Stop #1 of the

Triple Crown of Mountainboarding Series

       United States               Kansas                Heberely Farm       Big Air & BX


PAGE CONTENTS
Kaos in Kansas Event Overview
Event Photos
Event  Results

Kaos in Kansas is a mountainboard tradition, partly because it's one of the longest running organized races in the United States and partly because it is one of the funnest and unique events ever. Drop 60 mountainboarders in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a sweet boardercross track and a huge big air jump...combine that with a nightly bonfire, an amazing BBQ dinner and a night time freestyle jam with killer tunes and you have the makings of an epic event.

For us the trip starts out with a 10 hour drive with a van packed with rowdy mountainboarders and upon arriving at the location usually in the middle of the night we set up our tents in the pitch black Kansas field never knowing if you're stepping on a snake on in the middle of cow droppings.

You wake up early the next morning hearing the native birds chirping and the sound of riders working on their boards. You open you tent and realize there are a lot more people camping than you thought.

Other riders and their friends are slowly getting out of their tents, stretching and looking around for the nearest Starbucks...only to realize that the last Starbucks was passed yesterday about 200 miles from here.

Zak Heberely, the track owner and operator, puts on a great event and of course realizes people must be fed and supplied coffee in the morning otherwise there would be a mass exodus. So coffee and food arrives and riders continue getting ready for the day feeling satisfied for the moment.

You would never realize there was a mountainboard track out here if you weren’t in the "know". You drive down a dirt road for a few miles, everything looking pretty similar and then you spot a big metal gate and an MBS banner. That's got to be it right? You continue on down the road, dodging mud puddles if it rained the night before. Many people have been trapped in these puddles for several days. You keep driving and then finally the flat plains seem to drop out from under you and you peer off into a rather large green valley. It's very picturesque and at the bottom of the valley is a very scenic pond and old barn. Lots of cows mill around like it's any other day. But today is the big race and the peaceful valley is speckled with tents and boards and cars. Running down the middle of this scene as a winding boardercross track. This year Kody Stewart and Matt Kenoyer came out earlier in the week and beefed things up, again making this track better each year.

You stand on top of the metal roll- in / starting gate looking down the track. You pull off the gate and roll into the course. Roller, roller into a slight right hand turn, followed by two small tabletop jumps. Holding your speed and your traction you head straight into a left hand berm followed by a challenging rhythm section of five small rollers. You could jump a few but your timing would need to be perfect to not lose any speed. The rollers are followed by a right hand berm and into the final straightaway filled with 3 bigger rollers and finally over the double jump at the end. The course stops there but if you kept heading straight you'd end up in the lake. It's a relatively short course but you have to be on your toes to keep a smooth and fast line.

As you walk back up the hill on your left you see a monster dirt landing, a bigger metal and wood jump and up the hill the tall starting hill. This is one big jump! There are a few other lines for beginners to catch air next to this jump. The transitions look really smooth. I’ve got to give it a try. The roll-in has two posts and I grab a hold looking down the wooden runway wondering if I’m going to have enough speed to clear the gap or too much speed and land flat. I check my tire pressure making sure I'll have plenty of speed. I'd rather go too big than come up short. I roll in somewhat of a crouched position getting ready to spring myself off the jump at the last minute. I shoot off the end of the jump nice and straight feeling for the first time what this jump has, make a grab on the board, spot my landing, and touch the ground. Coming out of the landing a bit fast I reach down for a heel-side powerslide, throwing up a spray of dirt and come to a stop 30 feet from the lake. Nice.

Riders from around the country come to Kansas and because this year it's the first stop of the Triple Crown even more riders are in attendance. It's about 10 am and riders are flying through the course getting their last practice runs before time trials start. Time trials are a way for riders to get "seeded" into their boardercross brackets as well as a way for people to see how fast their competition is running. There seems to be a lot of fast riders in all the age groups. From the Grom division riders up through the Pros and Masters all divisions seem packed with good riders. I look around and spot some new riders that seem to be at the event for the first time. Kansas is a good mountainboard event to start with because the course, although it is challenging, it's not so gnarly you get scared. The track is about as fast or challenging as you make it. So for beginners it's perfect.

Although riders are kidding around there's a serious feel in the air.

Nick "Trill" Hill all the way from Pennsylvania.

Tyler Mork looking indifferent. Cole Shipp looking confident.

Van De Witt from Utah and Dave Sansone from Colorado

Mike Herbener - Capturing it all on HD

Derek Howe

Boardercross. 

It's 2 man head to head battles with double elimination. Double elimination format is nice because it gives you two chances to win and move on. If you have a bad run or wreck you have at least more chance to redeem yourself.

Cole Shipp in the lead over Dave Sansone

Tyler Mork in a tight battle with Dave Stiefvater

Josh Cole charging hard in a race againt Jason Keena

Van De Witt in a race against Devin Garland

Paul Johns from Utah leading Alex Janega into the first berm.

Joseph Ponce De Leon against Ted Ladue from Georgia.

Halston Rhodes against Dave Sansone

Melissa Becker

Juice Dutcham leading Benton Jackson

Big Air. 

In Big Air riders get 3 runs and are judged on each run based on difficulty, amplitude (height), style and landing. A rider could do a super crazy trick but crash on the landing and only get a few points. Most riders try to pull off two solid jumps on their first two jumps and then go all out on their third jump. Strategy comes into play a lot in big air. A rider will always be watching their competition to see how they are doing always trying to go one step further.

Devin Garland

Cole Shipp

Dave Stiefvater

Dave Stiefvater pulling a one footer.

Halston Rhodes doing a killer trick but crashing on the landing.

Evan Carlson going for style points. Not sure if he actually got a deduction on this trick.

Freestyle Jam at the Barnyard.

After riders received their awards, watched videos from the day, and filled their bellies at Bodacious meats in the small town of Wellington they headed back to the Barnyard for the Freestyle Jam. Matt kenoyer pumped up the jams as capable riders dropped inthe newly crreated 20' roll-in tower. The winds picked up and the temperature cooled down but the energy was high and the riders continued on doing trick after trick on the big jump and finishing their run with a dirt mound jib.

Matt Kenoyer - Laying down the jams

Van DeWitt popping and locking to the jams

The 16' Roll-In at the "Barnyard"

Kody Stewart

Halston Rhodes

Throwing riders down the ramp to hit the jib hip.

Nick Hill

Kody Stewart

Cole Shipp

Josh Cole

Alex Janega

Rufus

Tyler Mork

Shaun Anderson - Washington

Matty in the Barn spinning tunes as Kody Stewart airs it out.




RESULTS

Pro Big Air

1 Kody Stewart - CA

2 Dave Stiefvater - CO

3 Devin Garland - CO

Pro Boardercross

1 Jason Lee - CO

2 Kody Stewart - CA

3 Justin Dersham - CO

Sport Big Air

1 Josh Cole - CO

2 Jason Keena - CO

3 Shaun Anderson - WA

Sport Boardercross

1 Josh Cole - CO

2 Jason Keena - CO

3 Derek Howe - CO

Masters Big Air

1 Joseph Ponce De Leon - CO

2 Phil Sheader - CO

3 Gene Lott - TX

Masters Boardercross

1 Ted Ladue - GA

2 Joseph Ponce De Leon - CO

3 Richard Guilmette - GA

Womens Big Air

1 Emily Smith-Zurawski - CO

2 Katie - WA

3 Milly Wallace - UT

Womens Boardercross

1 Katie - WA

2 Erin Beckham - CO

3 Ari Coats - CO

Barnyard Jam

1 Kody Stewart - CA

2 Devin Garland - CO

3 Halston Rhodes - UT
4 Nick Hill - PA (1st to drop that night in a storm)

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE TRIPLE CROWN PAGE



Award for the first person to eat cow droppings this year goes to GRIZZ

Award for most mangled tent goes to Richard Guilmette

Award for best rockin jams at a Barnyard Jam Session goes to Matty!!!!!! hell ya. That was a highlight.

Award for best crash goes to Fritz

Award for People to Drive the Furthest goes to Shaun, Alex and Katie from Washington State

Award for best Moon Air goes to Evan Carlson

Award for best Air Tire Grab Move goes to Benton Jackson

Award for best effort at chasing a cow goes to Evan Carlson. Good effort E Car. Cows are fast aren't they?