After years of hard work, the latest local BMX film premiered on Friday night at The Fallout. Primarily filmed and edited by one of Utah’s most well-known and respected riders, Shawn “Elf” Walters, the video featured full parts by local riders Brady Tweedy, Manny Kilpack/Trent Steel/Jay Boi, Cam Wood, Tate Roskelley and Elf. After over two years of filming, countless wrecks, pints of spilled blood and even a fall by Roskelley into an abandoned swimming pool (that was crawling with the bubonic plague), the anticipation for Dollar Bet brought in about 200 people, both riders and otherwise, to watch their friends send themselves on the big screen.
The name Dollar Bet comes from something Elf has done for years: whenever one of the guys is considering trying something he’s unsure of, whether it be a handrail, a gnarly gap or a big ledge, Elf has been known to say, “I’ve got a bonus dollar on that,” meaning he’s willing to shell out a dollar if the trick gets pulled. While not necessarily a large enough monetary reward for some of the things that have been attempted thanks to Elf’s callout, it’s become a bit of a tradition. Call it Elf having faith in one’s ability to (hopefully) land whatever it is they’re trying—or, perhaps, it’s him paying a small admission price for a front-row seat to watch one of his friends go for something that might be out of their grasp.
With the room packed full of excited viewers, the place was full of laughs, gasps and rounds of applause throughout the whole film. Afterwards, there was a swag toss and then a raffle for some of the nicer donations from all of the companies that kicked down product to help make the premiere a total success.
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