Ultimate Flatland League 2021

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Exciting news today to start the week from the boss, Martti Kuoppa tells all right here:

“All things I do, I always try to view them with an open mind for progression. That was also the case when I felt it was time to renew the Master Of Creativity online video competition concept which I have been running successfully for many years.

It all started back in 2009 when I launched my first online video competition, Ground Tactics. Many of the Flatlanders still remember the impact what Moto Sasaki did with his groundbreaking 3-minutes combo for the final round of Ground Tactics:

moto sasaki ground tactics final from moto sasaki on Vimeo.

This line (among many other great runs in Ground Tactics) made me feel that there is definitely a place for online competitions in the BMX community.

Then I needed to focus on other aspects of my life and I was unable to organize Ground Tactics again. It took me a few years until I came up with an idea for Master Of Creativity. The idea was born back in 2015 when I joined Instagram and the app did not allow users to post videos any longer than 30 seconds. I felt that we needed to adapt to this modern way of social media and use shorter videos for online competition. Master Of Creativity worked very well. A lot of riders supported me and joined the competition year after year. Last year I had almost 100 riders signing up for it and the level of riding was insane, like every year since I started the Master Of Creativity (click the logo below to see John Yull´s epic entry to 2017 MOC):

Now, after 5 years of running Master Of Creativity, it is time to move forward and refresh the online video competition concept completely to make things more exciting.

Without further explanation, Ultimate Flatland League is here to combine Ground Tactics, Master Of Creativity and MK Format live battles.

Round 1 (Qualification) will be traditional Ground Tactics full run (non-edited).

Round 2 (Semi Final) is Master Of Creativity best trick/best combo round.

Round 3 (Final) is a MK Format live battle.

Ultimate Flatland League combines 3 elements together which are all important parts of competing in Flatland:

1. Build a run of your dreams.

2. Pull a new trick that really pushes your personal limits.

3. How good are you able to perform your full run with a contest pressure on.

There are following categories to choose to compete in:
Amateur Women/Men

Pro Women/Men

Top 3 prizes. I am currently at a stage to find more prize money for the Pro Women and Pro Men. So far my own brand, MK Format is putting money on the table and I am super excited to announce that Kunstform BMX store is also joining in as a sponsor to add up in the prize money count and also gift cards for the amateurs! So the prize money is guaranteed already but to tell you details how much, I need a bit more time to chase down those dollars out there. But don´t worry, I will make it happen and it will be okay.

If you want your brand or you know somebody who is looking into supporting this type of event, feel free to let me know!

It is not easy to find money for Flatland events. For that reason I opened an apparel store inside the Ultimate Flatland League website where riders can show their support for video riding culture. Every order will support the prize money growth, judges fees and other costs running this online competition. All orders are highly appreciated and needed to give these highly talented riders out there an opportunity to earn some income with all the hard work they are putting into Flatland.

And by the way, I am not going to be judging this competition. The judges are: Effraim Catlow, Sebastian Grubinger and York Uno. Now, go check out the site and register yourself for the competition, buy some apparel and have a great day!

Thank you very much!
– Martti Kuoppa

www.ultimateflatlandleague.com

Old School Sunday Tribute: R.I.P Josh Marsele

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Photos: Kieran Chapman @wire_zine.

Josh Marsele – KOF – April 1989 from Kieran on Vimeo.

Yesterday the sad news, New England flatland legend Josh Marsele aged 48 has passed away broke online. Josh’s name and riding talent first came to my attention in my ‘zine swapping days in the late 80’s early 90’s, and particularly Kieran Chapman’s Radazine and Wire creations that did a fantastic job of documenting the N.E progressive flatland and ramp riding scene.

Josh was also one of those riders that broke out of the thriving New England flatland scene, and competed all over the states in the AFA Masters series, and even became year end champion in his class in 1989. (Those classes were stayed back then, that is not an easy achievement!).
I will dig out some contest footage below as well as some photos, as we pay tribute to this amazing rider. Thank you for all the inspiration you personally gave me through the late 80’s and 90’s.

Rest in peace, Josh Marsele.
Condolences to all of Josh’s family, friends, and the New England flatland scene.

Effraim Catlow / Flatmattersonline.

Josh Marsele – KOF – October 1988 from Kieran on Vimeo.


Scott Denoncourt kindly sent in this tribute that I will share with you all….

“Joshua P. Marsele, 48, of Bristol, died on Tuesday (January 19, 2021) ending his battle with an ailment that caused him intense chronic pain and severely limited his mobility. Josh was born in Bristol on February 14, 1972 and was a son of Joan (Beger) Barney of Bristol and the late James F. Marsele.

A lifelong Bristol resident, he graduated from Bristol Central High School Class of 1990. He worked as a graphic computer artist, a medical assistant for kids and the elderly, and for 14 years as a high-voltage lineman for Eversource.

He was a loving son, brother, and doting father to his cats Applejack and Buster. His loved ones will remember him as a charismatic, creative, passionate, funny, mischievous, vibrant, generous, and accomplished individual with a singular sense of style, a soft spot for animals, and a penchant for kayaking. His true passion was BMX flatland freestyle riding (search YouTube: Axlepeg BMX) and he was the 1989 American Freestyle Association Masters Champion.

In addition to his mother, Josh is survived by two sisters: Julie Marsele-Cusson of Naples, FL, and Hayley Varhol of Philadelphia, PA; a niece, Chloe Cusson; a nephew, Kyle Cusson; his stepfather, Stephen R. Varhol, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.

A walk-through visitation will be held at Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, on Saturday, February 6, 2021, between 1 and 3 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Friends of Bristol Parks and Recreation Fund.

https://www.mainstreetfoundation.org/friends-bristol-parks-and-recreation-fund

Please visit Josh’s memorial website at:

www.FunkFuneralHome.com

Listen to DJ Mark Eaton play on Twitch

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Looking for some entertainment during lockdown?

Mark Eaton hit me up yesterday with something little different than the normal, “can you post this edit Effraim?”. Mark as many should know created some of the most influential videos of all time and helped pave the way in the current flat/street trend.
Mark is nowadays DJ’ing a lot, which makes sense if you paid attention to his Dorkin’ soundtracks, Mark like many of us is battling copyright issues with various social media sites kicking off live streams immediately.
Mark discovered “Twitch”, a free streaming platform for Gamers, Musicians, & DJs. The sound quality is much better & you can use your phone on other apps while playing a stream.

Mark is trying to connect better with my friends & FB community and share what I’m passionate about whether it’s Video Production or creative DJ Sets.

Listen to DJ Mark Eaton play his DJ Sets, Weekly at 8-9pm eastern time and weekends is flexible:

https://www.twitch.tv/dj_eaton

Fact or Freestyle: Episodes 1 & 2

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COVID-19 brought a lot of disruption. One major area of disruption was to Dave Nourie’s and Joe Cicman’s antics at contests.
Without the after party to share stories and rumors, the two spent hours on the phone one-on-one saying things like “yeah well Wilkerson said…” and “yeah well Brett Downs told me…”
So they decided to call some of these guys on Zoom, and have a virtual after party dinner table conversation for everyone who can’t see their friends.

The Winners of the 2020 Flatmattersonline Year End Awards Are….

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It’s time to announce the winners of the 2020 Flatmattersonline Year End Awards, 2020 was a difficult year for everyone. Flatland as a community rallied together to make the best of these difficult, testing times.
We saw riders focus more on edits rather than contest placings, as a result perhaps the rate of progression was a lot greater than previously would be, those that wanted to compete took part in numerous online contests, and in between all that the FM exclusives made to 60 episodes in 2020.
What the future holds is unclear currently, the vaccines are getting out there, and we hope to know more by spring time which really isn’t that far away.
Let’s try, and remain positive and make the best of every situation.

Congratulations to all the winners!!!

Without further a due, let’s get into the show!

Effraim Catlow / Flatmattersonline.

Dubyard Inauguration BMX Flatland Jam

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The summer of 2020 must’ve been the quietest in recent years in terms of Flatland events / videos, so here is a little Backyard Spot Inauguration jam mashup video from this past summer to freshen up the vibe a bit, and show it’s still possible to have a good moment with friends in these times! Enjoy riding from Juan Camilo Niebles, Steve Bergeron, JF Boulianne, Gauthier Saint and Jean William Prévost. Good vibes!

Rad Girls BMX Flatland 2020

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I have been super busy the last two weeks putting together the Flatmattersonline Year End Awards, so on my breaks it’s good to watch something a little different to freshen things up. Paula Marie in this insistence came through with this amazing edit documenting the growing female flatland scene in 2020, and had this to say:

“2020 was a tough year to say the least. But, in the chaos and fallout that we are still experiencing we have a lot to be grateful for. Just stop for a moment, each day, and give pause. Be mindful of your surroundings, and of yourself. Mindfulness has many times been proven to be effective in over all wellbeing. It’s benefits preached and practiced for millenniums now. So if you’re having a hard time, don’t forget it’s ok to just stop and pause in the moment to breath. Or go ride. Many riders will tell you riding is a form of meditation. You must clear your mind of all distractions and focus your attention to the moment. We are all grateful for the riding that we did in 2020, and we are all grateful for every moment afterwards that we have. Here are some of our favourite Rad Girls of 2020.”