Let’s get this thing started. How about you take us back, walk us down memory lane and describe your first experience when you recognized what BMX actually was and how it first came into your life.
Growing up I was exposed to so many different things. I actually skated for a while, I played baseball and soccer, rode motocross, ran track, and everything else that came along with being an energetic kid. My parents have always been very supportive since the start of it all and as long as I was stoked on what I was doing, they were happy. In the end, riding was something that always felt super natural to me over everything else. It never failed that if my interest shifted away from BMX for a bit, I would always find myself coming back to it with even more love than before.
Everyone that rides seems to always have a vivid description of their first bike. What was yours, and what are some of your earliest memories of being on two wheels?
Mine was a chrome Dyno that I rode the shit out off. I remember it having a bunch of Motocross stickers on it because I’d sneak a few from my Dad’s sticker collection. I had no idea what BMX was at the time, I was only four years old. I just remember jumping it off of anything that I could find. I had no idea what tricks were either. All I wanted to do was just be in the air. My Dad even built a little double in the backyard and I’d session that for hours jumping over my toys. I started favoring my bike over everything else around eight years old so then we sold my dirt bike so I could get a better BMX. I came up on one of those Hoffman Condor 18/20-inch completes and that was when it all changed. From that point on I didn't want to do anything but ride.
Who is responsible for getting you on your first bike and pointing you towards BMX?
My Dad rode bikes, dirt bikes, and skated when he was kid so basically he introduced me to all-things action sports. My parents got me my first skateboard, BMX bike, and dirt bike. They exposed me to everything and just let me choose what I wanted to do. Both of my parents have always been there for me every step of the way through my BMX career. I’ll forever be thankful for that and all of the opportunities they provided me to find something I truly love to do.
When you really break it down, it seems crazy that people for decades now have made a legit living and career off of what started out for most as a mode of transportation to get from point a to point b. When did jumping curbs come into play for you along that route and do you remember some of your first “tricks” that you learned?
It is crazy to think that to riders like us, a bike is our creative outlet, but to the non-riders, it’s just transportation. Tricks came into play when I was around six and I would go to the track with my Dad to ride dirt bikes and I’d hit one specific jump and would start to take a hand or a foot off in the air. That really sparked something in me and I couldn't get enough of it. Soon after it turned into me recreating those tricks on my BMX and I’d start to figure out a little more each time I went out to ride. My favorite trick at the time was a lofty no-footer. That was my jam, ha-ha.