QUAI-54 2008 Dunk Contest Review

preface: the idea of dunking as a sport is still confusing to many people because dunking is unmistakably linked to the sport of basketball. Dunking must be completely delinked to basketball, it must be thought of as a show sport and must be linked instead with similar style athletics like figure skating, gymnastics, and skateboard/bmx/motox competitions.
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Guy Dupuy (first name pronounced Gee) has dominated French dunking for the last two years. He won the QUAI 54 dunk contest in 2006 and 2007 and in the same two years won France's most prestigous dunk contest: The French Professional League Allstar Dunk Contest (amateurs are allowed to enter the competition). He is a tall, lean 6'6" primarily 1 foot jumper who has amazed with many combinations of windmills, between the legs, and behind the backs done off lobs and while jumping over many people. Coming into this contest he had to be considered the favorite.

The other two participants included Marlon Jules and Kevin Kemp aka Golden Child. Marlon Jules is a veteran Slam Nation dunker who won Quai 54 in 2004. Since then, for whatever reason, he has not improved on his arsenal of dunks. In this years contest he did most of the dunks he was known for but must have been having a bad day because he missed some crucial dunks that would have given him a boost.

The last participant, Golden Child, is definitley a testament to the power of viral videos. He is an american brought in specifically for the Quai 54 dunk contest. Originally from Atlanta, he moved to the Washington State area and as a 16 year old starting taping for Bad Karma Streetball. His videos, posted on the internet, showed a small 6'1" man jumping so high his head was easily over the rim. This led to a trip to Romania to participate in the Stage 1 Streetball 3 on 3 tournament dunk contest and to Quai 54 2008. These happenings are interesting because they show that dunkers and dunking fans all over the world are becoming more aware of each other. Dunkers don't try and outdo the dunkers they meet in real life they now try and outdo the best dunks they see on the internet. This has led to more and more dunkers coming together across the globe for bigger dunk contest so the best of the best can meet each other in direct competition.

3 people for a dunk contest is a pitifully small number, but it doesn't matter because the real battle is just between Guy Dupuy and Golden Child, it is amazing to see two of the greatest talents come together on one court. Golden Child did end up winning the contest, unseating Guy as the reigning champion but it was an intense showdown. Guy did most of his most famous dunks with the exception of the lob behind the back, which he missed (not shown in the video). He floated through the air on his between the legs dunks, crushing them through the rim while still allowing for maximal extension and rotation. What may have stopped him from winning was his lack of new dunks. This almost seems too critical since Guy has already done so much innovation in regards to 1 foot dunking but his one new dunk this year, the off the back of the backboard between the legs was not so impressive because he caught the ball so low to the ground and got very little extension on it.

Golden Child was not perfect either, he needed several attemps to complete a lot of his dunks. However, he was in many ways a refreshing contrast to Guy's style. He is shorter at 6'1" and jumps off 2 feet instead of 1 so he shoots straight up in the air, and oh how does he shoot! The dunks he pulled out in the contest were both innovative and impressive in their difficulty. Had he manage to complete the 360 in between the legs dunk there is no doubt he would be the clear victor, but even missing it I give him the slight edge in this contest. He pulled out two new, amazing dunks: the between the legs over a person holding the ball in the air and the 360 behind the back. In addition, his 1 and 2 hand lob dunks where he caught the ball and smashed it into the ground with his body sky high in the air were incredible displays of athleticism.

Overall, this was a great contest between two great dunkers and I hope they meet again many times in the future.