Morphium X-Mas Jam 2025

Anyone who has followed the event closely over the past few years will surely have noticed that the TITUS Tornados Gang has won a few times. In 2024, the guys from the “Montana Bauchspeck” team (what kind of name is that anyway?) were knocked off their throne, making this year's outcome all the more exciting. Especially in light of the new course mentioned above, the cards were completely reshuffled, and the same was true for this year's Tornados team. Tim Otto was injured, Deniel Cramer was somewhere in Australia, but a really well-positioned team knows how to compensate for these absences, of course. Unfortunately, after about an hour, last year's winners also had to contend with an injury to Mika Möller, but they were able to compensate for this with Harry Bulgrin stepping in. So it remained exciting!

However, it would be presumptuous not to take a look at the other teams as well, since the contest is not only about tricks, but also the overall performance of the teams. This can range from team shirts to a soccer ball, which the “Santa Paulis” under the direction of Mike Brauer skillfully incorporated into their runs. The kids from the “Reindeer Riders” were particularly Christmassy, all starting with Santa hats and earning the title “very cute.” The performance of the “Always stackin'” crew from the East Westphalia/Kassel area was particularly sophisticated, with not only team shirts but also their own coach with a whistle at the start. He had his team extremely well under control, especially when it came to ensuring they were well hydrated – very entertaining, the whole thing!

After all 13 teams had completed their first two runs, the field was cut down to six finalist teams, and it remained extremely exciting to see who would come out on top in the end. After a short break, the finals began, and pretty much all of the crews managed to avoid any major “slips,” i.e., bailouts. In addition to the actual run, each rider had ONE attempt at a last/best trick at the end, during which Josh Junkes conjured up a nollie bigspin late flip over the hip out of nowhere. Harry Bulgin stomped a Fs bluntslide down the big rail, which Victor Bass grinded completely “from flat.” The “Stackers” also performed their choreography perfectly, and even the little reindeer galloped as if it were already Christmas Eve. However, we had to wait a little longer for the results, as first there was “Mike's Death Race,” the annual raffle, and of course the “Best Trick” contest. Yes, it was indeed a full program!

Even though the “Death Race” is usually the highlight of the year, unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown this year, at least for me. Was it because of the new course and the associated “new route”? Was it perhaps because the pros and antagonists had all gone outside to smoke? Maybe Mike should have yelled loudly outside the hall with a megaphone! Anyway, I just managed to catch that Gabi Kahl won the race and, luckily, there were no serious crashes (we all remember Chuan Schmitt back in the day)! The same was true for the “Best Trick” contest over the car, where OG Mike and Gino Körner suddenly appeared out of nowhere and fired off one trick after another. Mark Frölich, who had traveled all the way from Barcelona, not only shredded in the team runs, but also really stepped on the gas “at the pole,” as he always likes to say. Bs nosegrind revert, kickflip Bs lipslide, and a few other awesome tricks made him the “MVP of the day.”

This was rewarded with a Pangea Festival ticket, which Josh Junkes and Mike Brauer also received. Congratulations! All that remained was the award ceremony, and this is where things got exciting again. To cut a long story short: TITUS Tornados took the title with a mere 2-point lead over the second-placed “Montana Bauchspeckern.” Team “Always stackin'” celebrated their third place as if they had won, which nicely underscores the fact that fun is the main focus of the X-Mas Jam! Many thanks to the entire crew at Playground Skatehalle Aurich, you are simply the perfect hosts! The same goes for Karl Knoop, DJ Andreas Krull, all the judges, announcers, and everyone else working behind the scenes! See you next year—for sure!