Tag Archives: Cliff Coleman

The whole skatehouse was in New York City last weekend for the Broadway Bomb.

Broadway Bomb is basically the sickest push race there is. The 8-mile course runs along Broadway from the gates of Columbia University at 116th street all the way down to the bull statue on Wall Street. The road is not closed and there’s lots of automobile and pedestrian traffic. For the most part, it’s flat or slightly downhill.

There are three rules. First, you have to stay on Broadway as much as possible. Second, no skitching. Third, if the cops stop you, you must tell them that you’re just out for a skate with your friends.

The race is supposed to start at noon; but there’s never an official start whistle or anything like that. Everyone just starts running up 116th street and going for it. I’ve been going since 2007 and it’s always total chaos. This year was particularly out of control: with a over a thousand people trying to kick off at once, the road was so crowded that people kept falling over each other.

NYC is also a hot spot for hard-wheel sliding; so Brian Dencklau and Steve Kong organized a hard-wheels-only slide jam on the day after the Broadway Bomb. Apparently there was a soft-wheel event at 7am the same day; but I don’t know who thought anyone would show up to a slide jam at seven in the goddamn morning.

Hard-wheel is tricky. It’s easy to slip out and land on your ass, so you have to be pretty upright on the wheels.

At the same time, you don’t want to grip up and go flying forward. Your balance has to be on point.

Anthony Flis brings back the Sergio Layback. These certainly look cool, but they’re hell on your shoulders.

The old standard pendulum.

Adam Auger busts a noseblunt for Cliff Coleman and the assembled skate-paparazzi. Check the GoPro on Cliff’s head.

Hard wheels? Check. Indy trucks? Check. Home-made slide gloves with cutting board? Check. Bringing 2007 1985 back with a classy pendy.

I skated with Jonathan Brown-Tea the day I got slide gloves. Check the technique.

I like nollies. Check the vintage Earthwing shirt in the foreground: “lighter, stronger, stiffer, thinner, more expensive, but worth it.”

John Kreutter came out of nowhere and got really good at both hard and soft wheel sliding. Damn kids.

Super fresh style.

I don’t know who won; but I can’t wait for next year. Special thanks to the event sponsors–there are too many to list here.