"TRICKSTER" TO FLY SINGAPORE'S FLAG IN CAPE TOWN
Singapore to be represented at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals for the first time
SINGAPORE – November 8, 2009 (Sunday) – In what turned out to be a dramatic finale at the *SCAPE Youth Park, just off Singapore’s busy Orchard Road shopping belt, 24-year-old Mohd Azri saw off the challenge of close pal Terry Lee to bag the title of Red Bull Street Style Singapore champion today.
Hot favourite among the crowd, Azri, or “Trickster” as he is known in the freestyle community, will now represent Singapore at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals, which will take place in April 2010 in Cape Town, just a couple of months before the 2010 Fifa World Cup Finals kick off on the same continent.
Along with the winner’s trophy and prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in South Africa against the best freestylers from around the globe, Azri will also get a two-week training stint in Paris, France, where he will train under the tutelage of the reigning freestyle world champion, “Sean” Arnaud Garnier, who was one of the judges here in Singapore.
The training stint in Paris, which is expected to take place in January or February 2010 to prepare Azri for the world finals, will be sponsored by Singapore’s top indoor football arena - The Cage, which is an event partner for the Red Bull Street Style Singapore.
Even the rain failed to deter an enthusiastic crowd of close to two hundred spectators, which had gathered to witness the birth of Singapore’s finest freestyler. It was a fitting end to an extremely successful event, which saw 14 quality participants do battle, although one wonders what happened to the 8 missing competitors from the original 22 who had registered online. Cold feet no doubt!
With the judging based on control, creativity and style, it was not enough to be able to juggle a ball or do a few tricks. And the local boys did not disappoint. After an awesome demonstration by Sean, the competition got under way with the participants, ages ranging from 13 to 30, each bringing their unique flair and showmanship to the competition.
Pulling out all the stops, the competitors even managed to wow the judges – former Singapore international skipper Aide Iskandar, Felix of Singapore's top B-Boy crew Radikal Forze and “Sean” – with creative skills and moves ranging from performing flips and break dance freeze with the ball between their ankles or knees, to taking t-shirts off with the ball balanced on the back of their necks.
Aide, who skippered Singapore’s national football team before his retirement a couple of years ago, was certainly impressed with the standard of the competitors. “The skills level of some of these youngsters will put many professional footballers to shame!”
Eventually when the dust settled, it was Azri who proved his mettle by showing off the most complete range of skills, to go with bags of cheeky confidence and showmanship, to win over the hearts of the crowd and judges, who voted unanimously in his favour in the final battle.
Azri, who’s been a freestyling as a semi-professional for the past couple of years – performing at birthday parties and events, was so overwhelmed by emotions that he collapsed to the floor when the result was announced. He was also mopped by the crowd after the trophy presentation, as his new fans crowd queued up to take pictures with the new Singapore champion.
“I wanted this really badly and I think in the end that was what won it for me,” said Azri. “It was a close fight against my training buddy Terry, but I was quietly confident of my abilities. I picked up a lot from Sean when he was here in Singapore back in May for the Killa Balla event at The Cage. I am sure that the two-week stint in Paris with Sean will do me a world of good once again. Hopefully I will be ready to do Singapore proud in April next year during the World Finals.”
