It's nice to hear Michael Brooke laugh when he's happy. It's a sound that we don't get to hear often enough these days. But thanks to the guys (and gals) that put on and participate in the Broadway Bomb, we've heard the laughing sounds of a Happy Mike ever since he got back from New York on Sunday night. And that was a solid three days ago now...!
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, Mike wasn't able to actually write the Broadway Bomb wrap-up story. He's pretty damned busy right now putting the finishing touches on the next issue of Concrete Wave, and tying up various loose ends. Instead, we sent him a bunch of questions and yapped at him on the phone about it over the course of a few early mornings until we'd gleaned enough information out of the guy to basically "ghost-write" his report.
One of the first things that Mike sent over, was this YouTube clip of the start of the race. We asked him, "Hey Mike, why's everyone running with their boards? Aren't they supposed to be riding them?!" Mike explained in his usual quiet-and-calm demeanor that they're climbing to the top of a hill, where the real "race" begins. Ahhh! That makes sense...!
Until this week, we had all been "somewhat aware" of The Bomb... but, not fully keen on all of the details of it. Let alone, the significance of it all. This is where having a longboard magazine publisher on your staff that was actually at the race helps out a whole bunch. Mike not only participated in the race itself: He also has the "bigger picture" in mind, at all times. He recognizes this as being an extraordinary event, with huge ramifications for the much larger longboarding community. We didn't quite get that, at first. But due to Mike's ability to articulate "stoke" really well, it all eventually started to come into focus.
"Pictures, or it didn't happen". Here's Mike, volunteering some time at The Bomb to help sell some event tees. Mike's a great guy like that: Always willing to lend a helping hand, even in the midst of anarchy and chaos. Photo via Silverfish Longboarding.
By far, the most significant thing about all of this is how giddy Mike's been all week as he's been recounting the details of his weekend. The first thing that he talked about... and, I think this might just be the most significant detail... was the massive turnout for this shindig. Various reports online have put the number anywhere between 400 to 600 skaters that participated in this event. Mike himself thinks that the numbers are between 550 and 600. Whatever the case may be, the turnout was just ginormous. Especially considering that this is essentially a totally underground, grass-roots, outlaw longboard "race".
This video news report from Push Culture gives a nice feel of what really went down at The Bomb, and the overall effect that the race has on midtown New York's traffic and pedestrians. It looks like chaos. Mike enthusiastically confirms this: "Skating in Manhattan is freaking MENTAL…! I did it… but, you could absolutely die doing it! They took over a f'n street for 45 minutes! Am I being clear here?! You gotta be there...!"
I might add that, we've never actually had to edit cusses out of Mike's reporting before. That says something, people! Mike is jazzed. Hard...
The Broadway Bomb seems like a unique peculiarity, as far as "races" go. Which is why we keep putting "race" in quotes all through this article. Mike concurs: "The key thing is that this thing is totally different than anything else. It is the raddest thing in skateboarding right now! Period...!" Skaters of all skill levels are encouraged to participate, making the formalities of the "race" seem almost secondary in nature. Right there, you have a serious departure from most "races" or "contests", where participation is whittled down to a very select few that are considered the "best" in the sport. The Broadway Bomb destroys that paradigm in one fell swoop. Screw being "the best". At The Bomb, it's all about being included, involved, and part of the movement.
The organizer of this event is Ian Nichols. When we asked Mike who the "organizers" were that put this thing together, we actually expected to hear more than one name. When Mike mentioned Ian, we were like "Okay! Ian, and...???" Like, seriously?! You've got to be kidding. It's absolutely inconceivable to us that one dude could be responsible for all of this. And, it's true: It's not just "one dude" that ultimately makes it happen. Obviously, there's a very dedicated group of volunteers on site (Mike being one of them, as we later found out)... and then, you also have that small army of participants as well.
But still, one guy basically puts all of this together?! That's just nuts.
Even better: We asked Mike how The Bomb is promoted around The City. The answer? "Word of mouth, and via the Broadway Bomb website [www.broadwaybomb.com, which redirects you to a Tumblr site]." That's it...?! And, they got 500+ skaters to turn up for it?! That sounds awfully "grass-roots" to us. Like, the outcome is entirely out of proportion to what was actually invested, in terms of "advertising" the event. Mike added: "It all started with 14 skaters, and that was ten years ago..." Okay, wait. We went from 14 skaters, to something approaching 600, in ten years...?!
And remember: This is still an "outlaw" race we're talking about here. That means that it's not sanctioned, condoned, or approved by anybody. Yet, it happens. And, it grows. Every single year.
"Flew all the way from south Florida for this race. Bustin and Push Culture's hospitality and teamwork blew me away, and I loved every second I hung out with these amazing skaters. You guys sure know how to turn a hobby into a fuckin' family!!
All in all, life changing race of awesomeness. I'll see ya'll again next year...!"
- YouTube user "ericfarley0". To us, this sounds like a lot like...
"The key thing is that this thing is TOTALLY different than anything else. It is the most rad thing in skateboarding right now. Period! 600 skaters BOMBED THROUGH NEW YORK CITY! They didn’t help to sell more beef jerky or sugar water, they took over a f'n street for 45 minutes! Am I being clear here?! You gotta be there...!!"
... the feedback we've heard from Mike, and others that were there. Very positive, very enthusiastic, and very, very stoked.
That is complete lunacy. That's a real testament to the strength of the New York longboarding scene, right there. But, I think that "Big Picture Mike" might be seeing something bigger out there. I think that Mike sees all of this as a sign of where longboarding is going in the grander scheme of things.
Talking to Mike over the last few days, I had to ask him this question: "Mike, what do you think is the greatest significance of all of this? The turnout? The exposure? What it represents to the longboarding community? What it says about the scene, and about the potential of grassroots movements? You seem totally bowled over on some level, and I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it..." His initial answer was, "Not bowled over, just stoked...!" But as we chatted about the weekend's happenings, and that "turnout" statistic kept popping up over and over again... I think what Mike's really the happiest about, is a sense that longboarding, on some level, has finally "arrived". That it's finally grown up, and that it's "legitimate". I mean, it's just totally unheard of for any sort of "skateboard contest" to draw that many participants.
Just based on that alone, this might have set some sort of all-time record for the biggest skateboard contest ever. But, it's definitely not Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Fluff Fest. It's not, the X-Lames. It's not, the Dew Crew Hypester Tour. It's not, Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Butt Jam. But rather, it's this totally underground longboard "contest" that really shouldn't even be happening in the first damned place. And yet, it was this massive success. So much so, that the world might have even moved a little bit in the process.
But, the success of this event can't be fully explained by just "the numbers". There's also the spirit of the whole thing to consider, and the vibe that everyone takes away from it. Well, the vibe that Mike took away from it at least. The fact that all sorts of longboarders were involved, from all walks of life... I mean, even the video footage that's floating around out there clearly shows teenagers, little kids, older guys, women, and a whole rainbow of minorities out there getting involved, getting stoked, and having fun. Clearly, this is the sort of "contest" where the act of just getting together, riding, and having a blast clearly overshadows the "results". Which is a great thing to say.
Because, that's exactly the way skateboarding should be.
