Dew Tour '09 Highlights...

I know it's been a while since the Dew Tour came to SLC, but I thought it necessary to show y'all what a great time it was. I was lucky enough to go on Friday with my kid. That meant the crowds were minimal, the riders were friendly and the seats were awesome!

Check it out...


The main gate into the venue was pretty cool.
This was where everyone lined up to get inside.








Here's a shot of the Outdoor Festival.
What did I tell ya? Nobody around!








Finally, it was time to get to the Park prelims.
But walking by these made me wish I had a time machine...








The park venue was incredible.
Ramp engineers really know how to make the most of a tight spot.








As do the riders.

Double tailwhip...







Toothpick grind over the "Rainbow Rail"...









360 over the gap.









Daniel Dhers put on a great show. It's no wonder he dominated the Park Competition.










Enjoy the videos!

Meeting the Vans Team

Live2Ride was at Fashion Place Mall this past Tuesday getting to know the awesome members of the Vans BMX Team.







They were a real good batch of guys who were eager to talk about their love for BMX and what it takes to push your riding to the next level.









Best of all, they were super laid-back and enjoyed joking around, posing for pictures and making the scene.








And let's not forget all the free swag that comes along with these events.





Special thanks to Vans for images 1, 3 and 4.

Be sure to cheer them on at this weekend's Dew Tour competition!

Guthrie Skate Park (7-30-09)

Guthrie Skate Park is attached to Butler Park in Cottonwood Heights.

It's medium-sized in comparison to most parks in the SLC system.
Great for beginners and intermediates.



I got lucky enough to show up on the day slotted by the city for BMX use.

Sadly, there were only four riders plying their trade amidst a sea of skateboarders. A trend I see more and more these days.

They were a younger bunch of guys. But what they lacked in skill they made up for in motivation and hospitality.

My thanks to the Guthrie Locals.


Adam was the first rider I managed to snap a shot of.










Here's another shot of him coming out of his line.
Good form. Smooth exit.








Not to be outdone, Spencer pulled some decent air out of the bowl exit himself.








And then followed it up with this exit off the bowl hump line.
Nicely done.











Then there was Josh.
Josh & I were having a run of bad luck in that every time I'd set up for a shot, his trick would never quite go the way he had hoped.










Eighth time's a charm, eh Josh?
Nice gap over the corner hip.








The final rider I had the pleasure of shooting was Dalton.
Small in voice and stature, this didn't stop him from hopping some pretty big gaps in the park.





In fact, the consistency of his performance prompted me to shoot a small vid of his bowl exit.
Dalt's ready to start working on x-ups and barspins. Best of luck.


Well, those are the highlights of my visit to Guthrie.
A big thanks to the locals for the tricks and the small talk.
If I ever make my way to CH again, I'll be sure to look y'all up.

Keep Riding.

So what's with the blog?

Right.
My plans for this blog are pretty informal.

As often as I can, I'm going to travel to the different skate parks, ditches and trails of SLC and photograph/film local BMX riders in action (regardless of skill level). Then I'm going to bring my little digital camera home and post them up here on the web. Nice and easy.

In addition, I'll make brief announcements about upcoming events and maybe even comment on the scene once in a while.

That's really about it.

Before I forget...

I understand that posting people's visages up on the Internet can be a tricky proposition even when snapping shots on public property.
I say, better safe than sorry. I will never...EVER post an image online without the expressed consent of the person in the photo. Cross my heart, etc, etc.

Also, I encourage my readers to send me images that they capture during their BMX sessions. I might not post them all. But if there are any good ones, you'll see them here!

Finally, I'm pretty sure a lot of the people I photograph at local parks may very well be under age. As such, I invite any (understandably) suspicious parents to email me about who I am and what this is all about.

That being said, let's get this party started.

Dropping In...

Every good blog needs an intro right?
Well, here it goes.




I love BMX.
I've loved it since the day I took the training wheels off my small-fry K-Mart special.
I loved it the first time my buddies and I built a rickety plywood kicker to jump traffic cones.
I loved it the first time I foot-planted a fire hydrant.
And I still loved it the day I locked my crappy old Diamondback up for the last time to join the Army.

As the years passed, life "happened" and Fate slowly pulled me away from the passion I had held so dear in my youth. Yet my love for BMX has never faded. Even today, I still look for trick lines whenever I walk past an open urban space. I still find myself walking into bicycle stores to look at the latest frames and buy the occasional sticker. And I still smile to myself at the sight of wallride marks and a well-ground rail.

So are these the signs of a responsible adult figure?
Who knows. Sadly, only those closest to me can really judge the whole of my life to decide whether I really have "grown up" or not.

But I can say with absolute certainty that BMX was more than just a youthful phase for me.
Like it or not, it's in my blood...even if I can't barspin over a spine.
And while Fate may one day steer me back to my very own whip, I still feel the need to be a part of the sport, to watch it shine and to contribute to its longevity.

Hence the blog.