With the creation of the Flowboarding League Of the World (FLOW), there is now an organization dedicated to the growth of competitions worldwide. The competitions are held under the same rules, regardless of your location in the world. The goal is to create a consistent platform with which our athletes can perform, and we think we have some of the bases covered with the US, Asian, and European FLOW Tours.
But, who is the best rider on the FlowBarrel®, strapped in or strapless? And, who is the best rider in the world on a FlowRider®? The disciplines are very different, hence the competitions we have created. While the first three years of the FLOW championships had all of the competitions run together at the same venue(s) (Singapore, Singapore, Durban), we decided to change things in 2012.
The 2012 FLOW Championships – FlowBarrel, will be held at Wave House Majorca in Spain. The process will once again involve teams qualifying from Chile, USA, Durban, Singapore, Majorca, and the UAE, as well as those individuals who want to qualify on their own at the trials in Majorca. The disciplines will only involve events run on the FlowBarrel, including bodyboarding, flowboarding strapped and flowboarding strapless. The strapped competition will prove to be a high flying act similar to a half pipe for snowboarders with massive amplitude, flips, and technical rotation variations, while the strapless division is like skateboarding on a half pipe, with tricks oriented toward kick flips, shuvits, ollies, and the occasional flip.
The 2012 FLOW Championships – FlowRider, will be held at the Salomon Center in Utah. This event will host the best flowboarders the world has to offer, riding on a FlowRider Double, at a time of the year that may have everyone dashing for the slopes of Park City (if we get lucky). There will be expense paid trips for qualifiers (winners) from the Asian, European, and US FLOW Tours, as well as a format that will encourage anyone who wants to compete, to come put their skills on display.
The feeling within FLOW, was that there are such dramatic differences in the disciplines on the FlowRider and FlowBarrel, that by making them separate events, it would really enhance both events. But the fact remains the same – FLOW will lead us forward as the sports leader in flowboarding, and the season ending championships will always provide a dramatic ending for a season of intense competition.