Red Bull Origin takes over the Brooklyn Banks with another crowd gathering event

OG’s, locals and the next generation took over the Brooklyn Banks on September 19th for a one-day contest that felt less like an event and more like a family reunion.

For most skaters under 30, the Brooklyn Banks only existed in old videos. The wavy brick spot under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge helped define East Coast skating from the 80s on, but the city closed it off in 2004 and it stayed that way for almost two decades. So seeing it packed with pros, legends and a full-size skateable subway car for Red Bull Origin last week-end felt like a big deal.

The contest ran through three challenges. It started on the 10-stair rail at the top of the Banks, moved to a subway car built for transition skating and ended on the 13-stair in the center of the spot, with an 80s-style SHUT skateboards session in between to keep things loose.

10-Stair: All eyes on Durao

Antonio Durao opened the day on the 10-stair with his signature one-foot ollie and a switch kickflip, then went to battle with switch 360 flip. Time ran out before he landed it, but he kept trying and finally rode away clean with the crowd still watching. Jake Wooten approached things differently with a front 270 to backside lipslide from the bank to the rail.

Podium: 1. Antonio Durao, 2. Jake Wooten, 3. Frankie Spears

Subway Car: Next stop, Wooten

Jake Wooten showed his versatility by opening with a frontside bluntslide across the gap that nobody saw coming, then saved the best for last: an alley-oop frontside 180 to fakie 5-0, frontside half cab right back into the tranny. Pure flow, zero hesitation. His crew was screaming from the first push and by the end the whole Banks was screaming with them.

Jake Ilardi also showed that transitions are part of his skillset as much as technical rail tricks like we’re used to see from him with a massive 540 rotation that left the crowd speechless.

Podium: 1. Jake Wooten, 2. Jake Ilardi, 3. Demarcus James

13-Stair: Wade breaks a board, takes the win

The 13-stair closed out the contest. Treveon Wade back smithed it and broke his board, then grabbed one of the heavy SHUT boards and boardslid the rail anyway. He also added a smooth heelflip into the bank beside the stairs, which sealed his first place.

He wasn’t the only one planning to end the day with a bang though, Lucas Aquino put down a big frontside bluntslide, Koston Eaton did a backside overcrook and Jake Wooten hardflipped into the bank.

Podium: 1. Treveon Wade, 2. Lucas Aquino, 3. Koston Eaton

Past meets present

On top of all-stars skaters from the competitive skateboard scene, the crowd was stacked with legends like Brandon Turner and Mike Carroll to name a few. Eric Koston even pleased the crowd with a couple of old school moves straight from his early years.

Passing rain made the bricks slick at times, but the weather mostly held and a few locals even climbed the pillars up to the underside of the bridge to get a better view. The day belonged to plenty of skaters but only one walked away with the MVP trophy: Jake Wooten.

It's an official city park now, with benches, trash cans and no graffiti yet, but the bricks are just as gnarly as they've always been. And now that it's hosting contests like again, NYC's most famous spot is clearly back in business.