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INFLUENCES
I don't mean who was your favorite pro, I mean who influenced you. Maybe a pro did influence you, but I'm talking about the rad locals who gave you you're first taste of real riding, not just what ESPN and the magazines gave you. My first encounter with the first "good" bike rider I had ever seen came in 1993, before ESPN cared, and when Ride was first starting and was really hard to find. I read BMX Plus! every month and read every cherished issue of Go or Freestylin' I could get my hands on. Through my friend's older brother, who wasn't riding due to a messed up back, I had arranged to buy a "good" frame (1990 Dyno Slammer) from someone he used to ride with. He told me that this guy (Brian Keith) was really good and even did shows for Hardee's. I couldn't imagine doing shows. This guy was so big time, and he lived here! I went to his house to pick up the frame and found him fixing a flat tire on his bike. I was so stoked when I saw his bike, this guy rode a Hoffman Condor! Now that's no big deal to me, but to a kid who had never seen a bike besides a GT, Haro, or Mongoose besides in pictures it was really something special! We chatted a bit about what new tricks Matt Hoffman was doing and stuff like that until he was done fixing his tire. Then, right there in front of me he busted out with a tailwhip to decade! Oh my god! That is so rad! I had memorized Chase Gouin's part in Head First but nothing compared to seeing riding, no matter how simple the trick in real life. I bought the frame and went home with stars in my eyes. About six months later I had discovered a lame little skatepark about half an hour from my home town. I happened to manage to get a ride one day, where I saw Brian again. I was getting frustrated working on fire hydrants when he came up and talked to me a bit, grabbed my bike and did a funky chicken. Oh, my god! You can scuff? That's so awesome! Then he told me he had been riding vert lately. I drooled over his bike with the best parts I had ever seen on it while he talked, three piece cranks, super pros, I was totally in awe. Then I saw him ride vert. I'm a flatlander, but I still get stoked watching someone ride vert, and watching Brian was no exception. He was easily getting 5 or 6 feet of air, doing nice variations, and even went for a 540! Needless to say I was amazed. I was further amazed later when I saw footage of him doing flips on vert, doing handrails on street, and every trick that I thought was impossible. Then I didn't hear from him for a long time. I called him up about 2 years ago, and asked him if he wanted to go to Just Ride with us. He agreed, and though he hadn't ridden for 6 months and was rusty, still pulled flips, almost did 540's and impressed me again. About 4 months ago he called me up, said he hadn't ridden since Just Ride, and wanted me to go to Phase 3 with him. I was going anyway, so I said okay. He still had a good style but didn't have thedrive to ride for long. He complaned about how he was out of shape and passed his prime (24). He rode for an hour and went home. I'm still not as good as Brian was back when I first met him,even though I've been riding for six years. It upsets me to see someone so good waste their talent when I struggle every day of my life to pull the most simple stuff. But, there are a few kids into freestyle around here, and now I'm the best rider. I'm the one who can do tailwhips, freak squeaks, and the moves they can never imagine doing even though they are capable of doing them. I'm determined not to let them down when things get tough like my influence did. I won't let them down. rodney bowcock ADDED: 05/23/99 |
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