Cami Nogueira wins Proving Grounds first ever women’s pro category!
Words By Lisa Mason
Photo by Else Kerkmann
Cami Nogueira’s last hits, as all the ladies and spectators look on.
WFMBike aka Women's Freeride Movement recently took a trip down to the Oregon desert to check out the Proving Grounds freeride event, based out of Prineville. This is the first year Provings Grounds was going to have a women’s category, and we weren’t going to miss it!
Super excited for this trip, I packed my bags, got a stick jammed up my nose, (negative), and I was good to go! After a Covid hiatus, this is just what was needed to bring us all back together.
Upon arrival at Proving Grounds, I was greeted warmly by the H5 Events team, Nina & crew. While getting my wristband on I got the low down on setup and where to best to watch the event. I headed over to the bottom of the course, hugging and high-fiving people along the way, I was excited.
Harriet Burbidge-Smith the was the first to drop in on the money booter, starting the weekends progression session off right.
Just missing the practice, I quiz the ladies on what happened during the day and their thoughts on Friday.
Harriet Burbidge-Smith was the first to hit the money booter. Dialling it in right away, but some wind would knock her down just before the end of practice. Not a good way to end the session, but she was able to walk away, ready to ride the next day.
The weather was foremost in their minds, everyone was hoping that it wouldn’t delay this opportunity to showcase women’s freeride.
Kudos to Proving Grounds for providing the stage for these women/young ladies to excel, and giving them the equal prize money they deserve. Giving women a platform to showcase their abilities, and progress women’s freeride will progress the sport exponentially.
Hannah getting some serious HANG TIME!! I couldn’t resist the nod to Hannah’s freeride jump event the weekend before PG. It was Bellingham’s biggest jump party of the season, looked like a sweet party! We’ll definitely be there next year!!
Just look at what Audi Nines, Dark Horse, Hang Time, and now Proving Grounds have produced!!! A full series of freeride/slopestyle events that can sustain a freeride/freestyle career. Each event has their own unique characteristics and courses.
What a year for women/girls!! We’ve believed in this from day one, so glad to see it blowing up!!
Some solid course building by Black Sage Dirt Works, enables Cami to focus on her run! They did an amazing job on the course, even with momma nature throwing everything at them.
Here is a little history and news before we get into the play by play from the practice and competition day.
Casey Brown was the first lady to ride any features on the Proving Grounds course. Riding almost the whole course in 2019, before a crash on the third last jump would end her run. But not before opening the door for the 7 ladies invited this year.
The 2021 roster consisted of Hannah Bergmann, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, Brooke Anderson, Ming Goetz, Cami Norgueria, Sam Soriano, and Casey Brown.
Casey was turned around, this year, at the border due to just being in Europe. She was tearing up the Audi Nines course and would have been a valuable part of the team helping the ladies unlocking more features.
Ming checking out the starting drops on the left. There were two ways into this freeride playground, with lots of line choices below.
Ming Goetz, east coast ripper and Sugar Showdown winner, crashed on the second jump from the bottom. (Pictured here on the left). Her swollen knee and bum shoulder would keep her out of the rest of the competition, but wouldn’t stop her from cheering the ladies on from the sidelines. We’ll see her back here next year throwing whips/sui’s with the best of them. Speedy recovery vibes, Ming!
Now that you're caught up, back to the action.
After cruising the grounds and checking out the setup, I swung by the Five Ten booth to say hi to the team, and then walked over to the campground and set up camp for the weekend. Yes, that's right, the campground is right next to the event. No early morning drives to get to the venue, everything is in walking distance!!
Setting up for the night and tired after a long day of travelling, I crawled into my bed and passed out, but woke up in the night to the pitter patter of rain splatter on the tent roof. I usually like this sound as it is soothing, but this time I worried for the athletes competing the next day. Would the practice be able to go off, and from the consistency of raindrops on the tent fly, it was not looking good.
Friday morning the showers were still going. There was a break in the weather around 11am getting us excited, but a downpour at 12, would push things back until later in the afternoon. Suddenly the sun busted out and started drying up the wet track. The vibe instantly changed from nervous excitement to ‘lets giver a go’, and see what the course is running like. People grabbed their bikes and started hiking the lower hits. The bottom was drying out quicker, so the sessions were on.
Fist bumps and high fives were just as plentiful as the smiles, and the progression all weekend
Hannah Bergmann was the first one to hit the money booter that morning. Cami Norgueira was soon to follow with her quiet confidence, as she sailed over the bottom jumps. Harriet Burbidge-Smith wouldn’t let the wind keep her down this time, she gets the jump dialled again quickly.
Sam Soriano steezing!
Sam Soraino got a tow in from Cami and was next in line to get over the bottom jump. Brooke Anderson, who was cruising with her crew, would also sail easily over the last jump with style just before the session ended.
Sam Soriano ripping around on the pit bike. She was keen for the event, but a hard landing off a drop had her ankles telling her it’s a no.
That night we were treated to a yummy pasta dinner while the crew and riders chatted about the day and thoughts on tomorrow's competition. Some riders were feeling the pressure as they didn’t get as much practice in as they would have liked, as mother nature kept us guessing all weekend.
Full from dinner, I cruised the campground catching up with friends and riders until bedtime. I’m really stoked on how close everything is, the nerdy environmentalist in me loves it!! Saving gas, getting exercise, keeping the air clean, and connecting with people is the best way for events to happen. High five to H5!
Harriett is all smiles, she just got her Red Bull Wings!
Saturday morning dawned with a heavy fog hanging over the campground. As soon as the fog burned off, riders started hiking the features. Many were keen to get on the top features, as they had been too wet to ride yesterday.
Hannah and Cami continued their cool, confident checking off of features, one at a time until they connected a line from top to bottom. Cami’s style is to run in a few times until she is sure she has the right speed, then she sails effortlessly over it. Hannah is more of a ‘let's do this’ with her big smile and quiet confidence. She will go for it and then corrects her speed after the first try and get it dialled.
Young gun Brooke Anderson got a tow in on the top two features from Hannah. It’s rad to her dealing easily with the pressures of international competition, she’s only 15!!
Practice is over and its time to talk shop.
Hannah Bergmann ‘the living legend’ tows Brooke Anderson the ‘next legend to be’ off the second drop from the top.
Brooke has been attending Wy’East Mtn Academy and you can see from her riding that doing her homework has been paying off. She also recently attended Redline Rally and Hangtime, throwing down with people twice her age!!
We’re going to see a lot more radness from this girl, keep an eye on her!!
A riders meeting was called by Katie Holden & Todd Barber and options were tossed around as to how the finals would go. They were keen to have the ladies ride and flexible as to what would happen, understanding that due to weather holds not everyone got time on all the features.
As with all freeride/freestyle competition it was all about clean top to bottom runs. The ladies who didn’t get enough time on course, opted to let the ladies shine who could complete runs. So Hannah and Cami would head to the finals.
Cami on her way to victory. Dirt Merchant laps must seem tiny after this.
Now I know some of you are going to think from the pictures that you could easily hit these features. But I’ll let you know, Crabapple hits and Dirt Merchant are small in comparison to these features. The drops are really technical too, not the coasters you get in the Whistler Bike Park. You need precision to hit the landings, not speed, they’re blind until your at the edge before you see the landing. I walked the features and there were only two features, I thought I would have a go at... and jumps are my favourite! Pretty sure I would need way more coaxing than these ladies to get over them!!
In the finals Hannah would drop in first and take the lead with a clean run and a T-bog off the last feature. Cami dropped next, some deep landings and head bobbles put her in second. But she would clean up her second run to take the lead, and the win. Her smooth style and perfect landings put her in the top spot and Hannah was the first one to congratulate her. Now that’s camaraderie!!
I think Proving Grounds exceeded their goal of making an inclusive event for women, with equal prize money, representation, and the opportunity for women and girls to have a career in mtn. biking. They’re helping to make heroes and role models for the next generation.
All the guys on the course were stoked too, cheering, and offering tow ins, and tips if asked. I bet a few were surprised and a few weren’t, the ladies are ready and PG gave them the platform to show it. Everyone cheered every time a lady was on course and threw down or achieved a first.
Chelsea Kimball congratulating Cami on her win!! Chelsea was recovering from knee surgery, or she would have been out tearing it up too, but happy to cheer on her mates from the side lines.
WFMBike is already pumped for next year!! Many of the ladies who rode the course this year will be making their plans of attack for next year, and will have it dialled before they arrive. The up-and-comers will be thinking up new tricks and be ready to give them a run for their money!!
Your first ever Proving Grounds ladies champion, Cami Nogueira!! What a season this girls had!! Red Bull Formation, Dark Horse, Hang Time, and Proving Grounds this freeride queen is hitting all the events!!
Side note: The Oregon fires’ smoke was thick in the air on Thursday, so I was super pumped on the rain. It had been 9 months prior since the last raindrop fell around here!! So even though it wasn’t awesome for the event, we’re happy that the rain fell helping with the fires.
Women’s Finishing Order
Camilla Nogueira
Hannah Bergemann
Men’s Finishing Order
Carson Storch
Reed Boggs
Dylan Stark
Awards
Five Ten Best Trick - Carson Storch
YT Best Style - DJ Brandt
Industry9 Heart and Soul Award - Hannah Bergemann & Dylan Stark
And for all those guys reading this recap, thanks for supporting women’s freeride. We’re sorry we didn’t talk about the guys, but let's be real. I was there to cover the ladies!
Dylan Stark and Jaxson Riddle were my favourites of the weekend! So much style, trick variety, and gumption. They were on fire!
Second place and the Heart and Soul award! I’d say Hannah is pretty stoked.
So rad that companies like these support freeride/freestyle events!! Cheers to you all!!
Five Ten/Adidas, Jenson USA, 10 Barrel Brewing Co, YT Industries, FOX Racing, Shimano, POC Sports, Smartwool Sox, Muc-off, Picky Bar, Laird Super Food, Black Sage Dirt Works and MTB Hopper.