Posts Tagged ‘x-games’
03/06/10 (Thanks David Knisley)
CLEVELAND ROCKS!!! You have heard the mantra before and it certainly held true tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena. The fans were loud from start to finish and they certainly had a ton to cheer about. Sean Nielson started us off with a solid run that netted him an 83.1. Sean was happy to end his season on a good note and will be having surgery to repair a torn ACL on Tuesday. We hope for a speedy recovery for “The Outlaw”. Next, Derek Burlew went off, hitting both a switch grip Indy and a BASE jump to net an 88.8. Keith Sayers came to the floor after DB and despite a solid run was only able to manage an 83.5 which was okay with “Say Ya” because he said his return from the early season ankle injury continues on schedule. Nick Dunne came out to a huge applause and didn’t disappoint his many fans, hitting both a Captain Morgan and a Drunken Monkey as well. His 90.8 would turn out to be the top qualifier for the night. Dustin Nowak was fighting the flu as he came to the floor, but still put in a game effort, but was only able to score an 80.0.
During our first break X-Games gold medalist Heath Frisby came out to get his Red Bull Ski-Doo dialed in and ended up a little short on his second jump and got huckle bucked off the front of his sled. He was ok and got right up. He promised to be back after the finals and he kept his word performing a back flip on his snow mobile with Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers flipping right next to him.
Rich Kearns got us going in the second half and he was also fighting a stomach bug but made no excuses. He was only able to manage an 83.2, but the crowd definitely appreciated his effort. Drake McElroy cruised out behind him and smoothly work his way thru a run that included a stylish cliff hanger and his signature whip nac. He had a shot at the finals with his 88.4 but with three riders left he would have wait and see. Julian Dusseau strode out aboard his Yamaha and had a clean run. He put together a nice no footed can to candy bar and managed to get in an extra trick and the judges rewarded his effort with a 90.5 that had him headed to the finals. Greg Hartman rode from the tunnel to the sounds of Johnny Cash and the Man in Black inspired him to an 89.5 which was good enough for the final qualifying spot. Brody Wilson stepped to the plate with the final chance to get to the main event. He showed the crowd a perfectly executed one hand seat grab to rock solid that helped him to the second qualifying spot with a 90.7.
We had all the usual suspects for out crowd judged whip contest with Dunne, Dusseau, Wilson, McElroy and Burlew squaring off. Dusseau and Dunne put up nice whips and “The Wilson Express” turned his bike nearly upside down, but DMC and DB again took things to another level. Drake’s whip nac really revved up the crowd but Burlew stole the win by going to the single ramp and throwing a sweet left handed whip to the Cleveland faithful.
“Superman” Greg Hartman was the first to go in the finals and he started things off with a superflip and ended with a back flip Indy to score a 91.7. Dusseau was rider number two in the finals and used a whip flip and a flip can can to take over the Hot Seat with a 92.3. Julian looked a little nervous in the big red chair knowing Brody Wilson was next to the floor. It turned out to be with good reason because Wilson started his run with a Kiss of Death flip and also showing off a very nice sidewinder and a massive Rock Solid. He nudged Dusseau out of the Hot Seat with his tally of 93.8. The crowd favorite Nicky “Six Guns” Dunne was our last rider and he had it on a rail until his third trick which he dead sailored which pretty much sealed the win for Brody.
It was a fantastic night here on the shores of Lake Erie and the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena saw one of the best shows of the year. Get to Facebook.com/gravityslashers and let the guys know how much you loved the show. – David Knisley
SACTOWN CAME OUT IN FORCE SATURDAY NIGHT (thanks to David Kinsley)
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
I finally won X Games gold! I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, family, friends, and sponsors, I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you so much.
Steve, we got it!
More photos at SCSunltd.com
For all the iPhone and iTouch users out there who happen to like snowmobiles, you should go check out the new application 2XL Games made. I can’t set down the game, partially due to the fact that I am in the game, and partially because it is super fun. The graphics are killer I must say! Nice work!
After spending some time back at the Idaho homestead, I hit the road to go do the most American thing I could think of. This included driving a big truck across the wild west to just outside Jackson, Wyoming. I then followed by filming for Good Morning America. Yup, pretty damn American if you ask me. The spot will air on January 24th right before the X Games so be sure to look out for it.
It’s always good to get out and get in front of the camera but this one ended up being an interesting one. As I was ripping around a tree, a branch got jammed in my sleds throttle, unleashing everything she had into another tree. I ended up fine but did a number on the sled. Needless to say I have been tough on sleds this year and it’s only early Jan! Luckily, I was able to hop on my buddy Tobin’s sled. Thanks bro!
Now It’s back to Bozeman to kick it with the boys at SCS Unlimited and do some final training before X. Crunch time is here.
- Friz
I like to burn gasoline, actually everything I do involves burning some type of fuel. I drive a truck, I ride a snowmobile, I flip my dirt bike, and I am always swiping my card at the fuel pump. So I started my Wednesday off like any other Wednesday, I filled up my truck and am heading to Bozeman. The thermometer outside read a balmy 8 degrees, and I needed a cold Red Bull. The windchill at 75mph had to be way below zero, so I present my instant chilling method for your beverages below.
The week after New Year’s was quite action packed, and invloved plenty of air travel and a newborn baby. My brother Russell and his wife Christine had a new daughter to ring in the new year, and I was fortunate enough to be there for the fun. Best wishes to the baby, she looks great!
This week I will be back in Idaho for a bit to rest and get ready for a taping with Good Morning America in Jackson Hole on January 10th. We will be riding with them and explaining the sport a little, and I hope to scare them a bit while we are at it! X Games is getting closer and closer, and this years event is going to be insane. Without letting the cat out of the bag, I have some new tricks that are going to blow minds. Once again, thanks to everyone for their support this winter, I am fortunate to be living this life.
Friz
The holiday season snuck up on me like a ninja this year. While traveling around the west I didn’t really notice the Christmas lights and music everywhere until today. Everywhere I go it’s Jingle Bells or reindeers! I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday wherever you are, and will sign off with this funny little video to make you laugh! Merry Christmas!
Hi,
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
Good Morning from cold as hell Montana,
Winter has arrived, the workouts are intensifying, and I am fully prepped and ready for the upcoming competition season. With temperatures here in Butte dipping below zero at night I have begun thinking about those blower powder days and the smell of two stroke fuel burning. I have been flipping and riding a ton this summer and fall and feel confident that my skills are in place for the big show, Winter X.
I was looking through photos from last winter and thinking about what is to come from the winter ahead. One thing stuck in my mind from last winter, is our trip to Russia. The shows we performed behind the iron curtain with the SCS Crew were mind blowing. One of our close friends and sponsors, Montaqua Dave, not only produces the best tasting water in all the west, he also has written a nice little synopsis of our events in Russia. So thanks Dave, I wanted to share this piece with the fans to get everyone excited about our next trip to Europe!
Excerpt
Some people hibernate during the winter but others live to play in the snow. The SCS Sledstyle Crew does more than play, they continually push the sport of freestyle snowmobiling to new heights. Most winters are pretty crazy for these guys but the last 4 months might just top them all…
Anticipation for X Games 13 had been persistently building since the close of last year’s event. The SCS Crew trained and planned diligently for the last 12 months getting ready to show the world how their sport was evolving. The preparation intensified in December & January when a practice facility was built in Idaho and white powdery flakes began to fall.
Fanatic spectators ascended upon Aspen in record numbers for X Games 13 to watch the world’s greatest extreme athletes defy the laws of gravity. The SCS Crew was in full force building the sickest freestyle course in the competition’s history and then dominating the medal podiums. SCS’s founder, Steve Miller, engineered and built the course while SCS Riders Heath Frisby & Joe Parsons won medals.
The X Games had barely come to a close when Heath Frisby received a call from Travis Pastrana. With the SCS Sledstyle motorhome loaded with sleds & Montaqua, the group headed south to meet up with Travis & his zany crew of top action sport athletes. Frisby had been invited to Utah to personally coach Pastrana on flipping a snowmobile for the Nitro Circus show on MTV.
With that in mind, I plan on bringing you the best content I can generate this winter, whether it is through social media, my new HD helmet cam from Vholdr, or through photos from all my friends and fans. I will soon be going to California to train at the Red Bull Facility and will have some awesome footage to go with it. Thanks to everyone for their help, and let’s get ready to rock this winter and make some history!
Cheers
Friz
Morning,
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
Morning,
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.
Dear ESPN,
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
Morning,
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
What’s Up,
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
What’s Up
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
Well those nice people at Red Bull interviewed me again recently, and here is the write up. Just in case you guys wanted to know a little bit more about me! Check out their new website as well, way more video and it’s awesome.
Canada is expensive, but hey have snow, so I like it. Even though hot wings and pizza were roughly $55, it’s good to be riding on snow rather than wood chips again. Tonight is the first night of the New Rock Live tour I have been talking about for some time. It’s a combination music/sledstyle tour across Canada. It’s a little like a winter Warped Tour for those of you in the US. I’m stoked to be a part of it and think tonight’s show is going to be sick. Isaac Sherbine and Keith Sayers are riding in the tour as well, so it’s really fun to ride with your best friends in foreign countries. Even though I think I have been in Canada every other weekend this summer. Check out this practice picture, that landing ramp is huge!
Later
Friz
Morning,
SCS Wraps has been hard at work designing the new graphics for the upcoming winter, and I finally received my full sled kit. I think they look pretty rad, with a whole new theme to boot. It has been snowing like crazy here in the Wood River Valley with almost 12 inches up north. I think we actually skipped fall and went straight to winter, which is fine by me.
I am heading up to Butte, MT now to gather up all my sleds, gear, ramps etc from Keith Sayers house and packing for the New Rock Live Tour. The first stop is October 9, 2009; Medicine Hat Arena- Medicine Hat, Alberta. So get in your truck and drive up to watch the show
Later
Friz
What’s Up,
Most of us sledstyle or FMX guys really aren’t too savvy when it comes to water sports. Sure we can sit on a boat and drink a beer or two, but most of us are snow or dirt based people. Well the weather here in Bellevue has been windy as all hell, so last weekend we headed north to Redfish Lake. This could be one of the most beautiful lakes in the west, and you don’t have to give up the creature comforts of life going there either. Some friends and family and I went up for a day in the crystal clear ice cold water, luckily right before it snowed. I gave this whole stand up paddle boarding craze a try, and I must say it is pretty fun. The balance needed to keep things upright and smooth it pretty intense. I just cruised around the lake on flat water, but after seeing those big wave videos I am more than impressed by the pros. You should give it a shot next time you give the chance.
Later
Friz
Hey guys,
I wanted to point out a good blog that is related to sledstyle and snowmobiling in general. Julien has been great about putting up content for me, and I wanted to give him a shout out as well. This is the kind of site we need to grow, let’s make this sport as big as we can! Thanks Julien, and keep up the good work, even is you are in college right now!
http://www.sledstyle.wordpress.com
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- Paulo Teixeira: I took some videos of that event in HD here: http://vimeo.com/8497083