Ken Block – Visionary, Pioneer, Icon

The action sports world and beyond owes so much to Ken Block. I first saw his name in the X Games rallycross events. It sounded really familiar, and he was obviously a big deal. That was when I learned that he was co-founder of DC Shoes. However I didn’t think much of that besides it being a job title.

I had the pleasure of seeing Ken race in X Games Austin 2015. His car the one on the outside lane. His branding has always been unique so even with this blurry photo, I can tell which car is his.

As I learned more about the world of action sports beyond just the athletes I saw on TV, the job title became so much more. Without DC Shoes, there might not have been Danny Way and the progression of the Mega Ramp. There might not have been Rob Dyrdek’s various projects: Rob and Big, Ridiculousness (which was hyping viral videos before the rest of us), Street League Skateboarding, and Thrill One Media. The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation is a perfect example of how closely tied to DC he is, and Rob has talked about how Ken encouraged his innovative ideas.

For snowboarding, he created the DC Mountain Lab, which was the apex of 2000s snowboard culture. I’m trying to think if there was an actjon sports athlete who created a playground for their compatriots before Ken did. Nowadays we have Peace Park, Axell Hodge’s Slayground, Pastranaland, and more. They’re not exactly the same because action sports culture has changed, but the influence that DC Mountain Lab and the films that came out of it are obvious.

Then of course, there’s the rally racing. Without Travis Pastrana and Ken Block, who knows if rallycross would made its way to the U.S. and garnered a bunch of new fans? Same for gymkhana (a poet friend recently mentioned that she hadn’t heard the word in years before I read my tribute to Ken). Suddenly people who knew nothing about racing saw what Ken Block could do with his Gymkhana series. He made a viral YouTube video before this became an ultimate goal of online content creators.

The Verge’s piece “We were all fans of Ken Block” is so true. The impact of his various endeavors ripples through different communities: action sports, racing, internet culture. He’s truly an inspirational figure as someone who wasn’t a top competitor in skateboarding and snowboarding but found his way to be involved and who became an elite driver at an age when most people retired from racing. Also he was never caught up in controversies. Ken truly was an amazing role model with a simple yet effective approach to life:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DC Shoes (@dcshoes)

I never got to meet him, but all the stories from friends and fans reveal what a great guy Ken was. More importantly, as stated on Hoonigan Industries’ Instagram, he was a father and a husband. A lot of career talks I’ve attended question the possibility of “having it all”. Could you succeed in your job while also dedicate time for your family and have fun? Ken found a way, and I enjoyed seeing his daughter Lia get featured on his YouTube and how he has passed on his work ethic and determination onto her. My heart goes out to his wife and kids.

I’ll conclude with a poem I wrote, as I was thinking about his impact on action sports and seeing how many people he has touched with his myriad of accomplishments. It’s published on The New Verse News: 43: Ode to the Original Hoonigan . Thank you for everything, Ken.

Loveletter to Jeff Grosso

Dear Grosso,

I know you don’t start Loveletters to Skateboarding this way, and you’d probably make fun of me for being so formal.  You were never one for frills or euphemisms. Skateboarding is full of hard slams, and you definitely had your share, physically and figuratively.  Very few people can say they went to the “School of Hard Knocks” on Facebook without sounding like a poser, but you definitely went there (and maybe got held back a year or two).

For a while, I didn’t know about your career.  You were just some weird announcer guy who also made Youtube videos.  Those videos though had intriguing content, and pretty soon I realized the wealth of knowledge you held.  I learned about the skate scenes in my town and my grandfather’s homeland.  I learned about all the well-known skaters without the sanitization of mainstream media.  I learned what it meant to be a real skater.

As for your announcing, again your unapologetically raw approach brought energy and a realness—”color commentary” indeed.  I saw the rapport you had with skaters, particularly the women.  In supporting them, I felt like you’re supporting me… even though you’d probably call me a bunch of names I don’t generally approve of for chickening out of certain moves.  Tough love is still love.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for skateboarding.  You were a ripper even after the “end” of your pro career. While your official role might have shifted from pro to commentator and mentor, you were always a skater. Except when you became a father. I’m sharing the “Father and Sons” episode of Loveletters because I think it best embodies you, father and skater.

Ride in Peace Jeff Grosso
April 28, 1968 – March 31, 2020
 

Rest in peace, Kevin Robinson

This was not how I wanted to return to posting.  I was getting ready to write a post this weekend, and then I got the horrible news.  Yesterday, BMX legend and all-around awesome guy Kevin Robinson died from a stroke.

I’m gutted.  Not only am I still dealing with the  passing of Dave Mirra and more recently, Nicky Hayden (in additional to other losses), but I knew Kevin.  He was one of the first action sports athletes I met, and my brother and I followed his career diligently for the past 17 years since we saw him pull off the first no-handed flair at the 2000 Gravity Games.

In 2001, a BMX show took place near Fort Worth, and we begged my mom to take us and made posters.  Kevin Robinson was the biggest name there so my brother made a sign that said, “Texas wants to see a flair”.   I’m not sure if the photos my mom too are still around (I printed out a couple and saved the one below), but I’ll never forget my first action sports event.  Then we got Pat Miller’s autograph.  My mom saw Kevin talking to someone in the distance and actually yelled his name.  I will be eternally mortified (because my mom knows nothing about BMX and I didn’t want to bother him) and grateful.  He was super nice and even gave my brother advice on how to bunny hop.  It was one of the best days of my life.

Throughout the years, my mom would still ask us about Kevin when we watched the X Games.  We cheered his record-breaking moments and victories and grew alarmed at his injuries.  I was sad to learn that he retired before I could see him ride again, but I had always hoped to catch him at X Games Austin.  Although that never happened, we did interact very briefly on social media a couple of times.  He liked my posts and responded to a suggestion I had for his anti-bullying program.

That brings me to one of the things I admired about him.  Kevin was a great role model and philanthropist.  He also was an advocate for traumatic brain injury research, having suffered many concussions and lost two friends (Junior Seau and Dave Mirra) to the tragic effects of chronic brain encephalitis.  My current career is in TBI research, and I’m going to keep working hard so that maybe there will be a breakthrough in how to help riders recover and how to make things safer.

My heart really goes out to his family.  His social media was often filled with praises for the various accomplishments of his kids and love for his wife.  I also feel for his BMX family, as he has mentored and inspired many riders.  He inspired me too.

Photo from Kyle Carlson (Instagram)

At X Games Austin 2016, he led a touching tribute to Dave Mirra.  I know we’ll be paying tribute to him in a similar way, but in the meantime, we’ll have to take time to process this tragic loss.  Ride in peace, K-Rob!

X Games Austin 2016 Saturday recap

Obviously I wasn’t expecting to go on hiatus again since I was in the middle of X Games Austin posts. It was a big snowball of work, other hobbies, politics, and yes, lack of motivation that kept me away. I’m looking to reignite the spark for blogging, and I’m gonna try to plow through these X Games posts (I may be skipping the 2017 winter events).

Just to refresh your memory, here was my previous post about the first two days of X Games Austin 2016.  Saturday was a supposed to have been a busy day, but the weather had other plans. The rain kept coming and going so events got moved to later in day or postponed until Sunday. With how frustrated I felt as a spectator, I can only imagine how much worse it was for the athletes.

Women’s Skate Street

•  I didn’t get to catch much of women’s skate street because it started pouring shortly after the comp began.
• Also, due to the raised stage, I couldn’t get a good view of the rails without going onto the grass (which I’m allergic to).
  
• It was cool seeing some of the women, especially Mariah Duran, help clean up the course later on in the replay.  They at least were in good spirits.
• Later I learned that the spines on the fake cacti were actual screws.  Are they trying to make this more dangerous?!

The one upside to the rain was that while seeking shelter, I was able to meet Jamie Bestwick and get his autograph.  He really likes Austin so he was bummed that this was the last year (and he didn’t fault me for missing BMX Vert this year).

He’s so tall and I’m so short that I wasn’t sure we’d fit in the frame.

Rest in peace, Dave Mirra

It is with great sadness that I halt my X Games recaps for this post.  Most of you probably have heard the news, but in case you haven’t, action sports legend Dave Mirra died yesterday from what appears to be a suicide.  When I was in Aspen, I was thinking about how I hadn’t seen much from him and how I missed his presence. Then I read what happened, and my heart has been aching for his family, his friends, and the community.

I never met Dave, but he was one of the key figures in my early years of watching the X Games and other related contests.  He was the epitome of an athlete, someone who worked hard to reach the top of the podium.  I remember those fierce showdowns with Jay Miron and Jamie Bestwick.  When he pulled the first double backflip in X Games BMX Park, I went nuts.  This was a guy who pushed the limits, the “Miracle Boy”. He took BMX to another level.

Dave was also a friendly face that helped action sports reach a broader audience.  I remember the friendly banter that happened between him, Ryan Nyquist, and Dennis McCoy in the behind-the-scenes features of various BMX tours.  Dave was always like someone who didn’t quit.  When he retired from BMX, he did rally.  After that, he trained for triathlons.    No matter what he did, he put 100% and it showed.

At the end of the day though, it’s not the number of gold medals you have or world records you set.  It’s the impact you have, and last night, I couldn’t help but tear up at all the tribute posts fellow athletes, BMX and other, and even non-action sports folks shared.  He touched so many of us.

Death is an unfortunate aspect of action sports, but Dave’s shocked us all.  It’s one thing to hear about someone having an accident while doing something they live for; it’s another to hear that they’ve taken their own life.  It’s a sobering reminder of how people who seem to have it all, who put on a smiling face, may be hurting deep inside.  I worry about the other athletes because we hardly ever hear about their troubles and because I have to wonder if the effects of brain injury played a role.  That’s something to ponder when our grief has subsided a bit.

A couple days ago, Dave posted on his Instagram: “Fight to win!  We all have a battles [sic] to fight.  Never back down.  Love you all.”.  We might not ever understand what has happened, but we have to try to reach out, to support one another, to push for answers if it can save a life, and to live.  Rest in peace, Dave Mirra.  We’ll miss you, but we’ll never forget you.

From ESPN

In memory of athletes we lost in 2015

While I hate starting off the year with a downer, I also think it’s important to remember the lives our community has lost.  They would want us to move on, but let’s not forget their contributions.

On May 16, Dean Potter and Graham Hunt died in a wingsuit flight accident at Yosemite National Park.  Potter was a well-known pioneer in climbing and BASE jumping.  Hunt was an up-and-comer in the scene and Potter’s long-time flying partner.

The Nitro Circus family lost one of its own on September 28.  Erik Roner died in a skydiving accident during the opening ceremony of a celebrity golf tournament.  The ski-BASE jumper reached fans from any action sports disciplines due to his involvement with Nitro Circus.

October 1 saw another wingsuit fatality.  Johnny Strange, a BASE jumper and the youngest person to climb the seven summits, died at the age of 23.

In early December, downhill skateboarding and street luge legend Biker Sherlock took his own life.  The link I put includes info on how to donate to his family.

Lastly, Japanese motocross rider Cloud Toda died in a foam pit fire.  He overcame great odds after an accident left him paralyzed from the chest down and was practicing whips in hopes of getting into the X Games.

We will miss all of these individuals, but their spirits live on as we are reminded to seize each day.

Ride in Peace, Eigo Sato

I’m deeply saddened by the death of freestyle motocross rider Eigo Sato.  He was the first Asian FMXer I knew of, which meant a lot to me.  I felt closer to the sport I loved seeing someone from the side of the world my family is from. Eigo also helped out Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  He stayed strong despite losing his office and having family struggling with the nuclear crisis in his hometown of Iwaki. The FMX community already knows how great of a person he was, and I thought people outside of the action sports world should do. Since I also run a blog about Japanese culture, I decided to pay tribute by highlighting his achievements there. Click here to read the post.

A fellow motocross fan shared this touching tribute, and I wanted to pass it along:

RIP Eigo Sato 1978/2013 by mm-prod

My thoughts and prayers remain with his family and friends. Ride in peace, Eigo.

eXponential Awards – X Games Aspen 2013 edition

Usually thinking about the X Games a week later brings back fond memories and inspirational moments.  Although we still have that, the mood is clouded by sad news.  Snowmobile and ATV rider Caleb Moore has died.  The world of action sports will miss him, and the X Games may not be the same.

I debated whether I should continue with my usual wrap-up of the best moments.  The answer is yes.  Caleb was doing what he loved, and let’s celebrate his life and accomplishments, along with all the others at the X Games.

Best Female Athlete – Jamie Anderson (Snowboard)
This is her tenth X Games appearance, and look at how far she has come. From racing Boarder X with her sister to getting back-to-back golds in Slopestyle, Jamie is just unstoppable. Whatever sort of zen she reaches while hugging trees is evident on the course with her smooth riding and flawless tricks.

Best Male Athlete –Henrik Harlaut (Ski)
Henrik not only stomps his first triple cork, but he nose butters it. Those little touches of style is what makes a stand-out athlete and why he medaled in both Big Air and Slopestyle. Best of all though is his giant smile. This guys is out there having a good time, and that is how things should be.

Newcomer to Watch – Ayumu Hirano (Snowboard)
I’ve said a lot about him already, and the clip below does a good job of highlighting his amazing skills. If you didn’t know who he was at the beginning of the SuperPipe finals, you definitely knew him afterward.

Most Dramatic Finals – Snowboard Big Air
For the second year in a row, Snowboard Big Air made me want to run around and scream. Instead my facebook friends got a ramble of things that made no sense to them until I related it to watching a dramatic movie or TV show. The odds were against Torstein Horgmo and Mark McMorris, but when the time came to deliver or walk away empty-handed, they gave us new tricks. Which brings me to the next category…

Best Trick – Torstein Horgmo’s switch backside triple cork 1440 (Snowboard)
It’s easy to get tired of the spinning, but when you think about what switch means (the analogy X Games commentators love to use is throwing a fastball with your non-dominant hand), you have to be impressed by the skills and the balls it takes to pull a trick like Torstein’s.

Picture Perfect Moment – Ski Big Air podium is filled with friends.

From Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
This photo sums up the camaraderie that happens within action sports. When one person wins, everyone wins.

Best Moment Outside Competition – Tucker Hibbert gets his first professional haircut in 15 years
At first, I was wondering why was this even an article, but the story behind why he wound up at Uncle Jack’s Parlor is really amusing. His crew member’s buzzcut is too.

Most Educational Moment – How many rotations are in a 1980? (Ski)
Freeskiing has progressed so quickly that I had to start doing math again to keep up with the tricks. Alex Schlopy’s 1980 attempt required him to do a whopping five and a half rotations (which he completed but did not land).

Greatest Comeback – Levi LaVallee (Snowmobile)
For the past two years, we’ve seen (or rather heard) Levi in the booth, but he has returned to the sled in good form. He took home two golds (Freestyle and Speed and Style) and was going to enter the two more snowmobile events before tearing a muscle in his back. Nonetheless, he is back in action!

Most Inspirational – Elena Hight (Snowboard)
I’m a firm believer that girls can do anything the guys can, and Elena proved that to be true by stomping the trick that has eluded Shaun White, a double backside alley-oop rodeo. This wasn’t the first time she’s done something major: she was the first woman to do a 900 at just the age of 13. On top of going big, she promotes eco-friendly style with Repreve and is on the Boarding for Breast Cancer Team. She’s an excellent role model for both young women and men.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Caleb Moore (Snowmobile)
Even though this was only his third X Games, Caleb and his brother Colten have done so much for freestyle snowmobiling. No one thought these ATV riders from Texas would place very high, but they have proven to be both skilled and memorable. Caleb’s tricks were always impressive (check out his rock solid in the footage below), and he was working hard to get a gold. He embodied the determination and joy that is a part of the action sports lifestyle. Ride on, Caleb.

From Rockstar Energy Drink US facebook page

In memory of athletes we lost in 2012

The action sports world lost some key figures last year, and I thought I would pay tribute to them all here. The links are different videos I found of them.

Freeskier Sarah Burke died on January 19, nine days after crashing on the halfpipe. She suffered a cardiac arrest, which led to irreversible brain damage. She was a pioneer in her sport, being the first woman to do a 1080 and lobbying to bring freeskiing to the Olympics. Winter X Games 16 held a touching tribute that celebrated her contributions and her love of life. She was 29.

Freestyle BMX rider Mike Tag died on April 13 after a year-long battle with Stage ll Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A member of the FBM team, he is remembered for his burly street and trail riding, immortalized in videos like “1201” and “All Time Low”. He was 37.

Freestyle BMX rider Randy “The Don” Taylor was found dead on August 19 in his home. He was known for combining technicality with huge tricks in videos like “Stoked On Being Pumped”, “Road Fools 17”, and “Let’s Get Mystical”. He was 26.

Skate and snowboard pioneer Tom Sims died from cardiac arrest on September 12. He created the first snowboard with metal edges, the first women’s model, the first pro-model, and the first longboard for skateboarding. He also helped develop the first freestyle snowboarding contests and sponsored action sports legends like Christian Hosoi, Craig Kelly, Steve Fisher, and Tony Hawk. He was 62.

BMX racer Kyle Bennett was killed in a single-vehicle auto accident on October 14. He was the first rider to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic BMX team and is a three-time UCI World champion and NBL champion. He was 33.

Boneless One: A Tribute to Jeff Phillips 2012

While I was geeking it up at Dallas Comic Con two weeks ago, Overground Skateboarding was hosting their 2nd annual tribute to legend Jeff Phillips. I was really bummed that I didn’t hear about it until afterwards (probably would have skipped DCC) because it sounded like a cool event and it was benefited The Suicide and Crisis Center of North Dallas.

Back in the 1980s, when Dallas was a skateboarding hot spot, Jeff Phillips was one of the biggest names. He gave Christian Hosoi and Tony Hawk a run for their money and proved that you could win a vert contest without pulling a McTwist. The Phillips 66 (an inverted flip with a fakie approached) is named after him, and the tribute name, Boneless One, comes from his signature trick: a frontside boneless. Jeff ran his own skatepark and dedicated his life to the local skate scene. In 1993, Jeff committed suicide.

Rolling Stone did an feature on his life and the circumstances surrounding his death (personal troubles and the decline of the sport). We’ll never know what happened, but in the end, that’s not what is important. It’s his life and his love of skateboarding that everyone who came out to Boneless One celebrated. Even if the Dallas scene is not what it used to be, I’d like to think that it is very much alive and that Jeff would be proud.

Jeff Phillips doing a frontside boneless on the Jan. ’85 cover of Thrasher

A personal note I want to add: I am here for anybody who has thought about taking their own life and needs someone to talk to. I may not know you or know what to say, but I’ve been in that dark place and being part of the action sports community did help pull me out.