Rye, New Hampshire: In the late 80īs and early 90īs, New Englandīs King of Flatland contest series brought the eraīs best local and regional riders together not only to compete, but to ride, jam, and in retrospect, make great friends and memories.
Now, 25 years later, the Cote family did it again, bringing some of those original riders, some of the original ridersī kids, and some amazing new school riders together for the King of Flatland 25th Anniversary Jam and Contest.
Held August 4th, in the parking lot outside of Rye Airfield in Rye, NH, the event drew riders from as far away as California, Oregon, Mississippi, and Canada, as well as from all over New England.
The day had a great turnout, reuniting BMX friends and family, with great weather, and incredible riding. Where else can you see Nourie Handstands and Cherrypickers alongside Time Machine Combos and blazing Cliffhanger Turbines? In all, more than 35 riders competed, with Jim Cavanaugh, one of the original KoF riders, taking first in Pro, followed by Gabe Kadmiri then Luke Malone.
Keeping in line with the nostalgic atmosphere, the Veteranīs class saw riders who hadnīt been on a BMX bike in decades (pun intended). The atmosphere was pure fun, with as many laughs as there were killer tricks.
And, before blogs and Twitter, there were īzines, and the best īzine of the time, Radazine, later Wire, is now out with a new anniversary issue with 100 pages of memories including re-scanned classic photos and a DVD of some of the original contest run highlights. This was for sale at the event, but can also be purchased here. (http://ewirezine.com/kof25/)
About $1500 was raised for the local Boys & Girls Club, through entry fees, raffles, and an auction, and the event was generously supported by sponsors from within and outside of BMX.
The event was a huge success, and no one wants to wait another 25 years to do it again. Stay tuned for 2013.
Pro: 1st Jimmy Cavanaugh 2nd Gabe Kadmiri 3rd Luke Malone 4th Steve Jordan 5th Sean Maher 6th Sunny Singh
Expert: 1st Dave Alden 2nd Mannie Nogueira 3rd Rick MacDonald 4th Shane Reed 5th Andrew Parrish
Veteran: 1st Kieran Chapman (tie) Scott Denoncourt 2nd Steve Kiander (tie) Darren Pelio 3rd Ken Moreau (tie) Scott Moroney 4th Dave Alden 5th John Cote 6th Dave Tufts (tie) Gregg Macomber 7th Mike Miller 8th Tommy Simpson (tie) Scott Duszlak (tie) Shane Reed 9th Jim Bowes 10th Mike Noguira (tie) Airin Roso 11th Bevan Quinn