Thrasher Magazine

 Let's be honest, we all had some pretty high hopes for 2020. Granted, it hasn’t been the beacon of light we all thought it might be, but we gotta be grateful for the little things that help us get through it. And what a better pick-me-up than Girl Skateboards' newest 15-minute offering, Nervous Circus, welcoming Niels Bennett and Griffin Gass into the pro ranks? On top of heavy ripping, a little levity goes a long way—enter Niels' clown-heavy concept. Scroll through to see something beatiful and bizarre, even by Venice in 2020 standards. —Alex Papke

Getting the day started, Griff gets first dibs in hair and makeup

A fresh shave might've helped

Move over ICP, there's a new clown in town

But this wasn't your standard juggalo affair

Behind every good costume, there’s a great TM making it happen 

Attention to detail is everything

Ready for the first rip at Venice curbs, but something's missing…

... of course, the balloons! Thanks, Sammy

They really tie it all together, don’t they? The locals were getting a kick out of this one

So were Rick, Feds and Mike Mo

Jeron thought he was just rollin' up on another Venice local

Even though we knew Griff was going big, no one thought it would be this good

Niels knows he's next

When he has to publicly clown around all day, best believe Niels is gonna be picky about his get-up

And soon enough, we got him in the hot seat. Shout-out to Mimi for the proper styling

Fresh off an early morning flight from New York, it’s all coming together for Niels

Even though this whole thing was his idea, I don’t think Niels fully knew what he was getting himself into

I mean, shit—skating around in this kit all day during a heatwave, what’s the worst that could happen?

Back at the curbs, now there's two dudes down to clown. Just when you thought you’ve seen it all at Venice

Griff held it down for the skating portion on this one, while Niels did his best to stay out of the spotlight. Quick flick in and out of this back tail

The boys were bound to break some necks

Next time Carroll has to get dressed up, too

i think we found Griffin's first shoe for Lakai. The beach bros were impressed 

“What do you think, more balloons?”

Always an interesting time when you can get Carroll and Tim together

And it sure as shit wouldn’t be a proper Thrasher blog without a photo of Tim Gavin posted up at Tim Gavin’s curb. We all know he put a beating on this one

Crob took a break from the mic to squeeze out a couple curb moves 

Griff gets his back with a picture-perfect kickflip. What happened to his blue shoes?  

A real sight for sore eyes, I can tell you that much

Oh yeah, didn't we have some serious business to take care of, too? Thanks, Spike, for keeping the product safe

Sam might be in over his head here…

... but as usual, he got it under control. And now introducing…

... Malto's newest co-pros! If Sean's signing off on you, you’ve done your job 

And if it was up to Manch, these guys would have been pro years ago

"Hey, watch the merchandise!"

Was it really a surprise? No. Did I try and make it look like one? Maybe

Surprise or not, a celebration is in order. You already know they deserved it, but after these new parts, there's no questioning it 

They just grow up too fast these days, eh, Rick?

A little celebratory swingin' never hurt anyone…

... unless you haven’t been practicing your backflips during quarantine 

Clown down! Maybe next time, Niels

A for effort from Carroll, though. That counts for something, right?

We know it isn’t six feet, but we made an exception to get at least one good family photo for the day 

Honestly, when everything was said and done…

... being a clown is harder than you think

But hey, the hardwork paid off. The dudes finally have their own decks! Couldn’t be more hyped for you guys

And if you haven’t already, go watch Niels and Griffin with their pro debuts in Nervous Circus playing on this very site right now. And while you’re at it, hit your local shop and pick up one of their boards. Congrats again, dudes!