Released in 1990 ... re-released in 2001.
Running time: 53 min
Riders: Eric Emerson, Pete Brandt, Chad Johnston, Chris Day, ...
Go july 1990: RealiTV is the kind of underground video production that should be a part of every serious rider's visual/audio collection - NO DOUBT. If you crave viewing sheer, never-before-seen originality from flatland rulers like Eric Emerson, Pete Brandt, Chad Johnston and select Team Scrounge stragglers, RealiTV will satisfy. The 53-minute program, as if mind-blowing schralping wasn't enough, even has a bonus two-minute cartoon at the end. Revolutionary. If you can, find this video and wisely purchase a copy ...
Effraim Catlow, www.theflatlander.com, 2001: Re-released videos seem to be all the rage these days, what with the likes of Dirty Deeds, and the best of Dorkin' recently doing the rounds.
This was Chad Johnston's first video back in 1990, and I remember like it was yesterday, pirate copies were floating around Europe. Thomas Fritscher had it and filmed his US copy with a video camera so that all the other Euro riders could watch it.
This video was (and is) an underground classic for the groundbreaking section with Pete Brandt and Eric Emerson, at a time when videos were few and far between, Pete B drops the shove-it style for which he was credited for back in the day, check his BIO out in Go magazine, old school riders will remember that. Somehow I think the older videos capture the feeling of riding much more than toady's videos, watching Pete B and Eric Emerson effortlessly go through their combos still makes me want to go out riding no matter how many times I watch it.
Besides the great riding of Pete B and Eric Emerson, the legendary Chris Day features, Gerry Smith, that guy was unreal, Chad Johnston of course, Karl Rothe, Ryuji Hora, and many others.
If you are old school and somehow missed this then I'd advise you purchase a copy, or if you are new school and have never heard of rE/AL/Lit/T.V., check out your roots you won't be disappointed. Classic video.
Riders: Dan Rigby, Eugene Collins, Terry Adams, Phil Dolan, Erin Donato, Ed Nussbaum, Adam Guild, Chad Johnston, Nathan Penonzek, Athens Family, Martti Kuoppa.
Mark Losey, Ride BMX US december 1998: Chad Johnston has been riding flatland forever and his video is straight up ground. The best riding in Linkt comes from Phil Dolan. Nathan Penonzek, Martti Kuoppa, Ed Nussbaum, Chad, and Erin Donato (a girl with more skills than some pros whose names I won't mention). The only thing I didn't really like about Linkt was the footage from the contest. If you want a nothing but ground video, this one is for you. Send $20 to Chad Johnston, PC. Box 2133, Bakersfield, CA 93303.
KalaYasuda, www.youtube.com, june 2012: inTRIKat's LINKT by Chad Johnston, VHS, 1998.
Riders: Andrew Arroyo, Phil Dolan, Chad Johnston, Martti Kuoppa, Ed Nussbaum, Nathan Penonzek, Jesse Puente, Ross Smith, Matt Ward.
Riders: Armin Batoumeni, Stephen Cerra, Neston Favela, Kimmo Haakana, Takashi Ito, Chad Johnston, Alex Jumelin, Martti Kuoppa, Steve Mulder, Nathan Penonzek, Day Smith, Ross Smith, Michael Steingräber, Matt Ward.
I always think the best thing about vids is seeing riders you have never seen before or don't see often, with different creative styles and original moves. Well connect has got that and then some more. I have not even mentioned about how dope the sound track is though. It truly Kicks each rider has a different tune for his section. They are all pretty much hip hop based with super rad intros to nearly every section. All filmed in digital with good camera angles what more could you want? Chad should give him self a Huge pat on the back because I truly believe this is one of the best vids i have ever seen. I Definitely recommend Connect to anyone who rides Flat. If you don't buy it you will have missed out on being truly stoked big time.
Riders: Martti Kuoppa, Matt Wilhelm, Nathan Penonzek, Terry Adams, Chad Johnston, Morisake Hiroya, Kotaro Tonaka, Dan Rigby, Erin Donato, Simon O'Brien, Jorge Gomez, Phil Dolan, Thomas Ebeling, Michael Steingräber, Frank Lukas, Ulrich Kittel, Matti Röse, Alex Jumelin, Hammadi Lotfi, Alexis Desolneux, Jimmy Petitet, Gabe Weed, Ryoji Yamamoto, Kent Pearson, Effraim Catlow.
www.webmx.net: Après Linkt, Blend et Connect, la série INTRIKAT continue avec Infinite Pieces. Au caméscope, l'inévitable Chad Johnston. Au riding, Martti Kuoppa, Ross Smith, Nathan Pennonzek (à Las Vegas...)... La France est représentée avec notamment le trop rare Lotfi Hammadi. Évidemment, ca roule grave ! À chaque fin de vidéo, on se dit: "Ca y est, Martti a fait le tour de tout ce qui est possible de faire avec un BMX ! " ; et chaque début de nouvelle K7, il nous met sur le cul ! Eh bien, avec Infinite Pieces, c'est reparti: il rentre par exemple un Gerator shove-it to " Pedalo " time-machine to caboose. Cette fois, il a fait le tour ! Non ? Enfin, bref, c'est une K7 qui vaut vraiment le détour ! J'ai juste une remarque négative à faire: il est grand temps que Chad s'achète une nouvelle caméra ! Les images ne sont pas très belles. On s'habitue vite aux petits caméscopes numériques...
Brian, www.theflatlander.com: To refer to inTRIKat's latest voyage as just another 'BMX video' really cheapens what director Chad Johnston has truly accomplished with Infinite Pieces. This is really more, in every way; than simply a rider with a camera and his buds in the lot. Here's how you know when something is real special; when the art transcends its carrier medium, and makes an impact in the physical world. THAT is what Infinite Pieces has achieved. And all hyperbole aside, that constant cannot be denied.
Johnston has long since carved his reputation as not only an innovative and talented rider bursting with individuality - but also an artist with a shrewd mind, finely tuned to the same frequency all flatlanders have set on their cosmic dial. It's hard for a filmmaker to disappoint its audience when that filmmaker is also part of it. In other words -- rest assured viewers will get an ample dose of both insane, progressive riding, riders and styles; AND great camera work, high-level production, and all around solid quality.
More than that, what's truly refreshing about Infinite Pieces is the thoughtful and careful consideration shown towards the riders whom Johnston, in large part, officially introduces to the world. In case there was any doubt, flatland is thriving in Germany, France, England, Finland, Japan, as well as the US and Canada. IP is a virtual, worldwide stew of flatland complete with cool shots of landmarks, slices of life, glimpses of riders' daily routines - and it's all 100% fresh - it'll be months before anyone will have to worry about peeling off the expiration label.
Wherever we are, whatever we do, whoever we ride with...when that's all the exposure we have - we're cutting ourselves short. It's always much better to broaden horizons rather than to limit them. Johnston does that by dropping human-bombs like Alexis Desolneux, Martti Kuoppa, Ulrich Kittel, Simon O'Brien, Kotaro Tanaka, Nathan Penonzek, Frank Lukas, Morisake Hiroya, Thomas Ebeling, Michael Steingräber, Alex Jumelin, Matti Röse and on and on it goes. Many people have yet to see lots of these riders in more than just snippets, or for any substantial length of time. No problem here. This film is literally flowing with the apex of flatland talent the world has to offer - no question about it.
The riding is nothing short of inspirational, mind-blowing, amazingly creative and truly awesome. Guys like Alexis Desolneux of France will keep viewers' eyes a good two inches from their sockets, and their jaw glued firmly to the floor as the prodigal, flatland Frenchman rolls links that will cause many to laugh in utter disbelief.
As usual, Martti Kuoppa will leave a handful of folks with cramped fingers, carpal tunnel syndrome and every other type of OSHA ailment due to remote control havoc. The lanky German Ulrich Kittel delves into the depths of the unheard-of with his brilliant combinations. Aussie green and yellow (them's fightin' colors mate) is evident -- scene in: Simon O'Brien jumps head first into his ever-expanding universe of the original and will cause quite a few holes in the head from vigorous scratching. Alex Jumelin - better prop them lids open with some toothpicks Jack -- anyone who blinks misses 10 tricks.
Japan's Kotaro Tonaka and Morisake Hiroya bring their unique far-east take on riding to the floor with some unorthodox, yet welcome, flatland methodology. Johnston lets us in on what he's been up to, and that's a good thing. Especially for those who haven't seen a no-footed rollback deathtruck, which has been freshly gleaned from Chad's always-original crop of style. Nathan Penonzek ropes us in for his ruthless and wildly original transitions, switches and rolls -- he keeps going and going and going. Penonzek is so good on his bike, everything is second nature -- what speaks volumes of this guy is that he doesn't rely on his talent as an excuse to prevent him from always progressing and busting out new and unique links.
Matt Wilhelm, Terry Adams, Dan Rigby, Erin Donato, Jorge Gomez, Phil Dolan, Thomas Ebeling, Michael Steingräber, Frank Lukas, Matti Röse, Hammadi Lotfi, Jimmy Petitet, Gabe Weed, Ryoji Yamamoto, Kent Pearson and Effraim Catlow also play an integral role in rounding out the ensemble flatland cast of Infinite Pieces.
All of the riders, as well as the director, have shaped Infinite Pieces into what it is. What is 'it' exactly? In a nutshell -- probably one of the most important films the Flatland world has produced to date. It's more than just the riding, it's more than just a 'BMX video.' The global flat scene has been illuminated for the first time, in any real sense, and the bar has been raised. Once again, inTRIKat has shown us that flatland will always be held together by a never-ending string of Infinite Pieces.
Jon Knight, server.byke.org/ukflat: Infinite Pieces is the Latest release from US Video Maker and Rider, Chad Johnston. I think its called Infinite Pieces because thats what it blows your head into after you've watched it. We hooked up with Chad at the worlds and found him to be one of the raddest guys you ever met, on top of that Chad is an awesome rider, and together with his wife Amy they've set the challenge of making the finest videos know to the world of Flatland. I think they are doing an amazing job and continue from Blend, Linkt and Connect to this, their finest release so far, in my opinion. First off the Video is in absolutely superb quality , Chad told me his setup for making the Vids and he has all the tech wizardry to push the digital format to its limits. Video quality so good the colors leap out of the screen at you, professional transitions and seamless editing make you a fly on the wall in Martti's own Carpark!. Nuff said about the quality on to the content, first up the only bad thing I gotta say about the video is that the soundtrack may not be everyones cup of tea, we liked it, those of you who like thrash soundtracks, you won't find one on this video, only a blend of chilling hip hop, light rock, wierd noises and beats, kinda like an ells bells soundtrack but better audio quality. First up Mr Kuoppa, I've been dying to see Martti on a professional video for a while , you see so many bits of his riding al the time but to see the whole picture clearly is to know he is the best there is , ridng a green and a white Quamen, he busts some insane Deathtruck variants that only Martti can truly call "his own". Like he busts his pedal spinning Deathtruck the best I have ever seen, coasting it in circles at one point. Kickflip halfpackers, Kickflip to Crackpacker. Crazy turbine stuff and that insane wheelie stepped through into spinning pedalling deathtruck. And this is even before the intro title comes up for christs sakes!! Next is Matt Willhelm with some Mad spinning elephant glide thing and the smoothest Blender you've ever seen. Then some crazy upsidown pedalling megaspin, and a super nice time machine with his leg over the headttube. I heard this boy ice skates, no wonder he spins so smooth!
Then it's on to Nathan Penonzek riding at Vegas, nice flowing links, bags of turbine and cross footed stuff. Next up young Terry Adams, cap skewed like a real G. Steam roller bar hopped to crack packer and pedal cranking time machine that is whisker short of copyright infringement. Then its on to the man himself Chad J, Multi angled footage of Chads backward crack packer, backwards no footed deathtruck and more. Next up some small clips of Morisake Hiroya, Kotaro Tanaka, then its on to Dan Rigby, who was ruling at the worlds, super tech links in a smooth controlled style. Erin Donato with some super floaty front wheel switches into funky chicken. Austarlia Simon Obrien busts some phat back wheel links, nice controlled switches too. Then its on to Spaniard Viki Gomez, busting all his elephant glide switch stuff in an underground carpark. Dolan next and his spinning hitchiker, round the world and badass blenders galore. The German scene is next with steingarabber and Frank Lucas who is a spining wizard, we saw Frank at the worlds and his style is Dope, endless flowing spinning links. Berliner Ulrich with his plastic man stuff, turbine deathtrucks and backwards dumptruck and of course backward backpacker jugglers. Matti rose who rides like a ticking bomb, and explodes into the fastest spinning combos you've ever seen. The Mexicos are next, watch out for the pikachu sound track, awesome. The vid just goes on and on , top rider after top rider is showcased, Alexis Desolneux, Jumelin and more. For a US vid this has a helluva lot of Euros which makes it extra special to us to watch. No where will you find a finer collection of moves all rolled together in one masterpiece of a video.
Martti Kuoppa.
Re-released 2008: Seven years on and Intrikat have just released onto dvd, the “classic” Background, with “Foreground” Andrew Faris bonus section.
Starring: Terry Adams, Bobby Carter, Stephan Cerra, Phil Dolan, Anthony Durbano, Gonz, Chad Johnston, Alex Jumelin, Martti Kuoppa, Mike Macphaden, Lee Musselwhite, Akira Okamura, Nathan Penonzek, Tagi, Mike Sommer, Jody Temple, James White, Matt Wilhelm, Eno Yang, Kotaro Tanaka, Takashi Ito, Eugene Collins, Scott O Brien, Eric Stefano, Shawn White.
Effraim Catlow, www.global-flat.com, june 2008: Look at that list of riders! What a cast. Going back to 2001, the contest scene was healthy, (X trials, X games, Worlds, etc). This video at the time seemed to capture the progression whilst also gaining exclusives, which these days are harder to get due to the internet.
I really like how Chad put this together, short sections, long sections, and also mixed up, really holds you to the video.
Seven years on, I immediately wanted to watch the footage of Martti Kuoppa again, his riding on this video on the infamous green quamen is some of his best and flatland best to date, I’m sure many have heard about the two footed hang five jump with no hands on the bar to crackpacker, even today that is gnarly.
Tagi’s section also stands the test of time, remember this guy. Riding at the infamous ralphs spot in Hollywood, and displaying a real original inside roiling style, inside karl jump to halfpacker 360 pivot out, inside karl bar flip inside xft karl bar flip inside xft karl. Amazing.
James Whites home dj’ing skills come into effect on his sections, he without doubt contributes the most footage to this video, all manner of silky smooth juggler combos with whiteys signature halfhiker bar flips out.
Lee Musselwhite’s short section is very much still talked about to this day, especially the xft inside karl 360 pivot to backwards spinning halfpacker, groundbreaking stuff. 2001 remember?
Jeff Desroche makes a small appearance on this video and gives a hint of things to come in future years from him, steam flip to crackpacker bar flip to opposite xft steam out to 360 karl flip, his riding buddy of the time Mike Macphaden busted some nice turbine crackpackers, coathangers, the level of progression around this time is remarkable.
I could write for ages about this video, but honestly I cant see anyone being disappointed with this video, its one of the best ever. And the bonus contest footage of Andrew Faris, from 96 to 2000 showed how he pushed flatland, and dictates trends even today, look at the whoppers, even though Nitschke’s trick, Faris brought it to the fore, although only really just hit the mainstream contest scene this last two years.
Great soundtrack from the Beastie boys, Busdriva, CVE, Wu tang, etc.
Do yourself a favour, buy this either as history lesson, or for the memories, thanks Chad for the many years of motivation his videos have personally brought me.
KalaYasuda, www.youtube.com, july 2012: Intrikat Background 2001.
KalaYasuda, www.youtube.com, july 2011: Part of the bonus section from inTRIKat's BACKGROUND by Chad Johnston, DVD, 2008.
A tribute to Andrew Faris, one of the major influences on modern flatland, with five years of contest footage from 1996 to 2000.
IMO, the last few seconds imply how robotics reigned over progress at X-games comps.
Spots: Madrid (Espagne), Helsinki (Finlande), Bonn (Allemagne) et Amsterdam (Hollande).
Au menu: Flatland
Meilleurs moments: Viki fait sa leçon avec de la guitare espagnole / Simon O'brien est trop smooth .....
Pour qui est cette vidéo: Tout Flatlander qui se respecte !
Note: 8 sur 10
Notre avis: Une référence comme tous les ans !
Durée: 28 min
Dispo en: VHS
Prix: 30 euros
Distribution en France: L'Artillerie Bmx shop 06.88.82.30.33
Chad Johnston, www.agoride.com, june 2006: (...) because of the production Flatsphere was one of my favorite because i really had a close part on the music and the filming on that one whereas on the other ones it's been alot of contribution and you gotta make compromises on contribution. But i feel like on Flatsphere we really did what we wanted to do.
Manu Massabova, www.agoride.com, septembre 2004: Certains iront sûrement se pendre avec la chaîne de leur vélo au premier réverbère venu apres visionnage de ce dvd, et s'il y a des rescapés, c'est probablement qu'ils n'ont pas encore bien compris les links de ces salauds de Nathan et Simon !
Réalisée par: Chad Johnston
Disciplines: Flatland
Support: DVD
Durée: 30 mn + 3mn 43 de bonus
Prix: 35 euros
Bonus: Flatground d'Amsterdam, Metro jam de Toronto, X Games IX...et surtout un Yanmar époustouflant !
Riders: Terry Adams, Dylan Worsley, Jeff Desroche, Pete Brandt, Matt Wilhelm, Alexis Desolneux, Chad Johnston, Simon O'Brien, Nathan Penonzek, Dave Petrin, Bram Verhallen, Ryoji Yamamoto, Jesse Puente,...
Site web: http://www.intrikat.com
Dispo: dans tous les bons bmx-shops français (Namasté, California style, Fish Eye, L'artillerie,...) et étrangers (Flatland Fuel, Soul Cycle, Parano Garage,...)
Best Tricks: Chad a bien fait de mettre au ralenti les links de Nathan Penonzek parce sinon il aurait fallu revoir plusieurs fois la séquence pour bien comprendre que ce qu'il fait tient plus de la magie qu'autre chose, pareil pour Simon qui ridiculise les tricks les plus durs et s'amuse avec, c'est honteux. La cerise sur le gâteau est certainement le magnifique back packer caboose turbine de mr Alexis et dans la famille des turbine to cross-footed, Dylan Worsley est pas mauvais non plus, voire même méchamment fort !
Notre avis: si comme moi, vous vous étiez mis en tête de partir à la conquête du monde avec vos tricks, ne regardez pas cette vidéo, Nathan et Simon ont littéralement ruiné mes espoirs de faire carrière dans ce métier, c'est trop triste ! Certains iront sûrement se pendre avec la chaîne de leur vélo au premier réverbère venu apres visionnage de ce dvd, et s'il y a des rescapés, c'est probablement q'ils n'ont pas encore bien compris les links de cet enfoiré de Nat ! La vidéo est intéressante surtout pour les quelques riders qui luttent plutôt pas mal en contest et que par conséquent quand on leur laisse le temps de s'exprimer (comme Alexis), montrent un riding complètement différent au niveau de la difficulté. Analysez bien les links de Jeff ou Terry et vous ne verrez plus les choses de la même façon ensuite, le bleu de vos pegs qui se marie mal avec le rose de votre tige de selle sera le cadet de vos soucis apres ça !
En quelques années, Matt Wilhelm est devenu le maître incontesté du spinning et autres tricks qui font tourner la tête (son dernier links où il passe plusieurs fois d'une roue à l'autre donne des vertiges !) tandis que Chad continue d'explorer les variantes de nose wheelie et manual, y en a pour tous les goûts.
10e numéro de la série Intrikat, un des meilleurs au niveau réalisation et bande son, normal puisque Chad progresse également dans ce domaine. Digne successeur des Dorkin de Marc Eaton, Flatshere suit de près l'évolution des meilleurs riders mondiaux. Grâce à Mr Johnston et son équipe, le flatland a encore de beaux jours devant lui. Note: 9/10
Cory Fester – 180 to boomerang to backward hang five (study…) to backwards halfpacker to tailwhip to backwards dork wheelie to backward hang five (study again…) to backwards halfpacker to fork glide out; rear manual to hang five to turbines to fire hydrants to barswitch to tomahawk to steamroller to fire hydrants to mc circles to hitch hiker. Pause.
Chad Johnston - rocket five to pedal five turbines to rocket five turbines to cowboy squeaks – half lash to backwards circular pedal-roni to undertaker flip (?!) to backwards dork wheelie to backwards death truck.
Travis Collier – front wheel 720 (technicality…) to pedal five turbines; opposite-foot karl kruiser to backward steam to barswitch to backwards halfpacker…
Scott Weaver – kneeling-on-the-seat five to hang five to barflip to steamroller turbines to crackpacker turbines to 0 -handed steamroller; random kneeling-on-the-seat fives down insane 1:4 verges, headed straight for the sea - (honestly)!
Kotaro Tanaka – half-lash to forward 1-handed deathtruck to gerator to backyard glide to backwards dork wheelie to signature inside gerator* to kneeling on the seat rear manual to more inside gerator to smith decade out; fire hydrant to time machine to 1-handed perverted boomerang seatgrab out (science…)
intrikat, an inspired choice of name for a flatland video production house if there ever was one – Chad Johnston’s soul mission seems to be to distribute the most edgy, content-rich and visually potent of all the flatland films, to mix down the most diverse, engaging soundtracks time after time, and to make wares that continue to satisfy way, way after the 1st viewing. Mixt is Intrikat’s latest release and captures some of the essence of earlier VHS releases like Background, with subtle post-production effects and the aforementioned ‘creative’ soundtrack. No excuses are made (or are needed, frankly) for the obvious penchant towards hip-hop, but our minds are suitable broadened with everything from tribal beats to rock as the film rolls on relentlessly, only allowing short pauses for reflection before the next onslaught of tricknology is unleashed. That’s precisely what this DVD is all about – visually unadulterated flatland. All the riders listed on the back cover kill whatever spot they find themselves at; it’s blatantly obvious how much time the producers spent with each of them. Virtually no competition coverage, save for a sweet cameo of Voodoo Jam 2004 in the bonus section, so satisfaction, if you like to watch flatland in more natural habitats, is guaranteed.
Just as you think the main feature is over, there’s a whole extra 7+ minutes devoted to the skills of one Cory Stratychuk (italics all his) – You’ll just have to get a copy to see what happens next…we’re not gonna spoil it for you! We haven’t even arrived at the bonus section yet – and before we do there’s even more hidden content, this time a mixt(ure) of music from ‘The Weather Underground’ and a video co-directed and edited by Chad Johnston. Whatever you do, don’t press stop on this DVD until it runs itself out – there’s bonus content galore. Where else would you see a flatland rider jumping out of the cockpit of a Pitts Special biplane straight onto his bike, then launching himself into a tirade of half-lash to forward rope-a-roni to belly roni’s** - exactly! Tracks by Daddy V. / RBX., Metallica, Nucleus, Automator and a host of others ensure all your aural as well as visual nodes are suitably massaged – even when you aren’t watching you can let this DVD simmer away in the background while studying/ chilling or whatever. A brilliant piece of work, something historians will probably use as reference material 100 years from now…as intrikat as it gets - highly recommended!
Manu Massabova, www.agoride.com, november 2005:
Nom: Mixt: Individuals Mixt into Visuals
Réalisation: Chad Johnston
Production: Intrikat video
Disciplines: Flatland
Support: DVD
Durée: 40 mn environ
Prix: 30 euros
Site web: http://www.fish-eye.fr
Distribution française: Asphalt distribution
Best Tricks:beaucoup de best tricks dans ce dvd, notamment la part de Trevor qui remet tout le monde en place: 360 kick flip steam roller, x-footed hitchiker to bike varial to back packer, 360 kick flip switchiker, turbines death truck,.... Eugene Collins: kick flip crack packer, Cory Fester: backard boomerang fly to backward half packer bar spin.
Bonus: sur ce dvd, les bonus sont aussi impressionnants et importants que le reste, Steve Mulder, Cory Fester et les autres nous sortent des tricks encore plus fous comme le spinning tomawhak avec les 2 pieds sur le guidon du brésilien donc ne loupez surtout pas cette partie du dvd.
La bande à Remy Julienne: Trevor Meyer, Scott Weaver, Travis Collier, Kotaro Tanaka, Cory Fester, Roman Schoavarelli, Effraim Catlow, Chad Johnston, Aaron Frost, Eugene Collins, Tsutonu Kitayana, Alexis Desolneux, Michael Steingrabber, Cory Stratychuk, Steve Mulder, Shawn White, Bobby Carter, Lisias Taberello, Thiago Malacarne, Scott O'Brien, Terry Adams, James McGraw, Raphael Chiquet...
Avis de la rédaction: la première chose que j'ai envie de dire à Chad, c'est Merci, un grand merci parce que je croyais franchement que le flat partait dans une direction qui ne me semblait pas être celle que j'ai connue jusqu'ici, le style est devenue la priorité des riders en oubliant même d'en apprendre des tricks. Et bien cette vidéo me rassure complètement à ce niveau, les tricks sont là et bien là, et surtout ils sont réalisés par des ricains, que beaucoup d'européens avaient enterré bien vite. Les kick flip pleuvent et les nouveaux riders débarquent, avec des vrais gros tricks, du bien lourd comme les links de Cory Fester qui mélange le old school (boomerang fly backward) et le new school avec ses pivots et passages de ouf. Ca fait du bien de voir du frais, on commençait à étouffer avec les links formatés "compète" des stars qui nous ressortent la même routine tous les ans, dont la seule exception est notre Alex Jumelin national qui se renouvelle à chaque contest. Peut être que plus un tricks est dur, moins on fait attention à son style mais dans cette vidéo, la plupart des riders n'ont pas vraiment de style, ou alors plutôt sketchy mais peu importe. Je me fout bien que Trevor ait le dos courbé en Pedalling fudgepacker ou que Chad semble lutter en backward rope a roni sur la pédale into jump to death truck backward, quand les tricks sont au rendez-vous, le reste importe peu. Cette vidéo rassure et motive en même temps, bravo Mr Chad et encore merci.
Le maillon faible: la session d'Effraim est en accéléré, un peu abusé je trouve. C'est comme si Chad disait "c'est bien ce que tu fais mais ça va pas assez vite", c'est du racisme anti-lent. Dans ces cas-là, autant pas passer la séquence. Notre ami anglais n'est pas une formule 1 mais au niveau tricks il a pas mal d'avance, il faut le prendre comme il est c'est tout. Donc un point en moins sur ce coup là. Ceci dit, c'est le seul reproche que je pourrais faire à cette vidéo, et à mon avis, c'est pas ça qui vous empêchera de l'acheter. Note: 8/10
Chad Johnston, july 2007: First off, Ground Tactics is not a subjective judging system. It’s an objective scoring system. There are two objectives: high score single trick, banger and high score set of tricks, connectors. It has been developed to offer an alternative to opinion-based competitions (it is not meant to replace the current systems). This project grew into Ground Tactics, the initial goal wasn’t a battle-type concept. It started as TRIKtionary, a complete trick list.
I started collecting every flatland trick and name. When I told others what I was doing, the project began to snowball. I was getting tricks and names from people all over the world! The support and interest overwhelmed me, and I began to think how this list could benefit all riders. I wanted to share it with everyone. I drew a stick figure sketch of every trick on an index card, and tacked them to three walls in our studio (over 400 tricks). This enabled me to stand back and look at the similarities and differences in these tricks. I saw patterns and began organizing them into families of like-tricks. In the process, the BMX Matrix revealed itself.
I studied how tricks evolved from other tricks. I wasn’t expecting to get this deep into it, but I don’t like to do anything half-ass. I’ve become obsessed with documenting and sharing the BMX Matrix. I decided to do two things: 1.) Develop an in-depth guidebook and 2.) Edit a sample version, on video to display how the Matrix could be applied to a scoring system. I know I should have put the guidebook out first, however, the video was necessary to help me explain to others what direction it could go. Nothing is set in stone as far as Ground Tactics goes. The guidebook will take another year to be complete. Currently, it’s in a very rough form.
Back to the Matrix, which is really the heart of Ground Tactics. You can’t see it, but the scoring system is based on it. In sports, scores are based on measurable facts. This is something that flatland lacks (only because it’s a relatively new sport). With the Matrix, all tricks are listed by degree of technicality. The most basic, like the common bike ride is valued at zero. With variations, the value increases. The most technical tricks are valued up to 25, plus upgrades (packers, trucks, etc.). The Matrix and TRIKtionary do not include combinations, only base positions. The links are left for the rider to figure out and create.
Freestyle has always been about being creative – taking what has been done to the next level. This became obvious when I studied the cards covering my studio walls. So, with this in mind, adding values to the tricks seemed effortless. Starting at 0, followed by 1, then 2, and so on, as the tricks progressed. There were a few exceptions, which were studied and discussed in detail with others. Hundreds of people passed through the studio, so there have been many conversations regarding the topic. I’ve heard many opinions, and have absorbed every one. In my research, I have contacted riders requesting input, and have referenced boxes of magazines and videos spanning over twenty years, in order to be thorough.
This effort was meant to help progress flatland and share the knowledge I have gathered. It was not a path I ever imagined I would take. It has been over four years of work so far, and I have been paid nothing. It is a labor of love and a way for me to share something I am passionate about. I realize that many riders consider flatland art, not sport. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an artist and see the art in flatland. At the same time, however, flatland is diverse and many riders seek to compete.
With so many riders training for contests, the need for an objective system has never been greater. Ground Tactics is an example of what that could be. Similar to basketball, a two pointer is the same two points for everyone. Someone doesn’t get more points for popularity.
People knew of my passion for flatland and that I didn’t care to compete. As a result, I was asked to judge and consult for many events. I was flown all over the globe, and am very grateful for this, but part of me felt guilty. People trusted me, and I did my best every time, but when it came down to it, there was no system to refer to, and no solid explanation for contest results. I started turning down offers such as C.O.B. Tokyo, and Moto Ground Force Singapore (my sincere apologies, thank you for the consideration). I started thinking about a solution, a way to back my actions and stand accountable for my decisions. Since flatland is so complex, I knew some of the details might be lost in translation. I thought it best to put the experiment out on video (all inTRIKat titles are experimental). The purpose was not to offend anyone, but to give back to BMX. Ground Tactics is the first video I’ve done where the riders got paid. All travel expenses came out of my pocket. Flat Clothing and Flatland Fuel put up the $1000.00 purse. With four years of labor behind it, I will never recover my costs completely. Although I would love to give away copies to everyone, I can’t afford to do that. Thirty to thirty-five riders interested in providing feedback, received advanced copies. I thought I would sell some at a low cost to give everyone an opportunity to see it. Unfortunately, the price at Flatland Fuel is inflated – 110%. Highlights will be on www.bmxgroundtactics.net in August, and the complete DVD will be available for $14.99. Currently, there is a rough copy of TRIKology. Look for the complete guidebook next year.
Details of the scoring system may not be apparent in the video. There is a lot of information. Visually, the screen might look like a video game or any modern sporting event. There is a lot going on in my mind when I watch a rider and I wanted to give the viewer a sample of that. You will notice the round number (Ground Tactics is based on 5 rounds), also the number of attempts the rider is on. There is no time clock. I want to promote a low-pressure atmosphere where riders don’t hold back and do safe tricks. I want to see cutting edge riding. In the lower third area, subtitles provide the viewer with trick names. Sometimes it flashes too fast to read, but each variation, direction, and modification is being calculated. If the rider faults on an attempt, the penalty flashes. There are eight degrees of faults from dabs to slams. You will see everything, faults and all. For those that find it too difficult to watch the faults, the “replay” version is provided in addition to “play all”.
Ground Tactics works on a par system. Rounds 1-4 are par 5, while round 5 is a par 10. In other words, a rider is given a certain number of attempts before being penalized. With the “Fresh out of the Box Factor”, riders are rewarded for complete sets on first, second, and third attempts. After said par, slight deductions come into effect. There are two classes: Professional and Amateur, with two distinct differences between them. First, Pro’s get paid, Am’s get products. The main difference is that a professional rider only earns credit for tricks valued at 13 and over. “The Filler Factor” is designed to address the issue of doing a couple of safe tricks over and over to accumulate points – not here, maybe in Tony Hawk’s video game (I’m not sure, I’ve never played it, ask P.J. Terry). “The Broken Record Factor” kicks-in when a rider repeats the same trick, consecutively, four times or more. A rider will receive credit for the first, second, and third repeated trick, but the fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on, will not be rewarded. A rider may perform these reps, but will not be able to milk them for more points after the third. There is much more that goes into evaluating a run than just accounting for flashy tricks.
Some people believe that a measurable scoring system is unnecessary. I am not trying to sway any opinions. However, before criticizing this effort, consider for a moment why the AFL/IFL was put to rest. Do you wonder why ESPN eliminated flatland from the X Games? Do you wonder why flatland will not be considered for the Dew Tour, the Olympics, or any other reputable event? It is due to the lack of organization, unity, system and seeding/ranking. If we can provide for these challenges, flatland will gain the level of respect it deserves. Among other benefits, this will attract sponsorship dollars that will go into rider’s pockets. It would be nice to see this in our lifetime, so the next generations could benefit. Everyone including non-riders can enjoy flatland. The common person can appreciate the skill and dedication involved in flatland, it’s visually stunning whether you ride or not. Why not take it to the next level with organized competition, where the riders benefit. Organizers like Mat Hoffman and Steve Swope, along with Zeiss (Circle of Balance), Verberg (Flatground), Ito/Uno/Tanaka (KOG), Massabova (Flat Ring), Jumelin (Ninja Spin), Prantl (World’s, Master’s), Adams/O’Brien (Voodoo), and Day (AFL/IFL) deserve much love for what they did for flatland events, I thank you. I am very grateful for your support and showing me my dreams of putting flatland in the spotlight. It reinforces in my mind how incredibly awesome flatland is.
The future for Ground Tactics is Internet competition, where riders submit footage. Membership fees go to pro purse, and members get a Ground Tactics DVD.
Nobody will be forced to join, buy, or watch the DVD – nobody will be required to write a review. Internet competitions will open doors for those who are unable to travel to international events. Thanks to those that have supported this project. The input and constructive criticism is much appreciated. Free annual membership will be given to inTRIKat alumni and Ground Tactics DVD purchases from Flatlandfuel.com.