#thee block

pete in the streets

Nora Cup 2015 has long been over but I got thinking tonight who and what would I have chosen to win. I’m gonna skip a few categories cause I’m horribly unsuited to give any type of opinion as who is the best dirt rider (Clint Reynolds!) or flatland rider but here it is. A Nora Cup recount hosted by none of other than me. 

Ramp Rider of the Year - Kriss Kyle

This one is a no brainer for me. Kriss Kyle has really blew up that blends both park and street into one. A guy who can get X-Games combos at a skate plaza and then ride a bowl with truly impressive height and style. It’s amazing how varied he is. Kiss dropped a steady flow of few web videos throughout the year with his sponsors BSD and Redbull (maybe Nike too) which really solidified my choice as him being ramp rider of the year. Kaleidoscope was dope yo!

Street Rider of the Year - Mark Gralla

Why? Cause his Animal House section was that good. Even though he didn’t have a lot of media exposure this year (like every year). Mark Gralla is the definition of what people think of street. Searching and exploring and making good use of what is around. He’s like that one rapper people say is better than all the mainstream dudes but dude man keeps it at a street level. 

Company/Brand of the Year - Thee Block

This year BMX seems a little stagnant, you can tell cause everyone is talking about bringing BMX back to ‘realness’ whatever that is. One new thing that did make their presence well known this year is Thee Block. Not your typical bike store saying that they don’t have a lot of parts in stock, Thee Block is show room for the ongoing projects of various pros happening in Los Angeles. They own and operate their own screen print shop which keeps a lot of the BMX industry in the hands of riders. 

Up and Comer of the Year - Ryan Nironanta 

Usually young riders don’t develop a unique style, original to themselves until they get a bit older but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Ryan Nironanta. He has this ability to do every trick both ways, switch footed, oppo, whatever subtle variation there is on flat none the less. This shows in his riding which is so tech and complex it’s hard to realize what’s fully happening in first viewing, kind of like Danny Hickerson back in the day. I really hope he has his own section in CT2 and see the full extent of his capabilities.

Moment of the Year - Devon Denham eating his own poo in Daily Grind ‘Hard Times’

It’s so gross, anti-social, and all levels of weird. I love it. If he was a guy whose riding was sub par and he did it, I’d just think it was that guy who has to overcompensate cause he stinks but the rest of section was surprisingly one of my favorites of the year. Continue to live that DGAF life to the fullest, this guy is a fan. 

Veteran of the Year - Van Homan

There is no doubt Van Homan is a bit of artifact at this point in his career but thing about Van is that he does not slow down. His ‘Holy Fit’ section maybe the only thing he put out all year but when you’ve been around for around two decades of riding, IS ACTUALLY THE GUY WHO DID THE CRIMINAL MISCHIEF SECTION your favorite rider’s favorite rider’s favorite rider talks about, and then puts out a section that can only be comparable to that again... you win Veteran of the Year and quite possibly the decade cause it makes no sense for someone to be able to be that good for that long. Especially doing dead man stuff! 

Web Video of the Year - Animal House by Navaz

Animal had a real slow year, at some points people wondered if it was a question whether they were still around but towards the end they really started fresh and right with Animal House by Navaz. Even though it was a quick project with the Animal team renting out a condo in NYC for a month. The final product still ends very satisfyingly despite what others may have perceived as hick ups. Animal had an aging team that was unable to keep up with the young guns of the industry and with Animal House they showed that the best video is a medium of somewhere between the veterans and rookies. Mark Gralla had an amazing section. Abdul Fofanah came through with some real innovative moves and Colin Varanyak closes it with straight X-Games trickery done on the cuttiest of East Coast spots. Navaz edited it an a way that was different from the previous Animal videos but at the same time very reminiscent of that vibe that Animal has always been associate with.