The crazy thing is, even though
the States was the birthplace of
FMX, you’re now the only US rider
competing on the international stage.
How does that feel?
I guess I’ve noticed it. A lot of the guys
I rode with aren’t really riding any more
but I want to keep going. There’s no
sense of pride in “holding it down for
America” or anything, though. I’m going
to contests and I’m getting fifths right
now. As much as that’s cool after being
in the sport for so long, I’m not winning
and I’m not blowing the world away.
I’m not doing anything that cool, so
it’s like “yeah you’re the last American
standing, but you’re mediocre.”
Hahaha! That’s probably being a bit
harsh on yourself, but I think I know
what you’re getting at.
Mediocre probably isn’t the best word,
but yeah, I’d rather compare myself
to the group that I’m in that’s smoking
me rather than a group that isn’t there
anymore. It’s cool to have made it this
far, but I’m just a dude riding a dirt bike
because I love it and I have bills to pay.
That might sound selfish, but they’re
the main drivers.
So why do you think there’s been
such a massive shift internationally
from the US to Europe and Australia?
Interest has really died off in the States.
I’m not just talking about the riders, but
the public and current trends. Honestly,
no-one cares about it here anymore.
You go anywhere else in the world
and you still have the ability to pull a
big crowd, impress people and have
a good time. Those days have gone in
the States.
Why aren’t there any new American
guys coming through?
Man, that’s a really good question
and I don’t know the answer. Globally,
there’re not a whole lot of young guys
coming through, and I think that’s
because freestyle is a really hard sport
to dive into now. There are some
exceptions to this, but my era of guys
came from a racing background. I never
raced professionally, but did take my
46 | FreestyleXtreme.com
amateur racing seriously before realizing
I’d never make it racing. We were still
talented, and after we were done riding
we’d do a couple of tricks off the biggest
jumps on the track, and things went from
there.
Nowadays, anyone out there who wants
to get into freestyle, unfortunately, kid,
you’re going to have to ride motocross
tracks for so many years before you can
even think about jumping ramps. And
when they get to that stage, look at the
damn learning curve they face now: it’s
going to take them years to catch up.
Is there anything that can be done to
fix this and encourage more US guys
to give freestyle a go?
It’s tough because of the liability issue
and how easy it is to get hurt. There
needs to be a place where kids can try
freestyle in a fun and safe environment,
but sadly we live in a country where
people sue others for their own mistakes.
That makes it almost impossible for
people to set up opportunities that are
needed to help encourage young riders
to get into the sport.
What are your thoughts on the current
rate of progression and direction of
FMX?
The progression’s been so gnarly recently
that I don’t really want anything to do
with it. I don’t want to hit front-flip ramps,
not because they’re lame, but because
they scare the hell out of me. The sport’s
come a long, long way and surpassed
the limits of what anyone thought was
possible. But man, I really wish people
would be individuals on a bike again. u
“
I’m so sick of seeing
Flairs and Cali Rolls
and all that cookie-
cutter s ** t.