The first of this years three stop tour kicked off in Tamworth SnowDome last Saturday. The snowboarders turned up in their droves to be the first to ride the new rail set and get the opportunity to try their luck with a builders skip. Over seventy competitors were out on the slope by the time the practice session opened and smiles soon started appearing on peoples faces once they found their feet on the array of features scattering the course. The format was simple, with a one-hour practice going into eighty minutes of qualifying jam session. The riders were being marked on their whole run and the judges were looking for creativity, technical ability and variety of tricks. Many people tarted to push the “trick envelope” once the qualifying started with a host of combinations going down on the gas pipe. The down bar was a favourite with many people and the kinked rail was enticing some of the more confident riders to try tricks that wouldn’t look out of place in a Mack Dawg movie.
Stand out moments in the practice session had to be Si Foster’s blunt stalls on the Rude Bonk, the nollie front flip over the stairs and Ollie Plumley’s gap to front board on the kink. Shaun Miller should get a mention for his relentless attempts at cab 360’s onto the down bar… which he eventually landed to a rapturous applause from the crowd and his fellow riders.
Once the qualifying session was over the following people went into the final-
Steve Revell
Lil ‘T
Simon Foster
Jo Sandy
Same Dern
Matt Higson
Jonny Russell
Jon Weatherly
James Johnson
Tom Honey
Lynsey Ashdown
Laura Berry
Kirsty Smith
The final was a two-run, best run counts affair with all obstacles being taken into account. The girls kicked things of and for the first time of the evening there was just one person on the course. This would have been nerveracking for some but the ladies rouse to the occasion throwing down cleaner runs than some of the men. Laura Berry was back from injury and stepped it up a gear with two nice runs including frontside, boardslide on the down bar and using both the skip for one run and the rail at the bottom for another. Kirsty Smith through down some high speed 50/50’s and Lynsey Ashdown put together a tidy line with a rock-to-fakie on the skip to finish.
The men’s final was a little trickier with nerves getting the better of some of the riders. Highlights had to be Tom Honey’s 50/50, change-up, switch 50/50, cab 180 out followed by 270 on the top of the skip, Matt Higson’s effortless style was impressing the judges and Jonny Russell landed everything that went through his head that night so he doesn’t even get a mention (everyone should be jealous of that guy!)
After the final everyone filled out a ballet slip for the Series 13, Riders Choice award that involved each competitor voting for who they thought rode the best in their opinion. This is a new feature of the 2008 Scrap Metal, the votes will
be counted after all three events and the winner will be announced at Milton Keynes on the October 31st.
Once everyones votes where in the winners where announced. Laura Berry took first place for the girls and bagged herself armfuls of swag from Burton, Gravis, and Anon. Jon Weatherly came in third and took home the bronze trophy followed by Lil ‘T in second who received some tasty bits from Analog. But there was no stopping Jonny Russell who just seems unbeatable on the UK competition circuit at the moment. He took home the Sony MP3 player
and bags full of gear… not forgetting the much sort after gold Scrap Metal trophy.
The best un-sponsored award went to Tom Honey who will join the UK Burton Team and Document Snowboard magazine on a trip to Avoriaz with Rude Chalets in the spring. Tom said he “was stoked with the prize as he only started riding recently and was looking at getting involved with the industry” and what a way to start…
Don’t miss the next Scrap Metal events they are gunna be sick!
11/10/08- Braehead Sno!zone, 7pm-11pm
31/10/08- Milton Keynes, 7pm-11pm
