In front of a Philadelphia crowd at the First Union Center, Bartram nailed a Shaolin-to-Sterlizer combination move on his bike to score a 94.67 and win the gold medal.

It was Bartram’s first X Games gold.

Now, heading into the 2002 Summer X Games — again in South Philadelphia — Bartram is looked at as a favorite.

But not in the Big Air competition.

Bartram has done so well this past year on the International Freestyle Motorcross Association circuit that people expect him to possibly unseat freestyle’s top performer, Travis Pastrana.

How ironic would that be, considering that Bartram and the 18-year-old Pastrana are good friends. They have known each other for 11 years. Bartram has never beaten Pastrana in competition.

And he won’t get the chance this year in Philadelphia because Pastrana dropped out of the games due to an injury.

"It’s a rivalry friendship," said Bartram, whose nickname is "Cowboy."

After Bartram’s success at last year’s Summer X Games, it is his freestyle record that has taken off.

Over the past spring, the Stillwater, Oklahoma native, with an affection for country music, won 17 out of 23 IFMA events he competed in.

"All the guys that ride freestyle say that if there is one person to beat him (Pastrana) then it’s me," Bartram said. 

Bartram added that Pastrana "has never been defeated. He takes gold and we all ride for second."

In addition to Pastrana and several other top-notch riders, Bartram needs to deal with a new quirk in the freestyle discipline.

For the first time, riders are starting to hit the "backflip" on 125cc-plus bikes that are generally used in competition.

According to Bartram, three have nailed it in the past month.

And they are Caleb Wyatt (the first one), Mike Metzger and, of course, Pastrana.

But no one has landed it in competition as of yet.

Last season, during the X Games, Carey Hart made a near fatal attempt at a backflip.

At the height of his attempt, Hart lost grip on the bike and fell to the dirt covering the First Union Center.

For several minutes, Hart laid prone before being taken to a nearby hospital. He was treated for minor injuries.

Bartram said that as many as eight riders had said they would try it in Philly last year.

After Hart, no one proved to be brave enough.

For Bartram, a backflip is not in his repertoire of tricks.

In fact, Bartram is dreading the fact that freestyle maybe heading in a direction where backflips are the norm.

"The backflip is not something I want to do," said the 24-year-old rider.

"I hope it never comes to that."

Nevertheless, Bartram is concentrating on the opportunity that presents itself in Philadelphia.

Last year, Bartram was an alternate in the freestyle lineup. He was even a wild card in the Big Air competition. 

Now that he controls the IFMA and the Vans’ Series rankings, people are looking for some big things from Bartram.

Heck, even Bartram admits that matters are going well for him.

He has a new three-year deal to ride KTM bikes and is becoming very comfortable with them.

Couple that with his recent successes and you see why the five-year freestyle veteran’s confidence and expectations have risen.

"Every year, I get better and better," Bartram said. "I really hope I can carry the momentum."

To break out, Bartram needs to haul that momentum right into the First Union Center and win one over an old friend.
Return To Profiles