4/10/10 OMAHA… MIDDLE AMERICA

It’s hard to believe this was the final stop of the year for the Gravity Slashers, but it was and the boys blew it up! The fans at Quest Center were treated to the best show of the season and they responded by being one of the loudest crowds I have ever heard. Things got ramped up with Keith Sayers leading off. He sailed thru his run nailing a whip flip and a disco can to put up a solid opening number, 84.4. Derek Burlew ripped it up next reaching in to his bag of tricks and showing the crowd a nice BASE jump that helped him to a total of 89.5. The third man to the Quest Center floor was Dustin Nowak and he loaded his run with a double grab indy air and a nac flip that helped him post an 88.0. Nick Dunne followed him and went huge on his super flip and backed that up with a very nice Captain Morgan giving him a shot at the finals with a tally of 89.6. The last bike out in the first set was ridden by Javier Villegas and he flowed thru his run leaving his mark on the crowd with a Kiss of Death flip that pushed his score to an 89.9 which looked like enough to get him into the finals.

Heath Frisby slid out to rousing applause on his Red Bull powered Ski-Doo. Heath got his bearings in the first intermission with a couple of basic tricks and took some time to talk to the audience. He came back after the finals and brought Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers with him for what has become their trademark ending, the triple flip with the sled in the middle and the bikes on either side. As always the crowd loved it and were on their feet cheering wildly for over a minute afterward.

Our second half of qualifiers was led off by Rich Kearns and he wasted little time getting going, dropping a heel clicker flip and a shaolin bar hop that netted him a total of 84.0. Drake McElroy rolled out next and showed the crowd a big 9 o’clock nac and ended his run with a dead body for a score of 85.7. Julian Dusseau was on point and super flipped and side showed his way into the finals with a tally of 90.1. Greg Hartman showed why he is referred to as “Superman”, going upside down with a super flip and qualifying number two with a 90.5. Brody Wilson looked cool for his full 60 seconds and put up the top number with a 92.1. After intermission the incomparable Jennifer Schneider came to the floor to a raucous ovation and launched herself into the stratosphere. “The Cannonlady” brought Rich Kearns and Dustin Nowak with her and they went off the ramps as she came out of the cannon for an amazing first! We had a full house for our whip contest as seven riders came to the floor to contest the final crowd judged whip off of the year. Dunne, Sayers, Villegas, Dusseau and Wilson went for broke but they didn’t have enough to unseat two of the best whippers in the business, DMC and Burlew.

When the dust settled Burlew took home the honors for the night, but it was awesome to see seven guys vying for the win. The finals started with “Astroboy” and Villegas let it all hang out, even putting a Kiss of Death flip in his run to score a 90.4. However, the “California Kid” Julian Dusseau wasn’t messin’ around and loaded his run with big extension and a beautiful 9 o’clock nac to supplant JV Air with a 91.6. Greg Hartman left it all out on the floor on his final run of the season and posted his best score of the year with a 92.8. That only left “The Wilson Express”, and Brody didn’t disappoint. He let a Holy Grab fly that made the entire audience gasp and then go wild. Even before he got is total you could tell he was stoked. His 94.5 gave him the win and as always he was smiling from ear to ear.

What a phenomenal way to cap off the season, with Brody Wilson taking home the final Gravity Slashers tour stop victory here in Omaha. All the guys will head their separate ways for the next 8 months but don’t worry we’ll all be back next season and you can bet the competition will be even bigger and better!

02/06/10

I hear people say “We’re not in Kansas anymore” all the time and never really understood what it meant until tonight. The people here are amazing and welcome you in like family and that is exactly what they did tonight at the Intrust Bank Arena for the Gravity Slasher FMX riders. Julian Dusseau kicked things off for us looking to make a second straight trip to the finals from the pole position. He put together a solid run that included a flip nac but was only able to muster an 83.9. They next guy out was Nick “Six Guns” Dunne and as always he played to the crowd, drilling an excellent back flip combo and his signature trick the Captain Morgan in his opening run earning himself a spot in the finals with an 88.7. Keith Sayers wound up the folks at the Intrust Bank arena next and added a nac flip to his run as he keeps making progress coming back from an injury sustained early in the season. He scored an 84.5 and thanked the crowd for their rousing ovation. Derek Burlew rolled out smoothly next and made a full lap before heading to the top of the double landing ramp for a little one on one time with the crowd. They gave him a big yell and that was no doubt part of what helped him on his superb run that included a candy bar to saran wrap combo and an 88.3 which was good enough for the last transfer spot to the finals. Shawn Connors looked much more rested tonight and went big on his dead body, showing the folks in Wichita what the east coast rider was capable of. The “Redneck’s” 84.3 wasn’t enough to get him into the finals but he had a huge smile plastered on his face and gave props to his fellow riders for being so talented.
The second set of qualifiers kicked off with the high flying Rich Kearns and he looked comfortable in the saddle ripping off a codova and a one handed back flip. His 85.0 was a little short of the mark for the finals but you can see Rich getting back to form and he will be a force the rest of the way. The very cool and collected Drake McElroy made his way to the floor and showed off his smooth style for all 60 seconds. He didn’t advance to the finals but the crowd didn’t seem to mind as they gave him as big a cheer as anyone for his phenomenal whip nac. Dustin Nowak fired his big throaty four-stroke up next and flipped, whipped and stretched his way to an 88.5 and the third qualifying spot for the Alefs Harley Davidson finals. The Big Man himself Greg Hartman rode out to the Man in Black and unfurled his 6’4” frame for a super flip and a two hand look back Hart attack, but was only able to score an 88.2 which left him on the outside looking in. Brody Wilson was our final qualifier and he breezed into the final with a series of flip tricks and a Rock Solid that was out of this world. His 90.4 was the top number from the prelims and had him in the Cat Bird seat heading into the 80 second set.

Following intermission we brought back the four riders from Friday nights’ show for a rematch in the whip contest to be judged by the crowd. Wilson and Dunne put up some big air, but the contest tonight was between Drake McElroy and Derek Burlew. DMC tossed out his patented whip nac and the crowd ate it up, but Burlew had the last laugh with a near upside down whip. He also went to the left with everyone else going right and I think that tipped the scales in his favor as he regained the Whip title for the week.

Our Alefs Harley Davidson finals were led off by Derek Burlew fresh off his whip win and he carried that energy to an 88 even. McElroy eased out next and even though he threw in the guitar hero lazy boy he was unable to replace DB atop the leader board, because he was only able to garner an 87.7 from the judges. Nick Dunne had his run dialed until his final trip to the tunnel where he had a little trouble making a clean turn and had to short his run by one trick. He did enough to get in front of Burlew by scoring an 88.3, but with Brody Wilson waiting in the wings that didn’t look like it was going to be enough. Turns out he was right to be worried with “Bro D” pilling up the big tricks including a Holy Grab they had him suspended in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Wilson came to the landing ramp for his interview and was smiling ear to ear knowing he put together a great run. The folks deciding on the score agreed and gave him the win with a 91.8.

Before the encore we called X-Games Gold Medalist Heath Frisby to the floor on his Ski-Doo rocket sled to show the fans in Kansas what the top dog on snow looks like. He brought along a couple of friends in the form or Keith Sayers and Nick Dunne and they hit the ramp three times in unison. The first jump was a dead sailor for all three, followed by a triple up of super cans and the last trip was a flip sandwich with two bikes on the outside and Frisby in the middle. It was an awesome sight and the crowd erupted in the loudest screams of the night.

As the bikes took their final laps and soaked up all the good karma in the building it was obvious the Gravity Slashers left their mark on the Intrust Bank Arena and all the great people in Wichita. We look forward to seeing everyone when we get to a town near you. We will be in Little Rock Arkansas next week so pick up you tickets and come see us. Like I always say, check us out on Facebook and make us your friends. Throw down a post and let us know what you are thinking, all the riders and crew read and post regularly.
- David Kinsley

As some of you know I am in California for a few days escaping the cold of Montana. Driving around the L.A. area has been quite an experience for me, especially trying to figure out the different freeways etc. Good things are coming soon that I can’t quite talk about yet, but there are three new sponsors I will be working with. Between video, clothing and optics I will be styling going into Winter X.

Practice has been going really well, and thankfully I have nailed down some new variations on some solid tricks. I am looking forward to getting home and riding in some deep snow, not on the dirt! As the holiday season approaches I would like to bring up a sad subject, but one that everyone should pay attention to, avalanche safety.

Everyone has a snowmobile with plenty of power to get into and out of scary situations, and most riders wear beacons along with shovels and probes. Everyone should carry this equipment when heading out riding anywhere to be safe. Yesterday a good family friend of mine passed away in a avalanche while riding. Joel Barrie was 24, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family, he will be missed. Please take a look at sites like Avalanche.org and take some safety classes.

Needless to say, my trip has been cut short and I am heading home. I would like to thank all my friends and family in this stressful time, as well as my sponsors like Red Bull for standing behind me. Have a safe weekend.

Heath

Yesterday was the long drive home from Winnipeg and I wanted to show off my new trailer. After all these trips around Canada for the New Rock Live Tour, I needed to pull it together and by a enclosed trailer to work and travel out of. It is insulated, fits all six sleds, and will soon be heated. Not to mention it is secure and locks! This will be mobile command during the X Games and other events this winter. I also threw down and bought a new truck a month or two ago since I will be traveling so much this year. 402hp makes towing a lot more fun!

Later

Friz

Well I finally awoke from my multiple day turkey eating feast and had some time to spend in the shop. Ski Doo sent me five new sleds this year, so I have to tear down each one and start bolting on mod parts. You can also see my custom seat design I make, using 8′ PVC, a foam cutter, and a heat gun. Then I take the seat down to a local upholstery guy and get it all buttoned up. They turn out pretty sweet for a home made job! I would like to introduce you to Eleanor.

Through the past years I have really enjoyed competing in Aspen in the Winter X Games. While looking around the internet I stumbled upon the teaser video for this winter’s event in Tignes, France. I personally love the French, think pomme frites are amazing, and would gladly crate my sled and ship it to France. My schedule is fairly open this winter, and if you could squeeze me into the schedule I would appreciate it a ton.

Best Regards,

Heath Frisby

I received an email from a marketing person at the Winter X-Games office yesterday, and to my surprise I am now on a poster! They will be doing a short parody film, similar to something like the Airplane movies, to help get the word out about Winter X. Be on the look out for the ad, I couldn’t be more excited for winter now!

Later

Friz

So those nice guys at SCS Vinyl Works, who do my sled wraps thought of a nice little bonus for those who order new wraps. The first twenty orders come with a autographed poster by yours truly. So give that boyfriend, husband, wife, son, daughter, or redneck neighbor a new sled wrap for Xmas, and keep the poster for yourself!

Later

Friz

Canada has been my new home for the last few weeks. As I’m sure you have all seen, that pretty little Astro van we bought has been serving us well. Simply to keep the miles off our own trucks, we bought that gem to abuse for our travels across the great white north. For anyone who hasn’t been to Canada I highly recommend you watch the movie Strange Brew. It accurately portrays what life in Canada is actually like.

Just kidding, we have been having a ton of fun setting up and breaking down the shows, driving all over the middle of no where, and listening to tons of music. I also got a little tattoo work done in Edmonton by Chris at Tattoo Showdown. I will keep you posted on what goes down at the events as the tour winds down. For now keep checking New Rock Live for all the contest results.

Friz