news,
fool!
for 2010
By Jason Ryan
December 26, 2010
Article on The Great DC Shoe Burn posted in Articles section
Click on it to go to it.
The 3BC going to Phoenix City Council on January 5th
ESPN video covering The Great DC Shoe Burn
Bink Seavey shot The Great DC Shoe Burn, edited it together and got it to ESPN's action sports website. Take a gander at it by going to http://espn.go.com/action/bmx/blog/_/post/5946888/shoe-burning-protest-arizona
Also, comment on the video. If you were there, let people know how good it went! It's easy to register to post on the articles, especially if you register through Facebook.
Another ESPN article involving The Great DC Shoe Burn
Here's the link:
http://espn.go.com/action/bmx/blog/_/post/5899743/bmx-advocacy
December 5, 2010
BMX Industry response to The Great DC Shoe Burn
After hitting up multiple companies to help sponsor our event, I found that the BMX industry's general response to The Great DC Shoe Burn is not at all what it should be. Even companies with a hardcore image will not sponsor our event because it isn't "politically correct" within the action sports industry. Now we'll get along just fine without extra product to throw out to attendees, because that's not what this is about anyways. But the lack of moral support through sponsorship from BMX manufacturers is disappointing and very short-sighted on their parts.
Here are the facts:
1) Every BMX company makes a product that is mostly illegal to ride in every city and town across America (the only places that are actually legal to ride freestyle BMX are public and private bike-friendly skateparks and bikeparks, and obstacles created on private citizens' land for freestyle BMX riding by landowners or with express permission of the landowners.)
2) Every BMX manufacturer makes a product that is completely illegal to ride in Phoenix, except in a few private citizens' backyards that contain obstacles like dirt jumps or ramps, and at a small church-owned skatepark in a warehouse in north Phoenix.
3)DC has sponsored BMX riders and events. This is true. But that does not make them supportive of BMX in the big picture. Every nickel they've spent in BMX has been for their own marketing purposes. Marketing to BMX riders expands their demographic so they sell more of their shit to BMX riders. DC Shoes doesn't deserve a cookie for sponsoring an event and plastering their name on multiple banners, flyers and promotional materials. It's just a marketing scheme to sell product. It's not good.... It's not bad.... It's just business. So on the grand "good for BMX, bad for BMX scale", they start at completely even.
Now when DC Shoes majorly sponsors a foundation that unabashedly demands that Phoenix ban kids who ride BMX bikes from "their" skatepark, that is anti-BMX! This move gives them a shitload of points on the "bad for BMX" side of the scale. They are not supporting BMX. They are HURTING BMX in a major way!
It's a shame that our BMX manufacturers, our rider-owned companies, cannot see the forest for the trees on this issue. How many skate plazas that ban bikes have to get built before BMX manufacturers wake up and say, "Hey, this is completely effed!?" And don't think it stops there. I've dealt with parks and rec departments and city leadership long enough to know that the more anti-bike skateparks there are, the more likely the next skatpark in that city and even in that region won't allow bikes. Parks and rec beaurocrats play follow the leader. That's their specialty. If something seems to be working in a neighboring city, they'll copy that same model for their city. It's way too much risk for them to try something new. God forbid they actually research the issue and think it through! Oh sweet Jesus forbid!
All this having been said, I did get an encouraging note from a pro rider that rides for one of the companies I hit up to throw down product for The Great DC Shoe Burn. He and other sponsored riders read Brian Tunney's article on ESPN's action sports site. and gave their opinions. Here's what my contact at the company wrote me afterwards:
Jason-
I had multiple discussions with our team and my friends who I ride with about this. I think this response sums up our/my feelings about the event. keep up the fight.
So that's pretty cool. But BMX companies really have nothing to lose by siding with us grassroots BMX activists against DC Shoes and any other organization that is against bikes in skateparks. BMX companies only stand to gain. The more skateparks that allow bikes, the more kids will get into riding, and the more product they'll sell. It's such a goddamned no-brainer and BMX manufacturers aren't paying attention.
SPAUSA at The Great DC Shoe Burn
Heidi Lemmon from SPAUSA will be coming out from LA on December 11, bringing all the Adio Shoes with her. She's going to bring another treat as well--a few skaters that have beef with the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation. It turns out that the foundation kicked down some money for a skate plaza in LA that these guys had lobbied for for 10 years, and Dyrdek used his own crappy design. Not a single community input meeting was held for the skaters and the park is mickey mouse.
I didn't know how much skater support we'd get at this
particular event, but I am very gratified that these guys will form an alliance
with us against the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation's bullshit
tactics. The 3BC has experienced a good amount of skater support in the past,
one of the key instances being at our Tempe Skatepark protest in February of
2005. I passed out all 75 full sheet stickers that read "Another Skater That
Supports Bike Riders" to mostly skaters, who plastered them on their shirts and
boards. My thoughts, photos and an East Valley Tribune article on that protest
can be found on this site at
http://www.psychicflyingmonkey.com/news-fool/2005-news-fool.htm Any
skaters from Phoenix are invited to come down and support the big burn as well.
If The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation didn't allow any community
input meetings at the LA skatepark, why would they do it here? Skaters
might easily be stuck with a shitty little park with a crappy design here, too.
The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation is not helping skaters, bike
riders or inline skaters with their shady deals. They are coming into
communities, many times after much groundwork has already been done by
grassroots advocacy groups, and manipulating cities into building a park their
way, with no community input. They are promoting segregation and hate to kids
through their bigotry towards BMX bike riders. Their contract they make with
cities demands the cities hire California Skateparks to design and build their
street plaza skateparks. If not unlawful, this is unquestionably immoral, unfair
and un-American. The Arizona state constitution says that any municipal project
must be put out to public bid, and the lowest bidder meeting the RFQ (Request
for Qualifications) automatically gets the contract.
Map to Deck Park
Just in case you don't know where in Phoenix Deck Park is located, here's a map. If you don't know where the I-10, McDowell Road, and Central Ave. are located, then God help ye!
You haven't seen this flyer enough
November 21, 2010
New sponsors for The Great DC Shoe Burn
Many thanks go out to Heidi Lemmon from SPAUSA for facilitating this one. Ya’ll ready for this?! Adio has decided to help support our event by kicking down 200 pairs of Adio shoes to give away at The Great DC Shoe Burn!!! So while supplies last, we will be giving everyone who brings DC Shoes or DC clothing to burn at the protest a free pair of Adio shoes! You don’t need that ratty ass DC shit anyway, dooya? We’ll have stuff from Kore Bicycles, Ice Cold Zine and Psychicflyingmonkey Productions to give out as well.
Phoenix’s Ludicrous Offer
On October 12, Phoenix riders met with Phoenix Parks and Rec officials to discuss bikes in the planned downtown skatepark. They told us they weren’t going to ever allow bikes in this skatepark, but they said that if Phoenix riders raised 50 G’s, they would build a bike-only park. Now have skateboarders raised 50 grand for each one of the 4 Phoenix skateparks? Of course they haven’t. Skaters (WITH the help of bmx riders) raised around 30 grand to get the first Phoenix skatepark built at Desert West Park. No money was raised by skaters to fund Paradise Valley Skatepark, the Ahwatukee Skatepark, or the pre-fab skatepark in South Phoenix.
Phoenix officials have known of the need for a legal place for Phoenix kids to ride their bikes for 12 years, and they have done NOTHING ABOUT IT! They want US to raise 50 grand! Bump that! We don’t owe them shit! They’re the ones behind the times! While many other Valley and Arizona cities and towns have met the great demand to provide legal places for kids to ride their bmx bikes, Phoenix has pathetically languished behind. It’s amazing that in this economy, they’re willing to pay $400,000 for a skatepark, and another $400,000 for a bike park. It’s stupid, wasteful and unnecessary, and The 3BC is having none of it.
And I know there will be some haters out there that will whine, “Why don’t YOU raise the money, Old School?” To them I say it’s because I’m not the big fundraiser type, and The 3BC only wants to put our effort behind BMX/skateparks, grindparks, action sports parks, and X-Courts that allow ALL reasonable users. That’s not to say you bitches can’t raise the money yourselves. You know what? Knock yourselves out. Just don’t bitch at me when you aren’t doing a goddamn thing yourselves.
So stay tuned to this website, make the News, Fool! your homepage, whatever you gotsta do, cause we will be getting up in city council soon after the DC protest to tell the mayor and city councilmen what’s up. This time we'll need lots of heads, to prove there really is a huge need for a bike-friendly park in Phoenix.
The Great DC Shoe Burn article on ESPN's BMX site
Brian Tunney wrote an article about The Great DC Shoe Burn that appeared on ESPN's bmx section of its action sports website on November 9. It was exceptionally shoddy reporting, and I told him so in an e-mail soon afterwards. Check the article at http://espn.go.com/action/bmx/blog/_/post/5783932/phoenix-locals-burn-dc-shoes-protest
Here's the unedited e-mail I wrote back to Tunney with my thoughts on his article:
Hi Brian, I've got some feedback on your article. I wish you had given me more time to e-mail you back my comments. I was out riding Chandler Bike Park when your message came in, and didn't have time to e-mail you back until I had finished riding, completed a tech scout for a job I'm shooting and run a couple errands. When I'm interviewed by reporters from Arizona's biggest newspaper, The Arizona Republic, they'll give me at least a day to get back to them. I and most bmx riders that aren't "in the industry" or have some kind of sponsorship conflict of interest have an enormous problem with this statement by Geoffrey Taylor: "Secondly, we're in the business of funding and in some cases building skateparks, which is a completely different animal than building a BMX facility, in terms of design. If you take a BMX bike onto a skateboarding facility, it can be very destructive. And that is a concern when we're talking about the amount of time and money we're putting into these facilities," he added. You made a very quick weak rebuttal to this, but this deserves more in-depth exploration. Skateboard companies, skatepark designers and builders have stuck to this bold-faced lie for as long as I've been advocating for bikes in skateparks. It disintegrates under scrutiny. Might I suggest this would make an excellent series of articles for ESPN BMX. You said we're doing the protest instead of appealing the decision to the City of Phoenix. I never said that. We will absolutely be going to more city council meetings and putting pressure on city officials. Phoenix is just as much at fault as DC Shoes is. They're going along with the bigotry of the foundation, and doing nothing to stand up against it. This burning is just a part of our strategy in dealing with this problem. Check this paragraph, "Since the late '90s, DC has sponsored a number of respectable BMX pros, including the current roster of Dave Mirra, Edwin De La Rosa, Chris Doyle, Corey Bohan, Daniel Dhers and Allan Cooke, all of whom do not advocate shoe burning in any form." Did you interview all six of these riders? Or is this some blanket statement from a DC team manager? I as an astute reader would want to hear directly what these riders had to say about this. Not that I expect anything different, because they are getting money from DC, but it's just good journalism. Direct rider quotes would be good. Direct rider quotes from downtown Phoenix bmx riders would be really good as well. The last statement in your article is misleading to your readership. A little background info on Chandler Bike Park-- Pat Blackburn (a Chandler resident and bmx coach) and I fought hard during the development stage to get what is now the Chandler Bike Park to allow bmx riders, skaters and inline skaters. Actually, we originally just wanted bmx access to the Chandler Skate Park. The city insisted that the new park allow only bikes, which perpetuates segregation, which the 3BC is wholly against. The good thing, though, is that Chandler has provided for the needs of bmx riders, skateboarders and rollerbladers by having two parks. Phoenix has only provided for the needs of skateboarders and rollerbladers fourfold already. They have no plans to build a bike park. I haven't had to get on a reporter this hard since Sara Bisker from The West Valley View did a shoddy article about our battle with Goodyear. It affected us badly, and we have one less awesome park to ride as a result. I'm not asking you to be biased towards The 3BC. I just want to you exercise due diligence in your reporting. This isn't like an article on the latest Dew Tour. If this park doesn't allow bikes, kids will be ticketed, arrested, incarcerated, and get criminal records for practicing what we both know is a positive and healthy activity. Thanks, Jason Ryan President The 3BC
Spreading the word of the protest on Facebook
As part of our strategy to get the word out about The Great DC Shoe Burn, we're asking that you rock the DC Shoe Burn poster as your profile picture on Facebook for at least a week before the event. And if you haven't "liked" The 3BC fan page yet, you'd best get on it, son!
 |
Jason Ryan likes |
November 8, 2010
It's the Great DC Shoe Burn, Charlie Brown!
We have confirmed, straight from the marketing director of the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation, that the contract they are making with the city of Phoenix states that the city must ban kids who ride bikes in what will be Phoenix's 5th skatepark, to be built at Deck Park. This is complete bigotry and bullshit, so I am proud to announce:
We are seeking more sponsors for the event, so e-mail me at jason at psychicflyingmonkey.com to help Phoenix bmx riders in their fight.
November 6, 2010
Take this survey if you live in Tucson
Gaege Root is doing some research in preparation to start a new BMX-oriented bike shop in Tucson. Rick Moliterno wrote a few years ago on the Standard site about how we have plenty of rider-owned manufacturers, but we needed many more rider-owned bike shops to get the goods to riders without them having to resort to mail order every time they broke something. The situation isn't much better today. We still need a shitload more rider-owned shops. If you want to see another rider-owned shop in T-town, and you should, click on the link below:
October 11, 2010
Last Lake Jumping of the Summer
Photo by Jason Ryan
Billy Burghout is letting everyone know that he is coordinating with the X-Devils (who are basically an ASU action sports club) to pull off the last lake jumping session of the summer at Bartlett Lake. The X-Devils will be bringing out a couple wake boats, and will charge for pulls, but if you wear a pirate costume, you get pulled cheaply. Here's the details:
Lake Jumping at Bartlett Lake
More Info: I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING
AND IT IS NOT NOT NOT TOO COLD (we went last year 1 week before halloween).
ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY IS INVITED!!!!! A lil drinkin, socializing, and camping
(possibly jumping) on Saturday and lake jumping on Sunday.
Look for our camping spot with the 6 foot ramp! COMMON MISTAKES: The turn on to
North Lake Rd. is hard to see so make sure you look for that. If you do miss it
you will know because the road will go straight to the lake... Make sure you
hang left on the dirt road until you reach the lake. Then take a left not a
right... OR: Copy and paste these coordinates into Google Maps and click "get
directions" to. 33.880962,-111.617167
There is a "pirate party" at the same place and time with up to 3 wake boats and
wake boarding available that is open to everybody too. Search "XDEVILS 2ND
ANNUAL PIRATEFEST!!!" in the facebook search bar
October 6, 2010
Meeting with Phoenix Parks and Recreation
An official from Phoenix Parks and Recreation called me with a meeting time and place to talk about the next step in making a BMX-friendly park in Phoenix. It will be held at the Burton Barr Central Library right next to Deck Park. The library is located on the east side of Central Avenue, just south of McDowell Road. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 12 from 6pm to 7pm in Meeting Room A. We don't need a lot of riders at the meeting. If the guys that came to the Parks and Rec Board meeting all come to this, we should be good. If you are a Phoenix rider that lives in the downtown area, however, you should come to this meeting as this will affect you quite a bit.
September 28, 2010
The 3BC on FB
I really thought we had gotten over the hump in the Valley. I really
did. I mean, we've got 6 bike friendly skateparks and a bike-only park.
Out of these 7 parks, 5 are concrete. I thought the other Valley cities
would follow suit and start opening up their skate-only parks to bikes, or at
the very least, make any new skatepark bike-friendly. So I (and
therefore The 3BC) stopped pushing so hard to get bike-friendly skateparks for a
couple years,
while I focused more on my career.
After discovering that Phoenix is not planning just one but TWO new skateparks that won't allow bikes, and after attending Glendale Parks and Recreation Master Plan meetings and discovering the city had virtually no plans for any new skateparks, and after El Mirage opened their park that banned bikes, I'm convinced that we've still got a ways to go before city officials finally get it. And we've got to fight against bigoted skatepark designers and builders like California Skateparks that say to our faces they're cool with bikes, yet lie to city officials behind our backs about how horrible it is to allow bikes in skateparks and how much "damage" bikes do.
In light of all this, I'm working on better organization for The 3BC. We are now on Facebook, and I'm going to concentrate on getting the word out about meetings, protests, the need for e-mails to officials, news articles, etc. on there in conjunction with this site. If you're down for the cause and you'll come to meetings and protests and send e-mails, "like" our Facebook page.
| Jason Ryan likes |
Glendale Parks and Rec Master Plan Meeting Outcome
The 3rd and last Glendale Parks and Recreation Master Plan meeting on September 22nd went well, with myself and two Glendale bike riders showing up. We let parks and rec know that Glendale needs more BMX/skateparks, and needs to allow bikes in the Foothills Skatepark at 57th Ave. and Union Hills. Roger Boyer, Project Coordinator for Glendale Parks and Rec told us he would talk to parks and rec staff at the Arizona cities that have skateparks that didn't originally allow bikes, but began allowing them at some point after they opened. He said he would discuss with them how they were able to get around the legal hurdles to allow bikes, and see if Glendale officials could do the same for the Foothills Skatepark. So that's a good step. Also, Bill Schwind, Deputy Director of Glendale Parks and Rec, said he was willing to work with Glendale bike riders to develop a new park. Very cool.
Phoenix Parks and Rec Board Meeting Outcome
I thought I'd never take a photo of Josh Small in
downtown Phoenix that looked anything like this...
So five other bike riders and myself spoke to the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board last Thursday, September 23rd. Even though we spoke on an agenda item, and the board members could ask us questions if they wanted to, none of them had anything to say to us. The skate plaza-style park will be built in Deck Park, and as of now it is not planned to allow bikes. As if it isn't bad enough that Phoenix is building it's fifth skatepark that discriminates against bike riders, now they're coming into one of our spots and plopping the park there. What a shot to the face! It's just like what Scottsdale did with the Wedge. Everybody used to skate and ride there together, then the city comes along and splits everybody up with their goddamn anti-bike park! Phoenix also has plans to build yet another skatepark out West, too. I'm sure that one's planned not to allow bikes as well. We've got a lot of work to do.
After we spoke, Deputy Director of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Karen Williams met with us in the lobby of the council chambers while the meeting was still going on, and the reporters from the Downtown Devil and the Arizona Republic sat in. She said that the contract Phoenix had with the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation stipulated that bikes could not be allowed in the park for the city to receive the $50,000 donation. She said that the city did have money for a separate bike park and she told us she would meet with us to make it happen. Hopefully she follows through with this. Phoenix has already blown us off for 6.5 years. Our plan is to work on a bike park in Phoenix, but also to fight for access to the skate plaza park. The park hasn't even been designed yet, and there is no excuse for the city not to allow bikes, no matter what that goddamn contract says. Shreveport, LA has a skate plaza built with funds from the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation, and it allows bikes, so this one can too.
And that thing about Dyrdek/DC's Foundation not wanting bikes in their
skatepark is completely effed. I've already sent the foundation an e-mail
to confirm this bigotry, and they've not gotten back to me. This is a big
deal, and you KNOW I'm going to let everyone know about this shit...
|
BMX riders outside of Phoenix City Council Chambers,
fresh off the podium.
Here are the links to the Downtown Devil and AZ Republic articles about the meeting:
http://downtowndevil.com/2010/09/24/bmx-riders-advocate-for-skate-park-inclusion/
If you want bikes allowed in this new skatepark at Deck Park, e-mail Deputy Director of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Karen Williams at karen.willliams@phoenix.gov and tell her what you think!
Psychicflyingmonkey Productions short film "Solo"
My new BMX short film, "Solo" starring Steven Mueller is finished. Right now I'm exploring the best mode of distribution before I decide how I'll release it. The guy in charge of acquisitions at FUEL TV called it "phenomenal", so that was cool. It's been a little difficult in finding the right distribution portal, because most action sports sites are only set up to show the latest triple buttplug backflip or the latest V-neck down to the bellybutton rider's section. "Solo" tells a story, and is a slice out of a dedicated rider's life. It's not about the latest trick...it's got some soul. But all you get right now is this frame grab to tease you.
The Movie RAD showing at Madcap Theatre on October 8th
You gotta go to this, cuz Jose Yanez will be doing a show before the movie starts. I myself might not make it out, though, because I might have a gig filming the "Gay Bowl". It's a gay flag football league tournament held in Scottsdale that same weekend.
No, I'm not shitting you.
September 15, 2010
Phoenix Parks and Rec Board Meeting About New Downtown Skatepark
This new downtown skatepark came up so quick that I thought maybe I had been sleeping on it. So today I talked to Chris Ewell, a City of Phoenix Landscape Architect who is in charge of developing the new skatepark, and he revealed it had, in fact, come up very quickly. All this came about when Rob Dyrdek made his donation of $50,000 towards a street plaza style skatepark, kinda out of nowhere just a few weeks ago. Amazingly, after we've gotten 6 bike-friendly skateparks in the Valley, Chris told me bikes would probably NOT be allowed in the new skatepark. "Why?" I asked. He said that the park probably wouldn't be designed strong enough to handle bikes. WHAT!!! PROBABLY WON'T BE STRONG ENOUGH!!! THEY HAVEN'T EVEN DESIGNED THE GODDAMN THING, AND THEY SAY IT PROBABLY WON'T BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR BIKES!!! INCREDIBLE!!! If that doesn't tell you how much these discriminating skatepark designers have these city officials wrapped around their bony prejudiced fingers, what will? By the way, Phoenix has already been talking with California Skateparks about designing and building this skatepark, and we know their history.
LISTEN: I know this is sudden and it kinda sucks, but WE HAVE TO ACT QUICKLY. I love how a lot of skaters always say, "Oh, you guys weren't there, you didn't go to the meetings, you didn't raise money, blah, blah, bliggety blah." To this I say BULLSHIT! Skatepark designers and prejudiced skaters get the word out about skatepark planning meetings to skaters, while doing everything in their power to make sure bike riders don't hear about them. Skatepark designers consistently lie to city officials about how bike riders can't work in their skateparks. It's a rigged game, and we need to make extra efforts to set things right. This time, we are coming in plenty early, so those naysayers can't say "boo".
On Thursday of next week, September 23rd, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board will be meeting to decide on a location for the new street plaza style skatepark they will be building in the very near future. WE NEED ALL PHOENIX BIKE RIDERS, PARENTS AND SUPPORTERS TO COME OUT TO THIS MEETING TO TELL THE BOARD TO QUIT DISCRIMINATING AGAINST KIDS WHO RIDE BIKES! WE NEED TO DEMAND THAT BIKES BE ALLOWED IN WHAT WILL BE PHOENIX'S FIFTH SKATEPARK!!! The meeting will be held at Phoenix City Council Chambers, located at 200 West Jefferson Street in that weird round building. The meeting begins at 5pm, but get there at 4:45 to sign up to speak when the board talks about the skatepark. In the meanwhile, go ahead and e-mail Chris Ewell at chris.ewell@phoenix.gov to DEMAND THAT BIKES BE ALLOWED IN THIS NEW PARK! This time, we finally do have the jump on getting in a Phoenix skatepark, and we've got to take advantage of it.
Westside and central Valley bike riders only have ONE legal place to ride--The Glendale X-Court. Let's get another one.
Below are links to a few more articles I found about the skatepark. You can post your opinion on all of these articles, so take a couple minutes to register and do it! Lord knows the skaters are posting, so bike riders need to post as well. Each post helps a ton, because it shows how many riders need legal places to ride.
http://downtowndevil.com/2010/09/03/downtown-skate-park-location-narrowed/
http://downtownvoices.org/2010/08/24/city-of-phoenix-to-receive-a-skate-plaza/#comment-592
August 31, 2010
Glendale Parks and Rec Master Plan Meeting
On July 17th a protest went down at Glendale's Foothills Skatepark in the heat of the day. I had showed up to document the protest and to let all the riders, parents, and any skaters (that would listen) know that the last master plan meeting for Glendale Parks and Recreation would be coming up soon. I handed out flyers and made sure they knew how important it was, and told them to stay tuned to my site for the exact date, time and location.
Well I got an e-mail from Glendale Parks and Rec, and here's what it said:
The next meeting for the Glendale Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan Update will be held at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 22 at the Glendale Adult Center, 5970 W. Brown St. Help shape the future of recreation programs and the parks system! Click here for information on the master plan process and the master plan being updated.
Right after I first met Rex Golos in 2002, before we even formed the 3BC, he told me that our best shot at getting new bike parks and bike-friendly parks was to get a concrete bike park on every city's master plan. Much easier said than done. The cities won't just put your amenity on their master plan because you ask them nicely. Why? Because the amenities the city will build are determined by citizen input at meetings just like the one coming up on September 22nd. So, pretty much, if Glendale bike riders and skaters don't make your wants and needs for new BMX/skateparks known at this master plan meeting, it will be very, very difficult to get any new BMX/skateparks in Glendale for up to the next 8 years. These meetings are very rare. New master plans are only made every 5 to 8 years. In fact, as long as I've been running the 3BC, we have NEVER been able to get in on any city's master plan until now.
The Foothills Skatepark protest brought out a lot of bike riders, most of them from Glendale, and most of them from the Foothills Skatepark neighborhood. I'll be doing a story with pics on the protest soon, but that doesn't matter so much. What does matter is that on September 22nd, I'd better see every Glendale rider at that master plan meeting so we can get new BMX/Skateparks in Glendale. Both the Foothills Skatepark and the X-Court are overcrowded at many times of the day, and Glendale needs more concrete parks, period. This is how it's done, son!
Arizona Republic Article about Phoenix's 5th Skatepark
Yup, Phoenix is planning their 5th skatepark, and just got a donation of 50 G's from Rob Dyrdek to help fund it. The above pic gives an idea of what it will be like (The above mock-up is of the DC Skate Plaza in Kettering, Ohio, designed with input from Dyrdek.) The article makes no mention, however, if bikes are going to be allowed in the street plaza-style skatepark. Since none of Phoenix's 4 skateparks allow bikes, and Phoenix officials have been loth to let bikes in or build a new bike park, I'm gonna go way out on a limb and guess they don't plan to allow bikes in this one, either.
Here's the link to the article:
If you're a rider that resides in Phoenix, e-mail me through this site to get in on our strategy to get this skatepark to allow bikes. If enough Phoenix riders will get off their collective asses, we'll get into this park. Trust me, there's a good reason why none of Phoenix's skateparks allow bikes, and it is that Phoenix riders have been lazy pieces of shit. One thing Phoenix riders can do right away is call the article's author, Emily Gersema, at 602-444-8262 to let her know that Phoenix bike riders want in that skatepark, and she needs to include that angle in her next article about it.
July 10th, 2010
Tempe Backyard Ramp Jam
I had just gotten my new Canon 7d when this event went down. I took a shit ton of pictures, and plenty of the Flag guys, who made it down out of the wintry clime. I made the mistake of showing the Flag guys my pics in my zeal for the new camera, and ever since they've been riding me to post them on the site. I would have had them up a lot earlier, but I got too busy on the Ember music video (Check the BL/PFM Productions News for more info on that) and other projects. Almost ten years after starting this site, and I finally get a real still camera... I suck. But it shoots incredible HD as well, so the timing was finally right. So I forgive me.
Awww, how sweet! It looks like Smeagol and Steven Mueller are looking lovingly into each other's eyes..........homos.
If you don't like this use of otherwise utilitarian stickers you can go S a D! Cause I loves it.
Very possibly the winner of the high hip air contest.
Very definitely the winner of the diving contest.
For this frame, people had to dive for rocks like Antarctic penguins diving for
mollusks. The pool was only slightly warmer than the frigid waters of the
South Pole.
Coach is back in town (Flagstaff), and he kept trying to barspin to footjam on the sub. Oh, the agony of defeat!
When he saw my new camera, Derrick Riggs told me he had a 16mm Canon lens that I could use. I mistook that for meaning he would give it to me. He clarified and said I could borrow it whenever I needed it. Awkward.......
But thank you Derrick, and I will be borrowing it soon.
Dick.
I don't have much of a smartass comment for Flyin' Brian, cause I don't really know him and he's kinda a quiet guy. Take that, you....quiet....hat wearing......weird look on face man!
Now this busty little honey on the left was a real gem. Here she is announcing, "My boobs are 34 G!" I was too busy having coitus with my new camera to engage them titties in conversation, but this guy.....
Straight copped himself a feel!
Twice!! Go bald guy....It's your birthday.... you're gonna molest drunk chicks like it's your birthday!
Dre was hitting up Tits McGee, too, but that's just expected. Whatever a black dude may say he does for a living, it takes a distant second place to pimpin'. He didn't get grabby like Mr. Baldypants.
I know at certain points over the years I've said, "Now I've seen it all." But seriously, doods. Seriously.
Doods....
Seriously....
Seriously.
Ohhhhh, Grommet. Bless his little pea-pickin' heart, the kid tries so hard.
The FBI crew. Bunch of Flags...
The CATT Show Commercial One of All-Time Best Props Commercials
Over on Leastmost.com they've got an article on the best 5 commercials in Props history, and my commercial for The Carnie and Trailer Trash Show got all up in those nuts. It's an honor to be included, especially among the ranks of such commercials as the Baco commercial starring Chad DeGroot. Personally, though, I would easily swap out the lame JNCO commercial for the old Play commercial starring Leigh Ramsdell and Hal Brindley, set to the tune of Debbie Gibson's "Only in My Dreams". So original, so F'n funny.
Check the article HERE
February 9th, 2010
Shmake Shmumping Shmotography
Photo: Jason Ryan
Since I'm sure everyone is pining for summer, I'm throwing up a couple
shots I took of one Jose Yanez on our last lake jumping trip of 2009.
Actually, it was my only lake jumping trip last year. We went in
mid-October, and the weather and the water were perfect. The sun wasn't
cooking our nuts off, and the water wasn't freezing our taints off. I shot
my first roll of slide film and got it cross-processed, with happy results.
Photo: Jason Ryan
Picture Rocks BMX/Skate Park Grand Opening
Alright, people, we got a lotta shit coming up quick, which is as it
should be, cause we need to take advantage of this beautiful desert winter
weather like a pencil-thin moustached villain takes advantage of a busty young
lass before lashing her to train tracks.
Boom... your next four Saturdays are booked. Boom.
This Saturday, February 13th, the town of Picture Rocks (located a little
ways outside of Tucson) will be hosting the grand opening for their first
skatepark. I pray to God there's a left hand hip that mirrors the right
hand one you can see below. 270 variations all day, son, WHAT! Below
all are the pertinents...
Above photos jacked from Clickedbmx.com
2nd Benefit for Sara and Ryan Cowling
In March, 2008 our friend Sara Cowling was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through an initial procedure in October, 2008 and all your help with The Saturday Showdown, she was doing much better. It has come to light that she will need a second operation to hopefully end the continuing seizures and memory loss that still lingers from the tumor. Due to a horrible insurance situation, the Cowling family must finance the entire procedure and all associated costs themselves with no assistance. Let’s help our friends Ryan and Sara and show them that they are not alone in this. The Showdown… part II. this year for bmx. we will have the upledge and launch ramp again. as well as a box jump. and maybe some more things to ride. come hang out, eat some food, drink some beverages and support 2 of the nicest people in the scene!
Get Wood
Get Asphalt....and Beans
January 7th, 2010
New Cinematography Demo Reel
I just put my new cinematography reel up on the
portfolio side of this site. It includes some shots from a short trails
piece I made with Steven Mueller (now in post-production) that I aim to get on
FUEL TV. Check it out
HERE
Today's News,
Fool!
2010 News,
Fool!
2009 News, Fool!
2008 News, Fool!
2007
News, Fool!
2006
News, Fool!
2005
News, Fool!
2004 News, Fool!
2003 News, Fool!
2002 News, Fool!
