Let’s get a few things out of the way:
-This is MY list. I have an opinion just like you do and just because I run some faggot ass blog doesn’t make my opinion any more important than yours. There are no trails sections here, no park sections and there probably isn’t a single footjam or tuck to flat either. If you’ve got a top 10 that differs significantly but is well put together, email me.
-These are video parts that came out in 2010.
-Web videos and DVD’s both count, but these are video parts so any mix section shit isn’t applicable.
So here goes nothing. I expect, no, DEMAND you guys freak out in the comments and explain why I’m wrong, why you’re right and why I should get testicular cancer and die of cholera for the words I’ve written here. Walk with me.
12) Eric L’s Sunday Web Video – Eric seems to have the whole “finding interesting street spots and doing unexpected things on them” things down to a science. Almost nothing in this part is stock and it’s got plenty of “holy fuck!” moments including the basketball hoop drop in and the pegless 4×4 grind that Sunday amusingly featured in a print ad advertising the video, after the edit went live (the obvious irony being that almost everyone who saw the ad probably already watched it online). I still feel like Eric’s got a lot of potential that wasn’t necessarily realized in his past footage so cross your fingers and hope for a full length section from him in 2011.
11) Dakota Roche In Cult’s “Let ‘Em Talk” – One of the best moments in modern BMX editing has got to be Dakota 3ing that rail hop (the same one you were stoked on seeing him 180 in the video’s intro) and thinking the part is over and then BOOM, 3 more bangers. Every aspect of this part goes hard, the song is ingenious and Navaz totally bodied the filming/editing.
10) Edwin Delarosa In Animal’s “Cuts” – People really were having memory loss, or in the case of most of you kids, excusable ignorance since Edwin hasn’t had a full part since the Skavenger video. Some people might have expected more from Brooklyn’s pride and joy but I was more than satisfied. What Edwin might now lack in new, ground breaking moves he more than makes up for with endless swag and an ability to make any trick look effortless.
9) David Grant In Lotek’s “This Is Your Brain On Lotek”- David’s got one of the most distinct styles in street riding these days (being 6’5″, weighing 103 pounds and having wrists made of gelatin probably having something to do with that) and this section is by far his best part to date. You could call this part one sided for being so rail heavy but I love that there’s still someone out there keeping that Road Fools 1 attitude of just bombing down the biggest rails he can find, alive.
8 ) Craig Passero’s Stranger Web Video – Craig really had a banner year with a stand out section in the OSS video, a FU4 (not technically released yet) section and more web videos than I can count, but this Stranger edit is his most recent footage and to me it represents how far Craig’s riding has come in such a short period of time. The 180 to backwards firecracker and the final line are both key clips showing us that Craig’s capable of coming up with new takes on old tricks as well as pushing the limits technically.
7) Nigel Sylvester In Animal’s “Cuts” – Nigel, more so than anyone else on this list, would have been excused for having a sub-par section in Cuts. He’s making money out the ass, shooting Gatorade web videos every weekend and he’s probably got bitches feeding him grapes while he jerks off. Apparently none of that got to him though since he came with the best section of his career. Crook to bar over an L, 180 crook to pop out bar up a handicapped rail, crook 180 bar up a rail, crook 180 over an L… the whole “Nigel isn’t that good” argument I see online from time to time is one of the only things I can read in the comments that actually pisses me off since utilizing it is basically an admission that you don’t have any knowledge of technical grinds, which at this point in time, Nigel pretty much owns.
6) Butcher in Animal’s “Cuts” – This late in his career it shouldn’t be possible for Butcher to have one of the most innovative sections of the year, but well, here we are. Although it’s by far the worst filmed section in the video (the best clip in this part is also the worst filmed in the video), Butcher came with the best part of his long, long career. This old dog may not have learned many new tricks but he does ones he pioneered like un-luc-e’s and levitators down big hubba’s and pole jam’s everything in sight. Yeah boy, what.
5) Nathan Williams In United’s “This Is United” – I know that by putting this part on the list, I’m immediately going to have to defend why I put Nathan’s section on the list but didn’t put Corey’s, which ended the United video and won video part of the year. But y’know, fuck it, I don’t really feel like explaining myself. This part is just sick.
4) Garrett Reynolds in Props 75 – What do you get when you combine BMX’s most overworked filmer, street riding’s most overexposed rider and the stringent song clearing standards of BMX’s biggest video production company? Semi-surprisingly, one of the rawest video parts in recent memory. Despite winning video part of the year and being universally considered the best street rider living in terms of pure skill, Garrett’s riding has never really been done justice until this section. His Shook part was a 7 minute mess, sprawling and unfocused and while his Nike part improved on those issues it was still marred by inconsistent filming and seemed oddly one dimensional. On the other hand this razor sharp section cuts a place into your brain immediately. We are now watching a much more mature Garrett whose clips are now devastatingly impressive on two fronts; the raw skill and technical ability are still there (and drastically improved upon of course) but he’s now using spots much more intelligently. He has come full circle with this part as far as I’m concerned, from gifted wunderkind to all around badass.
Terrifyingly, this section was filmed during a couple trips and all signs point towards his Deadline section making this one look silly in comparison.
3) Garrett Reeves in OSS “Football” – For sure I’m biased on this one, but I don’t think anyone could form an argument that this wasn’t one of the best parts of the year. In fact I don’t think any part has progressed the wallride this much since Ruben in Grounded. Mastroni absolutely killed it with the edit and song choice for this part and while I’d like to throw his section and maybe Seeley’s as well on the list, I’ll take it easy on you and just use this one. This part is a masterpiece.
2) Chase Dehart in Cult’s “Let ‘Em Talk” – A few things:
-The song carries the part. Chase may not have endured the year in jail and tabloid covers that T.I. raps about on the track but he and his Cult homies were certainly the target of their fair share of criticism in 2010. This song embodies the exact attitude that Robbie and co should have in the face of great opposition and a monumental task (building a bike company that can compare in size, sales or relevance to the one they just left) in front of them.
-Chase seems invigorated. Anyone who’s worked with him will tell you that he’s tough to get to film for any project that he isn’t 100% excited about. The sheer number of clips in this section (4 and a half minutes of footage is a lot for a video filmed in just a few months) is a testament to how motivated he was. And it shows.
-The criticisms usually thrown at Chase online (that he’s a slow moving groundhog with weird looking barspins) are all useless here. It’s almost kind of amazing how fast he’s going at everything in here even for clips that certainly don’t need so much velocity. A good percentage of the clips are on low ledges but when he does choose to do something bigger (like the downside whip to roof drop at 3:30 or the kinked rail clip at 3:45) it’s always something creative that utilizes the spot and not just him trying to impress the 11 kids and 3 magazine photographers left on earth who are still stoked on 3′s, bars and whips down 10 stairs. In fact there are no barspins here; it almost seems like he’s so ridiculously comfortable tailwhipping that they are no longer of use to him.
-Navaz’s filming and Chase’s riding work together perfect. Chase has mentioned before that Ryan’s his favorite person to film with and that fact seems obvious watching this part
-We live in a world where video parts are often judged almost solely on their last clip and while we’ve seen many video parts try to utilize the whole non-banger-as-a-banger thing to embarrassing results (ELECTRONICAL), Chase’s ender actually works even though it’s certainly nothing ground-breaking. Because really, Chase has never been a rider admired for his ability to invent new tricks, but to do old ones on unlikely spots with style out the ass and that’s exactly what that clip embodies.
1) Sean Burns in Anthem 2 – While I think Chase’s section is worthy of being long winded, I can’t imagine words doing Burns’ section justice, especially since most of us have only seen it a few times. I see Sean as almost a new age Mat Hoffman. Calm, calculated and amazingly talented but able to put fear aside for the sake of the clip. Burns’ riding is bold, simple and a pristine execution of his own vision of what street riding should look like. It’s a perfect microcosm of what makes Anthem 2 such a captivating video; uncompromising, raw and unapologetic.
