The crowds came out in warmer weather than expected. Last year we were here it was full on winter, and this time there were no funny furry tank driver hats, but they were still drinking lots of vodka! It’s really fun to do these shows in Russia towards the end of the season. After all my practicing and touring around the USA and Canada, it’s refreshing to still see excited and happy faces. We did two shows that went off well, but there was some trouble on the horizon brewing, literally.

As anyone who hasn’t had their head in a hole knows by now, Iceland had a major volcanic eruption this weekend, and the resulting ash cloud has put a serious dent in European travelers plans, myself included. There are worse things than being stranded in Europe, but hanging out in airports gets old after awhile. Regardless of how frustrated I was, I knew there were thousands of other people trying to get home as well, so I relaxed and had a beer.

I would also like to thank everyone who asked questions on Facebook. I have copied and pasted the answers below.

What mods do you guys do to your sleds so they are ready for freestyle?

I usually put a skidoo mod engine kit on my sled. I also put on a freestyle seat, Fly mini-moto bend handlebars and a Fly 3 inch handlebar riser.

How hard was it to become what you are today? And what are some of the things you did to get where you are?

It was a lot of work there were a lot of years were I had a lot of fun but there was no money and it was very hard for me to pay my bills. I practiced and I love what I do so i just kept working hard and keeping my eyes on the main goal.. winning Winter X games.

How did you start sledstyle and how often do you hurt yourself doing it?

I started because I wanted to be a freestyle motocrosser but I couldn’t make the cut when I was younger. I have been hurt a bunch I broke my left leg tibia and fibula three times. My left ankle three times, dislocated my right elbow and shoulder, broke my jaw, broke my right heal, broke my back, collapsed my lung, and broke three ribs.

What is it like the very first time you hit the ramp? What should I start first, freestyle fmx or snowmobile?

I was really scared to hit the ramp the first time because there had only been three other people in front of me and they all crashed… I started on my bike doing tricks, it was easier to find jumps than ramps at first.

Are you filming for Slednecks 13?

We filmed some in Idaho for X Games and are going to be working more this season on my segment.

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!

Since everything is so close in Europe we also headed over to Geneva, Switzerland for the International Car Show. Mind blowing is the only way to describe the type of cars here. You never really see anything like this in the US, especially Montana! I left feeling poor, since I don’t own a million dollar supercar, but at the same time you can’t really drive a Duramax in Europe…so that made me feel better. There were cars made entirely of carbon fiber, and not just race cars!

Even the displays they had to showcase the cars were pretty incredible. I’m not sure who designs them, or better yet has to assemble them, but most had nicer hardwood floors than my house, and more TV’s than a Best Buy. All in all it was a ridiculous day. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite pictures from the trip, me on the rainbow carpet.

Back to the US today, where I can look forward to some awesome jet lag!

Later

Heath

SacTown came out in force Saturday night to see the aerial assault on display as the Gravity Slashers took to the floor of the Arco Arena. Things jumped off quickly with Shawn Nielson going upside down twice in his run, including a nac flip that helped him score an impressive 85.8. Our second competitor was the tenacious Keith Sayers. “Say Ya” had his best run of the year, 86.8, and it won’t be long before he finds himself back in the finals. Derek Burlew wasn’t able to crack the top 4 Friday and was looking for a little redemption on Saturday. He pulled out all the stops doing an impressive cliff hanger and a perfect double grab Hart attack look back. His 89.9 had him on the bubble with two riders left in the first half. Dustin Nowak broke cover next and had a solid run but came up short of the number for a transfer spot posting an 86.4. Rich Kearns finished things up for us and laid down the top preliminary score with a 92.5.

Heath Frisby brought his Ski-Doo out for the fans to admire during our first break and did a couple of basic tricks. He came to the landing ramp for a quick chat and the crowd seemed to really enjoy hearing from the best trick gold medalist. He promised to come back after the Subway Restaurant finals and get inverted for the fans at Arco Arena. He made good but upped the ante a little by bringing Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers to the floor with him for a triple flip which they pulled off perfectly.

The second half of qualifiers started off with the local kid Nick Dunne. Nicky took his time getting started and I know he was feeling a little added pressure being so close to home but the crowd was fully behind him. He kept it together nicely and made his way to the finals with a 91.5. Drake McElroy rolled next and kept the crowd pumped for a total of 87.0. Julian Dusseau went to the floor hoping to advance from his new starting spot 8th. He is used to going first and the extra time waiting obviously served him well because he locked up the second qualifying spot with a 91.8. Greg Hartman got funky with the crowd dancing on his bike to “Low” to start his run off. He was feelin’ it but again tonight came up one trick short and was only able to post an 86.9. The last rider vying for a spot in the finals was Brody Wilson. The “Wilson Express” started strong but a dead sailor hurt his chances for the finals and he was only able to put up an 84.0.

The crowd was pumped and with all the noise they were making we had them judge for the whip contest. Burlew, Dunne, DMC, Dusseau and Wilson all set up for bragging rights tonight. “Six guns”, Wilson and Dusseau put up good whips but the crowd was feeling DMC and Burlew. The loudest cheer of the season decided our winner and it turned out to be DB.

After his win in the whip contest Burlew had to make a quick turn and be the first guy out for the Subway Restaurants finals. He made a serious bid for the win by throwing in a BASE jump to score a 90.3. The kid from just down the block, Nicky Dunne came out next to a rousing ovation and slammed it from start to finish hitting a super flip and a BASE jump as well. The judges agreed with the crowd and gave “Six Guns” a 93.0. Dusseau ran third and worked in a side show and a no footed can to heel clicker but he came up short with his 92.0. Rich Kearns smoked the tires on his way out of the tunnel and mixed in a cordova flip along with stripper flip on his way to a 92.3, but that wasn’t enough for the win giving Nick Dunne his first win of the year.

The crowd was awesome here in Sacramento and the riders to a man said they had a great time. We are headed to Phoenix, AZ next week and you should get you tickets now! Stop by Gravity Slashers on Facebook and say hello, if you have any questions or comments e-mail me at mxannouncer@hotmail.com . David Kinsley

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

Steve, we got it!

More photos at SCSunltd.com