It was only a matter of time. Vert vet Bob Burnquist has pulled off a list of tricks that most pros can’t even get their heads around. Now he's done it again. On September 4, the progressive Brazilian pulled off the elusive 900 on his backyard MegaRamp. According to his bilingual Twitter feed, he did it fakie-to-fakie, indy-grab. Leave it to Bob to sh*tcan the conventional approach and spin it his own way. And now he can count himself among the slim ranks of the exclusive 900 Club, joining Tony Hawk, Sandro Dias, Giorgio Zattoni, and Alex Perelson. Here’s a quick video that breaks down the history:   

Anybody who stuck around after the X Games Big Air final watched Bob give the 900 his own brand of hell. During the comp, Jake Brown had pulled ahead and Bob had little choice but to go for the 900, spinning a standard indy version (see clip, below). He didn’t make it, but came close enough to inspire him to stick around after the contest was over to keep trying. Lots of witnesses figured that once the summer contest schedule cooled down a bit, he’d go home and get ‘er dun. After X Games, Bob’s indy 720s at the Maloof Money Cup would foreshadow the historic trick to come. Back at the home office, he added another 180 to those indy 7s. Done and done. I’ll bring you the details as soon as he calls me back.

-K. Hamm

There’s no way around it: When you’re Greyson Thunder Fletcher, surfing and skating is in your blood. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Except go with the flow. That’s the keyword: Flow. The kid’s got it, as all witnesses can attest. His long lines and grinds at this summer’s Converse Coastal Carnage come to mind. Then he was a crowd favorite during the Oregon Trifecta. It’s no wonder though. His great-grandfather is Walter Hoffman, who started surfing in the 1940s (and introduced the aloha print to the family’s fabric business so he could keep his work interwoven with his surfing way of life). His grandfather is none other than Herbie Flectcher (who started surfing in the 1950s and later invented Astrodeck). His dad is the pioneering Christian Fletcher. He’s also got Dibi Hoffman Flectcher’s blood in his veins, and her sister’s: US Surfing Champion Joyce Hoffman. And then there’s Uncle Nathan.

Growing up in Anaheim Hills, California, skateboarding was easier to take on than surfing. But since moving closer to the beach, he’s terrorizing the lineup as well. “He’s got f-ing style,” says grandmother Dibi. “Style is not just something added on. It has a function to it. It allows you to get to that level of being great at something.”

-K. Hamm

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Let the contest battles begin. And I’m not talking about skateboarders competing for obscene prize money. I’m talking about the apparent faceoff between Maloof Money Cup frontman Joe Maloof and Street League big guy Rob Dyrdek. I could be wrong, but when Maloof announced the Platinum Circuit, offering a $1,000,000 bonus to the winner of four consecutive Maloof Money Cup street contests, I figured he’s just trying to entice Chris Cole (who’s already won three straight) to ride in next year’s event. Just imagine the attendance and viewership. And it seems like a no-brainer for Cole, who’s already proven beyond a reasonable doubt that his competitive talents are criminally insane (I mean, the guy’s evidently evolved into skateboarding’s genetic elite, that alien future already inhabited by Danny Way). Problem is, Cole’s already signed over his contest prowess to Dyrdek’s Street League; contractually he must ride Street League exclusively. That means no Maloof next year. That means no chance at the $1 million bonus. Or does it?

Conceivably, Cole could break his Street League contract to go for that $1M next year. A deal’s a deal, but when you’re a husband, homeowner, and father of two young children, family comes first. That million bucks could come in handy. Plus, at 28, Cole’s pushing the upper age of competitive success. Yes, he could be the exception to the rule, but statistically, his days of contest prosperity are numbered. No matter how good you are, there’s always a younger and hungrier Nyjah, Malto, or Pudwill willing and able to take over. It’d be interesting to report what’s really going on in Cole’s head. Via email, he told me that he’s “not really commenting on it right now.” Fair enough.

From another perspective, the million dollar question is not whether Cole will break from Street League to skate Maloof. It’s this: Will Dyrdek allow Cole to go after the biggest prize in skate history? How could any skateboarder deny another skateboarder that opportunity? Sure, Cole knew what he was doing when he signed the exclusivity agreement with Street League (a skater-owned enterprise with a cash purse bigger than X Games, Dew Tour, and pre-Platinum Maloof combined). But the stakes have changed. Tremendously. And if Dyrdek gives Cole a pass to ride Maloof; how is that fair to the remaining Street Leaguers? Responding to Maloof’s Platinum Circuit announcement, Dyrdek said, “It's so crazy. I'm just so curious – is that a singular ploy to get Chris Cole?”

Which brings us back to Joe. Maloof has emphasized that he’s not trying to get Cole to come back. He just “wanted to add momentum to the Maloof Money Cup. I don’t know if he’d be able to skate [Maloof], but if he wants to, he’s welcome. If he decides not to skate, no problem, someone will start a new streak. Basically, somebody's going to win it."

There you have it. Maloof (who owns the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas) has officially upped the ante. But Dyrdek’s hand is flush with aces; his exclusive Street League roster is made up of the sort of skateboarders who could actually win four Maloofs in a row. The same sort who wouldn’t hesitate to try . . . if only they hadn’t signed over their contest careers to a fellow skateboarder. 

-K. Hamm, The Weekly Update

Tipping a cup to SURFER’s half-century anniversary, San Francisco’s Chronicle Books has once again done what they do best: produce highly quality coffee table reads with vivid imagery and engaging story. Edited by Sam George, with a foreword by Shaun Thompson, the 192-page hardcover edition features 200 full-color and 50 black-and-white photographs and is packed with work by Steve Pezman, Kevin Naughton, Steve Hawk, John Witzig, Steve Barilotti, Drew Campion, Ben Marcus, and many more. 

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