In the run up to the Roadhouse World Finals, Sam Martin (the newest member of WTI flair crew), thought it would be a good idea to interview some of the leading names in flair, to find out more about their views of the competition and flairing in general.

Alex Searle is competing next week in his 1st Roadhouse World Finals, so he asked him some questions and this is what he had to say.

When did you first begin practising?

I started flair 6 years ago.

What goes on in a standard practice session for you?

A standard session varies for me, sometimes I practice my routine for half the time and the other half try and come up with new ideas, but I’ve never been one who can just do my routine all day. Roadhouse, I’ve been doing 7–8 hours a day for the last 2 weeks, normally about 5 hours the rest of the time.

When and where did the flair scene explode for you?

I went to Roadhouse in 2003 UK Final, and saw some really cool stuff. I had an idea about flair but never knew so much was possible, I remember Tom winning that day!

How or what inspired you to flair and get to the standard you are at today?

After going to Roadhouse I knew I wanted to be up there one day, it took me a while, but it’s always good fun. I’ve had some great influences along the way, Nicolas, Neil Garner, Tom Dyer, they’ve all helped me progress.

What is flairing about for you?

Flairing for me is about expressing yourself with your moves, and style, I love travelling to other countries where you can see all these different styles and types of moves.

What is the atmosphere like back stage before a comp? What is routine before you go on? Do you have a drink for Dutch courage and clam the nerves?

The atmosphere varies depending on the competition, when I did my first comp in 2008 in Vegas, the atmosphere was amazing, everyone was really friendly and helpful, in some other comps its not always the case, but I suppose you just have to concentrate on your routine and that’s it.

I generally try and get my heats out of the way, then sometimes have a beer just before the final, sometime it works, sometimes not :)

What goes through your mind when you are on stage flairing?

When I’m on stage I try just to focus on each move at a time, but it’s always easier said than done, I’ve had times when I’ve had a couple of drops and have forgotten 10 seconds of my routine which is always fun!

How would you describe your style in five words?

I would like to think, original, lots of movement, energy, and I’ll leave the rest up to whatever you might think.

Where do you think flair will be in five years time?

I hope flair will be even bigger, each year there are more and more people coming through, there are so many really good people nowadays, a couple of drops makes such a difference now! Also, I hope there will be some TV involvement.

What did you have to do to get to your first Roadhouse finals?

I was quite fortunate, I qualified for Roadhouse first time round, I had a fairly decent round so I was pretty happy.

What does the Roadhouse comp mean to you?

Roadhouse is great, for some reason I never feel as nervous at Roadie, than I do at other comps. There’s always a great atmosphere, and the crowd know flair, which is a massive thing in a competition. When you land a big move and the crowd makes you feel awesome, the buzz is the best.

Do you think you can win? What would it feel like to become number 1?

This year, no. I hope to do a solid routine, and show my style, as it’s my first w/finals anywhere in the top half would be nice. It’s hard to say what number 1 would be like as there are so many good people, you can have a slightly off day now and come 7th or 8th its that tight.

What piece of advice would you give to a budding flairer?

Be yourself, don’t watch videos all the time, try and find a couple of original moves and develop them.

Written by Sam Martin