Come practice time at this year’s Ladies Vert contest, it seemed there might be a new face atop the podium. The word was, that Cara Beth Burnside had caught a bug the night before and was really sick. I overheard Mimi Knoop say, “Just pray for her that she can make it out.” A few minutes before the practice session ended, our prayers were answered and CB appeared on the deck, not looking like her usual self. She said, ”Pray that I don’t throw up on the ramp.”

After the introductions of the girls and an introduction run, the jam session began. As usual Team Pain did an excellent job on the ramp, complete with a love seat under the elbow, an extension roll-in gap and a street-style rail and quarter pipe with pool coping. The girls quickly took to the loveseat and the gap and busted all sorts of airs and ollies off the obstacles.

Besides being sick all night and through the morning, CB put on her usual vertical show with inverts, big liens, les twists and some lip tricks to keep her title as the queen of women’s vert. Mimi Knoop is always nipping at CB’s heels. Mimi rode with her usual style, busting out big ollies, nose grinds, inverts and worked the loveseat like a veteran.

Holly Lyons came out swinging with frontsides, indys and brought out some new tricks, like inverts, since last year’s X Games. The judges awarded her 5th place.

The newcomers this year were Karen Jones, Tina Neff, Jodi MacDonald and young Annie Sullivan. Annie struggled a bit but managed to pull a couple rocks and boosted a backside off the loveseat. Tina and Jodi put together some good runs with a lot of air variations. Tina even does some sweet body varials. Young gun, Karen Jones has been the talk of the town since the Soul Bowl contest. She’s got a big bag of tricks including, frontside and backside ollies, half cabs and inverts. Watch out for this one in the future.