Razor Exposed Tour Finale/CooterCon 10 Recap Article

10-10-10. That was the day of the Razor Exposed Tour Finale and CooterCon 10 at Skatebarn West, a skatepark that is known for hosting some of the best contests our sport has seen. That was also a day I will not soon forget. A day where one rider staked his claim as the best rider in the world, and a day where others made sure that everyone knew they would soon be at the top alongside him. That being said, let's take a look back at the competition.


As with all the Razor Exposed Tour stops, I showed up at the skatepark the day before the contest to see who was out getting some practice in. On practice day you can usually get a pretty good idea on who is taking the contest serious or not. It's a look that they have in their eyes. A driven, and determined look that you would have a hard time finding on the average person. While I can assure you that every rider who participates is there to have fun, others have also come to realize that these competitions are nothing to be taken lightly. I got comfortable upstairs and had a good view of the whole skatepark. Immediately I noticed Capron Funk killing it, I had heard that he was known to ride this park extremely well and I could see that now. I continued to watch and noticed quickly which riders were seeing this contest for what it was, and which riders were taking a more lax approach. I eventually started to get tired, and decided to head back to the hotel to get some rest.


I showed up at Skatebarn West early on Sunday and quickly noticed the amount of beginners that were at the park. I had a quick meeting with Exposed Tour Coordinator Dave Ward and we decided that with 54 beginners registered, we would have to do a Jam format for them. The jam format is something that Myself and Dave have been trying to avoid for all the Exposed Tour Stops, but with 54 entrants, it couldn't be avoided today. I held a short meeting with my other two judges, Nick Darger and OG rider Cody Speake, and explained to them that we had a tough task ahead of us as we would be having to watch 10+ riders ride at the same time, and then choose 15 or less out of the 54 to ride in the Beginner Finals, which would be individual runs. After the meeting, the contest began.


Some of the more familiar riders that would be in the contest were Kevin Barker (1st place at Razor Exposed Stop number 1) Paxton Swygard (3rd place at Razor Exposed Stop number 3) Ian Freelich (2nd place at Razor Exposed Stop number 3) and Bayley Maxcey (1st place at Razor Exposed Stop number 3). All of these guys have an amazing amount of potential and them being there made for an exciting beginner division contest.

The Jam sessions were hard to follow with only three judges but we all did the best job we could in making sure that after the 5 heats, the best beginner riders there, would be competing in the finals.
When the Finals got started we knew we had made the right decision as each rider that took their run performed extremely well. There was even one rider who caught us all off guard, and that was local Josiah Campbell. He was riding extremely smooth all day and put together some amazing runs. Josiah would go on to take 1st place followed by Ian Freelich who took 2nd and Bayley Maxcey in 3rd. I can honestly say that these three will be performing at the intermediate level soon enough. They all have an immense amount of talent when they are on their scooters. I'd like to also point out again that the Jam session is something we do try to avoid at the contest. A lot of people see it as unfair, but can you take the time to look at it this way? We had 54 beginners in the division, most of which did not register online, which we always encourage, and if we had done individual runs it would have taken over two hours. We did not “screw” or “push aside” the beginner division. Jam sessions have occurred in the past for Pro Divisions and Am Divisions of other contests. It is something we have to do in order to make sure the contest can run smoothly and finish before we run out of time at the skatepark. Please try and understand that.


As the beginner division came to an end, so did the job of judging for Cody Speake as he would be competing in the upcoming Intermediate division. As the 20 minute Intermediate practice session was going on, I was scrambling to find a third judge to accompany Nick Darger and I. Right in the nick of time I found Lucky Scooter Parts rider James Gee. I quickly got him a Razor Exposed Tour “STAFF” shirt and broke down the details for judging, and before we knew it...the contest was set to begin.

Top Intermediate riders Corey Funk, Cameron Ward, and Lance Nelson were all scheduled to compete. As well as locals Brian Gemme, Callum Batty, and Casey Thorn, who had no plans of making this easy for them. The runs began, and to almost everyone's surprise the two riders who had dominated the Intermediate Division all Tour, Cameron Ward and Corey Funk...both could not get solid runs together. Which left the door wide open for everyone else, and they took full advantage. Brian Gemme put together two solid runs riding with tons of speed and using the whole course in both runs. Casey Thorn and Brayden Campbell would follow suit. I haven't had much of a chance to watch these guys ride in the past, but I was very impressed by their performances. When the contest was over the top 3 consisted of, 1st Place - Brian Gemme, 2nd place - Casey Thorn, and 3rd place - Brayden Campbell. All three of them are riders that most people might not be familiar with right now, but with the way they rode on Sunday, you are sure to be familiar with them soon.


So there we were, everyone bracing for what was obviously going to be one of the craziest Pro Division contests in the history of the sport. As top contest riders, Dakota Schuetz, Raymond Warner, Capron Funk, and Tyler Bonner were all ready to ride, and all happened to be riding as good as I've ever seen. Other top riders Chris Gascoigne, Cory Vanlew, Cooper Klaar, Cary Mosbrucker, and rising contest star Mike Montgomery were not there to take this contest lightly. Which only made the contest that much more exciting.

As the first runs were finishing up we had seen some insane runs from Capron, Raymond, and Cooper, as well as a few more guys. But nothing could prepare us for the runs Dakota and Tyler were about to throw down. Dakota would take his run first, and put down a textbook Kota run. Flawless riding, and making every trick look as effortless as a tailwhip on flat. I had never heard a crowd cheer as loud and look as excited as they were after Dakota's run. That is, until Tyler took his first run. Tyler knew he had to answer back, and he didn't just answer...he screamed out-loud. He dropped in with a ton of speed and started things off with a 720 barspin up the roll in, as the crowd cheered an almost deafening roar, it only fueled him even more. He would continue his first run throwing tricks that most riders could only ever dream of landing in a day, and he didn't fall once. As his run came to an end, and the cheers of the crowd died down...Myself and the other two judges exchanged looks of complete shock as to what we had just witnessed. Then it hit us, we still had the second runs coming up.


The seconds runs started and it seemed like everyone had fed off of Dakota and Tyler's incredible performances. Everyone was trying to take it up a notch, and most did. With the runs that Mike Montgomery, Capron, and Raymond, and a few others had just taken we knew that this could potentially be a close race to 1st place. Before long we were back at the two riders who had created an energy like I had never felt before at a contest with their first runs, Dakota Schuetz and Tyler Bonner.

Dakota took his second run on a different scooter than his first run, the reason for that would be known in less than a minute. His run was starting off as good as his first, with everyone holding their breath and watching as if almost mesmerized. When Dakota messed up on a flair, and later on a technical trick on a quarter pipe. He knew he had only one chance to make up for it, and with that he made his way to the top of the roll in. With only seconds left in his run, he dropped in and did the first ever Double Backflip in a contest run. His reasoning for switching scooters was that this scooter was what the same one he landed the Double Backflip on in Arizona at the Exposed Tour. If you thought the crowd was loud in Arizona, you should have heard them after he landed it in his run on Sunday.

So once again, it all came down to Tyler Bonner. Could he really do tricks better in his second run than the tricks he had just thrown down in his first run? The answer would come in 60 seconds. Tyler started his run aiming again for the roll in. When he hit it and threw one of the cleanest 1080s I've ever seen, I knew it was on. Tyler continued to take his second run, and I don't feel right trying to put into words...You will have to wait for Inside-Scooters Jordan Jasa to post up the video later, because it was that good, and so was his banger at the end. It came to no surprise that Tyler Bonner would go on to take 1st place. Followed by Dakota in 2nd and known street rider Mike Montgomery taking 3rd. Best showcase of riding I've ever seen in a Pro Division.


The buzz of the Pro Division would carry into the best trick contest that takes place at the end of each Razor Exposed Tour stop, and is sponsored by us at Inside-Scooters with 100 dollars cash to the winner. Everyone was going for broke. Cary landed an insane transfer, Capron was trying a 720 barspin to barspin over the box, Dakota landed another Double Backflip on his third attempt, and Mike Montgomery who would win the contest, did a truckdriver over the K2 Box, backwards...Something no one else at the contest was even attempting to hit, and has only been hit a few times with tricks before...none as difficult as a truckdriver. While Mike is a street rider at heart, he made it clear at the 2nd and 3rd stops that he can ride anything he wants, and has no problem riding against the best in the world and hanging in there.


This particular contest in my mind is going down in history for a few reasons. Mainly because of Tyler Bonner. Tyler did the two best competition runs that the sport has ever seen and we might not see anything better for a very long time. He left no doubt in anybodies mind that he is in fact, the best rider in the sport today. His consistency, his style, the tricks he does, and the way he can perform them in competitions is on a level that is beyond anyone else right now in our sport. Another reason was because of the riders that were in the Beginner and Intermediate divisions. While some might find the beginner and intermediate division to be a bit boring, I am the complete opposite. I love to watch them, whether they are good or bad, it doesn't matter to me. They are out there keeping the sport we love alive. They are the ones giving it the life it needs to survive. We all need to continue to support riders like 5 year old Jordan Robles, who along with his Dad and Mom made it to every single Exposed Tour stop this year. These riders should not simply be seen as kids on scooters. They should never be over looked because of the tricks they can or can't do. They should be looked at and given the respect for what they are, and nothing less, and that is the future of our sport.

Lastly, this contest to me is historic, well, because of what it was. The Razor Exposed Tour was the first of it's kind. No one has ever put together a contest Tour like this. Until Kimberly Funk and Dave Ward came along. They were not in this for profit, they didn't proclaim themselves as the Coordinators at each stop, nor were they looking for any fame from doing this. They did it for one reason, and that was to push and progress this sport, and take it to another level. Well guess what? They succeeded. I am honored to be able to say that I was appointed by them to be the Head Judge of such a Tour. Simply because I was able to be a part of something this big. It might have taken 10 years for something like this to happen, but we should all be appreciative to Kimberly and Dave that it did in fact happen. It happened because of them, and the collective efforts of all the companies who sponsored and helped at each stop. So to Kimberly Funk and Dave Ward I have just one thing to say. Thank You.


Will we have another Exposed Tour next year? Will it measure up to what the 2010 Razor Exposed Tour was? I couldn't tell you. But rest assure, if there is one, I will once again be at every Tour stop. If not as a Judge, then as the Head Writer for Inside-Scooters. To make sure you guys know how everything went down and are able to read it right here, on IS.


(All pictures were taken by Richard Robbins. Want to see more? Head to his website by clicking the following link.RobbinsPictures)



Written by Steven Tongson