Jean-Marc Johannes skating near a Western Cape market. Photo credit: Jean-Marc Johannes Facebook page, September 2017
Jean-Marc Johannes, 27 year-old professional skateboarder and native to Cape Town, South Africa, recently broke the Guinness World Record for the most nollie heelflips in under one minute. With over a decade of skateboarding under his belt, Johannes beat the previous record of 8 nollie heelflips with an impressive 14. Any skateboarder knows, that a nollie heelflip is a very technical trick, you have to kick the board away from your heel, allow the board to flip and cleanly land. Just landing one is a feat, but landing 14 in a row is amazing! So we're officially dubbing Jean-Mark "
Fundi (fundi means expert in zulu) of Skate “Attempting to break the nollie heelflip record was one of the most fun and challenging things I’ve ever tried to do.” he said after breaking the record (Independent Media, 2017).
Check out Jean-Marc Breaking the Nollie Heelflip World Record
Early Beginnings and Motherly Boards
Another interesting aspect of Jean-Marc's skateboarding beginnings is that it flourished with his mother. His mother actually gave him an old skateboard she used in the past, when he wanted one for his 10th birthday. Now 16 years later, Jean-Marc has accomplished a lot of "firsts" in his skateboarding career. He is the first South African to win a gold medal at an international skateboarding event- FISE (Festival International des Sports Extrêmes) World Series in China- and the first South African to be featured on Tony Hawk's RIDE Channel.
Jean-Marc and Youth Empowerment
Jean-Marc on an outreach day with his charity. Photo credit: Fill The Gap Facebook page, September 2017
Jean-Marc was also motivated to break the Nollie Heelflip World Record for the representation of South Africa skateboarding and encouraging youth, “I attempted to break this record for South African skateboarding...When kids see this I hope it invokes a sense of confidence in them, so that they believe they can do anything. That was my ultimate goal,” he said (Independent Media, 2017). Jean is working to achieve this ultimate goal by being an advocate for marginalized youth through his charity, Fill The Gap.
Fill The Gap "focuses on helping communities and motivating the youth in underprivileged areas, through skateboarding and youth empowerment programs." So far, the organization has facilitated pop-up skate events and skateboarding demos for kids.
Jean-Marc's Skating Compilation 2017
Currently, Jean-Marc's sponsors include Globe footwear, Volcom, Nixon, Red Bull, Almost Skateboards, to name a few. Check out a selection of his sick moves in this short skating compilation, it surely affirms that he is a "Fundi at Skate."
Follow Jean
Big up to the Cape Town massive! Stay updated on Jean-Marc's developments on the concrete and in youth empowerment at the following:
Dear BSC Family, In March I moved to Nairobi, Kenya and it was a life changing experience. Upon returning to the USA, I was faced with the reality of a potentially dismal four years- though I am hopeful. Skate to clear your mind and organize to take control of your future. - Peace, BSC
Skateboarding enhances your overall physical, mental and social health. The addition of music makes skating even more enjoyable. We're introducing the "BSC Monthly Cruising Picks," songs from artists incorporating elements of skateboarding in their music videos. Skate away the stress of post-election woes with the ethereal and tranquil vibes of "Taboo (Taabu)" by Phy.
Reppin the 254 (Kenya), Phy's music is a mixture of Afropop, RnB, Soul and Hip-hop. In an interview with HapaKenya, Phy explained the story behind "Taboo" off her debut album "Phylosophy,"
"I wrote taboo two years ago as an assignment is a music class. I was dating someone at the time but i was a bit of confused. I think everyone goes through it sometime, even married people. You might be in a loving committed relationship but still find other people interesting."
(HapaKenya, Phy on Life, Music and the Story Behind Taboo, October 2016)
Phy's Facebook Page (2016)
Listen to Phy sing about the "taabu" ( meaning "trouble" in Kiswahili) of love, plus see some clips of skaters at the Aga Khan Walk in Nairobi.
Hey BSC Family, I know a lot of you on the East Coast are enjoying the blizzard. Here's some skating, snowboarding and surfing movies to check out over the weekend snow day.
1. Getting Nowhere Faster (2004)- The ultimate classic all girl skateboarding movie and one my favorites.
Featuring: Amy Caron, Vanessa Torres,Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Alex White, Kenna Gallagher, Faye Jaime, Lauren Mollica, Van Nguyen, Elizabeth Nitu, Nugget, Stefanie Thomas,Patiane Frietas & Lauren Perkins
2. White Wash (2011)- The documentary discusses the intersection of surfing, race and identity through the experiences of black surfers from the continental US, Hawaii, Mexico and Jamaica. Available for only $1.99 on AmazonVideo.
3. 12 Miles North: The Nick Gabaldon Story- Another documentary about surfing and race, 12 miles North describes the life of Nick Gabaldon, the first documented surfer African-American and Mexican descent.
4. Too Hard (2012)- The sickest women in snowboarding shred it out on the mountains.
Featuring: Gabby Maiden (the first African-American woman of competitive snowboarding), Danyale Patterson, Fancy Rutherford, Darrah Reid-McClean, Desiree Melancon, Joanie Robichaud,Madison Blackley, Merry Raid, Taylor Elliot, Alice Gorton, Alexa McCarty, Marie-Andree Racine, Joelle “JJ” Juchli, Marie Hucal, Gillian Andrewshenko, Vanessa Moore, Sara Berdayes, Luci Imbach, and Jesse Huege.
5. Faces of Africa : Surfers Not Street Children (2015)- The documentary follows the life of Ntando Msibi, 18, who through the charity, Surfers Not Street Children, becomes a surfing star while overcoming the negative issues of growing up as kid living on the streets of South Africa.
The skateboarding oriented short Dropping In was selected among five winners for the coveted title of 2015 Sundance Film Challenge Winner, out of over 1,000 submissions. Inspired by true events, DroppingIn follows the coming-of-age journey of Sam (Sam Masuku), an informal settlement dwelling youth in South Africa who is taken under the wing of a skateboard park owner, Marcus (Damiane van Reenen). Marcus soon becomes Sam’s skating coach and mentor.
The film was inspired by the story of a Jeffreys Bay (the heart of South Africa surfing) surfer who conquered the vices of drugs through finding his calling in surfing. Following this unorthodox path, the surfer changed the lives of locals and helped pave the careers of current South African surfers. In Between 10and5, Willem van den Heever (Dropping In writer, producer, editor and director) said this man, “didn’t only teach tourists and holiday goers how to surf, but also some of the kids on the street. His aim was to help them invest their energy into something positive. And this is how some of the street kids have winded up as professional surfers, surfing for South Africa today”(Between 10and5, 2015). the film, Sam too goes through the process of overcoming his troubles through skateboarding.
Watch the full short Dropping In*contains strong language*
In a RYOT Interview, van den Heever said, “as a young South African coming out of school, you only have a few choices because I think South Africa is a bit conservative when it comes to your job and what you’re going to study..so things like studying art, or film or anything alternative except for the norm like science or economics, is really way out” (RYOT, 2015).
How many of you chose/are choosing to go against the norm in your studies or careers? How was it influences by action sports? Or the arts...etc?
