Master of Style:
The Flyin’ Hawaiian
C
LIFFORD
ADOPTANTE IS
AS OG as they
come. Back in
the day, the LBZ
rider had some
of the biggest tricks in FMX, and
was regarded by many as one of
the most stylish guys out there.
Adoptante competed in major
contests such as X Games and
the Vans Triple Crown, as well as
appearing in a long list of hit videos.
Adoptante’s career peaked in the
era of riders like “Mad” Mike Jones,
Brian Deegan, Trevor Vines, Mike
Cinqmars, Kenny Bartram and
Tommy Clowers. There were a lot
of crazy riders back then looking
to make a name for themselves in
FMX, many of whom were prepared
to put it all on the line to do so. For
the majority of riders during these
early days of FMX, style was not the
main focus; going big, throwing the
craziest tricks possible and surviving
was the name of the game. Clifford
however took his own path, and
made a name for himself with his
114 | FreestyleXtreme.com
We take a look back
at one of the cool, quiet
pioneers of style in FMX:
Clifford Adoptante AKA
The Flyin’ Hawaiian.
unique approach to trick execution
and eye-catching style.
Adoptante had the perfect mix of
smooth, laid-back body movements
and explosive bursts of energy
when throwing tricks. When Clifford
jumped ramps, he would run up
slow, compress the suspension,
grab a big handful of gas and pop
off the lip like no-one else. This
technique gave him maximum hangtime, letting him stall out and hold
his tricks for as long as possible –
often making a basic trick like a NoFooted Can-Can look epic. To me,
watching Clifford jumping ramps has
strong resemblance to good surfers,
who have the ability to explosively
and prec