Photos and Text by Mark Losey
These contests are by far the hardest thing we have to write about. Every time one of these stories comes out we get a bunch of letters, and they all fall into three categories. First we have the “Tell Me Everything” letters. These guys want to know exactly who did what, what happened behind the scenes, trick lists, and point break downs showing why Dave Mirra won everything. Next are the, “No Story, More Pictures” letters. These guys could care less about what happened at the contest, but they do want to see good photos. The last type are the “Keep it Real” letters. These guys think contests suck, they don’t care who wins, and they would rather see a scene report (usually on their scene) than any pages wasted on a bunch of B.S. (pardon the pun).
No matter what we do we are never going to make everyone happy, so we tried to pass the buck for these two contests. The idea was to talk to a pro who won a class at each event and ask them a few questions about it. We tracked down Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist pretty easily, but finding Nathan Penonzek or Andrew Faris turned out to be impossible. So, here’s the deal. Mirra and Nyquist are pretty much going to give you the street and vert info, but you’re stuck with us for flatland. Enjoy.
Ryan Nyquist on Street and Vert.
How did Oceanside go for you? Oceanside went awesome, I won laughs.
Was that your first street win? Yeah, my first Pro street win. It was definitely a memorable contest for me. I did a lot of stuff I really wanted to do¿a 720 and a backflip-barspin to tuck no-hander. I just pretty much flowed around the whole course and used the spine. It helped because it was the third time we’ve ridden that course. We’ve used it over and over, but I felt that I rode it probably the best I have to date.
Did you think a street win was coming? The first contest of the year I tied for first with Rob Nolli, so I figured it was probably going to be a good year for me if I just kept on riding like I was. Eventually that was one of my goals, to win a street contest, whether it be X-Trials, B3 or X Games. I just think it’s rad to ride that good and beat the guys that I looked up to as a kid and saw in the magazines. The contests have been pretty close together this year.Did you have a chance to learn stuff in between? Yeah. Being up at Woodward Camp has definitely helped my riding a lot just as far as getting stuff dialed-in or learning new stuff. I learned that barspin-backflip to tucked no-hander, 720′s, and all kinds of stuff. Street nowadays is so crazy that you have to be dialed on pretty much everything there is out there. You have to be able to hit it and move on to the next thing. Woodward has been great for that.
How did Portland go? Portland went awesome, too. I got second place there. Dave Mirra won, we both had really good first runs and then off second runs, but I guess that was enough to give me the overall title in street. That’s a dream right there¿to get a year-end title belt. I’ve always seen the belts in videos and stuff like that, and I always thought, “That’s pretty rad.” I finally got one myself and that’s definitely gonna be hanging on my wall. Are there any highlights from Portland that you did that you were psyched on? It’s hard to say. Highlights for me are always in practice. I pretty much did everything I wanted to do in practice to make sure there was no guessing games or anything like that going on. That’s pretty much all I can really say about it. It was overall a good contest. It just stunk with the rain, we had to run the finals so quick.
Out of the last two contests, is there any other people that stanout? Mike Laird impressed me. He had some pretty good runs. A lot of people rode really good. Osato impressed me in Portland. He had an insane second run that was out of hand. I think overall everyone rode pretty good. I think that’s the way street is going to be now. Everyone is going to be on and you have to rise to the next level.
After watching everyone ride this year, is there anyone new getting close to breaking into the top ten for next year? Bruce Crissman, definitely. He’s a new Haro teammate. He’s a guy that just loves to be on his bike. I don’t think there’s any place in the world he’d rather be than on his bike. He’s always riding at Woodward, he’s always trying new stuff, always just so happy to be where he is doing what he’s doing. If you have that kind of attitude nothing is going to be able to stop you. He’s definitely got that attitude, and he’s gonna be an insane rider, definitely top ten, maybe even top five within the next year or two.
What’s up with your vert riding. Do you think you stepped that up this year? In my own little ways I think I have. I think I’ve still got a long way to go as far as learning some no-footed tricks, or flowing grind stuff. As far as 540 variations I think I kind of pushed that a little bit where it’s never really gone before, whether it be one-handed X-up 540′s, one-footed X-up 540′s, or double-truck 540′s. As far as regular vert riding I still have a long way to go.
Is there anything you didn’t like about these contests? I thought it was weird that the X-Trials or the B3′s had more of a vert oriented course and then the X Games street course was way different. If you’re going to qualify people into the X Games you should probably have a pretty consistent course, rather than switch it up. I’m not really complaining because it worked out for me, but I just think it was kind of odd.
Dave Mirra on Street and Vert
How did Oceanside go for you? Well vert went okay in my first run. My second run was squirrely. During street qualifying I basically felt like I could have done anything, but then I just started getting squirrely and crashing all over the place.
Did anything stand out trick-wise for you, anything that you were psyched you pulled? In vert I did a no-handed 540 that just felt so good. I was really stoked on that. Street, not really. I was stoked on qualifying because it felt effortless. I fell apart in the finals, so that sucks.
What about Portland, how did that go? In Portland I was psyched on a lot of things. I pulled a barspin-540 for the first time. I did some different runs that I was really psyched on¿opposite air double-barspin and double-peg grind to barspin out. That was all on vert. The raddest thing on street for me was that I trucked the box backwards. I was really psyched about that.
This year you’ve been learning new stuff at pretty much every contest. Yeah the last couple ones I have, actually. I’m really psyched on that. I’ve been just doing some different stuff this year and having a good time. Contests are fun. I just can’t wait to take a break at the end of the year.
Were you psyched on the year-end vert title? Yeah, I’m psyched. It was a long shot, but I’m psyched on that, obviously.
Were there any other guys you saw throughout the season that you think are gonna be good next year? Yeah, people like Ruben Alcantara, Colin MacKay, Mike Laird is starting to place better, Ryan is looking real good, Jamie Bestwick’s looking good on vert. I’m really psyched on a lot of people. If I didn’t mention somebody it’s because you’re rushing me here laughter.
Anything else you want to say about the contests this year? I’m glad it’s over, and I can’t wait until next year, and hopefully it goes well again. And we’ll all be riding this winter and having a good time in Greenville, so stop on down.
The Flatland Story That Won’t End
I wasn’t sure what to expect at the Oceanside flatland contest. Actually, that’s not true. After the mayhem that happened at the X Games flat comp, I pretty much thought this event was going to fall apart. The night before the contest started all the riders got together for a meeting where everyone was supposed to come up with ideas and get them out in the open. A few people presented good ideas, a few stood in the back not saying anything, and a few kept riding and never paid attention to what was going on. A format was figured out and voted on, and things actually went pretty well. Nathan Penonzek did his normal three-minute link and won the contest followed by Andrew Faris and Trevor Meyer. Nathan and Andrew seemed okay with the results, but Trevor was a little bummed on the judging situation.
The next contest was in Portland, Oregon and this is where the flatland story takes another twist. Paul Osicka had come up with a new flatland format and flew to Portland to present his ideas. His format was to have a hard trick contest where riders could do their best stuff and eliminate all of tricks he called “filler.” Riders would get a bunch of tries to pull their hardest tricks and then TV would only show the tricks people pulled. This would mean that more riders would get on TV and the tricks that were pulled would be progressive stuff that all of the flatlanders would be stoked. Some people seemed into the idea while a few others wanted to know why a guy who doesn’t enter contests should figure out the new format. It looks like this format is going to happen next year, and if you want to know more about it, check out Paul’s interview in this issue.
As for the actual flatland contest in Portland, it was all Andrew Faris and Michael Steingräber. These two were riding unreal¿especially Andrew. He pulled everything he tried during qualifying and wound up in first place with Steingräber right behind him. The finals were supposed to be held the next morning, but there was only one problem¿it was raining. ESPN found a roller-skating rink a few blocks away and ended up running the finals indoors. When the finals were over, the results pretty much stayed the same as they were in qualifiers. Andrew won, Michael got second , and Trevor was in third.
I don’t know what’s going to happen at the flatland contests next year. Positive things seem to be happening at every flatland meeting, but when the contests are over a few people are still complaining. I don’t want to name anyone in particular, but remember this: If all you’re doing is complaining instead of presenting new or better, you’re not doing anyone any good.
This, That, and Everything Else
There is a lot of stuff that happes at these contests that never makes it into these stories. We don’t have a whole lot of room left, but we’ll try to squeeze in some a few more things for those who care.
o Japanese flatlanders rule. A big group of these guys made it to both Oceanside and Portland and they all went off. Uno Yosuke¿an amazing brakeless rider¿won amateur in Oceanside and then turned pro for Portland. You can count on hearing more from this guy..
o Gambling on flatland has become pretty popular at these contests, and a few people have been making some good cash off of it. This is pretty illegal, so to make up for that, the winner in Portland (who will remain nameless) was nice enough to donate his winnings to a few hard-working ladies in a ce this year? I’m glad it’s over, and I can’t wait until next year, and hopefully it goes well again. And we’ll all be riding this winter and having a good time in Greenville, so stop on down.
The Flatland Story That Won’t End
I wasn’t sure what to expect at the Oceanside flatland contest. Actually, that’s not true. After the mayhem that happened at the X Games flat comp, I pretty much thought this event was going to fall apart. The night before the contest started all the riders got together for a meeting where everyone was supposed to come up with ideas and get them out in the open. A few people presented good ideas, a few stood in the back not saying anything, and a few kept riding and never paid attention to what was going on. A format was figured out and voted on, and things actually went pretty well. Nathan Penonzek did his normal three-minute link and won the contest followed by Andrew Faris and Trevor Meyer. Nathan and Andrew seemed okay with the results, but Trevor was a little bummed on the judging situation.
The next contest was in Portland, Oregon and this is where the flatland story takes another twist. Paul Osicka had come up with a new flatland format and flew to Portland to present his ideas. His format was to have a hard trick contest where riders could do their best stuff and eliminate all of tricks he called “filler.” Riders would get a bunch of tries to pull their hardest tricks and then TV would only show the tricks people pulled. This would mean that more riders would get on TV and the tricks that were pulled would be progressive stuff that all of the flatlanders would be stoked. Some people seemed into the idea while a few others wanted to know why a guy who doesn’t enter contests should figure out the new format. It looks like this format is going to happen next year, and if you want to know more about it, check out Paul’s interview in this issue.
As for the actual flatland contest in Portland, it was all Andrew Faris and Michael Steingräber. These two were riding unreal¿especially Andrew. He pulled everything he tried during qualifying and wound up in first place with Steingräber right behind him. The finals were supposed to be held the next morning, but there was only one problem¿it was raining. ESPN found a roller-skating rink a few blocks away and ended up running the finals indoors. When the finals were over, the results pretty much stayed the same as they were in qualifiers. Andrew won, Michael got second , and Trevor was in third.
I don’t know what’s going to happen at the flatland contests next year. Positive things seem to be happening at every flatland meeting, but when the contests are over a few people are still complaining. I don’t want to name anyone in particular, but remember this: If all you’re doing is complaining instead of presenting new or better, you’re not doing anyone any good.
This, That, and Everything Else
There is a lot of stuff that happes at these contests that never makes it into these stories. We don’t have a whole lot of room left, but we’ll try to squeeze in some a few more things for those who care.
o Japanese flatlanders rule. A big group of these guys made it to both Oceanside and Portland and they all went off. Uno Yosuke¿an amazing brakeless rider¿won amateur in Oceanside and then turned pro for Portland. You can count on hearing more from this guy..
o Gambling on flatland has become pretty popular at these contests, and a few people have been making some good cash off of it. This is pretty illegal, so to make up for that, the winner in Portland (who will remain nameless) was nice enough to donate his winnings to a few hard-working ladies in a certain club downtown.
o Sunday morning in Portland saw rain coming down and a lot of riders thinking the contest was going to be canceled. Instead, the flat comp was held in a roller rink and then the weather broke long enough for street to be run.
o Ryan Nyquist is now doing just as many crazy variations on vert as he does over a dirt jump. In Oceanside he was doing all kinds of crazy tricks, and he ended with a double-barspin 540. This guy is no joke.
o Michael Steingräber is now doing can-can backpackers. Jared tried telling me that you can’t do a can-can during a flatland trick, but believe me¿it’s a can-can.
o In Portland, the guys who qualified in the top four vert positions were Dennis McCoy, Dave Mirra, Matt Hoffman, and Jay Miron. This is pretty amazing considering that these four also rode in the very first B.S. comp back in ’92. The only thing that really looked different this time was that no one had a pony tail sticking out of their helmet.
o Riders were dropping like crazy during Portland’s vert finals. Simon Tabron, Jay Miron, and Dennis McCoy were all worked by the end of the comp, but Simon took the worst punishment of them all. He crashed super-hard during his first run, and then he nearly finished himself off when he tried a 900 for his first trick in his second run You get major props for that one, Simon. None of these guys rode street the next day.
o If you were an amateur hoping to ride in an ESPN event next year you might as well forget it. Portland was the last ESPN event to include ams, but luckily there will be a new B.S. series for ams and pros next year. It’s called the CFB series and thanks to Matt Hoffman and Steve Swope, that stands for Crazy F***ing Bikers. Nice.
o Jamie Bestwick is going to win a contest very soon because there is no one who can ride a vert ramp like him. He alley-oops amazing tricks in both directions and does every trick over eight-feet. This guy is unreal, and now that he’s living near Woodward, he’s only going better.
Results
Oceanside, California
Stuntmen Flat1. Nathan Penonzek2. Andrew Faris3. Trevor Meyer4. Jason Brown5. Michael Steingräber
Stuntmen Street1. Ryan Nyquist2. Dennis McCoy3. Rob Nolli4. Chad Kagy5. Ron Kimler
Stuntmen Vert1. Dave Mirra2. Jamie Bestwick3. Dennis McCoy4. Simon Tabron5. Kevin Robinson
Stuntboy Flat: Uno Yosuke, Hara Shinichirou, Andy Cooper
Stuntboy Street: Seth Kimbrough, Nate Hanson, Jim Cielinski
Stuntboy Vert: Thad Miller, Keith McElhinney, Nate Hanson
Beaverton, Oregon
Stuntmen Flatland1. Andrew Faris2. Michael Steingräber3. Trevor Meyer4. Brian Tunney5. Aaron Behnke
Stuntmen Street1. Dave Mirra2. Ryan Nyquist3. Dave Osato4. Ron Kimler5. Rob Nolli
Stuntmen Vert1. Dave Mirra2. Jamie Bestwick3. Dennis McCoy4. Jay Miron5. Matt Hoffman
Stuntboy Flatland: Andy Cooper, Wayne Seigmund, Hara Shinichirou
Stuntboy Street: Daniel Randall, Ben McEwen, Chad DeGroot
Stuntboy Vert: John Bristol, Daniel Randall, Dustin Guenther
Year End Titles:
Stuntmen Flat: Trevor Meyer
Stuntmen Vert: Dave Mirra
Stuntmen Street: Ryan Nyquist
Stuntboy Flat: Andy Cooper
Stuntboy Vert: Mike Mancuso
Stuntboy Street: Seth Kimbrougha certain club downtown.
o Sunday morning in Portland saw rain coming down and a lot of riders thinking the contest was going to be canceled. Instead, the flat comp was held in a roller rink and then the weather broke long enough for street to be run.
o Ryan Nyquist is now doing just as many crazy variations on vert as he does over a dirt jump. In Oceanside he was doing all kinds of crazy tricks, and he ended with a double-barspin 540. This guy is no joke.
o Michael Steingräber is now doing can-can backpackers. Jared tried telling me that you can’t do a can-can during a flatland trick, but believe me¿it’s a can-can.
o In Portland, the guys who qualified in the top four vert positions were Dennis McCoy, Dave Mirra, Matt Hoffman, and Jay Miron. This is pretty amazing consideriing that these four also rode in the very first B.S. comp back in ’92. The only thing that really looked different this time was that no one had a pony tail sticking out of their helmet.
o Riders were dropping like crazy during Portland’s vert finals. Simon Tabron, Jay Miron, and Dennis McCoy were all worked by the end of the comp, but Simon took the worst punishment of them all. He crashed super-hard during his first run, and then he nearly finished himself off when he tried a 900 for his first trick in his second run You get major props for that one, Simon. None of these guys rode street the next day.
o If you were an amateur hoping to ride in an ESPN event next year you might as well forget it. Portland was the last ESPN event to include ams, but luckily there will be a new B.S. series for ams and pros next year. It’s called the CFB series and thanks to Matt Hoffman and Steve Swope, that stands for Crazy F***ing Bikers. Nice.
o Jamie Bestwick is going to win a contest very soon because there is no one who can ride a vert ramp like him. He alley-oops amazing tricks in both directions and does every trick over eight-feet. This guy is unreal, and now that he’s living near Woodward, he’s only going better.
Results
Oceanside, California
Stuntmen Flat1. Nathan Penonzek2. Andrew Faris3. Trevor Meyer4. Jason Brown5. Michael Steingräber
Stuntmen Street1. Ryan Nyquist2. Dennis McCoy3. Rob Nolli4. Chad Kagy5. Ron Kimler
Stuntmen Vert1. Dave Mirra2. Jamie Bestwick3. Dennis McCoy4. Simon Tabron5. Kevin Robinson
Stuntboy Flat: Uno Yosuke, Hara Shinichirou, Andy Cooper
Stuntboy Street: Seth Kimbrough, Nate Hanson, Jim Cielinski
Stuntboy Vert: Thad Miller, Keith McElhinney, Nate Hanson
Beaverton, Oregon
Stuntmen Flatland1. Andrew Faris2. Michael Steingräber3. Trevor Meyer4. Brian Tunney5. Aaron Behnke
Stuntmen Street1. Dave Mirra2. Ryan Nyquist3. Dave Osato4. Ron Kimler5. Rob Nolli
Stuntmen Vert1. Dave Mirra2. Jamie Bestwick3. Dennis McCoy4. Jay Miron5. Matt Hoffman
Stuntboy Flatland: Andy Cooper, Wayne Seigmund, Hara Shinichirou
Stuntboy Street: Daniel Randall, Ben McEwen, Chad DeGroot
Stuntboy Vert: John Bristol, Daniel Randall, Dustin Guenther
Year End Titles:
Stuntmen Flat: Trevor Meyer
Stuntmen Vert: Dave Mirra
Stuntmen Street: Ryan Nyquist
Stuntboy Flat: Andy Cooper
Stuntboy Vert: Mike Mancuso
Stuntboy Street: Seth Kimbrough
