Scott Edington

Scott Edington’s remarkable BMX career started in 1978 as a budding racer during the early years of BMX racing in Queensland. Scott’s father Bill was the original importer of GT BMX in Australia, and Scott rode for the factory team, as a young and aggressive national plate holder with a flair for jumping. In the following years, Scott had racked up over forty trophies and was featured in countless Australian BMX magazines and newspapers before he turned 13.

By the mid 1980s, and as trick riding began to find its identity in Australia, Scott shifted from BMX racing to freestyle. Scott, his brother Brett, and other local riders, skaters in the area known as the Wholemeal Posse, built a halfpipe in Edington’s backyard. Scott’s racing background, combined with his need to push boundaries on a 20 inch bike, suited him perfectly to the growing sport and culture of freestyle, and it was here where he learnt the art of ramp riding and big airs.

In June of 1987, Scott entered his first freestyle competition at the Toombul Roller Bowl in Brisbane where he blew away the competition by placing third in flatland and won both ramp and highest air categories. This began a streak of over 10 consecutive undefeated masters and pro ramp wins on a state and national level until September 1990.

As word began to filter around the local freestyle scene of Scott’s burly airs and trick variations, he was approached by the Huntington brothers in early 1988 to join their trick team with sponsorship by GT Bicycles and Reebok shoes. Scott was again riding for GT. As a part of the GT / Reebok team Scott performed demonstrations in front of over 12,000 spectators at World Expo 88 in Brisbane, being some of Australia’s largest freestyle demonstrations of that era. In between Expo, the team performed at a number of high-profile events including Brisbane Bullets halftime shows at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. That same year, Scott travelled to Canberra twice and won pro ramp for both the Canberra Winter Nationals and Australian Capital Territory Open Freestyle Championships. Scott also won the ramp category for the televised freestyle competition on the Saturday morning kids programme, The Early Bird Show.

During the IBMXF world racing titles in Brisbane in 1989, Scott caught the eye of American publication Freestylin’ Magazine and recognised Scott as the "only Australian pro capable of competing with American ramp standards … meaning he can break seven feet and pull the scary variations". Scott had now secured his position as one of Australia’s great ramp riders of his generation.

By the end of the decade, Scott had ridden for numerous BMX brands and freestyle teams including, GT / Reebok, General Bicycles / Oz Freestyle Team, and Kuwahara / Vision Street Wear.

Over the years Scott’s natural riding ability, combined with his relentless drive to push the boundaries of big airs in Australia, has become a thing of legend.