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1978, Star Wars was a year old, I was fresh off a double fracture of my left arm, and a new magazine appeared on New Jersey newsstands called Bicycle Motocross Action. Well not being the most popular kid in school and being a closet Rebel, (and of course owning a Schwinn Stingray) this new “sport” really caught my interest. All that riding on muddy trails, building jumps out of plywood and cinderblocks and tearing our bikes apart had become a sport in California! So a few of my friends, most of which I had met by riding were really getting into this and it wasn’t long before one of our parents “discovered ” the first BMX track we ever saw… Flemington, New Jersey’s oval at Pete’s Bike Shop. We were hooked,and our parents wallets were drained of cash as us new breed of “bikers” sought our own fame and glory. Surprisingly enough many of the local Middlesex riders were actually quite good! One of our group, Dan Notte, even went on to a national title in his age group. Of course the worst rider…i.e. most likely not to trophy at an event was.. yours truly. This didn’t stop me from being totally attached to riding and having fun, and as the years went by and the original riders dropped out, got cars, geez got women, ‘ol Brett just kept having fun riding. Eventually I got pretty good at BMX racing, even won a state title once, (interestingly enough the same senior year in H.S. that our football team lost their run at the state championship) and garnered quite a few trophies and awards, but to me the important thing was always just going out there and riding… Around 1984 graduation time came and the 3 times a week racing trips got cut back. And since your illustrious web designer here was not into going to college, it was time to get a real job. Did the riding stop? No way, around this time a new facet of BMX was emerging, called trick riding to some, but we eventually called it Freestyle. So 5 days a week I was an Assistant Supervisor at Foxboro Village and nights and weekends, my friends and I became the High Voltage Trick Team. For 4 years we hit contests, did shows, got scabs and eventually got picked up by General Bicycles, a local NJ bike company who had a major national freestyle team. Not long after that, the manager of their 20″ bike division asked me to replace the teams touring manager and join up with them on a national tour in Chicago. I couldn’t believe it the dream of just being able to ride my bike and see the country was a reality! From 1988 to 1989 I was team manager for their freestyle division, what I didn’t realize was that my undying devotion to BMX and Freestyle wasn’t the same across the country. At the end of 1989 money for freestyle teams and BMX tracks was drying up, financial problems had hit General Bikes and I could see the end was near for them, so I politely told my friend there,Harry Myers that I was moving on. (not long after General did go bankrupt) For the next few years things really went downhill for the sports. Myself and Charlie Huber, continued to support the sport of freestyle with contests and the occasional show. Around this time the NBL and Matt Hoffman started there own national contest series. My friend Eric Fleming and I both won National Titles at the end of the NBL’s final contest season. Unfortunately at the end of that year I twisted my left knee, tearing my ACL, (I had already torn my right one about 3 years before)at this point I thought it might be time to finally hang up my spokes. My bud Eric moved to California and I bought a mountain bike, though that only lasted a few months till I started riding again. After that around 1993 to 1994, freestyle really started to fade out.I continued to play around and met a few new friends to ride with, though for me the glory days were pretty much gone. I continued to help out building ramps for new riders helping to promote contests and always loving the sport. Actually on my 30th birthday I was riding a halfpipe in a friends barn, but I could feel that I was getting a little old to keep going. The fire that makes you want to risk it all for a moments glory was fading. About this time 1997 or so freestyle started to come back in big way, Hoffman’s contest series was bought out by ESPN and major national coverage was given to the sport. Even though I was feeling a bit sad that my time was coming to an end in the sport, I was very happy to see it coming back. Every time I go into Walmart and see those finger bikes or catch a clip on ESPN, I feel really great that I helped to nurture and grow freestyle in its early days. What am I doing now? A mountain bike resides where the Freestyle bike used to, (though I kept my last Haro that I bought) and other hobbies occupy my time. Though when I look back at the almost 20 years that I rode a 20″ BMX bike, all that comes to me are all the good times, life lessons and friends that I made. Click the photos around here and you will see some pics of me in my 20″ days, and some of the other links that will take you into what is going on in Freestyle right now. “The road less traveled is wrought with danger, but is a hell of alot more exciting!”
(of course that MTB didn’t last that long and I am back to cause havok on the adult side of things…hehe…he.)
i so wish i could write like that.. bmx.. in its simplest form.. makes me so happy..hitting curb jumps..workin on my bikes in the garage.. hell just looking at my bike…gives me this feeling that i cant explain..i hate the politics.. the way bmx is now.. but i still love to ride, race, and everything else bmx brings me..the best friends ill ever make i met on that damn bike
i <3 bmx
Yea that dude can write!!
All I can say is this 38 year old dude was pi$$ed off all day Tuesday because of rain he couldn’t ride his “new cruiser” he stayed awake putting together until 2:30 in the morning on a work night !!! BMX rules !!! 8)
I was the guy in the corner soaking it all up back then I thought I was just payin my dues and then I took for all I can and ran with it …riding all the time, helping with comps , entering comps , getting sponcored , making parts , traveling the country , working at shops , meeting great friends, now still gettin out there playin around and passing the torch on to the kids .
BMX !!!!! LOVIN IT
if anyone wants to know.
rodney passed the torch onto me for flatland. he is the reason i got into riding.
so, thanks rodney.
i owe you.BMX just gets better with age !!!! 8) 8)
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