Nitro Circus World Games Announced; Scooter Best Tricks Included

In a press release posted on Nitro Circus' website yesterday, a new action sports competition was announced.  The Nitro World Games will be held in Salt Lake City, UT on July 16, 2016.  Travis Pastrana said, "Action sports is about progression, pushing the envelope to go bigger, faster and farther than ever before," adding that "With the Nitro World Games, we wanted to create an event that raised the bar and took action sports to the next level.”

The event roster lists Scooter Best Tricks alongside categories like FMX Biggest Trick, BMX Triple Jump, and Skate Best Trick.  Anybody is eligible to compete- qualifying events will be held at Woodward West as well as Pastrana's own "Pastranaland" compound.  The event will be televised live in a three hour special on NBC during primetime as well as streamed online.

What does this mean for scootering?  Good, bad, neither? Ryan Williams has been a mainstay in the Nitro Circus Live show for a few years now, with a few other riders performing over the years, providing a ton of exposure to the sport.  Many scooter riders have made it their goal to make it into the X-Games, and this is definitely a big step forward for them.  I think it will be very interesting to see how they depict scootering, from the judging to announcing to how much airtime they get.  We'll see in seven months.

Worlds First Triple Backflip! RYAN WILLIAMS!

I am so stoked to see this finally happen! Ryan is a good friend of mine, and I've seen him attempt this a couple times myself in person. Couldn't be happier for him. Everyone check this out, and show your support by sharing it all over the place. Amazing.

A Weekend with Madd

Madd Gear is a household name in the sport of Scootering. Whether you are an OG or brand new in the sport, you most likely know about Madd. They have had some of the best riders in the world ride for them, and currently still have some of the top guys and girls in the sport representing them. They’re sold all over the world, go on numerous tours across the globe, and set the standard when it came to complete scooters out of the box. However, even after all of that, they find themselves lacking the respect they should be getting. For what reasons, I don’t know. Is it because they have money? Because they can do what your company can’t? Because their riders ride park? Maybe all of the above. Recently Madd Gear invited me out to Las Vegas for their 2014 Product Launch. Below is my experience during this past weekend.

 

When I first got the invite from Madd Gear, I was thinking, regardless of how the product launch is, at least my family and I will have a good time. We made the drive out to Vegas, and I settled into the hotel room that MGP got for us, a damn nice room I must say. I woke up Saturday morning to head down to the meeting room where the product launch/meeting would be taking place. I have to admit I expected to sit there and quietly mock the people behind MGP as they stood in front of the other shop owners and invited guests and babbled on about their new scooters which they probably in fact knew nothing about, except for what was on their flash cards that they had rehearsed before. Some of the MGP Team was there, and Twan was there snapping shots the entire time. Along with a gang of other shop owners, including the owners from Inward Scooters, Barking Spyder, The Vault, and Scooter Zone, and plenty of other people as well. It was a full house. After meeting some of the guys I have worked with from MGP, I settled in towards the back as the meeting was about to begin. I had no idea that by the end of the day my opinion on a company I thought I had all figured out would be significantly different.

 

Now I’ll be honest, my problem with Madd Gear was probably the same as a lot of you. Only I’ll actually admit it. I was in a way, envious. They seemed to have endless resources, and flew their riders all over the world. Who wouldn’t want that? I’ll also admit I never touched their scooters. I just wasn’t down for the look of them. Graphics all over the place, the deck design, etc. It all turned me off, and I know it kept a lot of other older riders from ever riding them. My problem was never about the whole “They’re too corporate” or not rider owned or whatever. I guess some people still have a problem accepting the fact that the sport is bigger than them and their street crew, and is in fact fueled by kids, not by themselves.

 

I learned a lot about the company, it’s roots, and the owner and founder Mike Horne was present and it was great to hear from him as well. I started realizing more and more as these people spoke that they weren’t these corporate robots focused on one thing and one thing only, Money, but in fact had a passion for what they did for the company, and that was pretty eye opening. They truly wanted to help each and every business owner in there, and do whatever they could to make things easier for them and their businesses. Not to mention always being focused on helping kids get into the sport through demos and shows. R Willy, and James Foster stopped by the meeting for a bit as well, and we got to check out Ryan’s signature Gold MFX deck, which unfortunately won’t be available to the public. Madd actually auctioned one of the decks off at the meeting, and the proceeds went to a charity of the buyers choice. Ryan also signed the deck. The winner was someone from NY, owner of  a shop I never heard of. But I thought that was pretty cool. Eventually it was time to actually hear about the new VX4 Line. The new scooters are the VX4 Pro, VX4 Team, VX4 Nitro, VX4 Extreme, and the MFX 4.8 Deck. One thing to note about all of these, is that they ALL have flat sides and flat bottoms. I was under the impression at first that only the MFX deck would have flat sides and flat bottom. But it looks like they are doing it with all of their new scooters, a smart choice on their part.

Starting us off was the VX4 Pro. The VX4 Pro is their complete scooter aimed at the younger market. One of the things I liked about this is that all of those graphics you see all over the deck and bars are completely optional. (See below) As they come in a sticker pack, and you are free to design your scooter as you see fit. Kids will definitely dig that. Another thing to note about the VX4 Pro, and all of the other scooters I mention, is that all the forks are now threadless, and use HIC compression with an FSA threadless headset.

Next up was the VX4 Team. Again, with the flat sided and integrated deck. Along with some other cool features as well. Wasn’t sure if it needed the graphics all over the bars, but it’s all good. They also have their new TPR grips on here, which were pretty comfortable and feel very similar to ODI’s. The other thing that had my attention was their new Blitz Brake. The Brake is composed of what looks like a black plastic material, and has an internal steel backbone that prevents the material from deteriorating or melting. R Willy has been running this same brake for over 6 months with no issues, I was sold at that. A solid complete scooter, for what will be a killer price.

Moving on to the VX4 Nitro, which might possibly be my favorite of the group. The first thing you’ll notice is probably the two toning they did with the colors of each scooter. I know it’s not for everyone, but some of the color combos look really good together. I was especially feeling the Black/White, Black/Red, and Gray/Black. Deck will be coming in at 4.5 wide, full integrated, TPR grips, new Filth wheels, and the Blitz Brake. There are a lot of colors to choose from, maybe even too many as I have a feeling some of these colors might not sell too well.

The VX4 Extreme is their new top of the line complete, and it’s exactly that. One of the things you’ll notice on the Nitro and Extreme, is that there is no skulls logo that we are so used to seeing on an MGP scooter. Instead you will see their new sleeker, cleaner logo. Madd wants to differentiate the VX4 Pro and VX4 Team, from the VX4 Nitro, and Extreme. The Nitro and Extreme shed themselves of all of the flashy graphics, and instead sport the new logo on the front of the headtube. I was really feeling this decision. The Extreme screams high quality. The chromo bars were an excellent touch, and the new Vicious wheels looked sick. If you need a solid, reliable, complete scooter, this should be it.

Finally, what I had been waiting for… The MFX 4.8 Deck. That’s right, it is 4.8 wide, and it is a beauty. Coming in at 21 long it is going to be a serious contender in the deck game. I mean the main thing to note is that Madd is actually releasing just a DECK for sale. You no longer need to buy a full on complete scooter just to get an MGP deck. Another thing I was stoked on was the 84 degree headtube, I was always hoping to see more companies use 84 degree headtubes, so this was a plus. The colors look great, and the deck is going to come in at 3.28lbs. I can already say right now, I will be getting one of these decks, and seeing exactly how it rides. But then again, when you’re sending it off the Megaramp night after night for Nitro Circus, and it’s still holding up fine? I’m guessing it will be good, haha.

 

After the meeting, I continued to speak more in depth with some of the people behind Madd Gear. I even admitted to them that I had serious doubts about the whole meeting, and the company as a whole. But I also told them that that had changed. We ended the night in the VIP section at Nitro Circus watching R Willy, James Foster, and the rest of the Nitro Circus athletes throw down. It was a good weekend for sure, and I look forward to the official release of the VX4 line. I know that some people are always gonna hate on other companies, the funny thing is it is usually the same riders who say, “Just ride your scooter, who cares what other companies or what other riders say”. I think some people need to take their own advice. Just ride. Don’t support a company? Then don’t. Want to support a company? Then do it, and don’t let other people’s opinion sway you in any direction. MGP deserves respect, and so do the riders that ride for them, and from here on out, they definitely have mine.

Ryan Williams- 3 Nitro Circus Firsts

Check it out, looks like EA Scoot is a thing now!  Graphics look so lifelike!  In this demo, Rwilly does a ruler frontflip, cash roll whip rewind, and a double frontflip whip.  They must have had the cheats turned on for those tricks!

But forreal, that was nuts.

Ryan Williams to Miss the World Championships

R Willy, is arguably the sports most popular star, and while most of that is due to his ridiculous amount of skill on his scooter, it's also because of Nitro Circus, and his role with them. Which is the reason he won't be at the World Championships in The UK. For more check the video below.

Ryan Williams Lands "The Silly Willy" at Nitro Circus Live

When it comes to a rider that is changing peoples minds about scootering, it isn't a street rider, or someone racking up First Place wins at competitions. It's Ryan Williams. Ryan is a part of Nitro Circus Live, and is riding with some of action sports top riders on a daily basis. Not only is he changing their opinions on scootering, he is changing the opinions of everyone that came out to see the show. And he's doing it by landing tricks like, The Silly Willy. I really do wonder if Ryan has any limits to what he can or can't do on a scooter. Check it out below.

Nitro Circus Live in Birmingham UK by Skates.co.uk

Ben from Skates.co.uk had the awesome job to be at the Nitro Circus event while they toured in The UK. As most people know, Ryan Williams was the only scooter rider on the tour this time around, and as always threw down, and did the sport proud. I really feel like Ryan is the perfect rider to be out there shredding with these guys. His balance of maturity and insanity fits so well, haha. Check it out below, and also check out an interview Ben got with Ryan while in The UK.






It's sick to hear Ryan speak about his interest in MGP making a street style deck, and how he'd prefer them to possibly make some apparel and products to appeal to the older crowd. Good stuff.

Nitro Circus Live: Life in the Circus with Ryan Williams

"Ryan Williams is absolutely amazing."  You can't really get much of a better complement than that, coming from arguably the greatest action sports athlete ever.  This video documents Ryan's experience in the Nitro Circus tour.  It's really cool to see what it's like for him, and what the other guys think of him.  Seeing him kill it on the Mega really makes me psyched to have him in our sport.

Nitro Circus Live- Next Level Scooter Kids

This is sick.  In case you didn't know Nitro Circus has been posting videos from the most recent tour mostly featuring highlights, but this one focuses directly on the scooter riders on the tour, Ryan Williams and Mitch Baldry.  A few of the other guys talk about how much they were impressed by Ryan and Mitch and there's a bunch of footage of them doing wild tricks.  Watch it.

Ryan Williams at the Nitro Circus

This video consists of Ryan talking about his experiences during the Nitro tour and then shows some clips of him riding the Gigantaramp (or whatever they call it).  Riding starts at 2:40.  Mind blowing seeing him do these tricks.  I wanna see Mitch land the triple backflip, thats so crazy to even think about trying that.

Mitch Baldry Nitro Circus Triple Backflip Attempt

I wouldn't usually post non-landed attempts at tricks, but this isn't your usual trick.  Mitch goes for the triple while on the Nitro Circus.  I have a feeling it won't be long before he stomps it.

Nitro Circus Live Promo

So MTV is going to be airing episodes of Nitro Circus, featuring footage from the Australia/New Zealand  Live tour.  As you may remember Andrew "Scoots" Broussard was able to be a part of that tour, so I'm guessing that means there'll be a bit of scooter riding on tv.  Cool stuff, progression for sure.

Scooter Hut+Nitro Circus Update!

Scooter Hut Nitro Circus update:

Ryan Williams is back performing at the Scooter Hut Nitro Circus gig tonight in Gosford, a town just 100km North of Sydney, Australia. Ryan has promised to do something even greater than his double backflip which he landed so perfectly at Albury. Watch this space for the footage form tonight's show.
The involvement of scooters in Nitro Circus has caused a massive stir in the world of extreme sports. Already, Nitro Circus are talking of involving scooters in forthcoming Tours of Europe and the US. The sponsors of this event - Scooter Hut, Apex Pro, Zero Gravity, Blunt, Eagle,District, Lucky Scooter Parts and Inside-Scooters - have helped push this sport into the spotlight, to the extent where if we can keep the momentum going there is a good chance we will see scooters in the X Games sometime soon.

Mitch Baldry will team up with Ryan Williams and Andrew Broussard for the Wollongong gig, on Wed 23rd March.

To celebrate the reunion of the trio of scooter riders, Scooter Hut has 3 PAIRS of VIP tickets to give away for the Wollongong gig. To enter the comp, simply visit Scooter Hut's Facebook
page and tell us why you think you deserve to receive the tickets. Be quick, as entries close on Sunday at 9pm.

Don’t forget, Scooter Hut Melbourne store also has two tickets for the Gold Coast gig to give away, covering flights and accommodation for the event. Just get into the Scooter Hut Melbourne store to enter the draw to win the prize, valued at $1000!

For more updates and exclusive news relating the Scooter Hut+Nitro Circus tour, keep checking Inside-Scooters.

Scooter Hut Nitro Circus Diary Update + Ryan Williams Nitro Circus Double Frontflip

Scooter Hut Nitro Circus Diary 10th March 2011

RYAN WILLIAMS LANDS A DOUBLE FRONTIE AT NITRO CIRCUS!

After the disappointment of rain postponing the first ever Scooter Hut Nitro Circus event last night, tonight was the night that scooter fans have been dreaming of.
Ryan Williams, Mitch Baldry and Andrew Broussard took scooting to a whole new level tonight, performing in front of 12,000 people in Albury, Australia.
The crowd went wild when Ryan landed his double front flip…Mitch had the crowd going crazy as he landed everything…next stop is Newcastle, and hopefully some photos and video from there.

You can also see the footage by visiting Scooter Huts website by clicking the link below.
Scooter Hut



I just had to post this, couldn't wait for the official update from Scooter Hut.  Sooo stoked on this.  Huge props to Andrew for being the one to pioneer megaramp riding for the sport, and Scooter Hut for being the title sponsor of the scooters portion.  These guys are pushing the progression of freestyle scooter riding SO hard.  I can't wait for more footage of Ryan, and Max and Mitch as they make history on the Nitro Circus. - Jordan Jasa

Scooter Hut Nitro Circus Diary: March 8th

Inside-Scooters will be providing all of the updates and news from the Scooter Hut and Nitro Circus Tour. In this diary entry, you get to read about what is going on with Ryan Williams, Mitch Baldry, and Max Peters. Also you can read that Andrew Broussard is back in Australia for Nitro Circus.

I had the chance to sit down with Andrew a few days ago in San Diego only days before he was about to get on the plane for Australia. I can say with confidence that with Andrew there to help out Ryan, Mitch, and Max, that they will do fine in the Tour. Check out the diary entry below.

Scooter Hut Nitro Circus Diary:
Tuesday 8th March: Training Day

It's a massive massive day for scooting! Beautiful day in Albury, Australia. A perfect day for Training with the Nitro Circus Boys. Three young Aussie guys, Ryan William, Max Peters and Mitch Baldry are training with the Nitro Circus athletes in the hope they will be good enough to perform on the Nitro Circus Tour of Australia.

Mr Scooter himself, Andrew Broussard (the pioneer of introducing scooters to Nitro Circus), has been giving the guys some advice and tips throughout the morning, and around 2pm today, we will get the chance to see the boys going down the 50ft Gigantaramp. Travis Clark, from Scooter Hut, has been giving the guys confidence boosts all morning (well, he's pumped them up on cans of Monster, so they don't know what the feck their doing) so by 2pm they’ll be itching to get to the top of that ramp.

Travis Pastrana and all the other Nitro performers have also been sharing their wisdom with the guys, and regardless of whether Ryan, Max and Mitch make it to the Tour or not, we believe the sport of scooting is going to benefit so much from this event. With guys like TP now seeing just how good some of the athletes in our sport are, the days of scooters being seen as inferior to BMX or skateboarding are coming to an end.

…for all the guys at Lucky, Zero Gravity, Apex Pro, Blunt, District and Eagle and Inside Scooters who have helped support this event - thanks! Everybody involved in this event has a lot to be proud of, for having the vision to push scooting outside the boundaries of skate parks and into the big world of Extreme Sports!

There will be a new diary entry tomorrow on IS, but you can also follow hourly updates by following Scoter Hut on Facebook!
Scott, Scooter Hut

Andrew Broussard Bites the Big One.

This pretty much confirms what we all thought went down a few weeks ago, when a thread popped up on a forum with rumors of a scooter rider dying on the megaramp. Well we later figured out that it was Andrew, and of course that he didn't die (I forget what exactly happened, just some knocked out teeth and stitches I think). So crazy of him even trying that though, you Aussies better make it to the Nitro Circus shows, its gonna be a treat.