VERT FINALS COVERED LIVE - SATURDAY AUGUST 17, 2002
Full Coverage Below, Final Scores At The Bottom

I actually have a few minutes to sit around and relax because of how quickly ESPN blew through flatland qualifiers this year.  No money to be made means they just don't want to deal with it at all.  Not really a bummer since the weather looked like it was getting ugly out there.  Now though, things are looking much better as I look down over the vert ramp a good seventy feet below me.  The stands are pretty packed and the vibe seems good as the riders warm up on top of the ramp.

The question has to be whether or not Matt Hoffman can hold of the assault of Mirra or if Miron can step things up and become the one to watch out for this year.  One fall in the run on any trick spells a score lower than that rider will need.  Every rider simply has to throw down perfect runs or it won't be enough to help their score.  We also found out yesterday that one big trick isn't even close to being enough to win a run.  Mirra threw a huge whip 540 in the middle of one of his runs, but didn't back it up with other tricks during his run so the final score wasn't enough to put him on top.

So what does Hoffman have to offer us after all these years?  Why the same stuff he has always given us, plus some.  He drops in and immediately is eight feet above coping throwing down a trick.  A few pumps later he is pulling even more difficult tricks at the eleven foot mark.  Going big is an understatement when you see him ride you understand what this means.  He has it all, big air, big tricks, and mad skill to back it all up.  In about three minutes, we will see if he has that back up with him tonite.

As I said yesterday, Bob Kohl is the guy who invented the superman and he is nothing less than a super hero as he made his way back onto the vert scene big time after many years away from it in 2002.  He not only made it to a bunch of events, but he made it to the finals of many of them... and now, now he is in the finals at the X-Games and will be our first rider to drop in.

He drops with a one-hander thena  lokiback staright ot a no-hander and a none footer - back -to back stuff is really blowing me away.  Big x-up and a no-footed can can.  He's about 6 feet out and throws a tailwhip perfect at that height.  He sets up and pulls a perfect 540 for the crowd to screeam about.  He goes around one more time and tries a flair which he pulls of way to far and lands way hard on the seat.  I think that this run may be better than anything he had yesterday... and as the first rider whatever he gets he's in first place for a moment.

DMC (Dennis McCoy duh) was the wildcard entrant this year and he made the finals on the skills he has.  He drops and pushes 9 feet out right away.  A big can-can and then an invert.  Candyabar thena  barspin to barspin now a couple of setups and he throws a 540 barspin and goes down hard.  Ouch - but not out.  He drops again and has a flair to give us as his last trick as the buzzer sounds.  Actually he gets 15 extra seconds after the buzzer if he wants it - he took about five of them.

Parker drops in and throws a big no-hander around 8 or 9 feet.  A huge superman and then a no-handed 540 to a tailwhip on the other side.  He goes into some lip tricks inlucing a tailtap and a icepick.  A really big whip and he flies out onto the top of the deck and calls it a run.  He easily is on top of the round of people so far.

Jay Miron, the Canadian Beast, is ready to drop into vert and looking to bring up his skill to show why he won silver last year and could even get gold this year if he puts it all together.  He drops into the ramp and starts with a huge 540 where his foot comes off and he dabs the ramp.  One footer, superman, tailwhip superman way out.  Alley oop double peg grind and a decade air to finish things off.  Jay spent a ton of time on that 540 which he shouldn't have so it probably isn't enough.  Only an 84.40 with a bunch of riders left to go.

Chad Kagy is up now and throws a barspin then an invert now a x-up one-hander.  Alley op and a good x-up he sets up and throws a tailwhip then a barspin to x-up 50-50 grind then a icepick grind now a flair right at the coping level.  He manuals the deck and then pulls back calling it a run.  He gets an 86.00 and second place.

Jimmy Walker is all set to drop into the ramp and show us how he does.  He starts with a few 12 foot airs and then throws some inverts.  A nice no-hander and a lookback. A one-hander and then a one-handed 540 which he slides out on.  He jumps straight back up and pumps up the ramp.  A few setups later and he throws a huge corkscrew flair across the transition.  The buzzer sounds but the big tricks probably won't be enough because of the washout on the 540 early on.

Just four riders left and there is no question that there is some room for improvement...  We will see what Simon can do for that improvement.  A can-can to start things off then a barspin and a one-hander one-footer.  A x-up  then a no-handed 540.  A turndown 540 landed hard, but clean.  He goes onto the deck and drops back in quickly.  He sets up a few airs and throws out the perfect NINE OH OH - 900 and the buzzer sounds, he calls it a run, I would call it first place for him easily.  It turns out the judges may not be asleep today as they agree and give him a 90.80 for first.

But first for how long?  Three guys beat him yesterday, can they do it again?  You know they want to!

The first to try will be Kevin Robinson who will no doubt throw out just a few corkscrews for us to enjoy...  A few back to back.  He drops and shoots 8 feet out.  No-hander then a x-up a big alley-oop then a one-footed can-can.  No footer superman style and a big 540 and then a corkscrew, almost landed on his pegs on the coping.  Whoa, he slides out on the other side but is back up again quickly.  He drops in and he tries a big tailwhip but can't hang on.  It won't be enough to beat the 900 and Tabron I'm sure.  Only an 88.40, as if only second place is really 'bad' in this sport.

Mirra is up and the crowd is loud.  Everyone knows him and he wants it.  He drops and starts with a no-footed can-can and a x-up.  A big 540 and then a double whip FROM the 540!   He manuals the decka dn sets up he then throws the opposite flair and another tailwhip.  He does a quicik one-hander one-footer.  Then a big no-hander and finally a one-handed ice-pick grind across 20 feet of coping.  He has it all and puts it together big.  I mean, he puts it ALL together, back-to-back VERY hard tricks and incredible style.  Color him first - way out in first with a 94.40 - over three points ahead of the competition!

But three points may not be enough when the Condor is about to drop in.  Matt has invented more tricks and broken more bones then most of us could imagine.  He holds the world record for highest air and he can throw down the 900 with Tabron, of course he can throw more than that and he does it about 12 feet out.  He drops and starts with a huge no-hander then a double peg grab and a behind the back no-hander a big no-footed can-can and a lookback 540 straight to a flair which he slides out a little bit on.. but that'll hurt him - a lot.  He sits on the coping for a second and looks at the ramp.  That's it for his run and he knows it wasn't enough.  He will wait for the next round to unleash the bomb.

SECOND RUN

Bob drops back in to start off the second round and begines with aone-hander thena  lookback to a noo-hander a tire grab and a superman one-hander and a lookback.  He is throwing everything back-to-back.  A one-footed x-up and a lookback.  Now a tailwhip way out.  A few setup airs and some lip tricks, smith grind, manual...  He goes for the flair to finish things off again and once again he goes down hard.  He walk away and looks like he is okay, but that had to hurt.

We will have Dennis McCoy drop back in again and Dennis has got to step things up some to improve upon his current spot.  Hew drops and sets up at 9 feet plus.  A big invert then a x-up and a can can look back.  A barspin to x-up and then a barspin to barpin back.  A coupld of setups and a perfect 540.  A couple more setups and it's a perfect flair, no corkscrew from him.  A quick feeble and a tailtap finish things off in his runs.  Defnitely an improvement on his last run - but maybe not enough to matter much...  he steps up to a tie for 8th, but it probably won't hold.

Parker drops in for his last run and barspin to no-footer starts things off.  A one-footer then a candybar to can-can.  A no-footed can-can to no-footer and then a 540 with a little lookback going on.  He takes a breather on top of the ramp and then comes back in with a few setup airs.  He thorws out a double whip but can't hang on to the trick as he washes out at the bottom. It probably won't help his score at all.  It doesn't, but fifth ain't to bad at all!

Jay Miron is looking to do a lot better than his first run, and he drops a few setup airs big... the perfect 540 whip and thena huge whip.  He throws a few setups and then does a nice 540 turndwown and a alley-oop 50-50 grind all teh way across the ramp.  A few more setups and a nice tailwhip but he slips the pedal on the landing.  That will kill his score on this run.  Not totally kill it, but there is no chance he is going into first with it.  He drops one more time for gloyr and tries the half decade half whip air at about 6 feet, but it doesn't help him, he will do no better than third this year.  He may be bummed but it was still an incredible showing from Jay this year.

Chad Kagy is ready to go again and he drops with a no-hander right  away.  A one-handed x-up and then a barspin to x-up then a x-up to a barspin.  He throws a quick double barspin and a huge tailwhip about 7 feet out.  A few setups and a bar spin TO tailwhip in the same air and he goes down hard as he hangs up his rear wheel on top of the deck.  He sits up immediately and it looks like he is very grateful for the full face helmet (hint people, freakin' hint!).  He walks away clean and scores a 84.60...  Tell you what it would have been a lot more if he pulled that last trick.

Jimmy Walker is ready to go and drops he hits a couple of setup airs and an invert then a no-footer one-hander and a opposite no-footer one hander.  A big no-hander then a 540.  He's working both directions like it's nothing then does a big opposite flair to prove the point.  He flies out for a few seconds and then drops again with a flair back the other way.  Left or right, he's got it!  But not as many tricks as some of the other guys are doing, yet mad difficulty.  It is enough to move him up one spot to number seven.

Kevin is back in and thinking to IMPROVE on the 900 - but how.  A big invert and a nice no-hander.  A 540 with the hands off then a turndown 540.  He flies out and drops in again, a couple of sets up and he throws down a corkscrew.  He calls it a run there though - I'm just not sure if he didn't feel it today or was hurt but he had to go for it if he wanted to improve a 90.00 doesn't change his spot today.

Kevin Robinson is about to go for his last chance for a medal.  He drops and thorws a no-hander then a x-up and a alley-oop.  A one-handed can-can then a no-footer.  A 540 about 6 feet out and a switch handed 540 even higher than that.  A big flair to flair to no-handed flair BIG!  A quick 50-50 grind and then that's it.  Or is it?  His score comes up and it moves him up to third, and Kevin drops back in.  A few setup airs and he tries a no-handed TO no-footed flair which he barely misses, yet goes down hard.

Two guys left, and all the pressure is on this guy...  Mirra.  Yes, he's in first right now, but he has to know that Hoffman has another run to go and can do WAY better than the last run.  He's looking at the ramp and is ready to drop...  They give him the okay and he heads towards the coping.  Boom double barspin on the first air and he loses it on the second air, weird!  He slides out and then goes up onto the deck.  Is that it?  No, he drops back in and does a nice no-hander then a tailwhip.  He throws a barspin to one-footer and then a huge flair at 8 feet out.  The score won't be high, but the glory is already there.  He can't do worse than second, and Hoffman will have to really impress to beat him.

Well, if you are going to run THE contest series to go to, have a bike company, be married and have kids then you get to ride your bike for fun in the X-Games you can't really complain.  How he manages to maintain... or even improve is unreal.  Matt is all set to go in his 'retirement' run (remember he retired last year from contests?).  He drops on the yellow bike and starts with a no-hander then a PERFECT NO HANDED NINE HUNDRED then a 540 no-handed and a flair.  His bars shift forward a little and he fixes them quickly.  A little bit off for sure and it may kill his time.  It has, the bars screw him up, damn technical difficulties!  He comes in for glory and throws out the 540 toa flair to a whip then a 540 under coping.  It could have been his today... but it won't be.  A 91.40 it is.

DAVE MIRRA WINS GOLD AGAIN!  The Condor lands a solid, solid, solid silver and an invite to next years Games.  So much for retirement.

That wraps up this years coverage of vert and hopefully you enjoyed reading it all.  Please send comments here if you would like, let me know what you think and if we should keep doing this because it's a pain in the ass to keep it up.  :o)  Thanks all!  ~P~

RED INDICATES LOW DROPPED SCORE!!!