As a BMX photographer there will always be those spots and riders you just want to shoot with. Whether it is the way the spot looks, the rider's style, the trick itself or the pure craziness of the set up. To say that Garrett Reynolds has helped me cross a few of those off of the list over the years is an understatement at best.
This spot first caught my eye when I first saw a copy of 'Dead Sailor' (made by GT in 1997) for sale at the race track and bugged my Dad till he bought it. It wasn't a typical Eddie Roman video but like most, it was a light-hearted with a mix of some really solid and progressive riding for its time. My jaw dropped in amazement when I first saw Dave Young bail on this set up. I thought to myself “Why would you drop that far with a damn curb right after it, and over and over”. The spot and set up over the rail looked massive and awesome. Fast forward a good few years and I find myself living just miles away from that spot and I literally drove past it two times a day for four years on my way to work. I would look out the car window and dream the day would come that someone would want to give it a go and trick down it. I also hoped to be lucky enough to be the one to shoot it and I always thought it was insane there were no photos at all of Dave Young jumping it.
It wasn’t until Fiend first started and the crew decided it was time to move to San Diego to be more productive with the ability to ride year round. I was excited for more than one reason. The main reason is that it was the city I first got heavily into photography in and had always secretly missed and wanted to get back to the spots I had left behind after moving to the Northeast. I had never forgotten about this particular spot and never will, especially now. It was first brought up on a late night drive spot searching with Garrett and Alex Vazquez. Garrett had mentioned wanting to check it out while we where searching in the area. Some how I had completely spaced on the name of the street it was on but that was no big deal, as Garrett seems to be able to sniff out any spot. A few years later we were in the area filming for Fiending and we roll up to the park to look at it and kind of laughed it off and drove onto the next location. In my head I was praying we rode it but I also know no spot is rarely looked at and fully passed up.
Roughly a year or so later after getting kicked out of a local school I notice the exit we are getting off on and right away got chills knowing that chances are we are going to 'that Dave Young spot'. Sure enough Garrett pulls the van up and says “I just want to look at it, and check it out.” Instantly I started thinking about getting a photo on it and what was to come. Sure enough, today was the day he decided to give it ago and feel it out to see if what he wanted to try down it was going to work.
After throwing the bars without much hesitation Garrett said “OK, I think I am going to try and three this for my part.” I was already working off the chills of just getting to shoot the bar. He shortly realized the overgrown palm tree on the side has the potential of causing some serious issues with a three. After throwing a towel over the palm and pulling the leaves back slightly from it so if his front wheel clears as it buzzes over it I went right back to my original spot knowing that I was in clear danger of him running right into me. Let's face it, sometimes you've got to roll the dice especially when there is a curb, a busy street and bushes in the way elsewhere. His first three went down flawlessly but taking one out of Dave’s book he had the curb to deal with and it ended up sending him straight into and over top of me. Luckily we both made it out completely unscathed. I was shook but in awe of being there and getting to shoot such a trick at this spot.
Before I know it, I hear Garrett from on top of the set up say, “OK, this one, right here.” Despite my admitted nervousness of poorly timing threes on big set ups it was time. After watching him hop the curb and roll right past me I looked at the camera and was more than pleased. The homie had gotten the trick he wanted, I shot it at the exact time I had wanted at the spot I had always dreamed of shooting. Driving home I was still buzzing. I dropped the camera at home and went straight to the bar for a celebratory shot.
I drove by that spot the other day on the way to visit a friend and couldn’t help but smile knowing that seventeen years after Dave Young hopped it I was able to cross this one off my bucket list with the help of one of my close friends. - Kevin Conners
