Cricket Campus Rail Jam Tour

Cricket Campus Rail Jam Tour – GONZAGA RECAP!

Let’s face it, when you attend a small school you know everybody. Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington is a perfect example. Home to only 7,000 intellectuals in training, GU is seriously tight-knit group of co-eds. So when a 15-person, ruffian-looking, shred mob rolled onto the GU campus, it was pretty obvious they weren’t looking for the career fair. Within hours of the Galvanic crew’s arrival at Gonzaga, word had already spread of the upcoming Cricket Campus Rail Jam Tour and the crew’s plans for total shred domination. On Thursday, April 2nd, their plans materialized and the sixth stop of the Tour unfolded on the Crosby quad at GU.

Alex and Corey, stoked to lend a helping hand!

Skipping class + screaming your face off = free stuff Aside from the world’s largest Radio Flyer wagon, mechanical garbage-eating goats, and milk bottle shaped buildings, Spokane can also claim a hefty bunch of gnarly shredders. Fewer overall riders led to longer heats, more drops, and some serious progression during the three-hour competition. All the competitors must have fed their bad-ittudes to the mechanical goats, because the Crosby quad was all smiles and positive vibes. Hilarious commentary from emcee Andrae Cameron (AKA emcee Draedough) and beats from Tour DJ, Kid Couture fueled the crowd’s excitement and kept the riders stoked. Cricket Wireless was on-site as usual giving away custom t-shirts for everyone to get creative with. Be sure to pick one up at an upcoming event!

Forget manscaping. Facial hair is so hot right now.

Group stretch session. Pulled muscles are for suckers.

Before the comp got underway, emcee Draedough led the contest kids in a pre-shred stretch session. With loosened limbs, the competition kicked off with a bang and competitors rallied through three heats of riding. By the time the finals began, all the kids had shaken off their contest jitters and warmed up for the final showdown. After taking a beating all day, the skiers were determined to throw down and show Gonzaga what they could do. Third place finisher, Tyler McManigal put down some killer moves on the metal and walked away with some new Spyder gear after 450ing off the Red Bull “Tall Boy” box. Noah Wallace nailed second place after spinning 270 degrees off the down-flat-down rail and got hooked up with some fresh Boone skis. Landing in first and claiming the cash was Pete Arneson, killing the competition with a super clean pretzel 450 off the handrail.

Noah Wallace winds up

Pete Arneson gets prepped for the drop

When the male snowboarders began to drop it was clear that the pre-contest stretch session had paid off. Loose limbs must have been the key to landing the dozens of techy tricks that were laid down in the finals. Local riders, Yudo Kurita and Gary Abbrederis showed up right as the jam started, but their late arrival didn’t seem to phase them much as they finished in second and third place, respectively. Those guys must constantly ride together because both unloaded an arsenal of swivel tricks on all three features. Judges rewarded Gary with some rad Skullcandy headphones and gave Yudo a super fun new Omatic snowboard. Claiming first place was tech whiz-kid and Zac Marben look-alike, Corey Schneider. Corey can ride switch better than most can ride regular, with tricks like switch front blunt 270s and switch hard-way 180s to backside 360s off the handrail. You know a trick is tech when it takes over six words to describe.

Gary Abbrederis, pre 270

Yudo, working out the kinks

Not sure what the trick is, but Corey’s style is on-point no matter what

As for the ladies, Canadian transplant, Kendra Scurfield scooped up a third place spot and walked away stoked on a fun day. Portlanders Becky Donaghy and Randa Shahin, took second and first place respectively with solid showings on all three rails. Randa has been killing it at the last two events, so be sure to keep an eye out for her at the Portland finals.

Kendra Scurfield pokes out the tailslide

Becky Donaghy shoots down the barrel

Randa Shahin holds it down for her second win of the Tour

(L-R) Kendra Scurfield (3rd) Randa Shahin (1st), and Becky Donaghy (2nd)

(L-R) Tyler McManigal (3rd), Pete Arneson (1st), and Noah Wallace (2nd)

(L-R) Gary Abbrederis (3rd), Corey Schneider (1st), and Yudo Kurita (2nd)

After the smoked had cleared and the winners had been crowned, the Galvanic crew packed up shop and valiantly traveled off into the horizon towards the land of Nevada. Be sure to check back for updates on the next event at the University of Nevada Reno on April 9th!