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 Box Jump Competitors |
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 Koji Kraft xupwhip |
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 Denise Enarson doublewip 360 |
Tabron and Enarson Win Big in Phoenix
BMX Box Jump Finals Recap
By Jared Souney
Dennis Enarson is having one heck of a year. At 16-years old, and packing more tricks into his bag than Pros that having been riding longer than he's been alive, Enarson is making a name for himself very, very quickly. A product of popular San Diego BMX Pros Steven Woodward and Gary Young, Dennis is following in some very good footsteps. "Gary and Steve have been my biggest influences back home. I used to go to local contests and Steve would help me out with everything. Gary was the one that started pushing me to go to bigger contests" Enarson said.
With this year's new BMX Box Jump contest, no one really knew how things were going to unfold, but after seeing Enarson's performance at other contests this year, a lot of riders had picked Dennis for the win. They were right. Dennis fired out double whip 360s, backflip tailwhips, triple tailwhips, and even attempted, and nearly pulled a triple tailwhip 360 in his last run. Enarson is the real deal. "The feel of these events is a lot different than other contest, there's a lot less pressure" Dennis said.
The monsterous 14-foot-tall vert ramp saw 12 competitors in a straight final (no prelims). The riders love the big transitions of the LG ramp, and it showed with high airs from riders like Steven McCann and Jay Eggleston, and some big tricks from Kevin Robinson, Simon Tabron (and most of the field for that matter). McCann is actually a relative newcomer to vert competions, however he's a seasoned vet in park and dirt competitions. Putting in his time riding with Jamie Bestwick at Camp Woodward is really starting to show, and with every contest McCann is looking more and more like a serious podium contender on the vert ramp. This time was no exception. There was a bit of judging controversy, with Robinson clearly disgusted with his third place score behind McCann (second) and Tabron (third). McCann's run was chock full of flow, alley-oop lines, a no-handed 540, no-handed flair, and a double tailwhip. Robinson offered up some big moves including a switch handed to no-handed flair, an opposite flair and an invert 540 straight into a 540 tailwhip. A serious line indeed. The judges didn't agree with Kevin's excitement, and scored him behind McCann. Both had good runs, but neither could best Tabron's 540 variations, flow and 900. Another win for Tabron.
One very important component to this event is that it's a qualifier for the LG Action Sports World Championships, scheduled to take place in Dallas, TX November 9-11. This event is invite only, with spots taken from some of the biggest events around the world throughout the year. With his win in Phoenix, Enarson earned the one available qualifying spot taken from the Box Jumping competition, while John Parker and Koji Kraft earned the two available vert spots.
Whether you were in Phoenix or not, you won't want to miss the CBS television broadcast on October 13th at 2pm. You'll get interviews with the riders, behind the scenes footage, and all the best action cut into an hour long program. Don't miss it.
