This was an alright vert contest, nothing really new or big happened though.   Big names like Mirra and Bestwick were not in attendance, and Kevin Robinson was annoucing the contest,  so most of the tricks done by the fellows in attendance were basic vert contest manuevers.  It seems like a lot of people are really sessioning vert resis these days because most of the riders were doing corkscrews all over the ramp.   Back in the day vert practice would be filled with nofooted and various hand variations, these days it's mostly a bunch of regular airs and flairs.
Simon Tabron won this event with a 900 over the channel, a big no-handed 540, barspin to backwheel bonks, and good smooth style and high airs.  Jimmy Walker was going higher than anybody and riding smoother than I've ever seen him ride before.  Big flairs executed perfectly at the end of every run, and he came closer to a tailwhip than I've ever seen him come before. I'm not sure of all the other placings, but standouts include Jay ggleston going pretty high and doing big tucked no-handers, rocket airs, and 540s.   Jeremy Fanburg did some high tailwhips, switch-handers, a flair, and barspin to tailtap.  Josh Harrington did a barspin to barspin back to barspin, a bunch of one handed x-up stuff, tailwhip airs, and a icepick grind to barspin.  Chad Kagy did some nice barspin stunts, big flairs, a tailwhip over the channel, and nice looking inverts.   Mike Mancuso tried a bunch of flairs and not too much else.  Koji Kraft was the most exciting person to watch ride, every time he rolled in he'd just start doing crazy back to back variations, lookback to switchhander, double barspins, nofooted manuevers to late switch handers, tailwhips to x-ups, then he'd end up landing real flat and he'd pedal his way back up and go into some lip tricks.  If Koji could just keep his speed up and throw in some flips and 540s like he does every once in awhile, he'd own the vert class.  All in all it seemed like a pretty fun contest, Mat Hoffman was attendance but just rode a little bit the next day, but it was a treat to watch him.   Enjoy these pictures

Koji doing a high air

Josh Harrington, one handed x-up

Simon  Tabron

Chad Kagy, flair

Jeremy Fanburg, big tailwhip air

Jimmy Walker with a big stretched one hander

vert winner, Simon Tabron with an invert

Koji with the coolest trick of the contest, pinch seat nohander

Koji with an invert

John Rokos judging while Mat Hoffman watches the contest

Jimmy Walker doing a perfect flair

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Hoffman didn't ride in the contest, but he took a few runs on the vert ramp the next afternoon.  I always feel like it's an honor to get to see him ride vert because when I first started riding he was the only famous rider that I had ever heard of because my friends told me about him, and we all wanted to grow up and be like him someday.  None of us will ever come anywhere close to him on a vert ramp, but it's still something to dream about, and I still consider him my biggest bmx hero.

CFB Expert Street contest