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He couldn’t quite hit the trick in his runs, but still won the class hands down. The pro class was one of the highlights of the day, with Keith King and Jon Dowker contributing a good variety of hard tricks that showcased their decades of experience. Mike Moore and Isaiah Jordan were battling it out for a podium spot, but Isaiah’s front wheel spinning/switching just surpassed Mike’s juggler combos.

Then there was Terry Adams and Dane Beardsley, two guys with entirely different styles and trick lists, but both well revered for their unparalleled skills. Terry rode at lightning speed, hitchhiker spinning, Katrina jumping, and megaspinning straight to hop whip. Dane did flowing combos that appeared effortless, and at one point ended up using both hands to pedal the bike when it was upside down as he was standing on both rear pegs. It could have gone either way- Terry rode so hard and so fast, executing the hardest stuff imaginable, while everything Dane did defied convention, as if he was rewriting the flatland manual. In the end Terry took the top spot, Dane with a well deserved 2nd.

With 5 classes on the park course, the ramp action was non-stop all day. The Beginner and Novice riders gave it all they had on ramps normally reserved for the older guys. Though a variety of small ramps were on course, most of these guys went straight for the 5 foot box and 8 foot quarters with no problem. Expert was the biggest field of the day, Frankie Day taking top honors with a pro level double whip over the bigger box jump. The veteran class was fiercely competitive, with long time pro Steve Nowak going head to head with Scooter Don Wigent. Steve hit a 360, 540 and a sub-box abubaca, Don came back with his own 360, a backflip and a flair. The point margin was as close as possible, Don coming out on top.

The main event, Pro Park, had 10 guys, each one with enough skill to make it on the podium. Though Mike Fede finished 10th, it was only because he threw away his first run after a bad crash 8 seconds into it. He later came back and did the unthinkable, gapping off the top of a trailer into the box jump landing. The distance would have been a challenge under ideal conditions. With the top of the trailer bumpy and sponge-like, not to mention a strong head wind, it hardly seemed feasible it would work and his crank arm agreed after the first attempt. Attempt #2 was a success though. The spots leading up to the podium could have been occupied by anyone in the class, but it came down to run management, consistency, and a barrage of hard tricks. Scott Wirch took his 10+ years competing on the pro tour and parlayed it into 3rd with backflip variations no one else does, a 3 downwhip and a turndown flair.

Earlier in the day someone remarked ‘If you don’t know who Keith Schmidt is, you will after today’, which was later punctuated by Keith starting his run by dropping into a 720 barspin. His frontflip over the spine, double whips on the quarter, and 720 can can weren’t too shabby either. Previous Trans Jam winner Jared Ward had plenty in his arsenal, double and triple whipping everything in his path and flairing the channel gap between quarters. Similar to Pro Flatland, there was no clearcut winner- both Keith and Jared could have come out on top. With a 3rd run designated as a one last trick run of sorts, Keith took his time on top of the 9 ft quarter, appearing to get ready for some box jump magic trick. Instead, he did a bunnyhop superman seat grab into the quarter from the deck. Keith took the win, Jared with a valiant effort at 2nd.

Another successful event for a series that is only gaining more steam with each subsequent contest, the next stop of the Trans Jam Bmx Contest Series (operated by the Atlantic Bike Stunt Alliance) will be on Sunday, May 20 in Raleigh, NC at the Dorton Arena held at the Got To Be NC Festival. A must attend event for any Bmx enthusiast, whether you’re competing or just want to see some versatile riding, it’s well worth your time to make the trip. For those competing, keep in mind the Trans Jam is a cumulative points series, with a year end grand prize yet to be determined after the 3rd stop in the fall, on November 10 in Greenville, NC at Bmx Fest.

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Site: www.transjambmx.com

Results:

Park Beginner
1st- Damon Floyd
2nd- Indy Nowak

Park Novice
1st- Austin Clark
2nd- Ryan Dowell
3rd- Eddie Rovi
4th- Kevin Little
5th- Ryan Crews
6th- Robert Mabe
7th- John Ellis
8th- Austin Barron
9th- Jordan Krueger
10th- Jackson Hamelin
11th- Malyk Bello

Park Expert
1st- Frankie Day
2nd- Christopher Przywara
3rd- CJ Carrol
4th- Justin Dowell
5th- Clay Goldsmid
6th- Patrick Evans
7th- David Ferguson
8th- Shane Goldsmid
9th- Cade Wall
10th- Brian Beal
11th- Jonathan Bast
12th- Adam Corcoran
13th- Dane Beardsley

Park Veteran
1st- Don Wigent
2nd- Steve Nowak
3rd- Marty Stancil
4th- Juan Ortiz
5th- Frederico Balmaced
6th- Brett Clark
7th- Brett Downs

Park Pro
1st- Keith Schmidt
2nd- Jared Ward
3rd- Scott Wirch
4th- Cory Bergler
5th- Russell Summerville
6th- Jordan Prince
7th- JC Knecht
8th- Austin Hardee
9th- Kyle Biller
10th- Mike Fede

Flat Beginner
1st- Mark Coates
2nd- Steven Tubiolo
3rd- JC Knecht
4th- Steve Nowak
5th- Jackson Hamelin
6th- Indy Nowak

Flat Expert
1st- Andrew Wickman
2nd- Bryan Ledbetter
3rd- Seab Watkins

Flat Pro
1st- Terry Adams
2nd- Dane Beardsley
3rd- Isaiah Jordan
4th- Mike Moore
5th- Jonathan Dowker
6th- Keith King

Pics by TransJam. Words by Tom Haugen