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Jason Watts - Blue Collar BMX is Alive and Well

"Hearing him converse about constructing ramps was a treat."

26 May 2020

Words and photos by Rob Dolecki | Article originally published in DIG issue 99.99 December 2019

During 2019, I was fortunate enough to make it to three stops of arguably the coolest pro contest series going right now, the Vans Pro Cup bowl comps. How can you not enjoy something where style, flow and creative lines takes precedence over trick progression, where it’s more about feeding off of each others’ energy than achieving a podium spot. In addition, Vans also had the foresight to make an investment into adding a little spice to each stop in the form of some wood additions to help amplify all the wildness a large group of many of the best bowl riders in the world could throw down, as well as into some properly skilled ramp builders to pull it off.

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Eyes on the wooden prize.

While chilling at the after-party following the Germany Pro Cup comp, I happened upon a conversation between Jason Watts and Joe Rich about ramp construction. I knew Jason had a hand in building the wood accessories that lined the bowl that weekend, but I had no idea how much he’s immersed in the craft. Hearing him converse about constructing ramps was a treat. It was very evident that his passion for and dedication to it flows as heavily as his lines on a bike in a bowl.

Here’s a guy who ended up winning both the Germany and Mexico stops, yet was also doing double duty as a ramp builder at both of those, on top of it. I’d imagine it wasn’t only about making a few extra bucks for building some ramps either; he probably just wanted to make sure everyone in attendance could enjoy each course to the fullest. Blue collar BMX is alive and well.