Freestyle Motocross

FRIDAY:
Rochester Freestyle Motocross Results, Friday:

Night one of competition was off the hook! To start things off we saw new riders like Brian Henning, Paul Smith, Marco Riikonen, and Brody Wilson. Also for the first time on the tour was OG rider Gary Robertson. They all came out swinging, it was a freestyle shootout.

New kid Brody Wilson showed the crowd and all the other riders that he would be a force to be reckoned with for 2006. In the end it was Jason Rowe, Brody Wilson, Shawn Connors, and Gary Robertson making it to the finals.

In the doubles competition we had a tie between the Jason Rowe/Casey Higgins team and the Brody Wilson/Slade Waltman duo. I decided to randomly select a rider from each team and let them throw their best trick. The rider with the best trick would take the win for his team. I selected Jason Rowe to go up against Brody Wilson. Jason came out and threw a sick Rock Solid to a double grab Indy! Brody would challenge "Chi-town" with perfectly executed Sidewinder. In the end the crowd would conclude that Jason Rowe was the clear pic for the win. So it was Jason Rowe and Casey Higgins taking the win in the team competition.

In Extreme MotoTrials we had the 5 th ranked rider in the nation, Keith Wineland, twisting and turning the crown into amazement with his precision moves. He was on fire, this kid is all talent!

Then it was time for the Finals and Shawn Connors was first out. He stuck his run, and set the bar high after pulling off a Steralizer... a tremendous feet in these small hockey arenas! Next out was Gary Robertson and it was his chance to show the young bucks how it’s done "G-Funk" style. He killed it! But with a missed striper it would not be enough to take the seat from the "Redneck".

Next was Brody Wilson, in the Finals on his very first IFMA competition. Where did this kid come from… they ride FMX in Massachussetts? He destroyed it and had a nearly perfect run, knocking Connors from the Dodge Hotseat with his two no-handed lander tricks! The only mistake was a repeated trick and Chi-town, Jason Rowe was gonna have to step-it-up tonight!

Last, but not least it was "Chi-town" time. He came out with all his tricks, throwing down with a KOD, old school nac-nac and a Look-back helicopter! It was close, but in the end Jason Rowe would take the win!!

The story of the night though was for sure Brody Wilson. To make it as far as he did at his first Ramp-It-Up competition is amazing. Not only is he a great rider, he is an educated young lad. Brody graduates college in December with a degree in business. This kid is a talent!

I will let you know what happens Sat night.

Peace,

Sharpie

FMX:

Results:

1. Jason Rowe - 93.0 / 93.0
2. Brody Wilson – 92.5 / 92.75
3. Shawn Connors – 90.0 / 91.5
4. Garry Robertson – 91.3 / 91.0
5. Casey Higgins – 89.9
6. Slade Waltman – 89.5
7. Paul Smith – 87.0
8. Marco Riikonen – 82.3
9. Brian Henning – 72.6

Team Competition:

1. Rowe/Higgins – 29 (win by jump-off)
2. Wilson/Waltman – 29
3. Connors/Robertson – 25
4. Henning/Smith - 22

SATURDAY:
Rochester Freestyle Motocross Results, Saturday  

Night two of competition was everything I expected it to be and the anticipation was high. In the opening qualifying runs the first few riders set the standard high. The riders were all in perfect form tonight. We saw it all as riders like Garry Robertson, local favorite Casey Higgins, “Redneck” Shawn Connors, Brody Wilson, and Jason Rowe came out and killed it! In the end the final four finalists would be Connors, Higgins, Wilson and Rowe.

First, in the Extreme MotoTrials it was Keith Wineland astonishing the crowd with his precision motorcycle skills. In typical fashion he gracefully bounced all over his MotoTrials obstacles. Keith is a member of Team USA and recently won the men’s International Trophy at the 2005 Trials des Nations! The future looks bright for USA Trials, especially with rising star Keith Wineland!

Next it was time for the Cannonlady Jennifer Schneider. Jennifer was unable to shoot out of the Canon Friday due to new equipment and an arena ceiling that was nearly too low. But you can not keep a true daredevil down. After deciding to go for it Saturday, I admit I was a bit nervous. Jennifer slid into the canon, and the queue to countdown was taking too long. I knew there was a possible problem and at that point was concerned for her safety. In the end I got the queue and the launch, flight, and landing was successful, and most importantly, SAFE ! This is one amazing chick!!

On Saturday night’s we mix up the format of the show a bit, and instead of holding another Team Competition like the night before, we instead take the top 8 finishers from the previous night’s FMX competition and put them in a tournament-style Big Trick Competition. As the competition unfolded it was hometown boy Casey Higgins and Garry Robertson making it through to the tourney finals. Higgins came out and threw a perfect Sidewinder, and had the support of his hometown. Then Robertson came out and attempted a Kiss of Death. He was unable to get the extension he was looking for and knew he had lost the comp, but then for the sake of the huge crowd, he decided to go and hit the other ramp where he executed the amazing trick perfectly… a perfect KOD! Too bad it took him two tries because in the Big Trick Tourney you only get one shot! So it was Rochester ’s Higgins taking a solid win for his hometown. Way to go Casey!

In the FMX Finals the anticipation was palatable! It was the "Redneck" Connors once again making it into the Finals, and he came out with a solid run and had a good chance at holding on for the win. Next out was Higgins, with hometown support, but it would take a flawless run to knock out the "Redneck". Higgins gave it his all, but was unable to match the “Redneck” and his sterilizer and would not take the Dodge Hotseat!

Then came new comer, Brody Wilson, who nearly won Friday’s competition at his first ever IFMA. To the true astonishment of the crowd in the Blue Cross Arena, Wilson had a perfectly flawless run with four no-handed-lander combos, including some wicked tricks like a McMetz to no-handed lander, sidewinder, and a straight up and down heart-attack. The judges rewarded his efforts and put him in the Dodge Hotseat with 93.25 score.

Only one rider was left, Friday night’s winner and tour veteran, Jason “Chi-Town” Rowe. He would come out with his plethora of sick extensions and technical tricks, but with one minor mistake it would open the door for the new guy Wilson to grab his first of, I’m certain, many IFMA wins, and only one his second try! This kid is for sure a future name to reckoned with in the world of freestyle motocross.

I cannot wait for 2006… here we come Lafayette , LA !!

Peace,

Sharpie

FMX:

1. Brody Wilson – 92.5 / 92.25
2. Jason Rowe – 92.75 / 92.25
3. Shawn Connors – 90.75 / 92.0
4. Casey Higgins – 91.0 / 91.75
5. Garry Robertson – 90.25
6. Slade Waltman – 90.0
7. Paul Smith – 88.0
8. Brian Henning – 86.5
9. Marco Riikonen – 87.0
10. Burk O’Connell – 81.5