Coleman

Coleman represents the innocence and purity that used to be alive and well in all of us but was put out long ago by the reality of life. Coleman has managed to go 20ish years and keep his innocence intact, which is a greater accomplishment than any of of have ever done. His part is a visual representation of what I am talking about.

Filming Coleman was fun and scary. He charges everything without a second thought of consequences, pedestrians, cars, or fellow skaters that might roll in his way, and this enthusiasm can sometimes result in Coleman slamming into objects, other people, or the filmer. Being the filmer, and caring deeply for my camera and my own well-being, I had to constantly be on guard while filming Coleman. When you're shuving a fisheye lens in someone's grill, you should always be light on your toes and quick on your feet, but filming Coleman I was even more on my guard. So considering that I was so cautious while filming him, we were able to get a lot of really fast tricks filmed up close and personal. With that little intro, I will now tell you about Coleman's part.

First off, I'm super proud of Coleman and all the tricks he got! Everyone else in the video had little spurts where they would film a lot in a couple week period then kind of take it easy for a couple of weeks, but Coleman constantly came out and filmed every single week. He had some really good weeks where he got a couple really good tricks all at once, but even in the slow times, he was always filming stuff. It was when he filmed that first line where he front boards the 2 stair rail that I knew he was going to get a part in the video. Before that he had just filmed a couple single tricks, so I wasn't sure if he was going to pull through with a full part or if he was going to just have a cameo in the video. I was rooting for him, so I was super happy when he got that line. Then after he filmed it, pretty much every time we went out skating he would get something or slam trying.

I especially love Coleman's part after the song picks up and it's just a bunch of single tricks filmed really fast and close together. It keeps a good pace, and I think of all the parts in the video his gives you a taste of what Coleman skates like on a daily basis. He skates really fast, charges the obstacle, and pulls it off holding on by the toes on his feet and in good fashion. He's super fun to watch in person, and I think his part does a good job of showing that.

Coleman also picked up the torch right where Nick left it by finding a roof that never should have been skated, using local supplies to make the roof skateable, then riding off that thing. Nick first pulled this off 3 years ago by making Bolts of Thunder history, then Coleman decided to get Nick's back and ollie of an old roof in the rain. He tried it 11 times and never rode away, but that counts as a solid roof drop in my book. That was the craziest thing I've ever seen Coleman do, and I'm super proud of him for doing it.

Besides his last roof ollie and the line with the 2 stair front board, some of my favorite tricks of Coleman include his back tail at the baseball diamonds, which was so beautiful and inspiring that I since have learned that trick, his board slide on the village rail at the end of his part because he almost rode into joggers when he landed, and instead of pulling away from them he kept riding at them to get closer. That reminds me of when a bear stole Dan's backpack while hiking and Dan chased the bear. He got so close that he reached out and I think touched the fur of the bear before it doubled its speed and left Dan behind. When asking Dan why he would try his luck with a bear, he said he just wanted to see how close he could get... Anyway, Coleman's early grab at the very end was also nuts.

I've been writing this entire post while talking to the comcast sales people about my internet bill. They keep trying to rip me off every month by charging me for all this extra stuff, so I have to call them every month. At the end of today's phone call, I will get refunded most of my internet bill for the month. And I will pay more attention to what I'm writing now...

I read what I wrote at first, and I don't think I did a good job of saying what I wanted to say. Instead of rewriting it, I'm just going to say it again. Coleman is awesome, and he's one of the most inspiring people you could ever skate with. Every time I was nervous to try a trick, I seriously kept thinking of Coleman's courage and "if he can go for it, so can I." Literally, if it weren't for Coleman, there would have been some tricks in my part I would not have skated. Coleman is Bolts of Thunder in its purest form with makeshift roof drops, no specific genre of skating or clothing choices, and a drive to go faster. I love his part, and it makes me smile and want to skate really fast every time I watch it. You should watch it again right now then think of what you'll be capable of if you man up like Coleman and charge your trick with pure confidence and speed.

Now, to end this post, I will say something about Coleman the man, not Coleman the skater. He is a true friend, and a good friend. Those are hard to come by in this world, but he's got your back and down for whatever. Even though I'm quite a bit older than he is, hanging out and skating with him is always fun because he's such a nice, genuine guy. This is his first part he's ever filmed, and I'm honored to say that his debut is in a Bolts of Thunder video. Good job on your part, Coleman, and good luck with your mission!!!!