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:

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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.