Possibly the judges blacked out halfway through his run because it was freaking insane and the human mind can't deal with it. That's all I can think of, because that's what happened when I watched it.
@makemymountain: disagree!!!!! Emil's run was so precise and smooth!!! And packed!!! Just like Brandon Semenuk's run used to be!!!!!! Emil Johansson!!!!
@SnowshoeRider4Life: Emil did a tailwhip up and a truck down. Rogatkin did a dub whip on, backflip off.... I'd consider that at minimum a wash on that feature.
@cunning-linguist: Oh really? Both their legs and arms were flailing around while doing their whipadoos so tell me where this "style" comes into play when they're throwing completely different tricks. The "style" argument in MTBing is 90% BS.
For me personally I'd rate style at 50% of my judging, each to their own, but a fish flailing around and just managing a 1080 is less aesthetically pleasing than a sweet 360 suicide no handed double bar spin in my eyes.
@cunning-linguist: Yeah except in comps, a cashroll 1080 is immensely more difficult than a double truck so your point is moot. Just because its easier to make an easier trick look better but it doesn't make it better. If you want a fair comparison, a fish flailing around doing a dub downside whip is better style than someone tucked up spinning around a cashroll 1080? There is no better style.
Noone's going to give a shit about these comps anymore with the judges screwing up the results this badly. What's the point of having them if you're not going to reward the real winner. What a shame.
@scott-townes: Judging is always going to be a subjective opinion but there is really a logical way to add this stuff up.
You have to look at the entire run and when you compare the two, Nicholi maybe lost points because he did too many tailwhips (in the same direction) right after each other. Triple-tailwhip into a double-tailwhip is repetition to a judge and they want to see diversity, no matter how difficult that double-whip is on it's own. If his double tail whip was opposite, then there would be something to discuss when comparing a lower score to what Emil got. Emil does opposite tailwhips when he does them downside in his spins, as well as doing an opposite truck driver down - this adds a great deal of points from a judging standpoint.
@ryMY21: Thanks, there is method to the madness - the tech stuff isn't always the firing off a million loops, it can be in the detail, which is partly what I'm getting it.
@ryMY21: I can get that however Emil tossed his downside whips the same way on the truck downside and the last double downside. Its only a 5 hit course and with the two middle to last hits being a wash, in your honest opinion, BS "style" in MTBing crap aside, which run had the better tricks?
Emil with a flip double whip, truck to downside and a downside dub whip (aside from the truck to downside, they've been done before by other riders) or Rogatkin with a frontflip tailwhip (never been done before in a comp. and only once before on a MTB- Benny), a triple tailwhip (Rogatkin only one doing this) and a cashroll 1080 (again never been done before on a MTB aside from Rogatkin and only a few in the world can do it on a BMX).
@cunning-linguist: true! but i think the level of difficulty and the innovation of rogatkins tricks trump "style and grace". no other rider can pull what rogatkin can pull, so there is no comparison of someone who can pull those tricks with more style and grace.
They need new judges! They need judges that completely understand the complexity of what these riders are throwing down or (up). Slopestyle is more than a fashion contest and riders should not lose out just because they were protective gear and without a helmet peak. Rogatkin got 1st. He's a total (positive) badass!
exactly! It's called slopeSTYLE for a reason. No matter what he does, Rogatkin just doesn't look smooth. As technical as his tricks are it's almost unpleasant to watch haha. You can't teach that calm collected style that emil showed, you either have it or don't, and Rogatkin clearly lacks it
@jackmasta: Emil was flailing hard on that double downside whip because guess what? The harder trick you throw, you can't make it look smooth on a bike. No one can make a cashroll 1080 or triple whip on jumps of those sizes look smooth/steezy other than getting it around and stomping it. I'm sorry I don't have proof because Rogatkin is the only one that does these tricks. Rogatkin doesn't lack style, the other riders lack harder tricks.
Love these competitions. Some amazing riders out there!
Tell me if I am the only one that thinks this way: I wish there were some other stops on this tour that would be kind of like a downhill course with trick jumps thrown in, massive big air road gaps or something, and huge drops that would take serious technical skill as well as tricks. Because it's disappointing to not see guys like kurt sorge, james dorfling, norbes etc. until rampage or unless they put out a video. Don't get me wrong, i really like watching these events, but big freeride competitions i think would be a serious hit. #BRINGBACKTHELEGENDS! #freerideaintdead
Emil desved it, got style and tech tricks over no style bangers of rogatkin, + he just did a flip on the step down and his run wasn't so varied. Emil just trew insane tech tricks with style and control.
His style was nicer because his tricks were simpler. Put it this way: Nicholi could have performed Emil's run with similar technique, but Emil probably could not have performed Nicholi's run.
- It's called slopeSTYLE, not slopeHuckHugeTricks. Emil undoubtedly brought the style, his run was silky smooth. - Rogatkin's run was insane, yes, but it didn't look as effortless & smooth as Emil's run - Rogatkin did a triple tailwhip, followed by a double tailwhip. Yes those are different tricks, however it's ultimately a lack of variation. Had Rogatkin did an OPPO double tailwhip up, possibly even an oppo single whip, maybe it would have beat out Emil's score - Emil's truck driver keeps coming up & nobody seems to mention that it was opposite
All in all, Emil's run had a bit more variation, and was smoother
I think a cool trick would be an inverted superman seatgrab. Like a regular superman seatgrab, but tilted backwards a lot so the bike was held above the rider.
My personal opinion is that emils run was way cleaner and grace full, but rotagins run had better tricks but wasn't as clean and grace full. They were both a killer run.
I would personally like to see slopestyle judged by the people.
@bikeordie2772: true! but i think the level of difficulty and the innovation of rogatkins tricks trump "clean and graceful". no other rider can pull what rogatkin can pull, so there is no comparison of someone who can pull his tricks cleaner or more graceful.
@cmkneeland: You're just butt-hurt your USA flags aren't flying so high today! I suggest you spend the time to watch Building the underground, a classic BMX film where there are tricks, but style prevails and you'll be left wanting nothing more...
@cunning-linguist: If Emil actually had some style I'd at least recognize your point. Doing slow and basic tricks doesn't equal style, it just showed he has less skills than Rogatkin.
Those judges f*cked up.
For me personally I'd rate style at 50% of my judging, each to their own, but a fish flailing around and just managing a 1080 is less aesthetically pleasing than a sweet 360 suicide no handed double bar spin in my eyes.
You have to look at the entire run and when you compare the two, Nicholi maybe lost points because he did too many tailwhips (in the same direction) right after each other. Triple-tailwhip into a double-tailwhip is repetition to a judge and they want to see diversity, no matter how difficult that double-whip is on it's own. If his double tail whip was opposite, then there would be something to discuss when comparing a lower score to what Emil got. Emil does opposite tailwhips when he does them downside in his spins, as well as doing an opposite truck driver down - this adds a great deal of points from a judging standpoint.
Emil with a flip double whip, truck to downside and a downside dub whip (aside from the truck to downside, they've been done before by other riders) or Rogatkin with a frontflip tailwhip (never been done before in a comp. and only once before on a MTB- Benny), a triple tailwhip (Rogatkin only one doing this) and a cashroll 1080 (again never been done before on a MTB aside from Rogatkin and only a few in the world can do it on a BMX).
I mean... come on, haha.
Tell me if I am the only one that thinks this way: I wish there were some other stops on this tour that would be kind of like a downhill course with trick jumps thrown in, massive big air road gaps or something, and huge drops that would take serious technical skill as well as tricks. Because it's disappointing to not see guys like kurt sorge, james dorfling, norbes etc. until rampage or unless they put out a video. Don't get me wrong, i really like watching these events, but big freeride competitions i think would be a serious hit.
#BRINGBACKTHELEGENDS! #freerideaintdead
- It's called slopeSTYLE, not slopeHuckHugeTricks. Emil undoubtedly brought the style, his run was silky smooth.
- Rogatkin's run was insane, yes, but it didn't look as effortless & smooth as Emil's run
- Rogatkin did a triple tailwhip, followed by a double tailwhip. Yes those are different tricks, however it's ultimately a lack of variation. Had Rogatkin did an OPPO double tailwhip up, possibly even an oppo single whip, maybe it would have beat out Emil's score
- Emil's truck driver keeps coming up & nobody seems to mention that it was opposite
All in all, Emil's run had a bit more variation, and was smoother