A Look Back At Stop #3 Of The Razor Exposed Tour

The below piece is much like the article I did after the 2nd Razor Exposed Tour stop. It is a recap article from my own point of view of everything that went down the weekend of The Razor Exposed Tour. Enjoy it.





This past weekend on September 18th marked the day of the 3rd stop for the Razor Exposed Tour. Myself and a few others were a bit skeptical on the turn out the 3rd competition would generate. The day of the competition would lay all those worries to rest. So let's take a look back at the memorable 3rd stop, of The Razor Exposed Tour.


I arrived at the X Court skate park on Friday, the day before the contest. The first thing any of us from outside Arizona noticed upon getting out of the car? The heat. It was almost unbearable. 110 degrees the day of practice, and it was scheduled to be just as hot the day of the contest. I knew that this would be a big factor come the day of the contest. Riding in extreme heat like that is not only hard to do, it can be pretty dangerous.

In heat like this...even Teddy Bears should be wearing a hat!


Despite the heat all the riders that showed up to compete were getting some well needed practice. For a lot of the riders that were showing up outside of Arizona this was their first time at the skate park. The tranny all around was really big, and you could see some frustration building on some riders faces as the day wore on. There was one rider however who really stole the show on the day before the contest, that rider was local Gary Ably.

Gary is a well known BMX rider from Arizona, but recently he's found himself on a scooter more than on a bike. He was looking for something new and fresh, and found it on his scooter. Well X Court skate park is Gary's local park...and after watching him ride in practice...everyone knew it. He rode that park amazingly. He also happens to be one of the nicest riders you'll ever meet. Practice started to wear down and although the sun had taken its leave, the heat remained. The park started to empty, which meant only one thing...The day of the competition was right around the corner.

The contest was scheduled to start at 3pm on Saturday. A lot of us arrived early, I had to make sure everything was prepared for the judging seeing as I am the Head Judge...and all the riders had to get in some late practice sessions. Now I've been to a lot of competitions, and one of the things I always remember is the feeling on competition day. Most of these guys out here competing are of course out their having fun, but that doesn't mean they're not out there taking it seriously. You can see small changes in everyone on competition day. Everything becomes a little bit more serious in one way or another. As the head judge, I like to try and keep my eye on everyone, and get a feeling for who's “feeling it” and who's not.

Time was moving pretty quickly, and the beginner division was set to begin shortly. I was inside the VIP room staying out of the heat for a moment when someone came through the door clutching their arm in pain. When I saw who the rider was, I couldn't help but feel my heart drop a bit. It was Gary Ably...the local AZ rider who was set to enter the Pro Division, and seemed to have a podium spot in his hands easily. I was quick to get to Gary's side and find out what happened. Gary had taken a bail, and to his knowledge had pulled a muscle pretty badly in his left arm. The look in his eyes said everything. He knew that there was now a big chance that he wouldn't be able to compete in this competition at all. It was tough to handle for all of us who knew Gary.

As Gary stayed behind in the VIP room and desperately iced his arm, I had to get outside and get to the judging area. The beginner division was set to begin. Some familiar faces from the past tour stops were in attendance. Kevin Barker who took 1st place at the very first Razor Exposed Stop in San Diego was there. As well as Paxton Swygard who took 3rd place in the Beginner division at the previous stop in Battleground. And who could forget 5 year Jordan Robles. Jordan at each stop is the youngest and smallest rider out there. But his heart and dedication can match the Pro riders. Jordan has made it to every stop since the first one, and each time he is improving. Dropping in on quarters that sadly, not even I would touch. It's inspiring every time to see someone so young riding with so much passion. The beginners went out and proved once again that they are going to be the future of the sport very soon. Showing no fear when it came to hitting some of the bigger ramps. 1st place would go to local Arizona rider Derik Estrada who rode amazing. 2nd would go to Kevin Barker, and 3rd went Jonny Mass. These guys all rode great.

With the ending of the beginner division came a short time for the Intermediates to get one last practice run in. It didn't take long before myself and my other two judges, Kody McQueen and Nick Darger were back in the heat and ready for the Intermediate competition to get underway. Two big surprises of the whole competition was the arrival of Cody Speake and Danny Rambert of CSC. I recently did a piece on them which you can read by clicking the link below. This contest would be their first, but I assure you not their last.CSC Fading But Not Forgotten Article

As each rider took their runs, we knew our jobs as judges was going to be a tough one. Everyone was throwing down really hard and the judging was as tough as ever. Cameron and Corey remained the two to chase in the Intermediate division...but an unknown Arizona local was close behind. That rider was Michale Lavelle. Michale showed up and simply let his riding speak for himself. During one of his runs he started off by tailwhipping into 8-9 foot quarter...from that moment after all three of us judges picked our jaws up off the floor, we knew he was a force to be reckoned with out there. The same can be said about Lance Nelson, who was putting together some really solid runs. The final scores would put Corey Funk in 1st place by 3 tenths of a point beating 2nd place, Cameron Ward, and 3rd would go to the local Michale Lavelle. Amazing riding by these guys.

Which left only one thing, the Pro Division. The Pros would get a little bit of extra time to prepare, as we all waited for the sun to go down before getting the contest started. Something that shocked me and everyone else, was seeing Gary Ably, who earlier in the same day injured his arm really badly...out riding the course. I spoke to Gary and he assured me that he wanted to compete, despite his injury. So Gary and the other Pro riders finished up their last minute practice, before finally, it was time to begin.
Dakota Schuetz, Tyler Bonner, Raymond Warner, Capron Funk, Josh Kish, Cary Mosbrucker, Lil Jon? All guys who had an equal chance at taking the first place spot. All that was left to do was ride. Myself, Kody, and Nick couldn't even sit for this...we were all on our feet to watch these guys ride. About halfway through the first runs we all were trying to get over the shock of how good everyone was riding. Cary Mosbrucker was riding like the Cary most remember, style everywhere, and boosting like it was nobodies business. Capron mixed his runs up with some huge tricks, and made sure to do some insane Hang 5 stuff, almost as if to let everyone know that he is one of the real pioneers when it comes to front wheel riding. Raymond Warner obviously showed up ready to throw down, and his runs featured flairs and flip to fakies among many other crazy tricks. The unspoken yet friendly rivalry between Dakota and Tyler was obvious even during practice the previous day. These two are two of the best riders in the sport, and they show it every time they touch their scooters. They battled back to back with both of them throwing down ridiculous runs. Dakota to every ones surprise even threw a double back flip at the end of his 2nd run, though he wouldn't land it...yet. For the record, Gary did in fact getting out there and competing...with his arm injury. It turns out Gary took both runs and finished 10th place...with a broken arm. Big props to Gary.
The top 3, or should I say top 4 would have Raymond and Capron tied for 3rd Place. Dakota would end up getting 2nd, and 1st of course would go to Tyler Bonner. Jaw dropping riding from these guys. They are redefining “Competition Riding” with every contest.

As the night went on, and the celebrations died down. There was one last thing to take care of. Best Trick. Which happens to be sponsored by...wait for it... Inside-Scooters! I personally hand over 100 dollars cash to who ever wins it. It was as crazy as its ever been. Jake Clark landed a clean Barspin to Barspin to Double Tailwhip...something I've never seen before. Josh Kish was trying to fastplant front flip over the whole box, and got extremely close to landing it. Cameron Ward tried frontflips for the first time ever, with the help of Big White and Dustin Nooner to catch him if he bailed... yeah.. they didn't do so well with the catching part haha. Dakota had the attention of the whole park as everyone knew what he was going to try. He wanted that double backflip that most likely cost him a 1st place in the pro division earlier in the night. He would use up all 3 attempts, but with everyone chanting “One More!!” He found himself back against the fence, getting ready to run up and try one more. Although it wouldn't count for the Best Trick since it was his 4th attempt...He wanted to land this. He charged at the ramp, and went for it, and stuck the landing, throwing a flair on the next quarter right after it for good measure. The crowd was going nuts. The winner would end up going to Raymond Warner. With a ridiculously clean 360 bar to bar to bar over the box. Gotta love Best Trick.

Another amazing Razor Exposed Tour Stop. Once again this has all been made possible by the collective efforts of Kimberly Funk and Dave Ward. These two have dedicated so much time to putting this all together, and in return...all they want is to push the sport we all love, to another level. Well I for one say that they are doing one hell of a job. This contest is setting a new standard for contests in the sport, and we have the two of them to thank for it. A huge amount of thanks also goes to all the companies who are a part in ANY way of the Razor Exposed Tour. Their presence alone at the Exposed Tour is a part of what has made the competition so great to come out to and be a part of. To know that you are coming out to an event that is being supported by so many great companies is an awesome feeling. If you haven't had the chance to make it out to a Razor Exposed Tour stop, you only got ONE chance left! On October 10th, in Renton, Washington at Skatebarn West, will be the Finale for the Razor Exposed Tour. It is going to be huge! With everyone that's in contention for the Overall Exposed King Title riding their hardest. You want to see some of the worlds best riders riding in the same contest? Then I suggest you get to Washington on October 10th! See you guys there!


Written by Steven Tongson




All pictures were taken by Richard Robbins