So this is a small run down of all the comps we can remember.....
Battle in da stubb last time I was in Germany and when to a battle in da...it was fucking amazing!! some of the best riding I had seen for along time. But alas, it was a more low key event, but the idea was still way cool. a flatland jam in a shop! I needed a holiday, why not. I just arrived in Frankfert that day and I had loads of time to kill I was quite all struck with the city, so I did a little sight seeing, but where to find the shop? if you know me, you know that i'm badly organized, but luckly i followed some bmxers. lo and be hold they tock me too 2four7, one of the radist bmx come fashion boutiques. it wasn't the cream of the finit flatlander germany had to offer, but the flat art crew and some locals all took part in the jam seseion. creating a crazy sight for perdistions who where walking by and pering through the window, sometimes coming into the shop for a better look. tick lists are boring and complicated, so what ever the riders were doing was good as it got the crowed hyped.
It was good turn out, the shop was rammed with people, making it hard to move some times. but that was a good feeling. after a few hours of flatland. Cents of nonsense did a little PA. I had no idea what was being said, as it was all in German, but it sounded alright, as for as German hip hop goes...that sounds very conversational. Cents of nonsense are a hip hop act made of bmxers and organizers of today's event, Cpanji, how is a top man. And have a street rider to support flatland is a testament that bmx is still free style. so big up to him and hopefully the same again next year. Cents of nonsense...
Battle in gallery Fail around. We don't really talk about it...
The worlds Well, it rained! Alot, maybe a bit too much. The flight over was good with most of the T.G.M. crew and getting lost to the way to the comp...all the traditional parts of a comps abroad. Alought I thought everyone had been there before?
So, down to buisness.For some reason, there was no tent this year over the Flatland area? some one said it was over one of the sponsors pulling out. The only thing i really knew was the floor was not a floor, but a swimming pool. The Rain, made the am's qualifiers were held at the local spot down the road, after a vote by all the riders. Very democratic, it was very good to see. So we all rode off down the river...into the distance.
the rest of the comp was more sun and less rain. I would say half'n'half. The Pro street got rained off and the Am's street was all the same...tailwhips, tailwhips...etc from over 100 riders. But there was final..i think..i don't really care it was not real street anyway. Where were the concrete ledges.street my arse. Some with Pro steet. the vert was good and the spine was amzing!
Pro Flat, was on and off due to the rain. It was like Wimbledon. off and on, all day. Could of stayed in england for that, but i was in cologne. But it all went a head over the the pro final day and like Ride mag said "some French guy was suppose to win, but another French guy won".
The highlight of the trip was seeing Wolfgang riding back links in heavy rain after the Pro finals and only falling over once in a +5min run. But when he fell, that was game over...fucking good though, such a nice bike aswell. Plus kind of meeting Bob Haro and Matt Hoffman.Yes, Amazing!
World battle championships I missed the Saturday, but heard there were over 20 riders what meet up in the town centre on the home made stage. Not my idea of flatland, but it was surpose to be a competition. The night i was luckily missed out on. I heard it got interesting and messy. Stu Rose and Mr Whites personal break dance comp in a Walk about pub on a saturday night. Stories about very drunk girls...I very short skirts.
But then Sunday came along and Mr Wilson half finished, the battle being moved to keelens indoor spot/dance studio.All very tight and cosy. Yours personaly got though to the semi finals? only to go to to battle Marcello and Flatmatters himself. All round, a good weekend and we can all guess the winner...
Brighton Jam This is one of those days that you will always look back on with great nostalgia: All your friends by the sea, riding flat or eating fish and chips, hot ladies walking past…Bom!
Typical Britain, the whether wasn’t perfect, but for us that meant it didn’t rain. The ground wasn’t amazing surface wise, but to be honest it was fine for a day…it was Sunday at Brighton Beach and it was rammed with families, hen dos, couples all that you would expect to see on a lazy Sunday afternoon?
Listening to me already, my heads drifting up to the sky thinking how good it was. 20+ riders turned up and all did there fair share of showcasing the sport to the public. It wasn’t about big tricks, just mellow jam sessions a break from your usual spot.
Today made me think though. The UK scene is finding its feet again, every time there’s a UK jam on, more and more riders seem to pop out of nowhere. Admittedly the level isn’t high compared to most countries, but you know what? People are riding and enjoying it.
Flow Combo I love travelling. But what I hate is sleeping at airports to catch planes at stupid o’clock in the morning because, what ever budget airline provides you with a ticket that is only £20 inc tax…sounds rugged on paper but in reality, I rather spend that extra £60 for the comfort of a hassle free afternoon travel.
But wait! If I didn’t endure the hardship of cold concrete airport floor, with expensive, tasteless tea, to catch a place at 5.30am then, I would never have made it on time to Koblenz, Germany…which was already turning out to be more of hassle once I touched down in Frankfurt Hahn. (For those of you that don’t know, Frankfurt Hahn is an hour and half away from Frankfurt city).
Thankfully, instead of catching the coach to Frankfurt, well 15mintues outside the city, to catch a metro to Frankfurt Hauptbanhof, waiting for my 3hr train to Koblenz meaning I would have got to Koblenz station for 4pmmenainf I would have missed the comp altogether, but enjoyed a very dreary sightseeing tour of west Germany. Thankfully, like a said before, there in the bus station was a bus to Koblenz…Yes!! and only5euros…Yes!! How long will it take me to get there? 1.5hr?...Yes!!
All this equated to me arriving at Deustchs Eck, which is a grand monumental place, at midday, getting to see every bit of the competition and meeting my Germany buddies once again. Watch the various YouTube videos to understand, how good the day turned out to be…one thing that did amaze me, was for a raining day all the riders got together and dried the surface to make it ridable and every time it got rained off the crowd came back bigger, stronger and more hyped.
A BAD Thing/K-124 jam Fail. Got to gay Parie, then could not afford the eighty odd Euros to get to the Jam, Fail...so back to London for level Vibes!
Level Vibes So after a number of years of this comp of it not taking place, it's back in force. Run by the Godfather of Flatland Mr James White, running and winning in style! also an amazing was the trun out...i did hear that hear someone say something 80 riders, well there over 20-30 riders at T.G.M. (The Green Mile) on the Saturday. A level vibes warm up as it were, well a freezing cold and wet jam situation. So it was a nice change to be in a large sports hall in the warm and dry conditions. I was a pleasure to see Viki Gomez there, keeping up his reputation as a world class rider, it was just a shame that not than many other international riders came...maybe next year? Although the Greeks were a laugh to be around and all the uk scene turned up in honour of the jam with only a few members missing.
Well we all hope it happens again next year, Thanks James for organizing the whole thing. Good job all round, i hope you have plans for next year....
thanks to Aleks Romain, Oliver Griffin and Flatlandism for all the comp info/write ups. hopefully 2010 will be a much more lively competition/jam scene. Flatland was dead, but now it's not...so lets not make it happen again!
