Robert Brink - Writer

Flick: Proof

July 13, 2009 | Skip To The Comments (1)

Flick: Proof
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, August 2009

In the summer of 2005, when Forecast was released, Paul Rodriguez introduced Mike Mo Capaldi’s part by saying, “You guys will be seeing a lot more of him in the very near future.”

Not many people in skateboardland knew who Mike Mo was back then… but safe to say, everyone knows him now. A solid “forecast,” so to speak. Hard to believe that was already over four years ago, huh?

So maybe not everyone in Forecast has become a skateboarding superstar on the level that Mike Mo has. Most of ‘em are familiar names, still around and on the radar though.

Hell, fucking weathermen are wrong more than half the time. So are financial analysts, doctors, psychics and so on. Not to mention they have educations and satellites and computers and sixth senses and billions of dollars worth of equipment handing them data on silver platters all day long and they still blow it on the regular.

I suppose the point is: if Paul (or anyone else for that matter) can help introduce us to a Mike Mo every few years with one of his videos and a keen eye for skateboarding talent, without needing billons of dollars of equipment and ruining our day because we didn’t know to bring an umbrella or a warm jacket, then by all means Mr. Rodriguez… please bring it. Thank you.

Enter Proof, Paul’s newest video venture, presented with some help from his good friend Nigel Alexander, and, of course, the skaters—some of whom you know and some who may be new to you.

Familiar names include Torey Pudwill, Darrell, Chaz Ortiz, Justin Schulte, Sammy Baptista, Terell Robinson and Paul himself. Hot damn, Torey’s got snap and some crazy new tricks! (Or maybe they should be referred to as “combos.”)

But back to the original point of this writing. For example, Proof may be your very first sampling of someone like Keelan Dadd, who’s part is a nice “from out of nowhere” surprise that’ll leave you wondering how long you’ll have to wait for another part from him.

And for every 10 or 20 or 30 up-and-coming skaters you watch at a contest or in videos and might not be too jazzed by, finding one like Keelan makes it all worth it. You suddenly find yourself hyped on that one great part or one new dude, rather than bitching about the bunches of others who didn’t appeal to you.

And that’s why videos like Proof are a necessity in skateboarding now. Sometimes they’re even more important in hindsight—looking back on Mike Mo’s Forecast part now, post-Fully Flared, when you may have not even thought twice about him or known anything about him beforehand.

Check out Proof and expose yourself to something new for a change. This way, when everyone is going nuts over some dude’s sick part in a four or five years, you can be like, “Yeah man, remember his part in Proof back in 2009? Didn’t know who he was back then, but that part was tight!”