Best Trick Competitions

BEST TRICK COMPETITIONS force riders to pull stunts they’d never try under normal circumstances. An athlete only has to complete a stunt once to win the top prize. At the 2003 Gravity Games, Richie Velasquez tried until he nailed an amazing stunt to win.

When it comes to these titles, technical mastery matters little. The judges and crowd are looking for two things: danger and amplitude. Sixteen prequalified skaters broke into four heats. The four skaters in each heat were given ten minutes to pull their best stunt. Only the top skater in each heat continued in the competition. After the opening rounds, only four skaters remained: Velasquez and Brian Aragon from the United States and France’s Stephane Alfano and Wilfried Rossignol. Velasquez won his heat with a flatspin 540 over the gap-of-death channel.

In the finals, everybody took it up a notch. Velasquez went for a mind-blowing transfer from a 6-foot quarterpipe, over a rail to a larger quarterpipe ten feet away. Needless to say, Velasquez had to go big to make it. And after eight attempts, the New Yorker nailed his stunt to bring the crowd to its feet.

Alfano claimed second with a large gap transfer to disaster soul grind. And Aragon earned third with a huge 540 acid drop.

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POINT Richie Velasquez tried seven times to complete his stunt in the finals. And seven times he failed. But on his eighth attempt, Velasquez pulled his dangerous trick to win the gold. The judges didn’t count his seven misses against him; they awarded Velasquez points based on his perfect attempt.

Just like in the best trick competition, God doesn’t care how many times we mess up. He judges us if we do the right thing once—and the right thing is admitting we’re sinners and asking his forgiveness. If we do the correct thing by turning to God, he forgets our past mistakes and awards us with the gold medal of purity.

GOAL! Have you ever messed up? You’d better say yes! Praise God that he doesn’t hold your mistakes against you when you ask for his forgiveness. Thank him for his faithfulness.