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!

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