ALI VS. THE MEGARAMP

December 28, 2015/ / VIDEOS/ Comments: 20

In case you can’t tell, we at Jenkem are fans and supporters of skateboarding’s outliers – the wonderful wackos that do their own thing regardless of how kooky you or we may think it is. Almir Jusovic from Slovenia, the self-described “world’s weirdest skateboarder,” is an exemplar of this special kind of skateboarder. We interviewed him back in 2012 where we learned about Ali’s love of Bruce Lee, Rodney Mullen, and his dream of jumping the MegaRamp in his signature doggystyle position.

So a few months ago we asked for y’alls help in giving Ali the opportunity to turn this dream into a reality, and you came through, raising about $500 towards the first iteration of Jenkem’s Make a Weirdo’s Wish Foundation.

With your help, we flew Ali out to Woodward West in SoCal for a weekend so he could face up to the massive roll-in and 60 foot gap he was so dead-set on clearing. Many people doubted it could be done, one Mega pro even told Ali that he’d break both his arms if he were crazy enough to go for it. But Ali was unfazed. He gripped up the underside of his nose, strapped on his motorcycle helmet, spun a couple of nun-chuck moves to loosen up, and dropped in fingers first and headlong into the impossible.

Spoiler alert: Although it didn’t turn out exactly as Ali hoped, there’s some significant lessons to be learned from his ambition and perseverance… something about pursuing your dreams even when everyone else thinks you’re an idiot for ever dreaming. There was a point in the sleepless night before his attempts where Ali had even talked himself out of trying it. He told us, “I felt comfort when I was thinking that it is better to be a little bit ashamed, then to end up injured, or worse. I was thinking about all the stuff I still want to experience in this life, how I want to love someone and have kids. I was never in my life so afraid.” But despite his well-founded fears, Ali went for it, and that is what makes him a real hero.

rodney mullen homage / photo: cerjak

rodney mullen homage / photo: cerjak

warm-up nun-chuck / photo: cerjak

warm-up nun-chuck / photo: cerjak

it's big / photo: cerjak

it’s big / photo: cerjak

like, really big / photo: cerjak

like, really big / photo: cerjak

geared up / photo: cerjak

geared up / photo: cerjak

to infinity... / photo: cerjak

to infinity… / photo: cerjak

and beyond... / photo: cerjak

and beyond… / photo: cerjak

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Comments

  1. dd

    January 3, 2016 5:36 pm

    Was he worried about handling the speed on the roll-in, or why didn’t he start higher after some attempts to avoid landing flat? Seems way harsher to go big enough to almost clear it but not.

  2. Jenkem guy

    January 5, 2016 6:49 pm

    Tight

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