Text: Todd Carter.

Photos: Tony Long of Tablesandfables.com

Todd Carter, pedal death truck on his way to 5th in the Bad Ass class.

Sunday July 20th was a great day for the flatland scene.
The 5th annual Flatland Fracas went down just outside of Boston Massachusetts. I have been a fan of the New England flatland scene for decades, so I was honored to be a small part of it for a day.
The location was a super smooth street hockey rink in East Bridgewater.
Some really nice basketball courts directly next to the rink, made it a great location for families to come and hang out. It was great to see some New England flatland legends in attendance like Tommy Simpson.
We dodged some light raindrops first thing in the morning, but made it through the whole day with a dry surface!

FF Groupshot.

First up was the “Pretty Good Class” (beginner). It was encouraging to see 8 riders from three different states battling it out. Colin Carter pulled a whiplash rebate on his way to first place. Camden Carter brought out his Miami Hopper spin variation and locked down a solid second place. Massachusetts’ own Ian Hicks has mega-spins dialed! He took third place.
Special shout out to Mike Reynolds, who went down hard in his first run. Mike ended up with a broken ankle. Heal up quickly Mike!

Jim Cavanaugh killed it at Fracas 2014, 7th place in Bad Ass.

Next up was the “Real Good Class” (intermediate). 13 riders took the floor with a ton of trick diversity and style. New Hampshire’s Scott Denocourt took home the win, with a smooth style. Scott Duszlak of Massachusetts rolled into second place, and Freddy Brown also of Massachusetts spun his way to a well earned third place, while also celebrating his 30th birthday! One highlight for me, was seeing Mike Nogueira riding in this class, while watching his son Mannie getting ready to ride in the next class. Mannie was all smiles during his Dad’s run, and it was a joy to see them celebrate together, after his Dad rolled off the contest floor.

After the intermediate class finished, the event organizers brought in 28 large pizzas for lunch! Wow!

The “Bad Ass Class” (expert / pro) got underway shortly after lunch, and as the temperature began to increase, so did the level of riding. Quest BMX’s Danny Sirkin set the tone for the class of 13, with a nearly perfect run. New York’s Masashi Itani has some incredible back wheel pivot flow. He took first place. Massachusetts’ Rich Upjohn brought back some impressive undertaker combos, with a snappy, effortless style. Rich got second place. California’s Gabe Kadmiri is such a joy to watch. His aggressive, and original style blends power and technical flow. Gabe got a solid third place. Some other highlights for me included, Brian Chapman pulling a hitchhiker kickflip in his run! Jim Cavanaugh having so much back wheel style and flow, he just keeps going! Sunny Singh and his insane time machine variations.

The Best Trick contest followed quickly after the third class, and it was uniquely judged by the crowd reaction. Pretty cool! Riders pooled together the cash, and in the end Masashi Itani rode away with the $130 US Dollars.

It’s important to note that Flatland Fracas 5 was a completely free event. No entry fees, free lunch, free water and other drinks, and some of the best prize packs that I have seen at contests in recent memory. It is clear that Rick MacDonald (and others) puts in an amazing amount of time on this contest each year. At last count, I noticed more than 40 sponsors! That is incredibly generous and encouraging to me. So please let me speak from a riders perspective, thank you sponsors for all each of you have done. It truly makes a difference in our lives, and the lives of the next generation of riders. I am humbled and grateful for your generosity. Thank you Flatland Fracas for a great experience. See you next year. 🙂

Pretty Good
1. Colin Carter (OH)
2. Camden Carter (OH)
3. Ian Hicks (MA)
4. Mike Fink (MA)
5. Luke Hammerquist (MA)
6. Max Bowes (MA)
7. Stephen Toomey (MA)
8. Mike Reynolds (ME)

Real Good
1. Scott Denoncourt (NH)
2. Scott Duszlak (MA)
3. Freddy Brown (MA)
4. Rick MacDonald (MA)
5. David Alden (MA)
6. Shane Reed (MA)
7. Trent Chavez (CT)
8. Andrew Duszlak (MA)
9. Andrew Parrish (CT)
10. Tommy Williams (MA)
11. Jesse Hicks (MA)
12. Jim Bowes (MA)
13. Mike Nogueira (MA)

Bad Ass
1. Masashi Itani (Japan/NY)
2. Rich Upjohn (MA)
3. Gabe Kadmiri (VT/CA)
4. Brian Chapman (RI)
5. Todd Carter (CA)
6. Danny Sirkin (OH)
7. Jim Cavanaugh (MA)
8. Seongtaek Kwon (MA)
9. Mannie Nogueira (MA)
9. Sunny Singh (MA)
11. Steve Jordan (MA)
12. John Simmons (GA/NY)

Best Trick: Masashi Itani (Japan/NY)

Thanks to all the sponsors for their support!

QuestBMX, PorkchopBMX, DK, Freegun, Flatlandfuel, St Martin, Bizhouse, Cheap goods BMX, Bhoodwear, Deco, Animal, Planet Airin, Boston Bikeguy, Profile,, Vita Coco, EC BMX, G-form, Colony, Tables and fables, Port Jeff Bike Dr, Primo, FBM, Remorse, Skizz, Reklamation Bikes, Daily Grind, Southbridge, east Coast Threads, DMBS, Odyssey, S&M, Tyrant, Etnies and Joe Cicman!