Sheckler's Got a Secret Weapon: The Backflip

Aug 16 2006 / Portland

Word is that Ryan Sheckler has something he's been cooking up. The backflip.  Rumor is that he's landed it, but that he might not be ready to throw it in competition. Supposedly Travis Pastrana has been giving Sheckler some heckling about how he himself has done a double backflip, so Sheckler's got to at least step to a single.

But whether or not he will throw it this week, at the Vans Invitational in Portland, is another story. The course is mostly small, technical features mixed with a few features far too big & flat to be using for backflips. More or less, the course here isn't very forgiving to someone trying a backflip.

The backflip is a big risk too. If Sheckler does try it and doesn't land it, then his whole run could be blown, which might affect his chances of earning the overall Dew Tour title (and the $75k bonus). Sheckler knows that he doesn't have to do it in order to win, and it's not very common, unlike FMX where backflips are mandatory. Sheckler can be pretty sure that no one else will be throwing a backflip in competition tomorrow. Plus, maybe the judges will favor technicality over a trick that they might see as show-boaty such as a backflip.

VIDEO   Get a peak at the Skate Park standings in the Dew Action Sports Tour, led by Jereme Rogers, Ryan Sheckler and Nyjah Huston! View Clip> PHOTO GALLERY Check out Ryan Sheckler in action! View Gallery> Check out Ryan Sheckler in the Denver Dew Tour Skate Park Finals. View Gallery>

So is it worth the risk? Is it even worth it? Regardless of whether you think backflips should be done in skate street competitions, it would be a new frontier of sorts, so maybe he'll try it for the glory of progressing the sport, or maybe he'll do it because he knows he can and he thinks it might be a show-stopper. But either way, it's got to be on his mind as he finishes up his last minutes of practice tonight, and it's probably safe to say that it'll still be on his mind, right up until the point when he drops in for tomorrow's Skate Street Final.

- Cody Alle