news, fool!
for 2005
By Jason Ryan

December 23, 2005

Merry Christmas you dirty bmxers!  While a lot of you are hoping for ladies' pants and baby tees in your stockings, I'm hopin' for cash.  I want money....that's what I want.  Those student loans don't kick in 'till Jan.16 or thereabouts, and I can't get a temporary job 'cause I'm embroiled in this video.  Oh yeah....I won't have The Impetus of Cletus out for Christmas.  But I am planning for end of January.  I've got three more weeks with basically nothing to do but edit and ride, and I'll be getting a shitload done.  I've got 3 sections done, and I'm working on Pete's section now.

Actually, there is something else I'm doing within the next three weeks:

The 3BC is going to Goodyear City Council on January 9th, 2006 at 6 PM.  The City Council meeting will be held at the Justice Facility, located at 986 South Litchfield Road.  We need everyone from the West Side to be there, and if any East Siders can make it, that'd be just peachy.  Max Krause and I will be speaking, and there will probably be time for at least one more speaker as well.  Goodyear has their meetings set up so that public comment takes place at the beginning of the meeting, so we'll be able to get in and get right out.  Be sure to be there by 6 PM, because if you arrive late, you'll miss the important part.  To see what's going on with Goodyear's Skatepark, click here.

In Tucson news, Emmett is selling his pro level Nikon 35mm camera with tons of extras.  Here's a pic of the cam and a pic taken with the cam.  Check his myspace if you're interested.  His name is tasty waves.  If I'm not mistaken, that's Emmett himself doing that pocket air in a tasty pool.  No photo credit provided.
 

December 1, 2005

 Television news has always done very little to help our bikes in skateparks effort, mainly because the segments are way too short to get any kind of point across.  Why complain when I can just do it the right way myself?  I had an assignment in film school to do a newsy segment including interviews and B-roll anywho, so what the hey...  Check out  the in-depth segment I just made comparing how well Prescott Skatepark meets the needs of BMX riders vs. Kleinman Wheels Court.

Click here to go to the video section and check it out.

In video premiere news, Kore Bike Industries will be premiering the new Shadow Conspiracy video and Ride BMX's new video, "Livin' in Exile" on Saturday, December 10th after 6:30 PM at Kore Bike, located on the Northwest corner of Rural Rd. and Curry in Tempe.  I'm also going to be giving a sneak preview of about 3 minutes of "The Impetus of Cletus" as well.  There will be free food and door prizes, and we're going to do an organized street ride in Tempe afterwards, so don't be a pussy and bring your bike!

November 14, 2005

photo:  Marco Knezevic

The Prescott Skate/BMX Park grand opening was tiiiiiight, yo!  Off the hinges for real, dawg!!!  But seriously, folks, it was good times.  By some miracle, bike riders co-mingled with skateboarders and inline skaters and got along just fine!  Or maybe it wasn't a miracle.  Looks like we CAN ride together here in Arizona just like they do in the Las Vegas skateparks.  Prescott Parks and Rec. Director Jim McCasland sure seemed to think so after he visited Vegas, and I'm happy to report that he was right.  It was such a positive vibe, that it's hard to say anything negative went down.  There was one thing, though.  Since the AZPX guys got the bands together for the grand opening and did raffles and whatnot, they seemed to be in complete control of the microphone.  Although I heard plenty of talk about skateboarding and the semi-pro skaters that were on hand, nothing of BMX was mentioned after the initial ribbon-cutting.  That will be different at the Glendale X-Court opening, be assured of that.

I want to thank C-Los, Brian Golembiewski, Steven Bagby, Lurch, and Ryan Letcher for pitching in and helping make the 3BC Barbeque a success.  We actually ended up with enough food to BBQ both Saturday and Sunday, and anyone and everyone was welcome to eat burgers and dogs for free.

rider:  Doug Coffey   photo:  Marco Knezevic

In rider-owned bike company news, there's a new one coming outta NorCal called Psykopath Industries.  They've got sprockets, stems and race and street frames out, and you can inspect them at www.psykopath.com

A new study has come to light about bikes in skateparks thanks to Portland, Oregon's Parks and Rec. Department.  In it, author Rodney Wojtanik comes to basically the same conclusions that the 3BC came to a couple of years ago.  Click the link below to download it.  If you don't have Adobe Reader, click here to get it.

Public Skatepark Management Options and Free-Style BMX Bike Use Discussion Paper

The Fort Contest is this weekend, the 18th, 19th and 20th.  Visit www.swbmx.com for more info.  Be sure to bring lots of money, because the entry and practice fees are up from last year.

October 31, 2005

PRESCOTT GRAND OPENING SATURDAY, NOV. 12!!!

On Saturday, November 12, Prescott will be opening it's first skate/bmx park.  I'd like to encourage every bmx rider, skater, inliner, parent, and supporter to make it up north for this, because this will be a landmark celebration the likes of which Arizona has never seen.  This will be the very first well-designed and built, multi-use, public concrete skatepark to open in a sizeable Arizona city.  Members of the Bike, Blade and Board Coalition will be present, promoting proper skatepark etiquette, everyone getting along famously, and shreddin' the gnar.  We'll also be having a BBQ with free food as long as it lasts.  The park is located at 702 E. Gurley, and the festivities will begin at 11:30.  Get there, fool!

October 25, 2005

I wish I could have gotten the picture that ran with this article in the print edition of the Tribune, but it wasn't on their website.  It depicted grafitti in the Tempe Skatepark that read, "NO BIKES".

I have lately been sensing a growing trend in attitudes towards skaters among East Valley bmx riders that I find disturbing.  This attitude change has come about due to the prejudice and discrimination that bmx riders have encountered at the Tempe Skatepark from a relatively small group of old-school skaters.  Ben Dixon (also known as Green Shirt from Ryan Report X) and a few other skaters, many of whom are associated with AZPX skate shop, have been harassing bmx riders, threatening us with violence, and actually carrying out violence against bmx riders when we have come to ride the skatepark since it opened. 

 Some bmx riders, in turn, have become angered at the actions of these bigots and lashed back, which has drawn much attention from the Tempe Police Department of late.  Tempe Police recently chased four kids for 4 miles until they finally caught one who stopped.  The police went to Marcos De Niza high school the next day, where they suspected the kids attended school, and proceeded to thumb through yearbooks looking for the perpetrators of the heinous crime of riding their bicycles in the skatepark.  One of the kids was recognized and called down to the principal’s office for a reprimand.  Undercover police are now posing as skaters in the skatepark, trying to catch bmx riders riding it red-handed.  I never thought I’d see “progressive” Tempe one-up Gilbert in repressive solutions to “the bmx problem”, but, alas, they have.

 Is this prejudice and discrimination levied by the old-school skaters wrong?  Of course it is.  But if we lash back, it will only make it worse for us.  Not only with police crackdowns, but also in the way bmx riders and our movement is viewed by the public.  I know it’s very difficult to chill and just ride when guys like the owner of AZPX, Rob Locker, are yelling at you at the top of their lungs to “get the hell out of his park” as I saw him do to a bmx rider a few months ago.  But we have GOT to be the proverbial “bigger man”.  It’s far too easy for us to develop a sour image of skaters from the way we’ve been treated by these few.  We can’t do it, though.  Remember how many skaters supported our protest at the Tempe Skatepark grand opening?  Remember your friends that skate?  Remember the skaters who shouted when they saw park rangers or cops coming while you were riding a skatepark, so you wouldn’t get a ticket?   

Don’t let this one group of haters give all skaters a bad name in your minds.  We’ll all be skating and riding together in Prescott, Glendale, Flagstaff and Tuba City pretty soon, and I have absolutely no reason to believe this group of biased skaters will leave their hate at the gate, at least not at first.  Learn to deal with it the right way now.  Keep your cool when they yell at you and when they confront you.  Remember, you came there to ride, not to fight.  Just ride.

In other news, I got an e-mail from Antonio Galicia that they will be holding their annual park and flatland contest in Obregon, Mexico on November 12th and 13th.  For more info, visit:

Here's a look at what the park course will look like:

If it is at all possible for you to make it down, I'd highly recommend it.  Obregon is about a 9 hour drive south of the border.  I had a killer time last year when I went, and I'm hoping to go this year as well.  TIP:  Make sure to bring your birth certificate to get down into Sonora.

September 30, 2005

As you can tell from the teaser page, there's a new "Impetus of Cletus" preview up.  Peep it, aiight?  I been bussin' my ass on dat shit.

Here are a couple of recent articles about the new Kleinman Wheels Court.  The first one is from the East Valley Tribune, the second from the Arizona Republic.

 That guy Hay Zeus has a sick fro, huh?  He could smuggle every ramp and rail inside Kleinman Wheels Court out in that thing.  Not that he'd want to.  But he could. 

Oh, by the way, Mark Di Napali is my new favorite rider.

September 13, 2005

It's been a month since I last posted.  The good news is that I've been editing full speed ahead on "The Impetus of Cletus" all this time.  I'm pleased to say that it is still on track to be released in time for this Christmas.  I will be getting a new movie trailer on here for it within the next 2-3 weeks.  Although I'm happy with how the current trailer looks, I made it primarily to promote box jump and flatland shows.  This new trailer will be much more indicative of the personality of "The Impetus of Cletus".  Out of that, I'll be making a commercial to go into Props. 

And now for something completely different.  It's come to my attention over the past few weeks that many riders who have gone to meetings to get bikes in skateparks, written letters and e-mails to councilmen, gone to parks and rec board meetings, etc...don't feel as if their efforts have accomplished anything.  Trust me, if anyone can see the big picture, I can; and every effort has had an impact.  One rider recently told me that it didn't seem that his going to council meetings in Scottsdale and Tempe did any good.  What he didn't realize is that our getting Scottsdale to make SDG certify their new, yet-to-be-built skatepark at McDowell Mountain Ranch for bikes was a huge victory, even though that park itself isn't planned to allow bikes.  That's half the battle right there!  After SDG was basically forced to "bike-proof" the park's design in Scottsdale, they did the same for the new Glendale park, and for the new Prescott park.  We'll be legally riding our bikes in Prescott and Glendale partially because of letters written and council meetings attended by bike riders in Scottsdale. 

This whole thing is not just about a couple of cities.  It's not just about the Bike, Blade and Board Coalition.  This is a movement.  This is a big movement.  Parks and rec officials from separate cities talk constantly, so word travels fast.  They've even got a parks and rec skatepark association that meets solely to discuss issues involving public skateparks.  Think they aren't talking about bikes at those meetings?  Think again.

The Kleinman Wheels Park opened today in Mesa.  Prescott's bike-friendly skatepark should be opening sometime in October.  The Flagstaff Bikepark has rebar and coping laid in the dug-out bowls, and should be open in 3-4 months.  The Glendale X-Court will open in January.  It is hardly a coincidence that all these bike-friendly parks are opening within a few months of each other.  They are coming online now because our movement gained enough exposure (and therefore power and influence), a couple of years ago, and now we're seeing the fruit of our efforts.  Every newspaper article, TV report, protest, EVERYTHING we've done to get the word out that bike riders need public, legal places to ride HAS MADE AN IMPACT!  Be proud of yourselves.  You've all worked for this.  You've earned it.

Now some bad news.  As all these new bike-friendly parks are opening, our formerly solitary bike-friendly skatepark, Phoenix Skatepark, will be closing this week.  I know I myself and many others are sad to see it go.  Especially because of that sweet new box setup that nobody's gotten to session enough yet.  There is a chance that  the park may re-open, but there's no guarantee.  I'd suggest you get off the nuts and get in your last runs up there ASAP if you want to ride there one more time.

August 15, 2005

    Boy, do I feel like a fool.  I forgot to give a date for the Tempe community input meeting.  Here's the posting again, as a reminder, date included.  Sorry for the short notice, I know it's coming right up being this Wednesday the 17th and all.

IMPORTANT!

WE NEED AS MANY RIDERS, PARENTS, AND SUPPORTERS AS POSSIBLE TO COME TO A COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17TH FOR A NEW PUBLIC PARK IN TEMPE!  THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE ESCALANTE COMMUNITY CENTER, LOCATED AT 2150 E. ORANGE IN TEMPE, FROM 6:30 PM TO 8 PM.  TEMPE IS PLANNING FOR A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, AND THEY WANT TO GET INPUT ON THE TYPES OF AMENITIES CITIZENS WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE PARK.  THIS IS ONE OF THOSE RARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT A CITY IS ACTUALLY ASKING WHAT WE WANT AND LISTENING.  COME OUT AND LET TEMPE KNOW WE WANT A BIKE PARK IN THERE!

August 11, 2005

PRESCOTT WILL BE ALLOWING BIKES!!!

Yesterday, I received a call from Jim McKasland, Prescott Director of Parks and Rec.  He wanted to let me know that bikes will be allowed in the new Prescott Skatepark when it opens.  The park is slated to open October 1st, but it looks like it will probably be delayed due to bad weather delaying construction. 

This is huge.  Prescott will be the first SDG park that allows bikes in Arizona.  Everyone out there that has gone to city council meetings, attended parks and rec board meetings, protested, written letters, passed out flyers, talked to the press, etc...; pat yourselves on the back.  It's ultimately because of our overall effort that we get to ride this park. 

Here's the DL on the upcoming Kronik contest:

August 9, 2005

IMPORTANT!

WE NEED AS MANY RIDERS, PARENTS, AND SUPPORTERS AS POSSIBLE TO COME TO A COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17TH FOR A NEW PUBLIC PARK IN TEMPE!  THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE ESCALANTE COMMUNITY CENTER, LOCATED AT 2150 E. ORANGE IN TEMPE, FROM 6:30 PM TO 8 PM.  TEMPE IS PLANNING FOR A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, AND THEY WANT TO GET INPUT ON THE TYPES OF AMENITIES CITIZENS WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE PARK.  THIS IS ONE OF THOSE RARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT A CITY IS ACTUALLY ASKING WHAT WE WANT AND LISTENING.  COME OUT AND LET TEMPE KNOW WE WANT A BIKE PARK IN THERE!

This is an initial rendering of the now-under-construction Prescott Skate Park.  Notice how there are no kids on bikes in it.  Will bikes be allowed in?  It's still up in the air at this point.

Jim McKasland, the Prescott Director of Parks and Rec, recently took a trip to Las Vegas to see for himself how well bikes worked in the skateparks.  Joe Wichert, the Extreme Sports Director for Las Vegas Parks and Rec, took him on a tour of a few of the Vegas skateparks.  I spoke with Jim upon his return, and he said he was convinced that bikes can work in the Prescott skatepark.  He still wasn't sure if bikes would be allowed in, however. 

Let me explain:  This is an SDG park, and it will be "bikeproofed", as per their new policy of "bikeproofing" all their new skateparks.  SDG will be officially giving their okay from a design standpoint, saying that the skatepark is designed and spec'd well enough to handle bikes.  The thing is, I have heard from multiple sources that certain SDG personnel are also attempting to indirectly influence Prescott to NOT allow bikes in the skatepark.

I believe that the best thing the Prescott area riders can do is to get together, go to city council, and tell them that bikes need to be allowed in the new park, because bmx riders need a place to ride, too.  City council has the final authority on deciding this issue, no matter what.  This skatepark is not made for just skateboarders or inliners; it's made for kids, and every reasonable user group should be allowed to use it.

I'd also urge all Prescott area bmx riders, parents, and supporters to e-mail the mayor and council members about this issue at citystaff@cityofprescott.net .

You can write the same letter to everyone, but I would strongly suggest sending separate e-mails to each councilmember.  Use the above address, and in the title, say E-mail for __________

Here are the mayor and councilmembers' names: Mayor Bob Bell, Steve Blair, Jim Lamerson, Bob Roecker, John Steward, Mary Ann Suttles, Rowle Simmons

And now for Mesa.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I had an e-mail exchange with Terri Palmberg of Mesa Parks and Rec concerning the Kleinman Wheels Park.  Here's how it went:

Hello Terri,


I have received word from a few riders that you will be opening Kleinman
Park in September. Are you going to have at least one community design
input meeting before the park layout is decided upon and constructed?


Looking forward to hearing from you,



Jason Ryan
President
The Bike, Blade and Board Coalition

On Wed Jun 22 10:42 , Terri.Palmberg@cityofmesa.org sent:



The ramp manufacturers representatives will be formulating the layout on
two courts, two courts will remain for future development. After we have a
layout we could call a meeting. Can you get the word out to bikers if we
call one?

Is there any particular reason you are choosing to forego the standard
skatepark building process of holding a community input meeting first,
having the designer come up with a design, and then bringing it back to
the
riders to tweak to their liking? Every one of the 40 some-odd cities in
Arizona with skateparks (including Mesa) have followed this process, and
I'm trying to figure out why Kleinman Park should be any different.



Jason Ryan
President
The Bike, Blade and Board Coalition

 

On Fri Jun 24 11:32 , Terri.Palmberg@cityofmesa.org sent:



I shared with you we can have a meeting, however, this project is a bit
different. The design includes 7 ramp features and two rails, three of the
manufactured ramps are being donated, we have the rails, so with limited
money from a grant the additional four features have been ordered. We can
call a meeting, do you think a meeting at the park an evening in August
will work? The purpose would be for the riders to "tweak" the features
layout. Can you help get the word out on the meeting if we set one up? Is
there an evening in the bike community that works better than another?

I understand the part about you having what I think I can assume are "set
features" that were donated as is, and no one could pick what size or shape
they would be (the three manufactured ramps and the two rails). Question:
What bike park design expert determined what size and shape of the other
four ramps should be ordered with the grant money, and why were future
users of the bike park not consulted?



Jason Ryan
President
The Bike, Blade and Board Coalition

And for Glendale, more delays, big surprise, yeah, yeah, yeah.  It's looking like the Glendale X Court will open in January '06 now.  Construction has not yet begun, but it is scheduled to start in a couple of months.

July 14, 2005

Good golly sweet Jesus!  Has it been this long since I've laid down some news for you fools? 

The independent film of which I have been the Director of Photography for over 3 years now just wrapped last week.  It will be premiering this Saturday night, July 16th at Alwun House, which is an erotic art gallery in downtown Phoenix.  1204 E. Roosevelt, to be exactly exact.  The film Dante's Arizona will start at 9pm (doors at 8).  For more info, hit up www.dantesarizona.com  Yeah, the movie's being shown at an art gallery that features photos of nekkid ladies and plasters of penises, but it ain't no porno.  This heah's the real deal.  Go git yer art on you sons-a-bitches!!!

In 3BC news, Pat Blackburn found out that Chandler has picked a site for the Chandler Bike Park.  It will be located at Espee Park (formerly Vagabond Park), near Knox and Country Club. 

As far as Flagstaff goes, ground was not in fact broken on the Flag park on June 1st.  I'm hearing August 1st now, but I haven't confirmed that yet.

May 2, 2005

This article appeared in the East Valley Tribune on April 8th.

Mesa gives bike-friendly park a spin

Grant helps buy ramps for unusable tennis courts

By BLAKE HERZOG TRIBUNE -- CONTACT WRITER: (480) 898-6816 or bherzog@aztrib.com

    Mesa’s parks department will put its first bike park on top of four abandoned tennis courts after winning a grant from a cable sports network.

    The city will get $10,000 from FSN Arizona to put manufactured bike ramps at Kleinman Park, 710 S. Extension, in hopes of attracting "extreme" bikers who may now be riding the skateboardonly course at Mesa’s Reed Park or other alluring, offlimits places.

    FSN has set up a fund with the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association to help build skate parks and sport courts in low-income and underserved areas. The fund will also benefit six other Valley parks, including Scottsdale’s Mountain View Park.

    Assistant Mesa parks and recreation director Terri Palmberg said the city will match FSN’s grant with $10,000 from its general fund to buy ramps to put on top of the unused tennis courts, two of which are too cracked for those who play tennis.

    Palmberg said the city isn’t planning to do anything to patch up this surface before they bring the ramps in this summer. "Bikes go over cracks and go up and down curbs all the time," she said. Besides, she said, "We don’t have the money to do surface work." Four more tennis courts at Kleinman are still in use.

    Palmberg said she won’t know how many or what kind of ramps the city will be able to put in until they get bids from manufacturers. But at a time when the city doesn’t have much funding to develop new parks, "We’re very excited that we’re able to build a facility that will be very well-used for a very reasonable cost."

    Palmberg said Kleinman Wheels Park could be expanded in the future. It will also be open to skateboarders and inline skaters, though the ramps will be more suitable for biking.

    So far the plan hasn’t impressed Jason Ryan, president of the Bike, Board and Blade Coalition, a group of activists working with cities across the Valley to put bikefriendly parks in place.

    He said the city could get much more for its $20,000 by hiring a contractor to build ramps and quarter-pipes rather than getting them from a manufacturer, which will provide shipping, assembly and insurance.

    He said most riders probably won’t find $20,000 worth of manufactured ramps very challenging after one or two spins.

    "I think kids will end up going back to Reed (Park) anyway," he said.

    Palmberg said the city found, to the contrary, that having a contractor build the ramps, with the assistance of a structural engineer, would be more expensive.

After all the work that Dale, Rex, Gilbert, myself, and many other riders put into getting a bike-friendly park going in Mesa, I sure do hope parks and rec doesn't buy pre-fab crap and try to pass it off as a bike park.  What a spiteful kick in the face that would be. 

Frustration....

But check this out.  Coming from a town that's doing it right, Tuba Mike just told me that Flagstaff will be breaking ground on their concrete bike park on June 1st.  This makes me feel a helluva lot better.

April 12, 2005

This article appeared in the East Valley Tribune last Tuesday:

To get to the meeting, basically just go to the front of the Chandler Public Library and look directly west.  The Chandler Community Center is the white building on the left across the courtyard.  Just like the article says, the meeting will be held at 6 pm tomorrow in Room 111 of the Chandler Community Center.

I also just got this e-mail from Finley of Prescott Valley:

what's up i just wanted to let you guys know that there is a parks&rec
commission meeting on april 19 @ 6:30pm at prescott valley civic
center,and there is a town council meeting on april 28 @ 5:30pm also
at the civic center.the meetings are to confirm a $100,000 budget for
a bike park,so if you guys can make it up and help get the city's ass
in gear it would be appreciated.  thanks finley

Any riders who live in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, or anywhere remotely close to PV need to go to those meetings.  If I were you guys, I'd push for an even bigger budget, 'cause since the price of concrete construction is double what it was only about a year ago, and the price of wood is insane as well, $100 grand won't get you too much.  It at least won't hurt to ask!

April 4, 2005

Pat Blackburn, the 3BC Captain for Chandler, just posted this on the message board:

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13,2005 WILL BE THE FIRST COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING TO START DESIGNING THE CHANDLER BIKE PARK. THE MEETING IS OPEN TO ANYONE BUT ONLY CHANDLER RESIDENTS WILL ACTUALLY HAVE VOICE. CHANDLER RESIDENTS, PLEASE COME READY TO GIVE YOUR INPUT AS TO THE DESIGN. YOU WILL HAVE TO GIVE YOUR ADDRESS, SO WRITE IT DOWN SO THAT YOU DON'T FORGET IT. I AM HOPING TO HAVE 80 OR MORE CHANDLER RESIDENTS PRESENT SO THAT THE NEW PARK CAN HAVE A STATE OF THE ART DESIGN. THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 PM IN THE COMMUNITY CENTER. I'LL SUBMIT THE ADDRESS SOON. PLEASE PLAN TO BE IN ATTENDANCE

And in Tempe news, this article appeared in the East Valley Tribune about a week ago:

Many thanks to Dennis Welch for keeping up on this story.  Don't even think this is the end for us in Tempe.  We have not yet begun to fight.

March 29, 2005

I just got a promo up for "The Impetus of Cletus", the next independent Arizona BMX video from Bearded Lady/Psychic Flying Monkey Productions.  You can check it out by clicking on "The Impetus of Cletus" button on the homepage.  I originally didn't mean to make a promo for the vid this soon, seeing as how I haven't even captured everything from my footage tapes yet (I'm very close, though).  What happened was, I made a street motorcycle demo for my friend Alex which he can use to help get stunt shows (visit http://www.freezinglife.com/video/azextreme.mov to check it if interested), and he wanted me to add on a little bmx section as well.  You know, just in case his customers wanted to see the real deal with jumping and flatland.  I dun made that shits, and seeing as how most of the BMX footage will be in "The Impetus of  Cletus", I slapped it here on the site.  I probably won't be using the J-5 song in the video, because I'll be using all music that I've obtained the synch rights to, but it's all good.  Peep it.

In Sunday on Central news, this upcoming Sunday, April 3rd, is Sunday on Central.  Every year in the spring, Phoenix shuts down Central Ave. from Indian School to McDowell.  And hordes of  vendors and bands and carnies and whatnot do line the street, and the kind, gentle BMX riders do encroach upon everything else.  Ever since the reign of the Skunk Bros. and probably before, fools have been riding skreet downtown during Sunday on Central.  We've got a posse meeting at Deck Park at 10 AM on Sunday, but if you don't make it there by then, no worries.  Come downtown and ride whatever time you want on Sunday, but if you see other riders, don't be a stranger, aiight?  One Sunday on Central we were mobbin' with about 30 dudes, and it was a gang of fun.  A good few clips in "The Carnie and Trailer Trash Show" were filmed that day.  With any luck we'll get some killer footy this time, too, brah!  Shaka!

March 23, 2005

In other news, I just took down the hit counter from the opening page.  I actually was kinda forced to learn how to keep up with the statistics that my hosting service provides for this site, and I discovered that the hit counter was not a good indicator at all as to how many visits this site is getting on a daily basis.  For example, I found out that I've gotten 18, 376 hits just since January 1st of this year, 12,917 of those being unique (first-time visitors).  And here I was all stoked, thinking that I was about to reach 50,000 hits over the course of having the site up since October 2000.  More like 150,000 hits!  Naw, I don't know.  But that's why the hit counter is gone. 

Also, I found out that a few riders from here have been talking a whole lot of shit about me and this site on a bunch of big bmx message boards lately.  I want to express my most sincere thanks for this, because all the publicity has been bringing  me a shitload of extra traffic this last month.

March 17, 2005

It's finally going to happen in the valley, and it's for sure.  At least as sure as we can be without actually having rubber on concrete.  According to Warren Smith, Glendale Parks and Rec Director, and RJ Cardin, Director of Glendale Parks and Rec. Central District, the Glendale X-Park at 83rd Ave. and Bethany Home road will be allowing bikes when it opens in a few months.  Site prep is underway at this point, and we expect the park to open in September.  It is still not known if bikes will have separate hours or days, but the park will have a pro shop, it will be monitored full-time, and it will absolutely allow bikes.  This park is sick, too.  It has a flow-bowl design, much like the Anthem skatepark in Henderson, Nevada. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  To all you naysayers who have been bitching that the 3BC isn't doing things right and I'm not making any progress with the cities as far as getting legal places for us to ride, I will be graciously receiving your humble apologies on grand opening day of the Glendale X-Park.  I'll be the one posted up by the front gate, with the most stoked look on my mug you've ever seen.  After 3 years of pushing and pushing, it will be soooo sweet to ride the 'crete without looking over my shoulder.

In Mesa, the 3BC finally had to abandon our partnership with the city to develop Kleinman Grind Park due to many and constant differences with Mesa Parks and Rec officials concerning the project.  The good news is that Mesa is going to develop the four empty tennis courts in Kleinman Park into a bike park anyways without the partnership, and they just received a grant for $10,000 from Fox Sports which the Mesa Parks and Rec Foundation will be matching.  So they've got $20,000 total with which to buy ramps.  To give you a better perspective of the whole Mesa situation, here's an e-mail Rex sent to Terri Palmberg, Mesa's Park Maintenance supervisor after they told us they got the grant.

 Congratulations, Terri, and thanks for referring to the park as the Kleinman Wheels Court
(Tim's last e.mail said that the official name is the
Kleinman Bike Court - bikes only park?).

It appears that you will be looking at the option of
installing playground equipment - please keep in mind
that the retail cost of these type of ramps is approximately
6 to 10 times the cost of what you can build "in house"
of course going through the City of Mesa bid process.

I've been to two Skatepark Builder's Conventions and
have researched ramp builders for the past 4 years.
The only two companies that can build a ramp that will
have the specifications needed for bike pegs are:

http://www.spohnranch.com/
and
http://www.trueride.com/

other companies use a template that is not steep enough for the
bike pegs to lock in on and their quality and guarantee is not up to par.

As i told Andrea, my focus is on the West and North part of Maricopa County,
Jason is in charge of the East and South. Gilbert Leon (480 668-4948)
is our Mesa Captain, and we are looking forward to more public input
meetings
as you research the options for ramp building.

We started down the road for building a 16' wide spine ramp:
5' high 1/4 pipe, 5' high spine, 6' high return 1/4 pipe.
The only engineer that would take this project on was
Rick Fowlkes Engineering - 480 483-8121 or 480 839-5630.
No one else was willing to take the risk and learn about skate ramp
building.
We provided Rick with the 'Bible' for ramp building, and he studied the
specifications and worked with Jason on a plan for the spine portion of the
ramp.
We did not go further as our fundraising event had to be cancelled and
we have not cashed the checks from our Banner sponsors not knowing if
the park could be opened with so little funding.

The City of Mesa can build much more for much less than these ramp retailers
can sell you, and after you research what $20,000 can purchase you may want
to explore the process that we were going through. Mr. Fowlkes could easily
design the 1/4 pipes and grind bars for an engineering fee of about $1,200
and the materials would cost between $2,500 & $3,000 and i'm not sure what
a Contractor would charge to assemble the ramps.
Comparable playground equipment will cost $24,000 (low estimate shipped from
California). These companies have to charge high prices because they pay
huge
engineering fees, insurance fees, and the shipping and setup.

Again, congratulations for securing the funding for this project.
Reed Skate Court cost almost a million dollars ($1.75 million at today's
prices)
so don't be disappointed that $20,000 will only buy a few props without
any of the higher transition walls that Bikes require.
I'm sure Andrea is searching for a funding option that would work for
building
the park in phases in the upcoming years.

Sincerely,
rex
 

March 7, 2005

Special thanks to Matt Pavelek for sending me all these photos from the Tempe Skatepark BMX rally.

Because if you can't have fun at a protest, then, really, where can you have fun?

These kids were so rad.  They ran through the whole park, waving their signs and yelling reasons why bikes should be allowed in.  I've got to give it up to the cops...  They let us get our point across and didn't try any bullshit like Buckeye did to us.  Maybe that was because Tempe is a college town and they're used to dealing with free speech being exercised a lot.

Thanks for the support, guys.  We really are all in this together.  That's why Rex and I changed the name of our original group from the Concrete Bikepark Alliance to the Bike, Blade and Board Coalition.

Kids, meet Brad Siedlecki, Designer/Project Manager for SDG, and Mark Richwine, Director of Tempe Parks and Recreation Department.  Brad asked me in the parking lot, "You know you guys are getting parks in Glendale and Chandler, don't you?"  I replied, "I know, but I don't live in Glendale or Chandler.  I live here in Tempe." 

I just recently heard about this one rapper named Big Lurch that got high on PCP and killed this chick, then he tore open her chest and started grubbing on her innards.  They found this rather large man running naked down the street a few hours later, and when they checked his stomach contents, it was confirmed to contain pieces of this unfortunate lass's lung.  I can't see how these park rangers can stand so comfortably next to a rather large and annoyed BMX rider that bears the same moniker as the afore-mentioned musician.  Good thing Lurch doesn't do the old angel dust, huh?

Pat-"Excuse me, officer.  Can you tell me why the same sign that says bikes are prohibited from riding the skatepark, also says safety gear is required to be worn by all users when skating the skatepark, and yet the bikes rule is being enforced while the pads rule is not?"

Officer-"The no bike rule is in the city code, but the no pads rule is just a suggestion."

Guy with the GL-1, thinking-"Makes perfect sense to me!"

Some dudes brought out a launch and a rail to ride during the protest, and everybody started jumping from the parking lot to land on a little dirt hill.  The cops shut that down after a little bit, saying that we were ruining the landscaping (refer to Lurch's sign a few photos above).  Lucas figured that if he launched all the way to the sidewalk (20+ feet) he wouldn't be messing up the landscaping and the cop would be cool with that.  Well Lucas made it to the sidewalk, but he wrecked and his bike went straight into this sapling tree and broke it's support pole.  At least his heart was in the right place.

For some odd reason, this cop didn't think Lucas's heart was in the right place at all.

Fortunately, the cop did let Lucas off with just a stern warning.  Why don't these kids just ride a park designed for this sort of activity instead of tearing up public and private property?  Oh yeah,  KIDS ON BIKES AREN'T ALLOWED IN THE SKATEPARK!

From the e-mails I got and riders I talked to beforehand, I'm convinced a BMX protest would have gone down at the Tempe Skatepark grand opening whether I had told people about it on this site or not.  If you work for a Parks and Rec department anywhere in the Valley, expect a protest on grand opening day of your bike-unfriendly skatepark from now on.  Might as well schedule it in with the day's events.

For the 21 and over crowd, Rage Cycles is holding it's 4th Annual Old Town Cruiser Ride on Saturday, March 12th starting from the shop at 6:30 pm.  We had a pretty good BMX contingent on one of these and it was good times.  It's good times anyway no matter what kind of bike you're riding.  Check http://www.ragecycles.com for more details and come on out.

March 2, 2005

What the hell are we going to do about all these bike riders?

I can guarantee that was the question on the mind of Tempe Parks and Rec Director Mark Richwine, Lisa Saylan from SDG, Brad Siedlecki from SDG, Colby Carter from SDG, Tempe City Councilwoman Barb Carter, all the park rangers, and every policeman at our Tempe Skatepark Grand Opening Protest last Saturday.  75+ BMX bike riders showed up to protest bikes not being allowed in the new Tempe Skatepark. In addition, the 3BC passed out 75 full-sheet stickers that read, “Another skater that supports bike riders”, which were promptly rocked on the shirts of mostly kids who only skated and rode inline skates.  Best protest ever!  Thanks to everyone who came out, because we couldn’t possibly have done it without you.  We really appreciate everybody protesting peacefully and getting our point across but not getting out of hand.  You’d better believe our voices were heard.  I even saw guys there who had openly criticized the way The 3BC does things.  All I gotta say to those kids is you ain’t gotta lie to kick it with us!  You know very well we’re runnin’ thangs the best way we know how, and that’s why you showed up.  The latest from the city is that the council has decided to go ahead and hire an independent evaluator to determine the feasibility of allowing bikes in the Tempe Skatepark.  Rex and I consider this a gigantic step, because this marks the first time any Valley city has gone this far in considering allowing bikes in their pre-existing, bike-unfriendly skatepark.  I’ll let you know who the independent evaluator will be just as soon as I find out.  We only had one newspaper reporter show on Saturday, but as good as the article came out, that’s all we needed.  So many reporters in the past have pussyfooted around with their articles on the bikes in skateparks issue, but I’m happy to say Dennis Welch didn’t.  Check this:

Meanwhile, on the other end of town, about 50 riders, parents and supporters came out to protest at the Buckeye Skatepark Grand Opening.  I guess I’m lucky that Tempe had their grand opening the same day and time, because from what I heard went down out there, I would have gotten arrested, plain and simple.  The civil rights violations were A’FLYIN’!!!  Can you believe they wouldn’t let anyone even SKATE the park who had on a sticker or a shirt saying anything about bikes being allowed in?  I wouldn’t have stood for that bullshit.  I COULDN’T have stood for it!  The protest went very well anyways, as evidenced by the below article.  Jerry Davis, the 3BC’s Buckeye Captain, is on the agenda to speak at the Buckeye city council meeting on March 16 at the town’s request.  That’s a very good sign.

Signs of Protest

MARTIN CHAVEZ, 15, of Avondale stands at the fence of the Buckeye Skate Park Feb. 26 holding a sign protesting the town’s decision to ban BMX-style bikes from using the facility. The approaching Buckeye police officers made Chavez and other protestors along the fence move at the request of Jeanine Guy, Buckeye’s director of Parks, Recreation and Library Services.

Since we've got such great momentum going, please take a little time and e-mail a letter to the editor of the Tribune if you live on the east side or the West Valley View if you live on the west side.  It just gets our cause more exposure if supporting letters pop up in the editorial page.  E-mail addresses for submitting editorials can be obtained by going to www.aztrib.com and www.westvalleyview.com

February 22, 2005

TEMPE BMX RALLY

I know it's nutty, but we're doing a rally in Tempe, too.  All you east valley riders need to come out this Saturday, February 26th, at 10 AM, when Tempe will be holding their grand opening for the new Tempe Skatepark.  Ray Putnam, our Tempe 3BC Captain, has been talking closely with Tempe city officials, and they have been looking for a way to get us into the skatepark before it opens, but it's not going to happen just yet.  We want to do a positive BMX rally on Saturday to show that there are a lot of bike riders in Tempe that need a place to ride.  We will be taking signs out there to let everyone know that we're going to keep pushing until we get a public place to ride in Tempe.  I believe we'll be getting some good media coverage, so be ready to talk to the news.  At this point, I think it's really important to keep this rally positive.  We have made much progress in Tempe, and we don't want to ruin anything or portray a bad image.  This is a much different situation than Mesa, Gilbert, or Ahwatukee was.  During those protests, we had to attract attention and make a point any way we could.  We had nothing to lose.  In Tempe, we do have something to lose.  We don't want to make the city officials that support our cause look bad in any way.  The 3BC's main objectives on Saturday will be to get more exposure for our cause, to talk to the media, and to recruit support from skaters and inliners for bike riders.  Come out Saturday, and bring as many supporters as you can, including your parents, or anyone who looks old enough to vote.  Sometimes that's all that will get through to certain public officials-the fear that their job is on the line.  The skatepark is located just north of Warner Road off of Hardy Drive.

February 12, 2005

BUCKEYE (re-scheduled) PROTEST

As I'm sure you figured out, there was no grand opening for the Buckeye Skatepark today due to the most inclement of weather, so there was no protest either.  The grand opening has been re-scheduled for Saturday, February 26th, from 10 AM to 1PM, so the protest has been re-scheduled, too.  The 3BC will be present at the grand opening of the Buckeye Skatepark to protest the "no bikes allowed" rule in the new park.  Any riders who live even remotely close to Buckeye still need to be there.  Riders from Avondale, Goodyear, Glendale, pretty much the whole west valley.  Do your best to get your parents out there too, or at least someone you know that looks like they vote.  As bad as it is that we aren't allowed in the concrete parks, this is that much more of a slap in the face.  The ramps are made by Skatewave, who certifies ALL of their ramps for bike, blade and board use.  Skatewave evens sponsors pro BMX rider Bruce Crisman for God's sake!  Buckeye simply has no excuse for not allowing bikes in the park, they're just making this rule because that's what every other skatepark in Maricopa County  has done.

Now I want to be clear on something:  Although this park is worth fighting to get access into, it is far from being an ideal place to ride.  None of these modular ramp companies have been able to produce a park that can keep kids interested and challenged for any substantial length of time.  For the money Buckeye spent to buy these little ramps and pour the concrete pad they sit on, they could have built a rad concrete park like Wickenburg and Coolidge did.  Those parks are used constantly and are tons of fun, and they will remain challenging for years and years to come.  Buckeye Parks and Rec really did the kids in their town a disservice by not going with concrete or at the very least a good custom ramp builder.  All, of course, against the advice of the skatepark development experts at the 3BC.

That being said, if bike riders get access to this park, it's a lot better than access to no park.  Jerry Davis, the 3BC's Buckeye Captain, said that some of the ramps are 5' to 6' tall, so that's already better than Payson's and Nogales's  parks.  Come out to the protest, bring big signs on bright posterboard, bring your bike, and wear some tie-dye and an acoustic six-string strapped to your back.  Well, you don't really need to bring those last two things, but a little hippie style never hurts when you gettin' yo protest on.  To get to the Buckeye Skatepark, take I-10 west 'til you see no signs of civilization.  Exit on Miller Road and head South.  You go a few miles down Miller, then hang left on 9th Street.  The skatepark is on the right, inside Buckeye's main city park.  Peace, brothers.

I got an e-mail from this kid a few days ago:

hi,

    i was wondering if you could help me recover a stolen bike because the police will not help me look. It was stolen tonight from my work at a Frys supermarket. A young white male with glasses cut my lock which was pretty thick and then left it there. it happened around 8 and i live down in Ahwatukee. The bike is an 04 brown Freebird, it has real camo bars and forks, gyro, hazard wheels. i will add a link of a picture of it. Thanks a lot

James

So while James is busy looking through every pawn shop in the metro Phoenix area, keep an eye out for this bike.  If any other of yous guys get your bikes stolen, let me know and I'll get them on the site, too.  It's better to have 200 people looking out for your bike than just you and a couple buddies.  If you do see James's bike, please e-mail him at WeThePeople1087@aol.com 

February 1, 2005

BUCKEYE PROTEST

On Saturday, February 12, from 9 AM to 12 noon, the 3BC will be present at the grand opening of the Buckeye Skatepark to protest the "no bikes allowed" rule in the new park.  Any riders who live even remotely close to Buckeye need to be there.  Riders from Avondale, Goodyear, Glendale, pretty much the whole west valley.  Do your best to get your parents out there too, or at least someone you know that looks like they vote.  As bad as it is that we aren't allowed in the concrete parks, this is that much more of a slap in the face.  The ramps are made by Skatewave, who certifies ALL of their ramps for bike, blade and board use.  Skatewave evens sponsors pro BMX rider Bruce Crisman for God's sake!  Buckeye simply has no excuse for not allowing bikes in the park, they're just making this rule because that's what every other skatepark in Maricopa County  has done.

Now I want to be clear on something:  Although this park is worth fighting to get access into, it is far from being an ideal place to ride.  None of these modular ramp companies have been able to produce a park that can keep kids interested and challenged for any substantial length of time.  For the money Buckeye spent to buy these little ramps and pour the concrete pad they sit on, they could have built a rad concrete park like Wickenburg and Coolidge did.  Those parks are used constantly and are tons of fun, and they will remain challenging for years and years to come.  Buckeye Parks and Rec really did the kids in their town a disservice by not going with concrete or at the very least a good custom ramp builder.  All, of course, against the advice of the skatepark development experts at the 3BC.

That being said, if bike riders get access to this park, it's a lot better than access to no park.  Jerry Davis, the 3BC's Buckeye Captain, said that some of the ramps are 5' to 6' tall, so that's already better than Payson's and Nogales's  parks.  Come out to the protest, bring big signs on bright posterboard, bring your bike, and wear some tie-dye and an acoustic six-string strapped to your back.  Well, you don't really need to bring those last two things, but a little hippie style never hurts when you gettin' yo protest on.  To get to the Buckeye Skatepark, take I-10 west 'til you see no signs of civilization.  Exit on Miller Road and head South.  You go a few miles down Miller, then hang left on 9th Street.  The skatepark is on the right, inside Buckeye's main city park.  Peace, brothers.

January 30, 2005

I don't know how many of you have seen the TV show "Exposure" on the FUEL channel, but it's a very well-made 30 minute show in which 2 separate independent action sports filmmakers are showcased for 15 minutes each.  Last weekend Darrin Polischuk, producer of "Exposure", came out to do a segment on Bearded Lady/Psychic Flying Monkey Pdctns.  He filmed me filming Thomas Hancock and Brett Crowther, and also interviewed us on camera.  The show should air pretty quickly, because Darrin said the network has been screaming at him for shows as of late.  The segment will also include clips from "The Carnie and Trailer Trash Show" and "The Impetus of Cletus".  I'm honored to have a segment in "Exposure", seeing as how only 3 BMX filmmakers have been showcased so far, including Glenn P.P. Milligan and the guy that made the Miracle Boy and Nyquist film.  That's good company.  I'll let you fools know when the show will be airing as soon as I find out.

In other news, I wanted to thank all the sponsors for donating to our Kleinman Grindpark Raffle last Saturday.  We made a couple hundie, mostly by raffling off bike parts and bike videos to skaters.  Works for me!  Check out these links and shops below:

KORE BIKE IND.

Rage Cycles

And finally, in former rider-turned restaurant owner news, Dean Thomas has started a new eatery in Tempe called the Cornish Pasty Company.  Dean used to own a Mexican Restaurant/Skatepark back in jolly old England, which he sold when he moved out to AZ to start kicking it here with Jason Davies.  English food doesn't have the best reputation, but Dean's food does.  He's also mixed it up by offering Greek style, Italian style, Mexican style, vegetarian style, and even vegan style pasties.  All his pasties are  made from scratch and baked fresh daily, and for all that, they're a helluva bargain.  Jim Burgess took two of them to Woodward East, one for the road and one for the plane ride there.  Click on the link below to find out exactly what a pasty is.  They're good, I tell ya!  Come get some! 

January 17, 2005

I just got this part of a post from Eric Van Tine off my discussion board:

It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong, but Eric just did it, and I can appreciate that.  I think most everybody else can appreciate it, too.  I also re-read my news update, and I could see where I really was being too hard on a fellow rider with the language I used.  Therefore, I just went back and did a revision on it.  Eric also mentioned how he disagreed with some of the shit I was talking on my discussion board in his post, but that's just the way it goes.  The discussion board is for talking shit, first and foremost, and if someone can't handle that, they needs to stay up outta them nuts.  It's childish, it's immature, it's vulgar, it's threats, it's bets, it's rude, it's crude, it's ladies in the nude, and it's just the way I likes it.

January 14, 2005

Rex e-mailed me a couple of days ago about a new hole in the Phoenix Skatepark bowl.  Normally I wouldn’t think too much about some little hole a bowl. I mean, it won’t affect me when I’m riding, but it really affects the lines that the skaters take in there according to Rex.  The hole is actually pretty deep-- it goes down through all the layers.  Rex related that he had been informed said hole was caused by a bmx rider who threw the big sub box into the bowl.  Ironically, I was sitting atop the vert ramp on Monday night, discussing ways to raise money for Kleinman Park with Josh Bierman, when Eric Van Tine tossed the sub into the bowl in a temper tantrum because he wrecked.  Rex said the skaters he was skating the bowl with were pretty pissed to find the hole had been caused by a bmx rider that was throwing the box around.  I’d like to say Rex was understanding of the situation because he rides too, you know?  Well he wasn’t understanding.  And neither were the Phoenix Skatepark employees.  And neither am I.   

The simple fact is, this is bullshit.  If you don’t think stunts like this affect the bmx rider/skater relationship in this town, think again.  Shit like this also negatively affects our effort to get legal places to ride.  Rex said one of the old-school skaters skating the bowl with him was from Glendale.  The first thing this guy said was, “And we’re supposed to be sharing this new park (83^rd and Bethany Home) with these guys?”  We can’t be providing legitimate reasons like this for the skaters to think bike riders will screw up public parks.  Fact is, it doesn’t matter if a bmx rider, skater, inline skater, or the twin deities themselves, Taj and Joe, did it.  You don’t shit where you sleep.

January 11, 2005

We had too many problems trying to get our  whole fundraising/awareness raising event going in Kleinman Park for January 22nd, so we had to abandon it.  Instead we are doing this:

On Saturday, January 22^nd, help us build ramps in Mesa’s Kleinman Park by buying tickets for our first…

 KLEINMAN GRINDPARK FUNDRAISING RAFFLE

 The Community Grindpark Partnership will be holding a huge raffle during Mesa’s Annual Skatefest at Reed Skatepark, located at 1601 E. Broadway Road in Mesa, on Saturday, January 22^nd, 2005.  The more tickets you buy, the more chances you’ll have to win sick prizes, and the more money we’ll have to build ramps in the Kleinman Grindpark.  Skatefest and ticket sales begin at 11 AM, raffle winners announced at 5 PM.  All money raised by February 1^st, 2005 will be matched dollar-for dollar by the Mesa Parks and Recreation Foundation up to $10,000.

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