| We created the Voodoo Jam in 2004 with the idea of bringing the spectator and the rider close together to create a great energy. Presenting Flatland in a proper way that spectators can enjoy while staying true to the artform of Flatland. Voodoo Jam is held in New Orleans Louisiana USA a culturaly rich environment that helps to push the atmoshphere. It is fun for the riders even after the event in the downtown city area. Scott O'Brien, www.ridebmx.com, october 2004: I felt someone had to do something to bring out the passion in flatland. When a flatlander rides, who he is as a person comes out. That needed to be captured and presented in a contest. So many people in the past have sold flatland short. That time is over now. We are going to step up and show people what we have to offer to the world. I also wanted flatland to be presented in a way for the riders and spectators to feed off each other. There is so much flatland has to offer and I believe this contest proved just that. Terry Adams, www.ridebmx.com, july 2005: The Voodoo Jam was created so flatland could be presented in the right way. Contests in the past had a boring announcer with a crowd that was not really into it. The Voodoo Jam had an awesome MC, and was focused on making flatland look intense and keeping the crowd stoked on it at the same time. Every person who watched the contest thought it was unbelievable. They were there to watch flatland, not backflips. That's why the Voodoo Jam was born. |
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| 2004 | |
| Date: September 25, 2004. Pat Schoolen, www.ridebmx.com, november 2004: The Voodoo Jam in New Orleans in September was probably the highlight of the flatland contests this year. Scott O'Brien organized it once he heard there would be no flatland at the Hoffman CFB contests or X Games. He got some great sponsorship and put the contest on inside of a nightclub in downtown New Orleans near the French Quarter. Everyone that attended it called it one of the best contests ever. Kevin McAvoy, www.ridebmx.com, october 2004: When I first heard that Scott O'Brien of Louisiana's South Riders crew was working on putting a flat contest together in New Orleans, I was stoked. When he told me it was going to be in a nightclub, I was a little wary; I wasn't too sure if he was going to be able to pull off a pro/am event in a small club over the course of one day. Any doubts I had quickly vanished when I walked into the club, though. Everything was well thought-out, and the event was totally professional. I got there Friday night during set-up and found that Alex Jumelin and Raphael Chiquet had flown in from France just for the event. Riders came from all over the Midwest and from as far away as the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. I hooked up with Chad DeGroot for dinner, after which we made plans to hit the famed French Quarter. The night got wild. All I can say is that if you walk into a small, out-of-way bar to start your night and the guy behind the counter is an Elvis impersonator, you are automatically in for a good time. Walking into the jam the next morning--well, it may have been afternoon--I strolled past an art exhibit featuring pieces from a few of the competitors; definitely a nice touch. Things got a little crowded in the riding area (which was really the only negative thing about the event), but the riders seemed to deal with it, obviously stoked on the rest of the aspects of the jam. Once the competition started, it became apparent that Voodoo was going to have its own feel, largely due to O'Brien's antics on the mic. His obvious passion for the sport came through, and he got both the crowd and the riders hyped up. By the time the pro finals went down, he was doing laps around the contest floor, spitting out crazy commentary and keeping everyone in the house charged up. Shane Khajenoori pulled down the amateur win and scored a free spot in the pro competition, and he had no problem hanging with the big boys. Raphael and Alex were immediate standouts; their incredibly fast and smooth links were awesome to watch. I asked Terry Adams to throw me some notes on the top ten pro riders so you could get an idea of what went down: Tenth place: Scott Powell. I was very stoked on him because it looked like he was having a lot of fun, just like me. Upside-down megaspin decades are rad... Ninth place: Matt Wilhelm. News flash: Matt had a cool new link. G-turn steamroller body varial into spinning halfpackers. Using a lot of hair gel may have slowed his spinning down a bit. Eighth place: Manuel Prado. Sooooo smooth. Riding like a feather floating in the sky. Seventh place: Eugene Collins. Spinning and praying at the same time. Very different style that always stands out. Wheelchair to cross-footed circle Ks...that's pretty sick. Sixth place: Raphael Chiquet. Crazy syle. Crazy G-turn pivot steamroller thingie, and a turbine backpacker passing the bike behind his back. Pink shirt. Fifth place: Travis Collier. Always riding very smooth no matter what. Pulled steamroller 360 flip-to-halfpacker wearing very tight jeans. Fourth place: Chad Johnston. Unbelievable G-turns from the back pegs, along with death trucks one-footed on the pedal; popping into them from a wheelie is just insane. After the fourth through tenth place riders were announced, the top three riders hit the floor once again for a heated battle. Alex, Terry, and Justin got busy while Scott weaved in and out of them, shouting for encouragement from the crowd. All three riders continued to bust out in run after run. The energy in the house was electric. Third place: Alex Jumelin. Spinning cliffhanger with a foot on the handlebar, very fast switches, hang five to cross-footed crackpacker. Second place: Terry Adams. Had a lot of fun while riding, signature pimp glide, crackpacker 360 flip to cross-footed hitchhiker. First place: Justin Miller. 360 kickflip hitchhiker, 180 kickflip hitchhiker to landing cross-footed. Some incredible riding went down at the Voodoo Jam, but more importantly, the contest was a lot of fun. Keep an eye out for it next year; this is definitely one you want to attend. |
Am 1. Shayne Khajehnoori 2. Dave Petrin 3. Bob Walter 4. Sean Maher 5. Chris Anderson 6. Damien Bacci 7. Jeff Foster 8. Jeff Smee 9. Brandon Ryan 10. Kelly Baldwin Pro 1. Justin Miller 2.Terry Adams 3.Alex Jumelin 4. Chad Johnston 5. Travis Collier 6. Rapheal Chiquet 7. Eugene Collins 8. Manuel Prado 9. Matt Wilhelm 10. Scott Powell |
| 2006 | |
| Date: May 20, 2006. Scott OBrien, march 2006: FLATLAND is the most artistic form of BMX riding, blending unique styles and cultural backgrounds. Riders exhibit intense focus and discipline as they execute a seamless array of tricks on their bike. Flatland also has an international flavor, capturing the creative influence from people around the world. We capture this creativity and variety of riding styles through our Annual Flatland Voodoo Jam event in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year will be the 2nd annual event and promises to be larger and more recognized than last year's event. Riders will come from all over the country and different parts of the world to ride and compete for prizes, cash, and recognition. Hosted by Scott OBrien, International Flatland Emcee. Admission is free and this is an all ages event. Standing room only! We are working very hard to make sure this is a great experience for the riders. Please contact Scott OBrien for any concerns or questions you may have about the event. This year's format: Preliminary Round - 2min run with last trick - 45 rider limit Final Round - Jam style format / 10 riders make the finals 3 Man Battle - no explanation needed! Jeff Zielinski, www.ridebmx.com, may 2006: Although I didn't see anyone practicing Voodoo, with riders from Japan, France, Canada, and all over the United States, the Voodoo jam was still "magical." Scott O'Brien is the driving force behind the jam and his goal was basically to celebrate his love and passion for flatland, and judging from the looks on the riders' and audience members' faces, the feeling was unanimous. |
AM RESULTS 1st – Tyler Gilliard (Lakeland, FL) 2nd – Dickie Sanders (Mandeville, LA) 3rd – Lee “Huck” Edwards (Highlands, TX) 4th – David Weathersby (San Marcos, TX) 5th – Carey Matthews (Kenner, LA) 6th – Diego Tajada (San Antonio, TX) 7th – Sean Marr (Austin, TX) 8th – Chris Anderson (Buda, TX) 9th – Chadwick Davis (Austin, TX) 10th – Jonh-William Prevost (Krikland, Quebec, Canada) 11th – Damian Bacci (St. Petersburg, FL) 12th – Lee Roy (Ft. Walton Beach, FL) 13th – Kris Veal (Atlanta, GA) 14th – Kelly Baldwin (Clute, TX) 15th – Chris Balles (San Marcos, TX) 16th – Josh Duffek (Houston, TX) 17th – Kenny Boucher (Pflugerville, TX) 18th – Cesar Calderon (Angleton, TX) 19th – Alexis La Grassa (Marietta, GA) 20th – Mark Dandridge (Pflugerville, TX) 21st – Jim McKay (Austin, TX) 22nd – Danny Harrison (Bryant, AK) PRO RESULTS 1st – Justin Miller (MI) 2nd – Jesse Puente (Venice, CA) 3rd – Hiro Morizaki (Aichi-Kasugai, Japan) 4th – York Uno (Kanazaw, Japan) 5th – *aro Missawa (Tokashima, Japan) 6th – Pete Brant (San Mateo, CA) 7th – Jeff DeRoche (Canada) 8th – Alex Jumelin (Paris, France) 9th – Travis Collier (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) 10th – Eugene Collins (New Orleans, LA) 11th – Simon Marsan (Repentingny, Quebec, Canada) 12th – James McGraw (Troy, MI) 13th – Terry Adams (Hammond, LA) 14th – Art Thomason (Pearland, TX) 15th – Scott Ditchfield (Joshua, TX) 16th – Will Redd Tx 17th – Jean-Francois Boulianne (Anjou, Quebec, Canada) 18th – Mickey Gaidos (Metairie, LA) 19th – Aaron Frost (Battle Creek, MI) 20th – Adam DiClaudio (Austin, TX) 21st – Dave Petrin (Carol Stream, IL) 22nd – Alain Massabova (Paris, France) 23rd – Ruben Castillo (Austin, TX) |
| 2007 | |
| Date: June 30, 2007. Place: The Flatland Vodoo Jam is held inside a premiere nightclub in New Orleans called "THE GENERATIONS HALL". By having the contest inside of a night club we capture the underground culture of Flatland BMX. With DJ'S spinning and riders throwing down there different styles, the atmosphere promises to be exciting and full of energy. Carey Matthews, www.ridebmx.com, july 2007: The 2007 Flatland Voodoo Jam took place on June 29 & 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and what a show it was… For the first time in Voodoo Jam history the contest was split into two separate events in different locations—the Am/Expert contest was on Friday in New Orleans' City Park, and the Pro contest was in a nightclub on Saturday evening. Friday's Am contest somehow dodged the daily New Orleans thunderstorms and the battle was on. Standouts in the Am finals were David Weathersby with his insane pumping & spinning combos, Jesse Cantore’s smooth style and Isaiah Jordan with his fast switches. After an awesome Am battle in the New Orleans heat, Jesse Cantore from Pennsylvania emerged victorious pulling one of he smoothest links of the day in his final run. Upon arriving to Pro qualifying Saturday morning at The Metro, the New Orleans night club that was home to the 1st Voodoo Jam back in 2004, it was clear that judging was going to be a difficult task. A few crowd favorites in the qualifying rounds were the fast spins and switches of Jesse Puente, Raphael Chiquet in his stylish short pink shorts, and Matthias Dandois, Matt Wilhelm, and York Uno. Other Pro standouts were Michael Steingrabber from Germany and London Bikes' owner Will Redd with their smooth and original switches. Louisiana’s own Terry Adams who doubled as a contest co-organizer managed to deliver his latest signature tricks and insane combos. After the 23-rider qualifying round was finished, only the top 12 were allowed into the final battle. The format for the finals was unique in the fact that riders were able to choose who they battled one-on-one. With MC and contest co-organizer Scott O'Brian keeping the crowd and riders pumped, several intense battles took place during the finals. When all the incredible spins, flips, whips & turbines were done, the last two standing riders were 18-year-old Matthias Dandois from France and Terry Adams from Hammond, Louisiana. After several explosive combos from each rider, a difficult decision was left in the hands of the judges. When the flags were raised it was Matthias Dandois who reigned as the new Voodoo Jam Champion, breaking previous champ Justin Miller's two-year winning streak. Special thanks to contest organizers Scott O'Brian and Terry Adams for putting together another amazing event, the visiting Pros & Am riders whose attendance and participation make events like this possible. Also thanks to Red Bull and all the other sponsors that contributed to the cause. www.flatlandvoodoojam.com, july 2007: After an incredible final battle between Matthias Dandois from France and Terry Adams from the USA it was Matthias who deserved the win of the third edition of the Voodoo Jam in New Orleans. This only 18 years old guy from France ripped it up during the whole weekend; he is certainly one of the most inspiring riders from the next generation flatlanders, pushing the sport in the right direction. Further highlights were Raphael Chiquet’s amazing back wheel stuff, all performed in short pink pants, Shintaro Misawa his fresh style and Hiroya Morizaki who was pulling some of the most insane links during practice. Voodoo Jam 2007 was the celebration of the BMX flatland lifestyle as promised, with outstanding riding in amateur and pro plus one of the best vibes ever. Big shout out to Scott Obrien and Terry Adams for making it happen! For those who missed out make sure to visit Voodoo Jam 2008. AMATEUR. Effraim Catlow, www.global-flat.com, june 30, 2007: Am flat has just gone down here in New Orleans, there is an incredible vibe, the contest was held in the city park, new people exposed to flatland, and riders giving support to everyone that rode in a contest. The standard of riding in the am class was inspiring, the flatland scene is alive and well in America, main standouts were Jesse Cantore who won the final four man battle as we couldn’t decide between Tyler Gilliard and Issiah Jordan for third place. Jesse had smooth links, xft hitch to xft steam thru to xft steam opposite side to xft halfpacker to hitchhiker, xft halfhiker to halfpacker jump to hitch, clean style, fully deserved first place. David Wethersby from Texas, busted out with clean spinning no handed pumping crackpackers for second. Issiah Jordan busted out with smooth brakeless style, nosewheelie boomerang to x hand steam were among the highlights, fourth in the battle but arguably doing the hardest tricks, Tyler has an incredible future if he sticks at it, his halfpacker boomerang to crackpacker ruled, this is just a quick run down for everyone sitting down home wondering whats going at Voodoo, I'm off to ride. Looking forward to the pro class tomorrow. - Effraim Catlow |
Pro 1) Matthias Dandois (FR) 2) Terry Adams (USA) 3) Alex Jumelin (FR) 4) Raphael Chiquet (FR) 5) Matt Wilhelm (USA) 6) Shintaro Misawa (JP) 7) Jesse Puente (USA) 8) York Uno (JP) 9) Akihikio Takahashi (JP) 10) Stephen Cerra (USA) 11) Michael Steingraber (DE) 12) Will Redd (USA) 13) Art Thomason (USA) 14) Hiroya Morizaki (JP) 15) Mickey Gaidos (USA) 16) Cory Fester (CAN) 17) Hidekazu Kuga (JP) 18) Takeshi Tsuji (JP) 19) Scott Ditchfield (USA) 20) Kazuma Nakajima (JP) 21) Effraim Catlow (UK) 22) Andy Cooper (USA) 23) Adam Diclaudio (USA) Amateur |