Place: Overland Park, Ft.Riley, Kansas.
The arena for the contest was a room about the size of a big sports hall. Half of this had been allocated for the bikers with the other half unpaid for. That didn't stop the ground riders though, they were rolling across the concrete in the forbidden zone and nobody was going to stop them (what did I tell you, hardcore). Anyway, against one wall was the vert ramp, about 11 feet tall and around 28 feet wide with 6 foot deep platforms. Hipped to these platforms were two wallride ramps (8 foot transition, 3 foot vert). Against the opposite wall were two six foot high twelve foot wide minis angled to form a 120 degree hip. Inbetween the minis and the wall rides were a 12 foot wide four foot high jump box, a six foot high sub (with four take offs, also 12 foot wide), a four foot high spine and a 3 sided 2 foot high fun box all in a line Right, onto the riding.
Mike rooftop Escamilla rode the course as flowing and street as he could and pulled a double barspin jump.
Joe Rich and John luc e Englebert learned flips.
Dave Freimuth mixed tech and big tricks together very nicely. One example was his incredible no footed toothpick on the ten foot vert wall. Canadian sortie half barspin. First place.
Mike Jory, Ride BMX UK august 1994: In stuntboy Luc-E was tailwhipping the box, to tailwhip air over the hip, to tailwhip jump the spine (he also tried a backflip with his bars backwards). Mike Ocoboc (I think) did a cool icepick grind on the sub box, but the best trick of the class had to be Dave Freimuth's no-footed tooth pick on the wall ride ramp - both legs were fully extended into the no-footer when his front wheel was still a foot below coping! He took the class.
STUNTBOYS STREET RESULTS: 1.Dave Freimuth 2.Joe Rich 3.John Luc-E Englebert 4.George Smoot 5.Mike Escamilla 6.Mike Ocoboc 7.Ron Kimler 8.Rob Sigaty
STUNTMEN:
This contest marked Matt Hoffman's long awaited return to the riding side of contests.
Dennis McCoy did 360's with a one and a half barspin thrown in, cancan flips, a 720 and a flip twist attempt over the box..
Taj Mihelich turned Pro. Big and powerful are two words to sum up his runs. He did all his jumps a couple of fett higher than anyone else, almost pulled a downside tailwhip over the hip, pulled a one handed tailwhip, powered a superman seat grab pushed nacnac style, and made a 540 tailtap on the coping of the sub box .third place.
Rob Nolli won whith pedal to pedal tailwhips, a huge tailwhip footplant on the wall, backflips over the box jump and plain old consistency.
Mike Jory, Ride BMX UK august 1994: As excellent as the riding in the other classes was the stuntmen were something else. Most of the actual comp runs were hampered with slams but the tricks pulled in practice more than made up for that. In first place was Rob Nolli: the most consistent guy there pulled tailwhips over the sub, nac nacs over the box (that were so extended they were like half tailwhips) and SO close to a big (8 feet) wall ride behind the six foot mini. Out of the same mini he was also tailwhip airing and when the frame reached half way, double footplanting the wall again at around 8 feet. Dennis McCoy got second with a nose manual out of the box onto the sub to icepick to nosepick, big old sit-on-the-seat no footed can can 360's, tailwhip tyre tap on the mini, and a 360 with a full barspin where to quote Mike Ocoboc (SCREAMING at the top of his voice) The KNEEPAD! the bars hit the kneepad and still made it round!".
I cant remember who got third but I think it might have been Taj. He was riding really well anyway. He did his classic dip-the-back-wheel-tailwhip jumps over the box but here he seemed to be dipping them so much that his tyre would scuff the landing ramp yet he'd still ride away! He also totally speed jumped/manualed the entire box jump (transitions and all) and wrong way (left to right carve, anticlockwise whip) tailwhip aired the mini.
Fourth went to Hoffman, Yes Matt was back in action, though still with shoulder brace. He couldn't seem to get his runs together but practice saw him doing big nothings and rocket x-up 360's and he added a no-handed backflip attempt for the comp. I can't remember much about Steve Swope's runs but I do remember a BIG flip, a tucked in T-shirt (very Simon Tabron) and a lack of tabletops. Jay Miron was raging in practice but landed in sixth due to crashes. His 'warming up' included a spine flip, two foot airs to toothpick on the mini, and a double-barspin jump immediately followed by a two and a half barspin jump! In his run he pulled a three foot air out of the wall ride ramp (remember it has 3 feet of vert) to flat bottom landing and came close to a big fakie wall ride carve out of the mini. Rounding up the class were a detuned Gerry Galley (who crashed badly on an attempted bomb drop to fakie off the sub but did have the Standard lot asking each other 'is that Bob Kohl?' and 'get him to do the pedalling 360') and Keith Treanor who slammed hard to dislocate his already injured shoulder.
Although he didn't ride the comp Kurt Schmidt practice runs are definitely worth a mention. He was attempting a half tailwhip-half-boomerang to fakie jump over the box and also pulling one of the coolest tricks I've seen. He'd do a blunt on the mini ramp so he was rolling backward at speed toward the 2 foot funbox. Then riding BACKWARDS up the funbox transition he'd catch about a foot of air (crossing the hip) and land rolling forwards on the transition at 90 degrees to the take off. (Tim Ruck says he was pulling this at Northampton before Christmas so it must be rad).
STUNTMEN STREET RESULTS: 1.Rob Nolli $400 2.Dennis McCoy 3.Taj Mihelich 4.Matt Hoffman 5.Jerry Galley 6.Jay Miron 7.Rick Thorne 8.Keith Treanor 9.Steve Swope
Street area.
Mike Jory, Ride BMX UK august 1994: The next day heralded the start of the flatland finals. Like I said earlier the contest hall was pretty big so there was plenty of room to scuff it up. (The floor did look a little slick, but hey, that's American ground riding all over).
STUNTBOYS:
Paul Osicka, Standard's new recruit, pulled off an incredible flawless run of totally original tricks and took the win.
Mike Jory, Ride BMX UK august 1994: Stuntboy standouts included Leif Valin with a no footed frame grab barspin coaster wheelie and both a cross footed circle K and a megaspin done on the pedal. Sean Peters was also tearing it up with fast smooth tricks like megaspin to cross footed caboose to upside down wheelie to G-roll in circles. Paul Osika took gold with his cross footed rocket pinky squeaks and all sorts of front wheel scuff/switch malarky.
STUNTBOYS FLAT RESULTS: 1.Paul Osicka 2.Nate Hanson 3.Sean Peters 4.Dave Schaefer 5.Leif Valin 6.Carl Potts 7.Bryan Ryback
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STUNTMEN:
16 riders signed up for pro flat.
Day Smith took the first place in stuntmen flat for the first time.
Mike Jory, Ride BMX UK august 1994: Another prime exponent of such endo dexterity is Day Smith who took the stuntman win. His run also included a steamroller to 'round the side of the bars' to half packer to rolling wheelchair back to halfpacker to jump to cross (and one) footed halfpacker along with unbelievably contorted catapults and a backward catapult.
The only thing lacking in Chad Degroot's riding is speed and it must be this that's costing him the win because he has originality, consistency, a low seat, a goatee beard and a tattoo. He can also do turbined frontyards and mad links like 2 footed dump truck to body varial to switch footed upside down wheelie to the other side to caboose to push the pedal to peg wheelie to wrong side dump truck. Yes he's good.
Chase Gouin may have allegedly retired from competition but his spirit will live on as long as Trevor Meyer is riding. It you listen to the West Coast Posse then Trevor's biggest 'trick' is being able to photocopy Chase's runs. They have a point (check out Baco 5) but he certainly does have speed, control and while we're on the subject there aren't exactly many riders out there who have the ability to copy those tricks. Anyway Trevor is the first person I've seen pull a whopper (wahey?) where the frame makes it the FULL 360 with the bike only 6 inches off the ground. Third.
In fourth was Edgar Placenscia who was ripping it up with a very speedy fluid style. Include multiple cross footed whiplashes to spiralling backwards backpacker and forward rope to rolling lardyard to step around the bike to x-foot backwards wheelie to turbined G roll (all without touching the tyre) in Edgar's magazine of tricks (West Coast in the house).
Canadian Steve Roy also rode fast and fluid in the big money round nailing triple decades, decade to push the pedal frame stand wheelie to decade and very quick links to his rotatory overtaken. Chris Young, Richie Rich and Richard (hands on hips while riding a-la Martin Aparijo) Zabzdyr rounded up the class and are really good. I warned you flatland might be bloody!
STUNTMEN FLAT RESULTS: 1.Day Smith $400 2.Chad DeGroot 3.Trevor Meyer 4.Edgar Placenscia 5.Chris Young 6.Steve Roy 7.Richi Rich (Austria) 8.Richard Zabzdy
At nine riders strong, pro vert was the biggest it's been in recent memory.
After a one year competition hiatus to let his injured shoulder heal properly, Mat Hoffman was back in top form. He pulled a double tailwhip air straight to pedals, pulled a 900, did a flip fakie attempt at 3 feet, and as a last trick a triple tailwhip attempt.
Jay Miron pulled a smooth flip fakie, a perfect 900 and a clean barspin 540. He even went for what looked like a triple barspin but slammed after two and a quarter.
John Parker 900 pulled, a carving flip twist that covered about five feet of the ramp.
Jerry Galley from England got fifth with 11 feet airs, canadian nosepick, killer variations and 540 at about 9 feet.
Dennis McCoy got second. Double barspins, 900 and a 540 with a one and a half barspin.
Mike Jory, Ride BMX UK august 1994: Rob Sigaty was doing some smooth framestand lip trickery and a big flip (close) in stuntboy with a cast on his arm. Dave Brumlow was there with big airs and 540s. Pat Miller did VERY high airs, a front flip dismount and two tailwhip 540 crashes (he didn't really come close but gets the Titanium Balls Award for trying).
Now onto the big guns, Pro Vert. In the lower ranks (in no particular order) were Jon Byers (no hander to lookdown) Rick Thorne (smooth riding all round from lip tricks to airs) and Steve Swope (one handed cherokee turndowns to lookback - yes!). In fifth was UK rep Gerry. Not exactly up to his best but still managing some big airs, smooth lip tricks, a ridiculously extended top side no foot can can and high carving 540's that just kept getting bigger and better and had the crowd screaming for more. John Parker landed a crash-ridden fourth. He didn't really get his runs together but did pull some big variations including a can can lookback, no hander, truck driver, high 540's, a perfect flair and was SO close to a 900.
Jay Miron had double barspins, tailwhips, alley cop icepick grinds, 1 hand 1 foot 540s, and toothpick grinds down. His big (well bigger) tricks were a pulled backflip fakie and a perfect 900 (and I thought Eddie Fiola was the only guy who could do an air going up and down the centre of a ramp). Third place money for the Terminator.
Home town hero McCoy grabbed a well deserved second with full barspin 540 to one hander, one and a half barspin air to attempted half barspin 540 tyre tap (on the opposite deck), alley-oop nose manuals, a full barspin 270 air to backwards smith grind and a 540 with one AND A HALF barspins thrown in. He pulled the last trick on his second attempt to... you guessed it, crowd demolition. Get some AD990's Dennis.
If the crowd was loud for Dennis' runs it reached fever pitch for Matt Hoffman. First place was earned with the highest airs and most back to back variations of the day. Highlights were many as usual but some were: no hand to no foot 540, rocket no hander, lein to tyre slide to sprocket, a candy barred indian air, no hander to one hand no footer, high tailwhips and a pulled 900. To finish up he did a perfect pedal to pedal double tailwhip air and a close triple tailwhip attempt (the frame made it all the way round 3 revolutions but his feet missed the pedals).
Believe me, every thing you hear about the standard of riding at these comps is true. If you can, make it to the next one at the newly modified Hoffman Bikes park; DO.
STUNTBOYS VERT: 1.Pat Miller 2.Pat Dehne 3.Jimmy Walker 4.Dave Brumlow 5.Rob Sigaty 6.Jay Eggleston
STUNTMEN VERT: 1.Mat Hoffman $400 2.Dennis McCoy 3.Jay Miron 4.John Parker 5.Jerry Galley 6.Steve Swope 7.Leigh Ramsdell 8.Rick Thorne 9.John Byers