KOTRS3E4
Get Your War Face On

Leigh is writing this series of articles on Season 3 of Thrasher’s King of The Road

for Viceland TV.

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What happens on the road stays on the road on King of the Road.- Madars Apse, team Element

Day four of the King of the Road (KOTR) contest began with the handcuffed triplets of each team still connected to start off this episode that was packed with so much skating, ridiculousness, and even heartfelt sentimentality. The teams got their city challenge destinations: Foundation team headed to San Francisco to spend the day with Jake Phelps, Thrasher Editor in Chief; Real went to Oakland to skate at a local skate mecca, Lower Bob’s; and the Element crew went to San Jose to meet up with Louie Barletta of enjoi, the winning team of KOTR season 2.

You look great sir, get in the tank. --Louie Barletta, pro skater, enjoi

Team Element cruised into a parking lot in San Jose, California, wondering if they were meeting up with the other teams. There were two big ramps set up, mannequins positioned around the lot, and a tank with Barletta in camouflage Barletta helped the Element guys suit up in camo gear,hats, helmets and war paint for the Ultimate Panda Army Challenge:cruise the obstacle course in the tank, get 5 tricks over the tank (once it was parked in the gap between the two ramps).

Later as they rode the streets still suited up in combat gear in the tank, Tyson Peterson proposed to Evan Smith (in anticipation of the “Get Married” challenge) while they sat at a red light. The team headed to Barletta’s house for more challenges: a surprise Last Man Standing Pillow Fight challenge on Barletta’s mini ramp that Nyjah Huston took the beer can bandolier for victory. Smith got more points for skating off the house roof onto the ramp.

San Francisco is the center of skateboarding- remember that.--Jake Phelps,Thrasher Magazine, Editor in Chief

The Foundation team went over to San Francisco to meet up at Thrasher’s headquarters and skate Thrasher’s private skatepark, Double Rock for challenges with none other than one of the toughest guys in skating, Jake Phelps.  The first challenge: 5 different tricks down the hubba, which the guys knocked out with minimal difficulty. Next, Aidan Campbell had to do a doubles trick on the quarter pipe with Phelps and the last trick was just amazing and beautiful:  one teammate had to get way up on the wall and stall up there while another grinded on the corner (Glick and Wilson). Skating undeniably keeps you young and Phelps is a testament to that, which was summed up by Foundation’s team manager, Mike Sinclair, ”Skating with Jake is awesome. He could be one of the guy’s granddad and he’s out here shredding with the guys.”

They all bombed Twin Peaks, a local skate spot extraordinaire, while each ate a giant burrito. Next, the Foundation crew had to re-create three classic Thrasher magazine covers, so they headed out to the streets of San Francisco to risk life and limb to acheive artistic perfection--no small task but amazing to watch the magic happen. First, Cole Wilson tried unsuccessfuly to skate the rail Cardiel made famous (but Jack Farnell actually got the trick back in the day). It was gnarly and terrifying to watch. Ultimately they were able to get Keith Hufnagel’s ollie cover at the hospital rail (Thrasher October 1997) when Glick got waaaay up on that rail. Glick again got the Karma Tsocheff June 2016 trick off the on-ramp on the 101 during rush hour no less- breathtaking and petrifying. Aidan Campbell honored Mike Carroll’s March 1995 Skater of the Year cover with a trick at the Bay Blocks.

                               

Today Real is going to honor the life of Preston P-Stone Maigetter. Preston is our dear friend, Thrasher videographer, a skater, a father, and the ultimate road dog who unfortunately passed away this last September. -- Michael Burnett, KOTR co-creator

Maigetter (1972-2017) was a luminary in the world of skateboarding and all of the Real team had worked with him and knew him, so their city challenges involved spending a day at Lower Bob’s, a local Oakland DIY skate spot. First they all put on snuggies since P-Stone once wore a snuggie for an entire road trip, and skated Lower Bob’s, Maigetter’s home skatepark, to celebrate his life. They barbeque’d P-Stone style at the grill built-in with a mosaic of P-Stone on site, drinking beer from bell pepper cups, joined by Ryan McWhirter (Antihero Skateboards), Jim Thiebaud and Tommy Guerrero (owners, Real Skateboards), and the team had to land tricks P-Stone would’ve done.

Kyle Walker cooked a feast on the grill, chopping it up on his cutting board -the back of his skate dec.. There was a toast to P-Stone and then there was drumming-out appeared Zion Wright’s father Mustafa, his mother, Charron, and brother La Roi to present him with his first pro deck! More tears flowed with sentimentality for P-Stone and happiness about Wright going pro. There was a tearful, memorable moment of honor and respect between father and son and Wright’s father expressing the love within the skate community.

He worked very hard for this moment and the moment belongs to him.
He kicked it up for himself and we’re proud of him for that. -- Charron Wright

More excitement to come on KOTR!  A new episode airs Tuesday on Viceland at 9:00pm ET

Full episodes are also available at Viceland or on Viceland’s YouTube channel.