| BATTLE ON THE BRUSH - SHEFFIELD FREEZE 2002 |
6 June 2002 |
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The Sheffield Freeze It's no longer time on snow only that counts. Britain's freestyle meccas now give you plenty of opportunity to throw Misty Sevens, ballsy Backside 180s and nose-slide 32 foot rainbow rails.
Sheffield's Ski Village has long been committed to the progress of jumping and jibbing progenies. Aside from their massive water aerials jump, the Village lays claim to the only half-pipe and the only full-time rainbow rail in the country. When you ride or ski there you also have the opportunity to ride one of the biggest and best big air tabletops and quarter-pipes around. With such facilities and a competing group of athletes from across Britain and from as far as Switzerland, conditions were ripe for a cracking competition. Events were split into halfpipe, slopestyle and big air with the majority run as jam sessions. Slopestyle The slopestyle events ran on Sunday and worked as
a combined two run event. Competitors took a line through the moguls
followed by a series of hits through the halfpipe, over the hip
or onto the rainbow rail and onto the main table top and finally
the quarterpipe. Probably the most notable run belonged to the local
blading legend Mike Wakefield. The flipping fifteen year old loaded
his run with inverts, from a front flip over the moguls, switch
misty sevens in the pipe and big laid out crossed-up back flips
over the table.
Halfpipe The halfpipe ran on Sunday morning with the finals the following day. The weather during the finals wasn't as gloriously sunny as the day before; more of a series of heavy black clouds looking ominous and wetter by the minute. Many of the competitors and spectators seemed to be labouring, not so much under the weather, as under the weight of their hangovers. The 6.00am finish to the NY Sushi party definitely took its toll! Despite this the jam session went ahead with riders, skiers and bladers taking huge first hits in the pipe, thankful for the moments of rain to speed things up. The biggest surprise to the judges came, not in the form of Tom Last's, Andy Bennett's or Eddie Thelwell's impressive big iron crosses and spins, but from the Swiss madman Anton Holland's giant frontside airs that nearly landed him in Al Bister's (Sheffield's Ski School Director) arms. In the one-run Superfinal it was Andy Bennett's massive first hits and sweet alley-oop 360s who prevailed amongst the skiers, whilst Mike Wakefield beat the bladers impressing all and sundry with inverts aplenty. Finally Charlie Clark won out in a battle of the locals defeating Paul Cooper, Dan Breen and Tom Bridges.
Big Air Rain fell harder and more consistently throughout the afternoon, but only one complaint was heard with Tom Last stating that the slope was still too slow and he could go bigger! Paul Cooper, Stuart Edwards and Tom Twelvetrees took it upon themselves to see who could pull the biggest and most perfectly stalled backside 180s. Stuart Edwards was doing particularly well until he noticed Charlie Clark's double-grabbed spins and Anton Holland's huge 540s and decided throw a corked 900 into the mix. Among the bladers and skiers misty-flips, misty sevens and laid out backflips were all on show. In conclusion a wicked competition and amazing all night party on Sunday. The talent on show proves that if you've got back from a season on snow; don't dismiss the idea of a summer on a dryslope! [Thanks to Sam Marfleet and Melissa Cannon for this report] Mail
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