Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Jamie Foy breaks down the perfect rail – and his wild new KASSO design
With KASSO hitting the US for the first time, we sat down with pro skater and rail specialist Jamie Foy to unpack his 25m creation – and how to survive skating it.
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KASSO is coming to the United States for the first time, and nobody is more ready than Jamie Foy. One of the most influential skateboarders of his generation and a two-time Thrasher Magazine Skater of the Year, 'Big Boy' Foy isn’t just riding the Long Beach course – he helped design one of its gnarliest features: a massive 25m [80ft] custom rail.
Born in Japan, KASSO Fest Skate & Sound is a game‑show‑style obstacle skate race where 28 skate pros and local rippers tackle wild, water‑lined courses in an elimination format, trying to survive each stage.
On March 22, the Long Beach edition will stream live on Red Bull Skateboarding’s YouTube channel and Red Bull TV.
Foy will be on the starting line too. Will his insider knowledge of that giant rail give him an edge?
We sat down with him to break down his strategy for making it through – and ended up in a deep dive on what makes the perfect rail, and why that answer is different for every skater.
Jamie Foy conquers a previous KASSO course
© TBS/Red Bull Content Pool
What makes a great rail in the streets? What are you looking for?
What makes a spot feel special to you as a skater?
Feeling is the easiest – if you see a piece of art or you see a photo somewhere and you're just like, "Wow, that's dope". It’s just something that's internal. I don't know why something might stand out to one person or another. I've been to a spot with the homies and I'm like, you know, "This thing's trash", but they love it. And then I've been to a spot with the homies and I'm loving it – and they're just like, "Yo, this isn't the best". It's kind of in the eye of the beholder.
I was just going to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Have you ever found the rail in the streets that made you think it was made just for you?
I've never personally found a rail that I thought was built in there just for me, but I definitely have had feelings where I'm just like, wow, they must have built this for skating.
Foy on the mic
© TBS/Red Bull Content Pool
How does it feel to get the opportunity to design a dream rail of your own? What did KASSO ask for and how did you approach the opportunity?
KASSO was very free flowing – where I could do whatever I want with it. They just told me the length which was 80ft or something. I was like, wow, that's a long rail! So I wanted to make something that's hard, but possible.
People want to see someone successfully make it. So, it's something that's challenging as hell, but still doable.
How does your rail fit into the overall course design for KASSO in Long Beach?
I feel like it fits pretty well with the course design. This rail kind of goes along with it because I'm just kind of like, all right, what's like the sickest, craziest, doable, 80ft long rail I can make? And they were super down. So now I'm excited. It's, something that's gonna be hard, but something that someone could possibly do. First try.
What was your first impression of KASSO?
When I heard about KASSO, I was just like, “Damn, this is sick”. It's like something that I think skating is really good for, because it's more or less not about the tricks. It's more or less just successfully completing a course on your skateboard. So it's about board control and a full different aspect of skating that people don't really think about, rather than just technical tricks. And I think that's what just makes it really fun because it's pretty much anyone's game.
It's just, how long have you ridden on your skateboard? Or, how comfortable are you riding on your skateboard? That's really what it comes down to. It kind of just reminds me of an American Ninja Warrior-style competition, which people love.
The KASSO courses will always spring a few surprises
© TBS/Red Bull Content Pool
KASSO is kind of an anti-contest contest. How is it different from a normal competition?
KASSO’s different because you’re not really competing against the person next to you - you’re competing against the course and yourself. There can be multiple winners; it’s about who finishes all the courses, not who’s best or fastest. It’s about completing the task in front of you. So it’s you versus the course, with all your friends up there having a good time, crazy things happening, people falling in the water.
How do you feel about the broadcast getting bigger, with this year’s event being live globally?
I'm super stoked. I think it's good to just spread your roots out there and get more people's eyes on skateboarding. I mean, skating's in a place right now where it's nice to get as many eyes on it as possible.
Kind of just, like, revamp it. I think it's cool. That's why it's cool to bring some new stuff to the table with new contests that are popping up, and, yeah, to show that skating is not just about doing crazy tricks – it's about having fun on your skateboard with a bunch of people.
What makes your rail uniquely 'you'? What are the elements in it? It starts with the double kink, which you're known for.
I kind of went with the double kink into the rainbow into the S. For me, I really love double-kink rails – nice, long, mellow double-kink rails. And then, growing up, there were a couple parks in Florida that had rainbow rails, and that’s one of my favorite obstacles.
It’s really cool that I can incorporate a double kink into a rainbow, but I also wanted to keep the KASSO tradition of the crazy S at the end, because to me that is crazy, it’s fun, and that’s what’s going to make it super challenging.
The rail at KASSO 2024 was a challenge, to put it mildly
© Keisuke Kato/Red Bull Content Pool
Where do you think most people will struggle on the rail?
I think a lot of people might bail on the top of the rainbow, because it's one of those things where you're going to be cruising through a double kink, you get to the top of the rainbow, and then you’re kind of going to see you’re coming down into an S‑curve and just be like, “I don’t know what to do.” Honestly, I don’t even know what to do either, so we’re going to have to get there and figure it out.
Is this your first time designing a rail like this?
Yeah, this is the first time I’ve really ever designed a rail that’s pretty rowdy. I’ve helped put angles on rails for normal stair sets, but this is the first time I’ve ever made some crazy concoction for a handrail.
Were you inspired by any specific skate spots?
I was inspired by the things I grew up skating at my local skateparks. It’s kind of just a blend of the stuff I love to skate and the stuff I grew up skating, and then I blended that with the classic KASSO S curve at the end of the rail. For me, I love a good double kink – like the one at Ramp 48 – and the rainbow rail aspect is something we’ve had a lot in South Florida at our local DIYs and skating at Boynton Beach Skatepark growing up. So I think it’s cool we could throw all that together into something skaters might be kind of used to at first, but once you get to the S curve, it’s kind of anyone’s game, because that’s something none of us are really used to.
Watch the KASSO Fest Skate & Sound chaos unfold for yourself live on the Red Bull Skateboarding YouTube channel on March 22nd!
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