2008 Fall Classic

Stop #3 of the

Triple Crown of Mountainboarding Series

PAGE CONTENTS

Day One - Freestyle
Event Results

Day Two - Downhill
Event Results

The Fall Classic. The final stop on the Triple Crown of Mountainboarding series. The culmination of an incredible year of riding. Riders from around the country and around the world compete for the final series points and look to be crowned Kings and Queens of the Triple Crown Series.

The Fall Classic has been the final stop on the series for the last two years thereby making it a much anticipated stop for those riders who are close to the lead in series points. But it’s not only a great event for people chasing series points, it’s an incredible stand-alone event because of the awesome venue and timing during the year. Fall in the Rockies is nothing less than beautiful and the riding conditions are near perfect.

The Fall Classic takes place in the birthplace of mountainboarding, Colorado Springs, CO. Since 1992 MBS Mountainboards has been headquartered here and has been the inspiration for riding boards in the summer. With it’s many trails, tracks and hills Colorado Springs is the perfect area for mountainboarding.

The Fall Classic consists of two completely different events; the Freestyle Jam where riders are doing jumps and spins and aerial acrobatics trying to get a high scored based on judges criteria and the Ultimate Downhill which is basically who can get down the hill the fastest.

Day One: Freestyle

In 2007 the MBS “Backyard” gave birth to one of the largest tabletop jumps in the United States and in 2008 with the help of MBS mountainboards, Matt Kenoyer, Devin Fritz, Kody Stewart and several other riders the Backyard grew huge new features including a massive step-up jump, a triple hit table-top jump, a “fun” box, a flat to down rail, a canon rail, several rollers and a smaller table top jump for beginners. At the top of the course looking like a turret from a castle is the twenty foot tall Pro roll-in tower which was built in order to have enough speed for these massive new jumps. Basically the Backyard turned into the coolest freestyle terrain park in the United States and in the background you can see 14,000-foot Pikes Peak looking like it’s peering down giving the park its approval. It was an apparent thumbs up from one of the most majestic mountains in the nation.

THE MBS BACKYARD - For pics of all the features click HERE

The Fall Classic begins on a Saturday but riders start showing up almost a week early wanting to practice. This year riders from as far away as Siberia and England were in attendance and showed up early to practice their skills. Within the United States there were riders from Washington, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Utah, New Mexico and Kansas to name a few. All with the same intent. To win their division and enjoy the last large mountainboard competition of the year.

Saturday morning started off bright and early with music pumping and riders either practicing, getting their gear together or catching up with friends. Most riders only see each other at events so each competition seems like a friendly get together and although everyone is indeed friends everyone certainly wants to win their division.

Some notable new stand outs in the amateur classes included Tyler Woltman a local young ripper from Colorado Springs, Chris Jones in the Youth division all the way from Florida and the cheerful Grom division rider from Georgia, Kelby Clark.

The Grom division (ages 12 and under) took the stage first launching off the newly created ten foot table-top jump. When all the big jumps at the Backyard got bigger and bigger it was apparent that the younger riders needed a jump that wasn’t so intimidating. This jump was the perfect size for them and they performed well jump after jump to the applause of the crowds. Georgia rider Kelby Clark was performing at the top of his game and made it hard for the rest of the riders in his division to match the level of his tricks.

Dave Stiefvater Pulling a One-Footer in Qualifying

Next up was the Youth division (ages 13 – 17). Just like the Groms but a bit older and a bit more practiced at the sport the Youth division was really stepping up their game pulling 180s and even 360s. Derek Howe and Chris Jones, both using the Pro roll-in tower starting point were battling jump after jump trying to impress the judges.

The Youth division was followed by the Masters division (ages 35 and older). Several of the Masters riders bypassed the smaller tabletop jump and climb to the top of the Pro tower roll-in. It looked like some of these Masters riders could be riding in the Pro division.

The Women took the course next and like the Masters several of these riders were dropping in from the Pro tower roll-in with tons of speed and launching the huge step-up jump and hitting the twenty foot table-top jump at the end of the course. It was hot competition between local Colorado rider Melissa Becker and UK rider Niki Forecast. These ladies were really stepping it up and were getting huge cheers from the crowd, most of who would have been scared to even step on a board much less tackle this difficult freestyle course.

The Sport division (ages 18 – 34) sure was a competition to watch. These riders are one step away from competing in the Pro division and I’m sure a couple of them could have given the Pros this day a run for their money. Josh Cole, Derek Howe and JD McGrew were letting it all hang out and pushing each other to levels unseen in the Sport division.

Dave Stiefvater pulling a backflip for the Media

Finally it was time for the Pros. The top dogs. Top riders Leon Robbins from Washington, AJ Lawson from North Carolina, Kody Stewart from California, Ben Tweedie from England and a dozen other top riders were sure to blow it up like never before. New to the format this year was the Head-To-Head finals competition but in order to make it that far the riders first had to go through a jam format qualifier round. These guys were pulling 3s, backflips, front flips, 540s and 720s and this was just in the qualifying round. Who knew what they were going to throw in the head-to-head finals. Once the top eight were chosen each rider would compete only against the rider in his bracket. Moving on if he won and sitting down if he lost. And on it went through the bracket until finally there were two riders in the top match. Kody Stewart vs. AJ Lawson. This had to be one of the best freestyle rounds in the history of the sport. AJ just going crazy throwing a backflip to frontflip combination and then Kody following up with a 360 off the first jump and a 720 off the second jump. Needless to say the level of riding was high and these guys really gave the crowd a freestyle finals to remember.

Alex Waters standing in front of the night time rail jam setup.

After the freestyle finals the riding wasn’t even close to being over. As the DJ spun great music riders competed in the Open Rail jam under the lights. Instead of riders being judged by judge, riders were judged by other riders. Riders were pulling out all the stops as they slid the twenty foot flat-to-down rail. In the end it was Matt Silva, from New Mexico, who came out on top and walked away with the Rail Jam cash.

The music kept pumping as the riders started getting their gear together and making plans for the next day. After all, the High Drive Ultimate Downhill was a demanding downhill race and riders needed to be well rested and mentally focused.

DJ party into the night

FREESTYLE RESULTS

Open Rail Jam

Matt Silva

Pro Freestyle – Head to Head

1st – Kody Stewart - CO

2nd – AJ Lawson - WV

3rd – Leon Robbins - WA

4th – Brandon Johannes - CO

Sport Freestyle

1st – Josh Cole - CO

2nd – Aaron Riggs - FL

3rd – JD McGrew - CO

Masters Freestyle

1st – Joseph Ponce De Leon - CO

2nd – Patrick Thomas - CO

3rd –Ted Ladue - GA

Womens Freestyle

1st – Melissa Becker - CO

2nd – Niki Forecast - UK

3rd – Erin Beckham - CO

Youth Freestyle

1st – Chris Jones - FL

2nd – Derek Howe - CO

3rd – Luke Hanson - CO

Grom Freestyle

1st – Kelby Clark - GA

2nd – Conor Woltman - CO

3rd –Mike Moritz - CO

Day Two: Downhill

You never know what kind of weather to expect in October, especially in Colorado Springs, but unlike Saturday which was a bit overcast all day, Sunday showered the day with blue skies and warm weather.

High Drive Riders

Riders needing a few extra runs showed up early and hiked their way to the top of the 3 mile downhill run while others, especially the ones who have ridden the road before, get there close to the end of the registration and only get one practice run in. High Drive is basically a steep dirt road about one lane wide that winds itself down three miles of mountainous terrain. The road has many switchbacks, off-angled straight-aways and sections of loose gravel. Riders need to be always looking ahead ready for the next turn. Top riders can reach speeds over thirty miles per hour and the many tight turns and tough competition can give even the seasoned veteran rider a tough challenge.

The day went like this. Each rider got one time trail run. This was their practice run as well. Depending on how the rider did in their time trial determined where they were placed in their Divisional race. Divisional races meant that all Groms raced against each other, all Youths raced against each other and so on. If they had the fastest time in their division they would be at the head of the pack. If they were slow or wrecked and had the worst time they would be positioned at the back of the group and would have to fight their way to the front always looking ahead and strategizing where to make their move. Once all the riders took their time-trial they all got a ride back up in either the MBS van or one of several volunteer vehicles. Almost seventy riders were being transported back up the mountain pass after each run.

Once all the riders got back to the top of the road all the Division groups were lined up. Fastest riders in front, slower riders in back. Each Division would be started at the same time. Up to fifteen riders starting at the same time. This is where the race gets interesting and where many of the wrecks happen. If you can make it down the road for a few hundred yards most of the time riders will be spaced apart enough to have a bit of breathing room yet sometimes riders are neck and neck the entire way down. Division after division was launched down the hill into a dusty haze. The spectators could only guess who was in the lead until the voice on the other end of the radios announced the finishers.

Patrick McConnel riding the Baby Dragon

After the Division heats came to a conclusion and all the riders were back at the starting area was the next and final race…. the Ultimate Downhill! The mass start! The race that made this event what it is. The ultimate downhill race is where all riders race at the same time. Up to seventy riders riding the same course at the same time. Pros were at the head of the pack and the slower Divisions were progressively near the back of the pack. The area is seemingly chaotic but there is actually a nice rhythm to the race. Riders start lining up one after the other into their position three abreast and although everyone is out for themselves there is a camaraderie between riders and no one wants to necessarily wreck anyone else, especially the younger riders.

The entire group gives a big cheer…”High Drive 2008”! The flag drops and everyone starts their descent. Again the dusts starts building as rider after rider passes the start line. Riders can’t seem to control themselves with excitement. Maybe it’s because this is the last event of the weekend. Maybe it’s because it’s the last event of the year. Or maybe it’s just another awesome day of mountainboarding. As the last rider crosses the start line and heads towards the bottom I can’t help but think that this last person is probably having as much fun as the rider in the front. Maybe even more fun because this rider has the opportunity to take his time and enjoy this fantastic scenery and who knows…. maybe pass a few people on his way down.

Melissa Becker carving through the first major switchback turn.

The day comes to a close after all the riders makes it once again back to the top of the course and get their gear together talking about the last few runs and what they might be able to do next year to perform even better. As the awards for the last few days start being handed out people gather around supporting all the riders both young and old who made it to the top of the podium. But even the riders who didn’t take home a trophy seem happy that they made it through the weekend and conquered this most challenging terrain.

Rufus Haynes enjoying the scenery almost as much as his time trial run. Rufus Rocks!

At the end of the awards the Triple Crown winners are announced and step up to receive their crown. These guys and girls did what it took to be at every race this year and not only just show up but compete at a high level. They are the future of the sport. They are pushing the envelope further and further. It’s hard to believe looking back 10 years on top of this very same mountain that the sport has come as far as it has. But as I look around and see the exhausted, dirty and smiling faces it’s actually easy to believe. I can’t wait to see where we are ten years from now. I hope to see you here.

DOWNHILL RESULTS