happens and my next three were all hand-poked by Joubert van Staden. There’s a tooth just above my left ankle that was done for friends that I had made in the UK. They all
have a random tooth somewhere on their bodies and I was told to join the crew. Behind my right elbow is an Anker made out of thumbs (The Thanker), this one was designed by Jimmy Wong while filming his weekend article. Behind my left elbow is the evil eye that I drew up. Next were my forearms. Your Mom’s Wheels bought me some tattoo time for my birthday so I went for a more Western traditional theme this time. I’ve got a black panther on my left forearm and a dagger/rose on my right. I just thought these were timeless and I’m getting good feedback from them. I’ve got Satan on the inside of my right forearm (self- explanatory) and I’ve got a rose on my left calf that was done by Jimmy Wong in his lounge. I’m using an old Jim Phillips illustration as a reference for my next tattoo. It’s the Jason Jesse Neptune graphic that’s going to become a half sleeve on my left arm. This may be a crusty spot but it’s probably not going to land you in hospital. Probably... High paced gap ollie followed by a quick Backside 180 to the road. sessionmag.co.za | 39
I’m planning bright colours and plenty of detail. I just need the cash first. I don’t know how far all the tattoos will go, it’s really hard to say. But I have definitely got the bug. How has your family reacted to your skateboarding pursuits and the way you choose to live your life, do they influence you at all? My family have always been tremendously supportive of me and what I do. My parents always let me follow a passion no matter what it is. I guess they were hyped they never had to buy me clothes for most of my teenage years too. My parents would let me take time off school to go on tours and they always wanted to come and watch contests that I never let them come to. My mom even gave me the choice to drop out of school and pursue skateboarding which I very nearly did. Now that I’m getting older there is obviously a bit of tension revolving around the lack of a degree but I’ll figure something out. I’ve got two amazing sisters that I consider two of my best friends. I see myself through them and we are so similar it’s scary. My family hasn’t influenced my skateboarding so much, but rather influenced my being and how I see the world. You are always hanging out with some special characters. Do you have any humorous stories of antics with friends that you’d like to share? Every week of life with my friends conjures up some kind of hilarious story. Skateboarding definitely attracts the weird and the wonderful. There are way too many
to think of. I guess streaking through CT last week is a good one. Walking home from a house party at 6 AM and someone had the great idea of getting naked, before long we all were. People were already walking their dogs or heading for work and I guess four naked people walking towards you is quite a rude awakening. We were screaming at joggers to get naked and
I guess four naked people walking towards you is quite a rude awakening. pleading with those passing by but no one got involved. I was in Joburg partying with Ryder Nel a couple of weeks ago and convinced this girl that I was a famous male stripper and that she should catch my show at Mavericks (local strip club in CT) the next time she is in town. She bought the whole thing and gave us plenty of laughs for the rest of the trip. I could write a whole book of Pieter Retief stories but I’ll let him slide this
time. The best way to get some more stories out of me would be to join us for a beer and let the crazy unfold. What comes next for Yann Horowitz, where do you go from here? I’m planning on going overseas again. Sam Clark came back from Berlin and has told me nothing but good things. So I’ve been saving up for a plane ticket to get some filming done in Europe. Maybe do London first to visit the Morgan brothers and friends and then to Berlin to film for the new Familia video we’re working on. Eventually I want to be travelling for free through skateboarding. If a company could be paying my rent and I’m living comfortably then I’ll be pretty content. That’s as far into the future as I’m planning for so far. Thanks for your time Yann. Let’s wrap this thing, have you got any shout outs? My family (Ivan, Germaine, Zoelle and Yazmine), Nicholas Couttes and the Couttes family. Megs and the lost boys (Jimmy Wong, Boy Champ, Rocco and Grant) and 8 Ball Crew (YOU KNOW!!!). Familia (Gav, Steph, Andy, Shaun and Loucas), adidas (Pieter, Jansen, Khulu and the crew), RVCA family, Baseline Boys and Your Mom’s Wheels. Jim Beam, Sam Clark, Clint, Bod, JJ Harris, Simon Stipcich, Ryder Nel (Rydesh), The Nel family, Alicats and The Clarkes family. Pieter Retief, Mark D, Cuzzi Mike Horowitz, Chillis, Desert Crew, Team Magosha, El Jimador, Satan and anyone else that I might have forgotten, my bad!
LEFT: Backside 360 into the rough. ABOVE: This sequence is New Old School. Wallie up, Polejam Backside 180 out. sessionmag.co.za | 41
Gavin Moses Adams just returned from a month long trip to LA. For several years he has been regarded as one of South Africa’s best skateboarders and is now trying to make it on an international level. Session caught up with him to see what went down across the pond.
INTERVIEW Brendan Body 42 | sessionmag.co.za
PHOTOS Adriaan Louw & Thomas Ferreira
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Mosey may have the ‘Yo Flip’ at his disposal but there ain’t no ‘stank leg’ on this proper 360 Flip. Over the Rail of course.
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When he’s on, he’s on. Racking up a ton of lines and rail footage at Jkwon with a Switch Flip Frontboard.
How did this California trip come about and who helped get you there? Well the way it started was with Redbull and DC, well Steve Berra actually found my clip on Youtube. The clip that said “get me to The berrics”, I was chilling at home and I got this email or a mail on Facebook or whatever, this guy just inboxed me - “Hey this guy Steve Berra is looking for you” I was like what? I thought it was a prank or something, he kept asking me and asking me, we want you here, we want to do this thing at The berrics, we want to do a project with you. So I spoke to Seth at Redbull who got DC involved and then waited for 2 months and I was gone.
there. Once I got done with that they asked me to come back again so that I could do more tricks, but after I got my skating done at The berrics I went to skate a lot of street spots and also some other parks - one was called Stoner plaza. Staying with Manny was really cool, he put me up at his place and there was a good vibe, wake up early, eat healthy and look after yourself and we would link up with dudes with a cool vibe, not big headed or anything. We chilled out with the right people you know which got me in the right direction. Manny stays with his personal filmer so I stayed and chilled on his couch which was cool.
Who went with you to California? Adriaan Louw and Thomas Ferreira. Adriaan was filming and taking photos and Thomas was mostly filming as well as taking long shots of my skating, portraits of me at spots and on the streets of LA, more lifestyle stuff. Thomas is using his footage and photos for a documentary he is making of me going to LA to help my career and help me get sponsored in the States, as well as make it part of a South African Skateboarding documentary film that he has been working on. Where did you stay in California? When I first got there I stayed with Dave Morrison from Iron Fist, one of Andrew Morck’s buddies from Durban (former SA local ripper who relocated to California) and then when Manny Santiago returned on the 19th I went to stay with him, I met him at JKwon (skate spot) and chilled with him for the month I was there. You spent a lot of time skating and hanging with Manny Santiago, tell us about that? Yeah we went to a lot of different spots and I got to do a lot of stuff through staying with him, I did a full clip Friday at P Rod’s Park, I skated the double set pretty much, skated everything at the park. I went to The berrics and did a ‘15 tricks’ but kept going and ended up doing 25 tricks, then just skated the whole park. They were strict about filming and Adriaan and the guys were only allowed to film from a distance as they have their own filmers who are the only ones allowed to film
I we nt to the berrics and d id a ‘15 t ric ks’ but k e p t going a nd ende d up d oing 25...
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What other pros did you get to meet, skate and hang with? I met Mike Mo and skated with him, I skated with Mikey Taylor and Mark Appleyard who was like “look at you all grown up now with Bushy hair”. I met Eric Koston. I was like “I’m from SA” and he said “I know who you are” and I was like “WHAT?” I skated with him at The berrics, that’s when I did my 25 tricks on flat. Some of those tricks I did for the first time like a frontside 360 ollie heel flip and a fake big spin double heel. I did a line with a nollie half cab flip then fakie half cab flip, double flip and then triple flip. Which pros were at The berrics when you were there, were they killing it and did you find it a little intimidating at times? There were a lot of Pros down there, first I see Appleyard then Mike Mo turned around and everyone is just there, lots of pros like Koston, Shane O’Neill, it was rad and I got to meet a lot of dudes and make a lot of new friends.
everything wa s
j us t
h e a l t h y d ude . I a ls o didn’t go out pa r t y i n g at
What was the reaction from the US skaters when you told them you were from South Africa?
a ll, once
Dudes were really stoked that I was from South Africa and really cool. They didn’t know that skating was this popular in SA and were stoked on my skating and my style it seemed. Oh yeah and then I did that 360 flip late flip and they were like “what the hell was that?” What parks, TFs and spots did you get to skate, which were some of the standouts? I went to The berrics when I got there, then was at Stoner Plaza, P Rod’s park with all the ledges and also P Rod’s training facility, also skated Riverside Drive, there’s a park nearby and then I went to skate a rail just opposite it at this big football place which was a long rail with a kink, I just did a 50 on that thing because it was quite big. Are the parks and TFs you got to skate much better than what we have here? Their parks are so good, everything is built so perfect, no stones, nothing but just perfect and smooth and if there is a problem in the park they will fix it straight away, and the parks are BIG, they are all BIG parks - HUGE! Tell us about your street skating missions? It was only mainly Thomas, Me and Adriaan that went round
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n ot
on street missions with Manny. We had this APP for your phone which another guy had told us about which lists all the good spots to skate, can’t remember what it’s called though. I think it was called SKATE SPOTS APP? It’s all marked on the map with like red dots for rails and green dots are stairs or whatever. The spots are differently marked which is cool. We would also find spots just by driving around, we were driving and I said “stop, stop” and it was a school with the gate closed that looked familiar from videos which had an 8 stair or 10 stair that I over crooked. Manny took me to JKwon quite a bit because he wanted me to film a line there and we also went to another spot which had some sets of stairs and a rail. What was it like skating rails so much, do they approach rails differently over there? I had to learn it the hard way like they do, just gun it and don’t be scared, you have to be so focused in doing and committing to it so if someone does come and bust you, you have to do it! Was the bust factor quite big there?
No actually, Thomas and Adriaan took me to this other spot where I had chilled with Manny because I wanted to check out a manual spot and this guy comes out from over the road shouting at us like some guy from a gang or whatever and he was holding his gun in his pocket. Thomas and Adriaan are standing there and Adriaan looks like he is going to walk away because he’s got his camera and I’m like dude don’t walk away cause this guy is like shaking and I was like “I’m not from here”, in my accent and the dude just started shaking. I was like “this guy must be on something and I said “guys we need to get out of here now!” We left and found another spot up the road. Did you find things expensive and what was your daily junk food intake? The food we ate was real healthy, Manny would wake me up in the morning and make me a shake with Banana and everything else you could think of as well, then just go skate and then he would buy like greens and a bit of chicken with it but everything was just healthy dude. I also didn’t go out partying at all, not once, just chilled on the couch, shower and then watch movies, go on Skype and talk to my chick and then go to sleep, wake up and go skate.
ABOVE: Healthy Switch 360 Flip at the P-Rod Skate Plaza. RIGHT: The rail mentality was something Mosey was forced to adapt to in the states. Doesn’t look like it was a problem. Frontside Lipslide.
RIGHT: Get bust, move on. Frontside Nosegrind on one of LA’s most notorious rails. BOTTOM: The mandatory Switch Hardflip sequence.
Did you get a chance to go to Venice beach or Santa Monica and did you manage to film/shoot anything that you had really wanted to try before going there?
What were some of the biggest differences between the skaters and skateboarding in California compared to the SA scene?
No I didn’t go to Venice beach but I went to Hollywood High, I tried switch hard flip down the 16 but didn’t get it, I came real close though, I tried 10 or so times, I really went for it though but your legs just give in because it’s so big every time you jump down that set.
They put more into it than what we do, some of our guys just chill and don’t take it that seriously but they take it to a whole other level dude. You get back from a skate, ice up any aches and pains, eat healthy, shower, sleep and then wake up in the morning and go skate. That’s all they do - eat, sleep and skate. Only when they injure themselves do they chill on the beer and go out a bit, basically they just skate, skate, skate, skate and skate some more, it’s nuts dude, they skate HARD! Like there was this young kid there who had this Baker board and gets to this rail spot and the rail is by his neck in height, he greets everybody, pushes up to the rail and bangs a smith first go. I was like “what the hell”, the kid was so small and he was also doing back threes down the stairs. It’s nuts over there.
I r e a lly wa n t to j us t go ba ck to th e S tat e s a n d s tart working on a n e w f ull pa rt
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Did you manage to get any interest from any US sponsors and if so tell us about that? Yeah Manny wants me to get on Bliss wheels so we are talking about that and Grizzly griptape also wants me to get on them. T Puds wants to find a shop in SA that can bring it in, Ammo boards also wants to look at hooking me up to ride for Felix Arguelles, Manny is also on there, as well as Diamond Hardware, they also want me on there. I’m busy collecting more footage for all of them. Did you get a chance to hang out and skate with Thalente? We were going to link up. I was waiting for his call but he never got back to me and I also had a board and trucks for him, but he was missioning with his chick for 10 days so we didn’t get to hang. But I know he skates with a lot of pros, a lot of dudes know him over there, he chills with Kenny Anderson a lot over there and they are big buddies. What are your plans now, do you think you will be going back? I’m planning on saving up money and going again for as long as I can. I have just sorted my girlfriend’s passport out because we are planning on going together. I want to work there and I’m doing my thing to make it work out for the both of us. I’m going to have to work and skate extra hard dude. It’s cool because Manny said we can stay with him until we have our own pad. We are trying to get there for next year as soon as possible and if I can get there then hopefully I can just skate and film and hopefully that will pay for things.
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How long do you think you will go for this time? I want to go for as long as I can and just see what happens with my skating, maybe go pro. I’m still young enough to try and do it, so I’m going to do it! But for me to go there it’s basically like starting over and something new and I’ll have to work my way up again so I’m going to need to put in hard work to get there, I’m hyped and I’m going to do it.
Did you do anything else besides skate while you were there? Yeah I went to the shops and bought my girlfriend gifts as well as some MSA tops and some Diamond Clothing. I went to this other skate shop and this guy was taking pictures of me because I was from South Africa, he asked Manny and I to get in a picture for the skate shop at one of the local parks.
What are you doing with all the footage you got there?
Thanks and shout outs?
I got a lot of video footage and photos but the video stuff I’m going to use some clips for AV if they like it but I also want to keep some clips separate for my next video part. I really want to just go back to the States and start working on a new full part, that’s what the guys over there want me to do.
I want to say thanks to Redbull and Seth Phitides, DC and Andrew Morck, and everyone who helped me out. Manny Santiago, Spanish Mike, Dave Morrison, Thomas and Adriaan. Thanks to everyone, this trip was worth it, it changed me a lot and made me a lot more focused on my skateboarding!
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Late night sessions were a regular. On a different level. Mosey bangs a Flip Frontside Crooks to match.
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WORDS Ryder Nel PHOTOS Sam Clark
Arthor Mor floats a ghostly frontside transfer.
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Gavin Scott
Deon Fourie
Anthony Mendonca
Just to let everyone know, the last time I picked up a pen and paper and was told to write 800-1000 words on something was my final English paper in Matric. So here I sit at work behind the bar at Alicats trying to brainstorm ideas while serving the old codgers their daily fix. I could write for days about the locals I encounter every day but I will try to keep it simple and write about the 2013 Halloween Skate Jam proudly sponsored by DC Shoes. Do I get extra money for the shout outs? The Day had arrived. Yann, Pieter Retief, Sam Clark and Arthur were all staying at my house and we had surprisingly all woken up hangover free which was a pleasant surprise. I still had not decided what I was going to wear. I had a quick look through my cupboards at home and found our cleaner’s uniform. That would do. We started the day off fairly early because Yann needed to get some footage for the up and coming Familia video. The weather looked perfect for the day ahead. It was really hot but this year the contest was starting a little later which made sense. Yann got the line, Pieter bought a crate of quarts and off we went to Pretoria (still e-toll free, at that time).
...the Deff gap. Which I’m guessing is death gap with an Afrikaans accent. When we got to the Halloween Skate Jam I could tell it was going to be a top class event. The turnout was really good, no sign of a Jozi afternoon storm, the music was on point and some people had really put in an effort to dress up. I almost forgot to mention that Puddy’s backyard ramp is now twice the size, with a hip and a cut out section with coping across it that Puddy calls the Deff gap. Which I’m guessing is death gap - with an Afrikaans accent. Unfortunately for me, I had to
film the contest. I have learnt through the years that filming contests is not that fun. I guess I could compare it to judging a contest. But when the competition is this tight I guess filming is better. At least my good friend Jay Besaans was also there filming, to keep me entertained. The comp started at about 6 with the sun gradually drawing down the shadows. The mood was set. Everyone who was
skating had their lines dialled and it was all there for the taking, yet there was a friendly atmosphere at the same time, which was good to see. Early standouts were Evan Binge, Khule, Yann, Puddy, Martin, Deon and Damo. One of the highlights in the qualification round was when the crowd favourite Deon Fourie started off his run with a nose drop pull in off the wall sending everyone
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Damo knows how to flow a ramp. He also knows Sugarcanes
into hysterics. When the qualification round was nearing to an end you could hear a “Where is Dallas?” riff, in the crowd. In true Silver-Fox style, he popped out of nowhere, one minute before his run and still killed the ramp. I love watching the Silver-Fox skate. He doesn’t plan his runs or take notice of anyone else on the ramp. He just goes with the flow and holds onto tricks with style while going faster than most. He is a true-blue, bowl skater. Maanda was as hyped as ever, jumping onto the microphone and keeping people entertained. He had everyone laughing when he ordered Jean-Marc off for pushing on the ramp during his run. Some of your music was questionable though Maands? Save it for the club mayn! So from the qualifiers it was cut down to 10 semi-finalists: Yann, Dallas, Damo, GVB, Evan, Puddy, Martin, Khule, Alan and Arthur. The comp was now getting to the sharp end. I don’t think too many in the crowd questioned the merits of those in the top 10. The crowd (fortified by some alcohol) was starting to get a little louder. You really have to feel for the judges because in the semi-finals the best skating went down and that must have made it difficult for them to reach a decision. Evan, who didn’t make the cut deserves a mention for flowing on the ramp as if he was Puddy’s neighbour and Martin also deserves a mention for doing the biggest airs of
The Chav 5-0’s the Deff Gap. This is Evan Binge and Pieter Retief having a conversation.
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the night. But in the end the 5 finalists were: Dallas, Damo, Yann, Khule and Puddy. The finals were 7 minutes long and the 5 heavy hitters all stepped up to the plate. Damo impressed everyone all night with a big bag of tricks and good style. You could watch him do front feebles and boneless everything all night. Yann was another crowd favourite and skated with so much power. Ollie out to blunt pull-in off the wall every go and he did an ollie out to front crook fakie on the wall which left people stunned. Khule was the tech wizard of the night, doing all kinds of crazy flip tricks and the consistency of his flip tricks was pretty impressive. Notably his tre flips to fakie which Maanda labelled “stanky leg” and his blunt half cab flip. 1st Khule Ngubane R8000 2nd Yann-Xavier Horowitz R4000 3rd Damon de Clercq R2000 Dallas took best trick with an ollie out to tail slide on the wall. A big thank you goes out to DC Shoes, Red Bull, Nixon, Von Zipper, Session, AV and especially Puddy Zwennis. Thanks of course to everyone who turned up in support of a great event. Love you long time.
Dlamini made Skateline right before going to print. ‘This week’s “damn niggah you so african your momma named you twice of the week award.” goes to... Dlamini Dlamini. ‘ Back Smith straight out the kitchen.
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closet envy
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Wallrides with damo
So you’ve seen all these fools riding up straight walls, breaking gravity and all that, and it just doesn’t make sense. Is there some special type of glue you need for your wheels? Has Spiderman been fathering bastard skateboarders since the 60s? Is there some secret shoe that you don’t know about? Nope, this is straight-up harsh barge skateboarding. It epitomises what we do: defy what seems possible. Despite their current rise to fame, wallrides have been baffling minds since the 70s. Natas Kaupas had an iconic Thrasher cover at a time when street skateboarding was just starting to take off. Without the use of a kicker or natural bank he was pushing off a wall frontside after having jammed straight up it - complete with fish board and rail guards. It opened people’s minds to the fact that a completely barren side street could still be skated. Since then, it’s been a constant in skate history. It’s a timeless manoeuvre that is more about ability than being an actual trick. Prepare yourself for a lot of pain and frustration and let’s get UP to the wallride business.
60 | sessionmag.co.za
Getting Started: Firstly, you’re going to build a kicker against a wall. Just put a piece of ply up and stick things underneath to support it. That way you can gradually increase the incline. Then just hit it and hit it until you ride the wall and roll away on flat. That’s the first step. If you don’t get that, don’t bother. The Approach: Now you’ve got the feeling in your muscles. All you have to do is apply them to the next obstacle: The Vertical Wall. Bear in mind you are going to make countless wheel marks, so don’t go try this on your parent’s property unless your mom is a graffiti artist and your dad just loves to clean up after you... which I guarantee he doesn’t. Don’t try too hard to find a ‘suitable’ wall either. Anything goes here. You’re going to start by heading almost straight at the wall and trying to mimic the motion in frame 3. Drag your front foot up and let you back foot follow. Your shoulders need to stay parallel with the wall as you do this. The Ride: As you hit the wall you need to jump a little and drag that back foot up to level the board out. A lot of the time you’ll end up turning on your back truck. Try not to do that. You should hear
the sound of pigs being slaughtered as your wheels scream against the concrete and redefine the laws of physics. The Land: Now comes the part that will piss you off and keep you awake at night. You’ll get the hang of the riding part quickly enough but putting it down is what makes wallrides so hard. I’ll try give you some help but don’t blame me if this takes you years. It’s all about your weight, timing and force. The key is to have your board almost aimed back at the ground before slamming your weight into your back truck and forcing the board back down to earth. At the same time, you’ll need to release the pressure of your front foot and shift your body weight backward as the board hits the ground. It’s a quick motion that can kill both your board and ankles so be aware of what you’re doing. If you get it right you’ll most probably stop dead, crouched with your hand on the floor, balancing yourself. That’s ok. It’s the beginning. From there it’s all about technique, speed and flavour as you begin to get comfortable with vertical rolling. The wallride is by far one of the best feelings on a board and well worth the dedication to learn. It makes the skate to the shop a hell of a lot more interesting and is sure to add a whole new dimension to your street sessions.
Blox
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Zero and Fallen are two brands that are synonymous with gnarly skateboarding. Whenever you hear that they’re dropping a video, you know it’s going to be something special. This month’s video reviews include both brands. Fallen Footwear travelled to interesting destinations around the world with different assortments of team members and put together a full length documentary. Zero unleashed the fury with their latest in a long line of impactful full length features. Zero collaborated with thrashermagazine.com and released a different part online everyday for a week where parts were live for 48 hours. They pretty much dominated internet activity for that week. The full length is available on iTunes so be sure to check out the rest of the video, even if you did watch all of the online sections. Let’s have a look at the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’:
ROAD LESS TRAVELLED
COLD WAR
PROS:
Pros:
Unusual skate destinations
The gnar factor of this video is off the charts
Amazingly shot locations
I’m a big fan of Nick Boserio, the Aussie beast from Perth. He skates fast as hell
Good vibes throughout Interesting to see another side to the gnarliest of skateboarders A skate documentary that actually gets you hyped to skate... and travel Fallen came to South Africa during the filming of this project Tommy Sandoval is possibly the toughest guy in skateboarding Jack Curtain’s style James Hardy skating a 17-stair handrail in the rain gives you an all new respect Jamie Thomas is as classic as it gets Tom Asta’s ridiculous ledge trickery Slash’s nosegrind down the curved rail in Durban Dane Burman shuts it down, much like every video in which he’s featured Most DVDs never make it to SA but Revolution are distributing this one so get yourself a physical copy for the collection
CONS: I was pretty bummed that there wasn’t a South Africa segment in the main feature because the SA tour was sick Tommy Sandoval getting pepper sprayed by SA security guards
Tommy Sandoval does possibly the largest frontside flip in history Chris Cole can do anything he wants to Young Buck Ed Duff’s ‘face melter’ front feeble James Brockman’s walk in the park switch 50 down Hollywood High John Rattray still bringing the flavour Jamie Thomas came through with the goods yet again, a lot of people showing love for his section Dane Burman crushing some of the most ridiculous rails you have ever seen, the Philly joint is on the cover of Thrasher Mag Dane Burman goes straight to the top of the potential SOTY list Dane Burman is fucking insane!!!
Cons: The daily web releases encourage views but detract from the vibe of the video as a whole A bunch of people won’t watch all the good shit that never made it into a web part because they’ve already seen the big names online, don’t be one of those people
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PINKHARD
fake style
Kanya Spani making skateboarding look easy. Backside 360.
Style has always been important in skateboarding. In the 70s style became more important than tricks, and in many instances it’s still the case today. Real style cannot be mimicked or forced, and the true mavericks of style outshine everyone. In the 80s Hosoi was the shit, and I’m sure plenty people tried to emulate him. They certainly trailed T-shirts off the back of their pants and tied shit around their wrists, but the reality is no one can really emulate a style that powerful. In the mid-nineties no one was hotter shit than Tom Penny, and he influenced a whole generation both trick and style wise, but what came with that was a heap of people too quick to change their own style to look like him. But once again,
These styles of theirs are natural - they don’t work on them. They’re born with them.
you can’t do that, you’re just left with a really bad ‘Made in Taiwan’ style. These styles of theirs are natural - they don’t work on them. They’re born with them. And you’re born with your own style too. Imagine John Cardiel had tried to be like Mike Carroll, Gino Iannucci xeroxed Eric Dressen or The Gonz had wanted to be more like Natas. That would have sucked and they probably wouldn’t have counted. My point is style is essential, but it’s only original style that counts. And sometimes a sketchy style is what makes someone stand out from all the conveyer-belt kids out there all trying to be Nyjah. So skate the way you skate, because a fake style is bad style.
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