DownUnderGround is the Australian bmx flatland championships and has been going since 2008 with Freestyle Now being the competition organizer. Once again DownUnderGround will return to Melbourne for the 11th year of the national competition on 7th December at the iconic Melbourne Imax in Carlton.
DownUnderGround also has a video contest to help riders earn points toward taking the Australian bmx flatland championship title. Riders submit a contest video between 1 and 2 minutes in length. The rider has to perform their tricks on camera as if they were at a physical contest. Riders are then judged according to the judging criteria.
This year the video round judges were –
Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain (judging beginners and experts) and Shaun Jarvis (judging opens), both are no strangers to competitions having judged and entered many DownUnderGround competitions. James McGraw. James has been in flatland for over 30 years and had competed and is still competing at the highest level. James is behind the American Flatland Association, making sure the grassroots movement of bmx flatland is always being promoted and influenced in the USA. Joe Cicman. Joe is legendary for pushing the boundaries what is possible in BMX flatland and inspiring other to push the boundaries.
We would like to give a big thanks to the judges and it was great to have their input into judging the video round.
Thank you once again to our competition supporters Freestyle Now, Colony BMX, Anchor BMX, Sneaky Wholefoods and ZTFF BMX. Hope to see many riders at DownUnderGround on the 7th December at Melbourne Imax in Carlton, come on down to witness the best bmx flatland riding in Australia.
2019 DownUnderGround – Australian bmx flatland championships video competition results
Beginner – 1st Paul Grzinic – Melbourne, 2nd Greg De Bois – Sydney, 3rd David Roomey – Melbourne
Freestyle Now recently performed bmx stunt shows at the Geraldton Sunshine Festival. What a great event it is, right on the Geraldton foreshore, with great crowds. This was the first show that Freestyle Now performed on our new big jump. The new jump is a lot bigger than our old ramp set up that we had for 18 years. And with a bigger ramp bigger tricks and more air will be achieved. The day started out with our set up in the morning to perfect jumping conditions. As the morning progressed the wind started to pick up which can be difficult to perform in. Freestyle Now squad members Shaun Jarvis and Josh Garwood invited good friends Luke Tooze and Nathan Joson to round out the bmx stunt show performers. With a crew like that the wind did not affect the show performance. Big tricks were being performed and the crowds were putting the energy back into the performance, the more noise the crowd makes the more energy the performers receive. Freestyle Now came to roll out the rad and entertain the masses at the Geraldton Sunshine festival and that is what we achieved. When it comes to entertainment Freestyle Now definitely has you covered with a high entertainment value bmx stunt show. Make sure you check out our coming events page to see where the next Freestyle Now stunt shows will be going down. If you would like this type of great entertainment at your next event please get in contact with Freestyle Now with your requirements. A full list of all the stunt shows that Freestyle Now has ever done over the past 32 years can be found on our past stunt show page.
Freestyle Now brings you the best action pack entertainment stunt show. Seeing Luke Tooze and Josh Garwood in the air at the same time one finishing up a backflip the other starting a backflip. What an amazing bmx stunt shows Freestyle Now performed at the 2019 Geraldton Sunshine festival.
Clockwise from top left – with the new ramp Josh Garwood can boost even higher than before – Luke Tooze rotates 360 while setting the table – Josh Garwood and Luke Tooze synchronized backflips are really rad to see – Nathan Joson dips the 360 up and over the new Freestyle Now big jump. More photos can be found on our Facebook page here.
Freestyle Now recently headed out to Meekatharra for a skatepark activation session. On the trip was Freestyle now boss man Shaun Jarvis, Josh Garwood who was just getting back into riding after his fractured vertebrates 9 weeks before the trip after the doctor gave the all clear to go and scooter radster Tyler Jennings. Guest skateboard shredder Sam Orme was also invited on the trip. The first day was taken up by the 9 hour drive out to Meekatharra. Day two was the opening of the skatepark and a skatepark activation coaching session. The Freestyle Now helped the locals learn new skills and gain more confidence in bmx, scooter and skateboard activities, so they can have more fun at the skatepark. Day three was another skatepark activation coaching session with more skills being taken up. On day four it was the long journey home again. Definitely was a great trip full of good times and much radness. The local skatepark participants out in Meekatharra were stoked as were the Freestyle Now crew. On the trip the crew even managed to find an old pool on the trip that Josh and Sam got to roll in, definitely a highlight of the trip. The Meekatharra skatepark is great and if you are ever travelling the 770kms out that was into the remote Western Australian outback be sure to stop and have a roll.
Driven is a action sports documentary. Action sports are truly amazing. The drive to achieve can be pain staking but very rewarding. Perth scooter rider Jakob Wells put together a short documentary about action sports which features Freestyle Now squad member and co founder Shaun Jarvis. Shaun talks about the benefits of participating in action sports and how the skills learnt can help with life skills. This is definitely a video worth watching.
Freestyle Now started in 1986. In 1987 Freestyle Now built a small flat bank ramp also known as a kickturn ramp. It was used in a few shows but it did not last long as it got eaten by termites as it was stored in a bad location and all made from wood. After that ramp was destroyed Freestyle Now moved toward more bmx flatland type shows as the logistics of ramps posed many difficulties at the time. When Jason Parker joined Freestyle Now in early 2000 a small ramp was built that could be transported in the small trailer we had. Freestyle Now performed a few shows with this small ramp.
Left – Georg Molnar in 1987 on the first Freestyle Now ramp. Right – Shaun Jarvis and Jason Parker in early 2001 with double stalls on ramps made to fit in a small trailer.
After hosting the bmx jumping competition at the Joondalup festival in 2000 using a wooden take off ramp it was decided that it was time to build a metal ramp for stunt shows. So at the start of 2001 Freestyle Now had a quarter pipe build that could also be used as a jump ramp. The ramp was first used at the 2001 Joondalup festival bmx jumping competition in March which was also featured in Behind the Bars show 2. The first stunt with the ramp was in May at the Mirrabooka Family Fun Day that took place at the Mirrabooka high school. It was always planned to make a landing ramp so that Freestyle Now would have a jump box. So in early 2002 the landing ramp was made, with the first show being the Kalgoorlie Bolder Community Fair in March. The jump box was only small but the plan was to make and extension for the deck to make the jump bigger which was then added to the jump box for shows in late 2002. This was the final configuration of the jump box which has continually been used.
Left – Ben Clause at the Mirrabooka Family Fun in 2001. This was the first show the FN ramp was used at. The ramp was so new it was not even painted. Right – Adam Duncan with a no hander in early 2002 at the Kalgoorlie fair, the first show with the inclusion of a landing ramp on the FN ramp.
Clockwise from top left – The first show Kie Ashworth did with Freestyle Now waas at the Corrigin Agricultural show in 2005, notice no side panels or banners on the box jump – Jason Parker in Tom Price nose picking in 2007 – Shaun Jarvis and Jason Parker dueling handstands at the Kojonup agricultural show in 2008 – Kie Ashworth no hander over Shaun Jarvis at the Donnybrook family fun day in 2010
Shaun Jarvis talks us through the FN bmx jump at the last show at the Beverley agricultural show in August 2019
Over its 18 year history, the FN box jump has seen many new layers of plywood applied to keep it fresh. There has even been some on site repairs and some modifications to keep it strong and working. It has severed Freestyle Now well. The FN box jump has been transported around to many stunt shows around the country. The jump box has seen many riders perform rad tricks in the air above it. Riders have done their first back flips and front flips over the FN box jump. Some riders have seen bmx for the first time at a Freestyle Now show with riders getting rad over the jump box.
One of the last shows with the FN box jump, the 2019 Perth sky show, Nathan Dobbie flairs while Shaun Jarvis balances.
The time has come, the landing ramp needs to be completely rebuilt to maintain the safety. The up ramp / take off/ quarter pipe (it has many labels) is in need of some repair to ensure its integrity, which sure can be done but what is really needed is a new jump ramp. Over the past 18 years the level of the tricks performed has increased and this needs a new level of jump box to accommodate these new amazing tricks that take place at Freestyle Now stunt shows. Freestyle Now is getting a new bigger and better jump ramp ready to make is stunt show debut. The old ramp was 1.5 meters tall with the new ramp being 2 meters tall. That half meter will make a big difference on the amount of radness the riders will be able to unleash. The landing will be an air bag style which will add a level of safety for the riders knowing that if they were to crash out of a bmx stunt their risk of injury will be minimized. For now the FN box jump will be put into semi retirement, a few repairs done and maybe a new down ramp, will it come out and be put into use again? Never say never but one thing to be sure of is to Freestyle Now…………. before it’s too late.
Freestyle Now recently performed bmx stunt shows at the Beverley Agricultural show. It was good to be back at the Beverley Agricultural show as the last time Freestyle Now performed there was in 1999 when Shaun Jarvis was out there doing solo flatland shows. Freestyle Now had a rad crew of bmx stunt performers all set to roll out the rad at the Beverley Show for 2019.
Luke tooze gets his arms twisted up while making a vertical rotation over the top of Shaun Jarvis
With squad members Taj Hamilton and Jack Carwardine along with Luke Tooze, Nathan Joson and guest riders Daniel Davis and Tyler Gayski. Squadron leader Shaun Jarvis was on the mic as he was still on recovery mode from an injury. The entertainment value was high with tailwhips, 360’s, backflips and frontflips taking place over the four bmx stunt shows set for the day. The day started very cold and did not reach much warmer that cold, but Freestyle Now got things heated up with some great bmx stunt show performances. It was nothing but the pure radness that Freestyle Now is known for. This show also marked the semi retirement of the Freestyle Now jump box which after 19 years is making way for a new bigger bmx show jump. Make sure you check out our coming events page to see where the next Freestyle Now stunt shows will be going down. If you would like this type of great entertainment at your next event please get in contact with Freestyle Now with your requirements. A full list of all the stunt shows that Freestyle Now has ever done over the past 32 years can be found on our past stunt show page.
Clockwise from top left – Jack Carwardine getting his tailwhip on – two rad 12 year olds, Tyler Gayski jumping over his good friend Taj Hamilton – Nathon Joson goes upside down and takes his hands off – Taj Hamiton wants to fly higher so thought he would use his arms for a bit more lift. More photos can be found on our Facebook page here.
Josh boosting a tabletop on a full pipe that was never meant to be ridden.
Freestyle Now recently travelled to Port Hedland for a week of youth engagement, skatepark coaching and to host a skatepark competition. Freestyle Now squad members Shaun Jarvis, Karee Furnevall and Josh Garwood were given the task to roll out the rad over the week. Skatepark coaching workshops took place at the Port Hedland skatepark as well as the super large South Hedland skatepark. It is great to help others learn how to roll out the rad. On the Monday the squad got to hang out at the Port Hedland BMX track. On the Wednesday to squad travelled out to the Warralong community and did a school presentation session. It was a great experience and we hope to be back there again soon. The skatepark coaching workshops defiantly helped many skatepark participants learn more skill which they all put to use in the competition on the Friday night. It was also great to see the Evans family from down in Perth, skating in Port Hedland and attending the competition. Cruz, Via and Zen are all rad skaters.
Shaun, Karee and Josh captured some of the radness that took place on the Port Hedland trip. Be sure to check out the video
Clockwise from left – Josh bunnyhops over Shaun at the school at the Warralong community – Karee whipping it up on the flat at the Warralong community – The skatepark coaching session at Port Hedland was well attended – Some of the termite mounts have started wearing hard hat due to the occupational health and safety regulation that has been imposed on them. More photos can be found on our facebook page here.
In 1991 Freestyle Now co founder Shaun Jarvis dug a hole the size of a swimming pool in his backyard. Shaun and then Freestyle Now squad member Todd Triebler thought about building a single jump in the backyard. The single jump idea did not last long as it turned into a bowl. At the start there were about eight bmx riders that came to help hand dig the hole that world turn into the bowl. Over many months that eight slowly diminished until it was only Shaun digging and working on the construction. Before any riding surface was laid down the fence almost fell over due to sand being up against it so was again shoveled by hand away and brick walls were built to hold the sand back in place. Paving slabs seemed to be the best and cheapest option for creating a riding surface. The mission was to by as many second hand slabs as he could. This was not always an easy task as by the time you got the paper and checked the ads for paving slabs they were gone. In time paving slabs were attained and the bowl started to get covered. In this only video of the bowl you can see that it has been covered and able to have some riding taking place. Over the next few years more slabs were laid and cement was hand mixed to help smooth out the corners as you can see in the above photo. Unfortunately the bowl never got completely finished as Shaun sold the house where the bowl was and it had to be filled in on the completion of the sale. Shaun was the only person to ride the bowl so enjoy this look back in time with this video and wish you could have been there to have a ride in the backyard bowl.
Freestyle Now performed some bmx stunt shows at the 2019 Perth Sky show. The day was warm and sunny and the crowds were loud. Freestyle Now performed some amazing bmx stunt shows throughout the day, the audience were really getting into it and making lots of noise. As the crowds were bringing in the noise the Freestyle Now squad got more amped up to roll out the rad. Our youngest rider and recruits squad member Taj Hamilton performed his first bmx stunt show last year at the Perth Sky show and this year he up it by dong his first back flip over the jump box. He was ecstatic and so were the squad who all raced to him to congratulate him. Reserves squad member Jack Carwardine got amped up from Taj doing the back flip and decide to do his first front flip over the jump box. He was so stoked. It was a great show, the crowds were amazing, with every show having great numbers of spectators all coming to see the radical bmx stunt show that Freestyle Now was performing.
Make sure you check out our coming events page to see where the next Freestyle Now bmx stunt shows will be going down. If you would like this type of great entertainment at your next event please get in contact with Freestyle Now with your requirements. A full list of all the stunt shows that Freestyle Now has ever done over the past 32 years can be found on our past stunt show page
In 1997 Freestyle Now squad member Shaun Jarvis auditioned for the popular Hey Hey it’s Saturday Red Faces segment. The audition took place in a Perth night club. Solo bmx stunt show performances were common for Shaun as he performed solo flatland shows from the end of 1995 to the beginning of 2000 when Jason Parker joined Freestyle Now. Shaun went to the audition to maybe get on the show with no expectations. The stage was really small for a bmx flatland performance, although Shaun made do with the size of the area and put in a solid performance. Shaun was called back to perform at the night club as a encore performance a few months later but never made it onto the TV show.
