Theo shoots & Smilie waffles about the 3rd leg of the UK Champs

We arrived at Hales Superbole and the place was looking packed, with loads of tents and vans in the camping field. So we pitched up in the overflow camping in the centre. We stuck dinner on when JB arrived with a curry, just as the rain came down. We hoped it wasn't going to set the tone for the rest of the weekend, but luckily it blew over pretty quickly, and that was the last of the rain for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday morning the centre was buzzing with riders getting their practice runs in on the perfectly groomed track. Props to the Superbole crew for making sure the whole centre was looking 'mint'. There were a few tweaks to track, the biggest of which was that the steep section midway down the track had been given a massive berm. This meant riders could take any line they wanted to set themselves up for the faster section at the bottom of the track. The fastest line was to hip the table-top at the top of the steep berm and pumping the down

slope of the final step-down to gain every last ounce of speed.

The fastest qualification times came in at around 22 - 23 second mark, (Ben Rye once again qualifying first in the elite) which set the scene for some fast and close racing. When things got going after lunch we weren't disappointed, with riders making all sorts of moves to gain a place in the top two and go through to the next round.

As the qual'ies progressed it was becoming clear that each class had the makings of an incredible final to decide the winners. Riding was brought to a halt for quite some time due to an injury which left riders fidgeting at the top of the hill, Pete Hills just couldnt stay still and had to hit some kickers, and much to everyone's amusement he fell over. The medics decided to come back though, which meant racing could continue. NoSno's Myles Hillier was unlucky to miss out on a place in the medals after storming wins in his knock outs. I guess sometimes you can just be too hungry, better luck next time mate. Max Rye had been quietly progressing through the under 18's and had a clear and well deserved win in the final. After a close race the Seniors win went to Tristan Huxley (Trampa) with Lester Shrimpton (Trampa) taking second, and third going to Dunstan Langrish. The Masters final also came up with the goods with the result in contention right down to the last second. Tricky fell taking Mark Peck (noSno) down and leaving Ant Wilson (ATBshop) to take the win by a tyres width over Leon 'Vader' Dove (West Coast ATB) who came in second, with Mark Peck claiming third.

It goes without saying the Elite final was a close affair, Ben Rye looked to be just ahead by the step up after the first few features, but stacked pretty hard, leaving the door wide open for Matt Brind & co to carry right on. Positions weren't finally sorted till Grove Sykes (OTG) went for sh#t or bust and hipped into the tight inside line securing himself second place, and Ben managed to somehow get himself down the rest of the track and into third place, he lay down for a while afterwards though.

After a day of Boardercross action there was a chilled out freestyle jam in the bowl which was followed by a quick prize giving, and kicking back and having a few beers or maybe the odd cider, and Phil H really did have some odd cider to share with anyone who wanted some! SteveO climbed onto the Superbole decks to keep the party round the fire pit going into the wee hours, or till about 1-ish when someone said enough was enough. This wasn't before a fair number of people had became Zulu chiefs. If you don't know, they were the people wandering about the next morning complaining of bumps on their heads and a burning sensation in their fingers tips, or any other part of their body they touched for that matter...

Sunday morning arrived earlier than normal for most as there was a bad weather report for later in the afternoon meaning the freestyle had to be done and dusted before everything got rained on. So by the time I crawled out of my pit and had some brekki at round about 10:30-ish the first jumps for each category were well under way and it was already going off in the Bole. Riders showing that they had everything dialed over the 2 good sized tables and in this years new addition; a massive quarter pipe at the bottom. There was also a good sized box in front of the quarter which was only seeing some use when someone messed up their run and the now obligatory shout of "rail, rail" came from the crowd.

There was too much wicked riding going on to list everything. Special mentions have to go to Lawson David (OTG) from the Masters for getting real close to landing 7's. We also can't forget Caitlin for not only winning the Ladies freestyle but also landing an impressive Method to FS 180. This may not sound a lot but at the age 9 and riding a board only just a little smaller than her, it's pretty sick in my book. Of course there was some quality trickage being thrown down in the Open and Under 18's but this was just a mere appetiser for what we were about to see in the Elite Jam.

Whenever there is a freestyle event going on at Superbole it always seams to be off the hook. I don't know whether it is the natural amphitheatre of the Bowl or just the vibe of the place. This years Elite Jam didn't disappoint, despite it being dominated by two riders slugging it out trick for trick like two champion boxers. But that isn't to say the other thirteen riders weren't throwing down. Kynan Goggin was cruising about with his usual effortless style and throwing some big tricks, including an attempted 360 backflip/rodeo, which was also tried and nearly stuck by Frank Adams. Myles had clearly eaten too many sweets because he went mental, attempting bs corked 5's over the first table and the new hip, and various fs spins that he had never even tried on dirt. I don't know whether Joe 'Dicko' Dickson had something to prove after his third place at last weeks World Freestyles, or if Brindy wanted to prove his freestyle credentials after his absence last weekend, but you could sense they were hungry for the win. It looked like it was going Dicko's way with back to back 7's on the jumps, and many a switch frontflip, and Brindy was struggling to land his switch bs seven's cleanly. After a fair few tries he got them locked, and from that point it was really on. Despite Joe's best efforts and numerous 7's Matt Brind landed several strong blows, a switch fs3 to switch bs 3 and a switch flip to name a few, which gave him First place and meaning Joe had to settle for Second.

Afterwards, Joe said, "I just ran out of tricks, I had nothing left. Plus I have picked up a couple injuries which were slowing us down."
Maybe next time Joe ;)
All the while the two MBS pro's were fighting for first, Josh Maddocks was keeping it clean and techy, riding with silky smooth style. His fs corked 5's were solid as they come, if you are looking for a lesson in consistency and how to place high in a freestyle Jam, Josh is your man. He had it down and it gave him a deserved third place.

So that was it for Superbole this year. Another great weekend uooop north at one of the best centres in the country, who are still proving that when it comes to running centres, riders know best. A big thanks to all involved in making it happen, without you it wouldn't be so good.

Don't forget the next event at Haredown on the 10th and 11th of October. Bring a beanie and some firewood, it's going to be chilly.

Words by: Smilie, aided & abetted by Roger Swannel, and photos by Theo Acworth

Now feast your eyes on this monster gallery thanks to Theo PD...



all photos copyright Theo Acworth 2009