NEO. Hooked. Loopkicks. Yes, there are a few gatherings that most trickers today have heard of—gatherings that they check out on YouTube, or that they hope to attend one day. But there are other, lesser-known gatherings from a while back that shaped tricking as we know it, which featured today’s legends as they were just on the come-up. So get ready for a little tricking history lesson, as the OGs below (authors named in parentheses) tell you about five gatherings that every tricker, young and old, needs to hear about.
White Lotus Closing Gathering (by Travis Wong)
The White Lotus closing gathering was hosted by me and held on March 24 and 25, 2012 as a celebration of closing the gym before transitioning to the newly named Joining All Movement Center (JAM). After 3 years, White Lotus had become the center of the Los Angeles tricking scene and the home of Anis Cheurfa, Daniel Graham, Jeremy Marinas, Steve Terada, and countless newer generation trickers like Jacob Pinto and Andrew Franklin.
The gathering included workshops and epic battles featuring Andy Le, Donovan Sheehan, Khang Vu, Kyle Cordova, Nick Vail, Rory Bratter, Ryan Rempfer, and Sammy Vasquez. Topping off the evening was a 3 vs 3 battle between Anis Cheurfa, Daniel Graham, and Kyle McLean against Javier Macias, Jefferson Lewis, and Will Coneys that eventually went viral across several platforms including World Star, amassing millions of views collectively! Here’s the battle.
Drednt (by Melissa Basch)
Drednt (pronounced dred-not) was a killer East Coast gathering that paved the way for the future of tricking in the tri-state area. Hosted by Jason Mello, David Armstrong, and Mike Maguire, most of the gatherings were held in NYC (although Halloween Gathering in 2012 was in the Boston area).
On a personal note, I was fortunate enough to attend the last Drednt summer gathering (my BoF partner Justin Carney attended multiple) and after that, Battle of Fury was born. Our hope was (is) to provide the type of gathering experience that breathes life into the tricking community for as long as possible ❤️
Trickadelphia (by Mikael Mantis)
As the name implies, Trickadelphia was the first Philadelphia-based tricking gathering. Hosted by the legendary Ish Payne and Vince Johnson of Martial Posture under the name "illReality," Trickadelphia was more than just an annual gathering in Philly. In total, there were three official Trickadelphias, 2009, 2010 (the best one according to Mr. Payne himself), and 2011 (the one that literally happened during a hurricane). However, there were also a series of mini-gatherings held in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and even Orleans, France! Back when tricking and the sports karate scene went hand-in-hand, Trickadelphia/illReality cemented itself as a host for battles at Karate tournaments such as the Orleans Cup, New England Open, and Amerikick International. Additionally, they held an annual "gathering of brotherly love" around Valentine’s Day, and a free "in memory of" Trickadelphia to wrap up their run in 2012. I highly recommend watching El Dente's legendary edit of the "Big Battle" from Trickadelphia 2010 to understand the vibe. :)
I credit these events with kick-starting my tricking career. My very first gathering was at Trickadelphia's New Jersey Gathering in 2010, and it got me hooked. That same year I went on a spree and went to Epic, Trickadelphia, and even Drednt. I owe many thanks to Ish Payne, Vince Johnson, and Jefferson Lewis III for my first few gatherings, and ultimately inspiring me to form Vertigo with Mike Hom.
EPIC Gathering (by Gaby Macias)
EPIC Gathering is the OG gathering of the DMV that bridged the gap between tricking communities in DC, southern Maryland, and northern Virginia. EPIC Gathering 2009 was the first of six gatherings hosted by Jefferson Lewis III and Tuan Duong. EPIC Gatherings were later continued with JL, as he provided opportunities for DMV Trickers to network outside of our community and secure our spot on the tricking map early on. The EPIC brand included its iconic apparel with the halo and devil horns, and hosted gatherings from 2009 to 2012. The legendary EPIC Gatherings inspired the ongoing Euphoria Gatherings in the DMV. My favorite memories from EPIC are shooting “The ABCs of Martial Arts Tricking by the Jefferson 500 Strong,” where my job was to look confused.
“If I could do it again I wouldn’t change a thing. Positive energy and always safe.” – Jefferson Lewis III (ig: @jeffersonlewisofficial)
Unrestricked 2 (by Adam Devenport)
Unrestrickted 2 was a wild event that brought in an insane group of up-and-coming trickers back in 2013. It was put on by Joe Graneri, owner and founder of United Tricking League (UTL) and Urban Revolution Martial Arts (URMA) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dozens of tricking athletes from all over the U.S. were affiliated with UTL, and it was one of the large sparks in the early years of community-building for our sport. Like many amazing individuals in tricking, another career path and pursuing a family has taken Joe in another direction in life. But what the community got to experience will always be remembered and cherished. The tricking community has always been and will be built by those who dream of a more established sport and community. By learning from our mistakes and boldly trying new ideas, we all will establish a better sport for the future.
Our first link is the infamous Tricking is “In My Blood”
This sampler is the one everyone saw! Reaching 72,000 views on YouTube in 2013 is a solid way to spread awareness of our sport and community. This event was super chill, and the content created was a new standard for other event coordinators. The capacity of the building was far higher than we could fill. Our audience was limited to a few dozen people from URMA, but the setup had the potential for hundreds. But as always, we came for the tricks! EVERYONE WENT IN! Then links below show Day 1: The Main Event videos where we had the auditorium and battles. Day 2 was back at URMA for some other battles and sessions!
The event had some insanely iconic moments: Michael Guthrie threw the first “tricking quad” out of touchdown raiz—which was fitting, as the number on the back of his UTL shirt was 4. On Day 2, Mike also threw a sideswipe to TDR dub back, which I believe was his first and perhaps the first combo to TDR dub back, but I can’t say for sure. Also I kinda beat some legends in a Webster Battle on Day 2 lol! Thanks for reading, and getting some brief education on the history of our sport!
Jeremy Price is a longtime martial artist and tricker repping the Muggle Slayers and Team TrickStrong. He also writes about tricking, stunts, and heavy music for VICE, Alternative Press, and more. Follow him on Instagram at @jpricetricks.