Open for Three Days

The  '03 Fort Contest story

 

The seventh annual Fort McDowell Contest was held on a weekend in the middle of November.  "So why are you just now getting a report on the site now, ya laggard?", you may ask.  I like to ride too.  And I've also been so busy with the 3BC stuff and video editing that I haven't had time.  But here it finally is.  Here's the report you've been pining for, that has haunted you in the midnight hour, that has nibbled at your cerebral cortex like a cracked-out baby chipmunk:

My mom used to tell us kids if you can't say anything nice, just don't say it at all.  So all I can say in this report about the Fort Comp is that I got to ride a good ramp course and a fair set of small trails for three days in November.  I also got killer footy from the pro and am contests.  Enjoy Sam's pictures.  End of report.

 

                 

It's been hard watching, and now documenting the de-evolution of this contest.  I know it started going down at the '01 comp.  I can't really say for sure if the worst one was this year's or last years, as I only spent a few hours out there last year.  Now I'm not talking about the riding, because the riding has just gotten more and more badass since this comp started.  No, I'm talking about how it's been run.  Chris Faixe, big invert on the hip, as per usual.

 

The Union Hills guys used to call people that acted like tweakers "270 X-ups".  As in, "Dude, there was this whack-ass 270 X-up at Guillermo's party last night!  She was runnin' around, shakin' and shitting all over the place!"  Joey Carberry, shittin' all over the place.

 

 

                                                       

Did you wonder why there was only one bike vendor (CG Bike of Fountain Hills) out at the Fort this year?  It's because Steve has pissed all the bike shops off with his shadiness over the years.  And I got to witness Steve work his magic with CG Bike firsthand, too.  He yelled something at the CG bike owner like, "I brought you $500 worth of business by letting you come out here!" when all that they sold on site was a pair of pedals.  There's a reason they didn't come back on Sunday, and will never go out there again, just like all the other shops that have come out there before.  No hander courtesy of Andy Garcia.

 

                              

So the bike shops won't kick down 'cause they're pissed off.  What do you do?  Get bike companies to kick down.  At the '00 contest, the whole back side of the Fort's announcement flyer was PACKED with sponsors, and all the placers got seriously hooked up.  It's easy to get bike companies to sponsor a contest even with the bad economy--you only have to make the calls.  We got 5+ sponsors just for each of our little MB Jam/Protests.  No, the reason the prize pool at the Fort this year was so thin was laziness on behalf of the promoters, plain and simple.  Here's Pete Uliberry with a plain and simple suicide over the spine.

 

         

Is having to pay $10 to get into the contest area to film or take pictures that will promote said contest a good idea?  I don't think so.  But that's the way it was at this year's comp.  Andy Garcia, tabletop.

 

                                       

Okay, I think I know who this is.  This is Sam Miller from Albuquerque.  When the prizes were being handed out, Steve yelled at Sam in his usual tactful manner for sitting in the way on the steps going up to the announcing tower.  "Get off my stairs you tailwhipping fool!!!"  Steve yelled at a lot of people at this year's contest.

 

                                                     

Every year, so many guys say they wish the Fort would be open more than three days a year.  It easily could be.  Right after the Burning Bike in '98, Steve let Jose and I open the park for a few weekends.  Even without as many riders as there are nowadays, it made some pretty good money.  It appears Steve simply doesn't want to open the park or let anyone else open it.  Well maybe he'd let Jack open it, but Jack's too busy riding other places to care.  I'm pretty sure this is Jeshua's no foot can/indian.

 

                                  

 Greg Litecky got a well-deserved win in Pro Street, and this little number helped him do it.  Wallride over the quarter to tailwhip out.  But he wasn't the only one going off, oh no.  There was sick riding from all the pros, and they all killed it in their own way.  That's why I don't think the "winner take all" philosophy works in our contests.  But that's how it was--one winner gets $500,  all the other pros get dick, MTV style.                                    

 

                                                        

These are all my opinions.  Opinions that happen to be shared by a good many folks, though, I'll warrant.  Don't be surprised, this ain't no BMX PLUS!, honey.  This is psychicflyingmonkey.com goddammit!  I don't deal in games and I don't deal in bullshit.  I calls 'em as I see's em.  A lot of riders remember how good this contest used to be ran, and are disappointed to see it become a shadow of it's former self.  Since it's inception, it was just getting better and better until 2001 came around.  It's so sad, you see.  It seems like the motivation to hold a fun comp for the right reasons just isn't there anymore.  It's like when Mike Dominguez kept riding for Diamondback and kept collecting a paycheck, but he was really burned out and not into riding at all like before.  Steven Mueller, sunset superman.

To see what MB Fabio saw thru his camera lens at the Fort, hit up this link:  http://www.swbmx.com/words.htm