Heels Over Head: The Backflip Renaissance

Aug 19 2006 / Portland

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It's been twenty years since Jose Yanez backflipped the Helltrack as a stunt double playing Cru Jones in Rad, ten years since Andy Macdonald landed the first backflip in a skateboard competition, seven years since Carey Hart hucked the first motocross flip, and less than two weeks since Travis Pastrana's huge double backflip lit up X Games 12.

The backflip never really went away as a holy grail of action sports, but suddenly it's everywhere: BMX guys who've been on the Megramp – you can count 'em on one hand – say it's the most natural trick to pull over the gap. FMX guys are doing them with every variation imaginable; Nate Adams is now flipping (and landing) no-handed. Skater Andy Mac still stands by the trick too: backflips to the deck have been a staple of his vert contest runs on the Dew Tour and at the X Games this summer.

Now it looks as if the young guns are getting into the game: Rumors coming out of Woodward Skate Camp say Ryan Sheckler took advantage of his Visiting Pro status at the camp last week to hone his own heels-over-head huck on the resi-foam fun box.

"He was throwing them pretty big, maybe six feet," says Lat34's inside source at Woodward. "By the last day, he had them clean. I don't know if there's realistically going to be the right kind of setup for it at the Dew Tour, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one in a competition run very soon."

Sheckler won the overall Dew Tour competition and is in good shape for a repeat: He kicked off the tour with a win at the Panasonic Open in Louisville, then finished in fourth for the Right Guard Open in Denver, skating on fire-walking related foot injuries. He's now in 2nd place in the overall standings, in between Jereme Rogers and Nyjah Huston. Something flashy might be enough to seal the deal.

Normally when you hear the words "back" and "flip" in reference to a skateboarding park contest, the words conjure up something more like a kickflip to backside railslide. But with park contest obstacles finally catching up to the big burly reality of actual skateparks, inverted moves are on the way.

A backflip in a skateboard park contest would signal a fulfillment of Woodward's promise as a high-tech training ground: The camp's foam pits and foam-padded ramps and fun boxes grew out of the camp's experience working with gymnasts, and were designed to accelerate the rate of progression in action sports. On that front, the signs of success couldn't be clearer: the backflip is officially back, and all eyes are on Sheckler to stomp something big. If he flips, expect to see his fans totally flip out.