The Gatorade Free Flow Tour has wrapped up the 2011 BMX dirt qualifying season after hitting three states for contests advancing nine competitors to the Finals. Those talented top three finishers from each comp are making the trip this week to Portland, Oregon for Saturday’s Gatorade Free Flow Tour BMX Finals, which will be held in conjunction with the Dew Tour’s Portland Invitational.
Let’s take a look back at the heated competitions this year and the athletes that earned the trip to the Finals. The roster for BMX Dirt Finals this year includes riders between the ages of 16 and 18 that are representing 5 states, as well as Australia.
Seven of the 9 competitors are residents of the United States, including three California competitors (returning Finalist Larry Edgar, Justin Spriet and crossover contender Victor Salazar). Representing other regions of the US are Colby Spratt (Utah), Tommy Crail (Pennsylvania), Spencer Scott (Ohio), plus park and dirt participant Allen Adams (Michigan). Two Aussies will be joining the Finals as well - Luke Parker and dual-discipline finalist Luke Bowerman.
The Gatorade Free Flow Tour has seen an influx of new faces for this year’s Finals, with just 2 returning finalists, tour veteran Larry Edgar (who will be in attendance for the third year) and Spencer Scott. The finalists will be competing on the same dirt jumps that the Dew Tour pros will ride on, and you know they'll be bringing their best stuff to Portland. Just so you're a little more prepared, we've got the details on all the qualified contestants below.
Name: Victor Salazar
Age: 18
Hometown: Fountain Valley, CA
How he got here: 1st place at 12th Street Jumps
Victor will be participating in both the park and dirt disciplines at the Finals. He started out his season taking 2nd at Da Compound's park contest, but was awarded a spot in the Finals after the contest winner earned his pro status. Salazar then came to the 12th Street Jumps contest this past weekend and took the win, locking up his spot in the Finals for dirt and ensuring a busy week ahead.
Name: Luke Bowerman
Age: 17
Hometown: Gold Coast, Australia
How he got here: 2nd place at 12th Street Jumps
Aussie Luke Bowerman made his stateside debut in the Gatorade Free Flow Tour at the Skatepark of Tampa and won the whole contest. He followed that up with a podium showing in the Ogden dirt comp. As a result of his 2nd place finish, Luke will be one of our multi-discipline competitors this weekend.
Name: Colby Spratt
Age: 18
Hometown: Draper, UT
How he got here: 3rd place at 12th Street Jumps
Colby Spratt hit his local comp, and came away with the final qualifying spot for dirt finals with a 3rd place finish. He impressed the judges with his great style and, most notably, his big tuck no-hander. With only a week between the contest and the BMX Finals, he’ll have a quick turnaround to prepare his tricks for a larger stage.
Name: Spencer Scott
Age: 17
Hometown: Alexandria, OH
How he got here: 1st place at Flow Skatepark
Previous appearances: 2010 (BMX Dirt)
Spencer Scott returns the BMX Dirt Finals after a 5th place finish last season. He'll look to improve on that this time around after earning another trip with a victory at Flow. His winning run included a turn down, and 360 one-handed over the table. He's has now had 7 weeks to prepare for the Finals and a 2nd chance at winning the whole thing.
Name: Tommy Crail
Age: 16
Hometown: Erie, PA
How he got here: 2nd place at Flow Skatepark
Tommy Crail placed 2nd in dirt at Flow park after almost missing his run, which included a superman seat grab, 360 turn down and nothing to no footed can-can. We'll find out if he's had enough time to perfect his tricks and translate that to the Dew Tour course.
Name: Allen Adams
Age: 16
Hometown: Hastings, MI
How he got here: 3rd place at Flow Skatepark
Allen Adams entered both disciplines at Flow and came away with a spot in finals for each event. Following a victory in the park contest, he found himself on the podium in dirt despite suffering an ankle injury that day. We’re optimistic this young-gun has nursed himself back to good health for this weekend's competitions.
Name: Larry Edgar
Age: 17
Hometown: Carona, CA
How he got here: 1st place at Da Compound
Previous appearances: 2009 (BMX Park), 2010 (BMX Dirt)
Twitter: @flairbear
After appearing in the Gatorade Free Flow Tour's first-ever BMX Dirt Finals last season, Larry is back by virtue of winning Da Compound's dirt contest for the 2nd year in a row. This will actually be his 3rd straight year of appearing at the Finals. In 2009 (before BMX Dirt was even a Gatorade Free Flow Tour discipline), Larry qualified for park finals by winninig at... you guessed it, Da Compound. His win this year was even more impressive considering he did it despite being hurt while riding. With experience on his side, Larry will look to build on last year's 4th place showing. Is this his year to go from “flow to pro?”
Name: Luke Parker
Age: 16
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
How he got here: 3rd place at Da Compound
Twitter: @lukeparkerbmx
Luke Parker came to Da Compound all the way from Australia. The 16 year old impressed the judges with his dirt skills, executing a clean nac nac, flip t-down and no-handed tuck. Now about 2 months removed from that contest, we’re excited to see what Parker has to show this weekend.
Name: Justin Spriet
Age: 16
Hometown: Marietta, CA
How he got here: 4th place at Da Compound
Twitter: @JustinSpriet
Justin originally was named the 4th place finisher at Da Compound, but caught a break when that contest's runner-up eventually decided to turn pro. As a result, that spot in finals was passed on to Spriet. Only time will tell if one lucky break can lead to another big break in his career: a prequalified spot in October's Dew Tour contest.
It all started one year ago, with Alex Landeros winning the Gatorade Free Flow Tour's first-ever BMX Dirt final. Who will be the next rider to make the leap? Larry Edgar and Spencer Scott have been here before, but all these riders are hungry. That means one thing: Saturday's final should be intense.
For updates all week, check out the Gatorade Free Flow Tour on facebook and twitter (@GFFT).
Feeling nostalgic? Check out highlights from last year's dirt finals:
