We usually don’t feature skating like this, but the fact is, when a relatively unknown dude just goes and ollies one of the biggest sets of stairs ever, It’s hard to ignore. He makes it look so easy, it’s only until you watch this whole bail montage that you realize how ridiculous the impact truly is and the amount of speed you need to do it.
We called Brandon up and asked him probably the same questions everyone else had, “What the hell were you thinking?” How do you prepare to jump this monstrosity? Brandon wasn’t really one to go in depth about it and didn’t give us as much of an explanation as we were looking for, but I guess it really just boils down to this: Think you can do it, visualize yourself doing it, and commit 100%. I guess that’s kind of the formula for getting anything you want in life.
When did you think you could do the set?
It was probably like 5 days before I went to go do it. I was just like bullshitting around with my friends, smoking and drinking, and just said I wanted to go out there and try the Canadian Embassy. So I drove down to DC, it’s only about 45 miuntes away from where I live. I had to go to work soon after I got to the set, so I didn’t have much time and my friends were really pressuring me to try it. I couldn’t let anybody down.
Did you skate before? How do you warmup for a 21 stair ollie?
We went to a little local spot around the corner, it was some 4 step. But we warmed up there, and at a local park. I prepared by just mentally telling myself over and over, you got this! And just visualizing rolling away always helps!
How many times did you try it?
Twice. The first time I was leaning alittle bit too far forward, got wheelbite and fell forward and took a hard one right to my left knee. But I didn’t feel it at the moment. I got up and landed it second try.
Was there a big crowd?
When everybody saw me try it the first time a lot of people stuck around. There was probably around 100 people on the sidewalk in front of the gates. They were all cheering and stuff when I landed it was pretty sick.
How’d you not get kicked out?
We just got in and out of there probably within 5 minutes. We just made it super quick, made it low key. I ducked around, underneath the stairs so they couldn’t see me.
”I got up and landed it second try.”
How’d you celebrate?
Afterwards we rolled a fat blunt on the way back, before I got to work…
I was late for work that day, I work at a bistro. I was super fucking stoked, and everyone else was because I told them I was going to go down there and try it. But the only thing was, when I did the set my adrenaline was up so high that when I got to work, my knee was fucking killing me.
Whats the main trick to getting it done?
Getting enough speed. I was pushing my ass off, I’d say I was doing ike 20 miles an hour before I jumped down it. Also a big key factor to landing it was that I had been talking about it for days before, and I would have felt like a wuss if I didn’t do it. But mainly push my heart out and pop that ollie.
Do you think Aaron “Jaws” Homoki is mad because he didn’t get to do it first?
I’m not sure if Jaws is mad or not but I’m from around here and it was more accessible to me. Then again if he’s mad, so be it! Ain’t no thing to me.
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May 2, 2013 6:41 pm
I really liked that part. Sick skating and Natural Koncept is backing him. Keep it up.
February 18, 2016 10:58 pm
Just making sure, I know this is old, but Jaws ollied the 25 stair ali couldnt