This week’s Shot of the Week is Benji Galloway hitting a backside tailslide at a pool in Woodside, CA during the summer of 2007, taken by Davoud Kermaninejad. I hear Benji just won the Florida Bowl Riders Cup, at Cocoa Beach Skate Park. Check out this shot.
74 comments
colin walsh rules
sweet… how come thrasher doest give any props to benji….? i also heard rumors that he is banned from burnside for some amount of time….? anyone know anything on this…. the guy does rip, super nice also
Estes
His new interview in Automatic proves he’s just a regular skater and that other skaters use him as a scapegoat for their own in-sensitivities. Like Omar saying he’s a “Session Killer” is BS. Benji makes the level of skating go up at every session- mad respect for that guy.
jf
Benji rules man…I love watching him skate. Most underrated skater around.
puke
Glad to hear he’s winnin. When he gets back to the Couve, he can buy me some tacos and beer.
carvin marvin
some don’t like him because he used to ride with full pads and helmet; some are mad that he stopped using that. what to do? just skate!
cskate
The thing that surprises me about the Benji haters is he seems like he lives up to the exact ideals and aesthetic of the “core” skaters that hate on him. He seems exactly like every other hescher skater out there except he’s not a close minded douchebag.
Success breeds contempt I guess.
Welsh Pete
Given his abliltiy he should be making a solid living out of skateboarding. Its a shame his reputation prevents that…
I never understood hating on people for wearing pads… If pads help you progress… ah whatever…
LP
heres the interview, good stuff
http://automaticmag.easycgi.com/weavecms/Default.aspx?cid=WhyHateBenji.html&rp=true
colin walsh rules
so he is/was hated on for wearing pads… thats it…?
Kilwag
The Automatic interview is a good one.
Forget Phelps and Thrasher. Benji has always been cool to me. Omar is just probably pissed cause Benji usually beats him in the Trifecta.
Hateboard
most dudes hate him, he was nice the few times i met him, and he was kind of a dick to a friend once..but now i wonder if he was just being a shy guy? that dude is kind of an enigma. im pretty confused about it.
Kilwag
Shy… sounds so unmanly. Now people are going to hate him for that too.
I think it was Colin that spray painted bacon on his truck.
LP
just like everyone hated rocco, except me, i loved him.
Kilwag
We’ve got an old interview with Rocco during the brief World SMA division days. I should dig it up and transcribe it.
LP
im famous ya know. on the roccomentary that just came out they show my letter when theyre focusing on the magazines from an old transworld.
Rich
Dude skates and gives it his all. As for rumors, etc…, blah, blah, blah, well that’s just hype.
houseofneil
The height of Irony: Jake Phelps telling somebody else they should get their shit together because people hate them.
Jakeandannoy
I met Omar at Chino, and he was cool as hell, also wore pads so at this point I’d assume its all hype and put more emphesis on the importance that dude just rips. If you dont know him, doesnt matter what he’s like anyway
jake phelps - (Unconfirmed)
i’m down with benji, check out the next cover on thrasher
bobcat
Just because people skate doesn’t make them automatically cool. I love skateboarding but I can’t stand skateboarders period. Being from my home hick area of South Cakkylakky I got nothin bad to say about Benji. He’s OK in my book. I wouldn’t give a fuck if he went and ate children after skating or something, thats not my business to know or care.
I wore pads at the Hanger also so I guess i’m a kook for not wanting to get impaled by wood screws and splinters too.
yo momma
I ran into him a couple of years ago in West linn out in the street and saw some boards he was peddling, He was cool but I didn’t like the next time I saw him he came to the West linn skatepark slalom and won. I think he’s rad but let the non sponsored people have a chance. I think Promar is a dick and I think alot of people are dicks, I’m a dick sometimes and sometimes and asshole. I have my good days and bad ones. I think a lot of pros are dicks. Naverette, I’ve seen him be a big Dick to a guy I knew and so what if I’m not the super kick ass skater I want to be I LOVE TO fucking ride. I have huge kickturns and small ollies hate me for getting in your way.
damienhialation
I hate anyone that skates better than me and anyone that skates worse is a fuckin poser. 😉
kookcentral
Honestly?! Ok you guys want the scoop somebody tagged BACON on Burnside and blamed Benji, it was confirmed by most that it was indeed a frame up. That is what I believe to be true. Second I’ve skated in and have witnessed Benji jock out and one up (and if anybody can one up he can) in a session this was a long time ago when he wore pads I have heard some close to him also refer to him as a jock thats for you to decide, most of you honestly probably just sit and watch when he’s skating or give him the right of way in a heated session so you view him in a removed way not really as a peer as this thread seems to indicate. the guy fucking rips alot of guys do and alot of rippers do so to prove something to themselves and more often than not to others(mommy, daddy, bully, girly, buddy, everybody)and c’mon it’s fun to be good but skateboarding has become such clique ridden pussy factory that everybody groups together in whatever subset they feel best represents them as an “individual” skateboarding is an act based on a idea, Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people… I’m not saying that any commenter above has a small mind so hold your usual reactionary attacks what I’m saying is that this site is better than this, skateboarding deserves our best in a session and how we treat it outside of the session what is this US weekly?
Kilwag
I strive to make it more like People Magazine, I think.
Or Teen Cosmo.
cskate
He’s probably more well known now for being hated then he is for skating. He can join the ranks of Paris Hilton and 2 Live Crew for the “no such thing as bad publicity” theory.
lox
it’s skateboarding, not the love boat.
benji’s a ripper.
Office
“Session Killer” should be a compliment. Benji showed up at the Warehouse (RIP) in Charleston SC and killed the session. For example, on his very first run he dropped in, went mach 10 and did an 8 foot nose grind over the hip. That was his first wall. I sat down and sulked, and guess what? That’s my problem not his. GOOD FOR HIM. If you rip, dont hide it. If he makes you feel bad about your skating, then maybe YOU should step it up. Fuck it dude, I’m all for one-upping. Its called pecking order. What if we were weight lifters, should Benji bench press 100 pounds until you leave and then throw an extra 50 pounds on so you dont get offended? Sounds pretty soft to me. Some of these tough guy Cali vert dudes might need to get some thicker skin. Yeah, I compared skateboarding with weightlifting, I couldnt think of a good football example.
MikeG
AMEN Office! SO true!
Greg N
Yes Office! Well put. Burnside is full of session killers… and i think its great. Its funny, most of the top tranny skaters started off wearing full pads, riding vert ramps to get their skills, and then got ads lookin perty. Kinda sad that the newer kids feel the need to be cool at the expense of their skills. Would the Reedsport loop have been done if Red gave a fuck about what people think?
damienhialation
Come on now. Can anyone really say that they’ve never done a trick and hoped someone saw it and was impressed. Don’t get me wrong, some of my best sessions have been alone, but we’ve all been that abnoxious kid as some point… “hey, hey! look what i just learned!”
damienhialation
p.s. who’s more of a “session killer”, the mega-ripper, or the scooter kid?
yo momma
Office, isn’t that the skate shop on B-side that sells rattle cans of spray paint??? GAY. As for session killer, that’s when the cops show up and bust you for tresspassing. That’s a session killer. As for someone ripping that’s someone who’s stoken the session. And “RED” wore pads when he did the loop. So F all!
marek
session killer and one-upers suck. period. skateboarding is about hanging out with friends and heckling each other and not about making somebody uncomfortable and inadequate. office, the fact you sat down says it all. you know you are pussy and you know its your problem but lot of people dont think so and thats why session killer term exist. street skater have something called “rail etiquete” and it is basically the same thing. dont do all the trick you know when you have a good day because nobody wont go skate with you next time (lesson learned by tommy sandoval from jamie thomas as talked about in some thrasher interview). i personally dont have any need to sit down when benji skates but lot of people do sit down and that kills the session.
Kilwag
If that’s the definition of a session killer, then I must be a session midwife. People must love it when I show up at a session.
marek
you are session nothing. ouch
marek
i know i know.once again i am off the team…
damienhialation
Give me a six pack of Session and I’ll kill all of them, then I’ll be the session drunk.
Kilwag
WINNER: damienhialation!
marek
you see? you said much better funny that any of us, randy called the winner and the session is over. booo!!!
Estes
Those little bottles of Session are so small that even I can kill one- that’s what we talking about right? Session beer? And Killing a few- its easy, like dropping in- Call me a Session Killer too!
Kilwag
Those Sessions give me killer beer farts.
marek
my wife is asleep and i am killin some inversion. and yes, i might be farting later
juan
Marek… Awesome! Greg, c’mon now I know you dont love all “session killer” sessions… but LET’S ALL DROP THE PADS THING the only people who care are PHELPS and people who wear pads I have yet to see a rabid anti pad stance here or any place other than b-side when little John has had a few to many and frankly who cares about that. A proper butt slide saves those knees and is in my opinion quite superior to the knee slide it takes a bit to get it down. I did my community service at tigard the other day I saw some sad ” I hate skating with juan faces ” I said buck up little campers and spent 30 minutes teaching proper deck etiquette high speed tail drops for all occasions including the dreaded two headed snake tech which is sure to handle even the most hated “session killer” they were already outfitted with ipod shuffles, soon under my tutelage they’ll grow into a small aloof army of session killers, a padless, loosed trucked, buttslide bailing, near-deaf-rock out scourge swarming a skatepark near you sooner than you think. Session Mid-wife?
office
MAREK Says:
March 7th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
“office, the fact you sat down says it all. you know you are pussy and you know its your problem but lot of people dont think so and thats why session killer term exist.” (a lot of people dont think I’m a pussy? Or a lot of people dont think its my problem? You confuse me and your writing skills are terrible.)
“street skater have something called
Jakeandannoy
I saw a few nicely articulated posts’ above, mosty crybaby shit.
Office, I post and visit here frequently.
It is obvious you don’t.
I say that because you tore apart Mareks’ statement, seemingly based only on his grammar(or lack thereof).
I ain’t(that’s right, “ain’t”, so don’t puke up your fruitloops) backing anyone here.
Most on SnA know Marek and dude is Czeck, so.. could be broken english or he could have been drunk.
Point is, argue with his statement, don’t be a fuckin english dork. No one here spells everything correctly or exercises perfect grammar.
You want the “Oxford English Dictionary” blog, here people loosely discuss skateboarding and related topics.
No point in berating someone over academic faux-paus.
I understood the jist of Mareks’ post(whether I agree or not) I’m pretty sure you did too.
Don’t be a patronizing snob, this is not MENSA.
That said, you both had decent insight, unfortunately diluted with sassy banter.
Let us just agree that Benji rips, and we should definitely beat the shit out of him next time one of us amatures is embarrassed in the presence of his shredding. After all, we have some solidarity here.
And please, no more gambling over who can kickflip down more stairs than the other. We are all winners.
Hmm? Office, what do ya think about that college boy?
Danimal
you guys are session Filler…oh snap.
marek
i am glad you can speak good english for both of us. english is my second language. after that come third and fourth and kinda fifth. how many languages can you speak dummy? just one, thats right. as far as intelligence goes… hmmm. pointing out someones grammar/spelling problems while running out of actual valid arguments supporting what you might wanna get across is usually sign of somebody rather simple.
oh and you skate better than me… great. now go tell your mom and dad. and your boyfriend too. maybe tonight you can be on the top.
Jakeandannoy
Duscha dobre, Marek.
Nasdrovia!
Kilwag
Aieee!, enough please.
marek
cheers jake!
Welsh Pete
What about the little dudes who insist on doing one hundred kickturns in a row while you are killing yourself trying to get your trick on the first wall? Session killers come in all forms not just highly skilled elite rippers who make you feel half a man…
Kilwag
Kipieć ze złości!
marek
you are pissed? why?
marek
plus your grammar is terrible:)))
JAKEANDANNOY
Kilwag, my wife is Ukranian so I speak some of that.
What did you say? I though I saw something about anger or rage…is that Polish?
PS: “SLAVOTICH” is the Ukrainain “GROLSH”
Kilwag
Polish. I simmer with anger. I actually had to get it translated online. I only ever knew a little Polish when I was young, only verbal and I’ve forgotten all of it.
damienhialation
We need to speak more languages than American? I prefer to thinnk that the rest of the world will cater to me. 🙂
marek
jake – your post showed up after i posted my reply. i might had held my horses after reading what you wrote… (i think that might not be gramatically corect:)
Jakeandannoy
Marek, this is SnA. Ain’t no need for no proper gramma’ here!
After all, we “ARE REALLY, REALLY, UNINTELLIGENT”!
Unless Office was speaking to Jesus(couldn’t tell by his grammar)in which case, I hear this “Jesus” is pretty smart and just might give Office a run for his money. But, thanks(yako yu), Marek.
Peace out/Dobobatchinya
Kilwag
“After all, we ‘ARE REALLY, REALLY, UNINTELLIGENT’!”
And here I thought We are DEVO.
Jakeandannoy
Are we not not men?
marek
i think its obvious i am mongoloid
Jakeandannoy
Its a beautiful world we live in….
jaymeericle
Some people although do get skateboarding confused with fashion and photographs.
I personally don’t have any problems with B and some of my friends are good friends with him.
SOme poeple come to the burnside for a second and use our hard work and the park to shoot their photos for their mags or advertisements and are out. A photo for a mag is one thing but an advertisement is something different! Ex. Morrow ad showing a Burnside pano of the park empty stating it “must be a powder day on the mountain”. I know a lot of cats were offended by this ad 10 years ago or so especially non-snowboarders. Some are welcome to do so and some are not, thats the bullshit politics involved in everything in life.
Kinda like cats that are never at private bowls coming through for 1 day and blowing up the spot with their photos for their ad in the mag when they dont even ride there. Acting like they are down or something, or it is their spot. The really offending point to some is that some skateboarders that deserve coverage don’t get it, and their photo & angle were basically stolen.
If that was my spot or my friends I might get offended also.
Maby this makes more sense than the pads bullshit argument.
Oh yeah someone told me a long time ago if someone is really trying hard to land something, if you do the same trick and show them up (kinda makes them look dumb) its not really very cool. I have done this before and out of respect for others I try not to do that, although sometimes it is necessary to put randoms & people in their place. ex. someone doing the same trick someone else has been doing for years in the same spot running an ad and acting like it is their idea & spot. Yo that was played out over 10 years ago!(not impressive) Cool guys.
I think these explanations might make more sense why some people think others hate and don’t congradulate. In factuality maby the poeple stealing the limelight are hating in fact.
This is not necessarily my point of view, but I do understand why & when others feel that way.
jaymeericle
Other cats thought that old morrow ad implied they had something to do with Burnsides creation donation etc.. which really made some upset. Oh well F the politics.
Ride or Die. SKate to have fun. Don’t blow up the spot and respect the locals, there is a million places to shoot your advertisements.
nweyesk8
last time i skated with benji, within the last two months, I one-upped him on a trick he tried several times with no success. he evnetually landed it and we continued to skate together having fun. ye3ah, he can bust out nearly any trick in the book, but there are a few that us lowly un-professional types can do that he struggles with. At the end of the day we both walked away from the park with smiles….
office
Sorry Marek I didnt know you were not American. That explains it. It was still fun to point out your grammar issues, I hope you learned something. OK, back to the point. Galloway rips, dont hold it against him. Its just skateboarding. I guess my opinion would differ if he said “Dude, I can do that trick AND revert it” and then did. That would be lame. I dont know him at all, its just that South Carolina doesnt have many representatives on the “scene” so i feel the need to defend him. It would be nice to have one. I hope he doesnt turn out to be a douche, but I do reserve the right to change my opinion.
office
Jakeandannoy, i tore apart his post because he called me a pussy. I took aim at his grammar b/c it was an easy target. Making a gay crack may have been a more acceptible joke for this crowd.
gay crack. Ha ha. You know you love it.
nweyesk8
benji was always nice to me from the first time i ever skated with him
JAKEANDANNOY
Whatever. Just bear in mind that this area harbors within it’s dark underbelly,an inumerous gang of eastern european skaters that would fuck your shit up.
Like something out of assault from precenct 13, they will arrive without speaking to drag you out of your home and czech your ass. After that, who knows? Maybe some of your remains get discovered in a peroghi in some polish deli back east…..Im just sayin.
XfryarX
out of control . colin , i hope you have a all time high sales in benjis deck . if you get along with me , case closed . wait , oh shit , i just heard some shit 6th hand from a guy who goes to burnside every 25th sunday . never mind . your all cocks , wait no , kooks . yeah , kooks . what does that mean?
office
No they wouldnt. And if they did, they wouldnt spend all that time making a perogi out of me. No lazy Eastern European would go to those lengths. Most likely, they would dump me in an alley and then go do nothing all day.
You know its true.
JAKEANDANNOY
Then you haven’t seen “Hostel”.
True storey.
I know the guy who knows the guys who’s cousins with the guy who survived it.
“Dump you in an alley and do nothing all day”?
Sounds like a typical date w/some janky-ass white bitch in S.C.
They dont even shave their muffs in that part of the states(if it’s still the states)I also heard they wear adult daipers, talk about lazy.
Ughh, southern ho’s.
bobcat
hey Jay –
I am flipping thru Skateboarder May 08 and on pages 26-27 there’s a skull candy earphones ad of Hewitt at Burnside. Now I respect Peter and back him up 101% but I just want to know what your idea(s) and thought(s) are on Burnside being used by non-skate companies for ads?