Tables and Fables: March 2012

Well here we are again with nine local guys and nine brand new questions. These guys all range in age like the first group of dudes. The questions were thought up by Moe Lopes, Justin Gamache, and myself once again. I think we came up with a few more pretty good ones. Let's see what you guys think. As I mentioned in the last 9X9, we will be trying to do these quarterly. So if you'd like to be a part of one, please feel free to email me and I'll put you on the list for the next round. Well without any more out of me, here's the Tables and Fables 9X9, round 2.

photo Justin Luong

Name/Age/Years Riding?

Matt Horak, 20 years old, Riding for about 8 years or so?

What brought you into BMX?

- My neighbor Seth Bernard and his dad Blaise were into racing when I was younger. I didn’t race but I would go watch them sometimes. Every weekend Blaise would bring us to a skatepark. He rode too so that was cool. He would bring us everywhere, even to contests. I realized I really enjoy riding my bike so I just kept at it.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- I don’t really consider BMX a sport. Sports have all these rules telling you what you can/can’t do. When you are on your bike you have the freedom to do whatever you want.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- Still riding. Hopefully living somewhere warm! Somewhere I can ride all the time and not have to deal with snow.

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected you riding more than any other? or Top 5 favorite riders to watch.

- Top 5 riders to watch are (in no particular order) Chris Doyle, Dennis Enarson, Chad Kerley, Drew Bezanson, and Sean Burns

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy (i.e. riders, a shop or ads)?

- When I’m buying a frame/parts I’m looking for something American made and tall and strong. Support local shops.

Where do you see the BMX industry going? Getting more popular and gain more companies or the bubble bursting and going back to the few core companies like in the 90’s? Do you think there are too many companies out there?

- BMX is definitely getting more and more popular each day. Everyone is trying to do there own thing nowadays. All these rider owned company’s are popping up, which I think is going for the BMX industry.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- I constantly change my mind. I go through phases where I’ll do a certain trick all the time, then I won’t do it for awhile. I’m in a tireslide phase now. I seem to do those a lot.

Do you prefer a web edit or full team video? Please explain why.

- Web edits can be cool but I think team videos are better. Most DVD’s have way more time and effort put into them. The riding is usually better because the riders took time to collect footage they are proud of instead of firing a bunch of stuff out in one day.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- I would say I’m part of the BMX scene. I do keep to myself most of the time but I travel/ride with people from all over CT and MA.

Name/Age/Years Riding:

Jake Molineaux / 15 years old / 2 years riding

What brought you into BMX?

- I have always ridden bikes, doing jumps and stuff since I was about 4, but my main focus was always motocross until about 2 years ago. I started riding when I moved to Massachusetts because motocross got a little too expensive and the BMX scenes are awesome here.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- I consider BMX an action sport because when I think of the word “sport” I think of a coach, team and not fun. BMX is all about having fun riding and hanging out with your friends. Not going to practices and games everyday cause you’re forced too.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- Hopefully still having fun riding my bike. Maybe sponsored because going on trips would be awesome.

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding more than any other? or Top 5 favorite riders to watch.

- I don’t think one person has affected my riding, but most of the tricks I’ve learned are because I saw someone do them in person or an edit and I thought they were cool. I’ve been trying to do different tricks lately. My top 5 riders would be Stevie Churchill (because of all the gnarly stuff he can do just on flat ground), Nathan Williams (because his edits are always amazing and most of the time I see something I’ve never seen before), Garrett Reynolds (because he’s an all around awesome rider), Chad Kerley (for his bike control) and Dave Thompson (because he goes huge).

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy (i.e. riders, a shop or ads)? Mainly rider/shop feedback on how they feel, how well they hold up and if I like the dimensions of the part.

Where do you see the BMX industry going? Getting more popular and gain more companies or the bubble bursting and going back to the few core companies like in 90’s? Do you think there are too many companies out there?

- The way things are going now I think there’s still going to be more companies and they’re still going to come out with new parts. I’d like to see companies go back to being one brand instead of owning like three others.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- I change my mind a lot but right now my favorite tricks are barspins and crankflips mainly because I just learned them.

Do you prefer a wed Edit or Full Team Video? Please explain why.

- I like them both a lot. Web videos because they’re free, there’s a lot of them and they don’t take nearly as long to make if you’re making your own team videos because people put more effort into them and the tricks are normally way gnarlier.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- Yah I guess…I’ve made most of my friends from riding bikes.

Photo Logan Mitchell

Name/Age/Years Riding?

(Anthony) Tony Vecca/32 years old/Been riding on and off for 27 years.

What brought you into BMX?

- Growing up I was the youngest kid of 8 in the neighborhood and everyone had a BMX bike. A few of the guys raced and some rode BMX because they reaced motocross and it went hand in hand. Of course, my parents bought me a BMX bike and it was all downhill from there.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- Websters says a Sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or other.” In my case, BMX is not a sport…just a fun activity I enjoy. No need for all that competitive, X-GAYmes BS!

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- Providing I’m not in a wheelchair by then, I see myself growing old still riding and having fun with the same old crew.

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding more than any other? or Top 5 favorite riders to watch.

- Cru Jones has affected my riding more than anyone. I don’t care if he’s just a character. RAD came out when I was 6 and got me so psyched on BMX…and still does to this day!

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy (i.e. riders, a shop, or ads)?

- I’d say fellow riders influence what I buy. I’m all about reliable parts! If I know a few people running a certain frame or parts, and see they’re holding up well, I’ll likely upgrade to them when I need to. I run my parts into the ground. I rarely buy anything new…unless the part it’s replacing is cracked, stripped out, or beat to hell. Still rocking chrome Primo Powerbites from 1999!

- There are WAY TOO MANY companies out there…but the industry will continue to grow. BMX has become too main stream to die out again.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- My bag or tricks has been empty for years! Any kind of wacky footplant variation is my favorite now-a-days. Gotta put these giraffe legs to use.

Do you prefer a web Edit or Full Team Video? Please explain why.

- Full video for sure! Mainly because that’s what I grew up on. You’d see a plug for an upcoming video in a magazine or shop ad and then 2-3 months later you’d score the VHS or DVD when it was released. You rarely see time, effort and creativity put into a web edit. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some good web edits, but 75% of them are filmed in a day, have no thought put into them and are just 2 minutes of shotty riding so kids can get themselves or a company exposure on the internet.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- I’ve always kept to myself, but with the whole TYRANT thing it kinda placed me into the local scene. Over the years I’ve traveled around Conneticut so much to ride, met so many people and took so manhy photos that it’s kinda frozen the scene I always knew in time. Guys my age are slowly fading from the scene as they have kids, get married, etc. and the next generation is coming up creating a new one. Evolution…but as long as I’m still riding I’ll be involved as much as I can.

Name/Age/Years Riding

Adam Chickering/16/3 years

What brought you into BMX?

- What brought me into BMX was honestly skateboarding. I used to go to edge and try to skate but it didn’t work. I bought a bike and loved it ever since.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an acitivty that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- BMX is definitely a sport, without a doubt.

Where do you see yourself in te years?

- In ten years I see myself probably just riding local parks doing the same thing I’m doing now but will hopefully have a lot more tricks.

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding more than any other? or Top 5 favorite riders to watch.

- One local rider that has helped me in the sport is my buddy Ryan Alexander. He’s constantly riding with me and helping me get tricks down or pushing me to try something huge. My favorite riders to watch are probably Stevie Churchill, Sean Burns, Randy Taylor, Aaron Ross and Garret Reynolds.

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy (i.e. riders, a shop, or ads)?

- What makes me decide on what parts to ride is honestly the best quality for the cheapest price. I don’t get stuff handed to me like a lot of the kids my age so usually I just look for good prices and get the money ASAP.

- I see the BMX industry growing pretty big and successful. The sport is growing huge and the stuff people are doing is getting real technical. There is definitely more and more companies being established now and more parts being made.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- My favorite trick is probably a turn down. I like them because it’s not just taking your hands off of the bars. It’s having bike control and being able to maneuver your bike.

Do you prefer a web Edit or Full Team Video? Please explain why.

- I prefer edits…unless we’re talking about anthem 2. But I like short 3 or 4 minute edits because some long videos get boring and short edits are just full of bangers.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- I consider myself apart of the local scene. Every time I go to a park or ride a city I usually run into a lot of people I know just from riding bikes and we end up shredding.

Name/Age/years riding

Kris Vieira/26/long time

What brought you into BMX?

- Always stuntig since I was little on bikes, dirtbikes, mtb bikes and anything with wheels, except a scooter.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- Ha what BMX a sport…both to me because there are people who get paid to do it and people who do it for an activity.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- I hope I’m doing well for myself and contributing some of my time to BMX. I’m goig to be 36, that’s gonna suck!

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding than any other?

- There are too many to list, but Jimmy Levan and 90’s BMX fueled me up.

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy (i.e. riders, a shope or ads)?

- I’m always looking at so many part and riders and supporting friends ads. There are so many and www.maulsbikeshop.com got all the parts and apparel you need. I usually get my parts there.

Where do you see the BMX industry going? Getting more popular and gain more companies or the bubble bursting and going back to the few core companies in the 90’s? Do you think there are too many companies out there?

- Ha, there is already so many companies out there it’s hard for small businesses to make any money. But the drive to make it work, and that’s what I support, is the local shops and companies. A lot of the local companies are my friends that have been going since the 90’s. The industry is good and bad, but I feel like it’s out of control, ha!

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- Tabletop, x-up in yo face. I keep it simple and I’ll grind anything.

Do you prefer a web Edit or Full Team video? Please explain why.

- Both. For the reason, being a full team video you get to see the diversity of the team. I always like a sick soundtrack, but watching edits with a homie flow it out and hear a new song.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- I do both…I’m in the local scene checking shit out and I mostly keep to myself. You might see me, you might not.

Name/Age/Years Riding?

Ray Haggerty/26/13 years

What brought you into BMX?

- Actually I got hooked when I was like 7 and my mom was working for the public access channel in Halifax. They were filming the Maul’s Brawl on the old blue ramp at DMBS. From then it was BMX off and on until I was about 20 and it’s mtb ever since.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- That’s a tough one for me. There’s plenty of things they call sports, like competitive eating. I prefer the term action sport that at least puts it in its own category.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- Riding bikes with grey hairs, watching the kids on hover boards at the skatepark.

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding more than any other? or Top 5 favorite riders to watch.

- Brandon Semenuk, Cam Mccaul, Cape Dudes, Van Homan, Garrett Byrnes

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy (i.e. riders, a shop or ads)?

- My friends and my local shop, DMBS play a big part in my decisions on bike parts.

- To me the bike industry looks a little overwhelmed with companies selling A to Z parts in every color on the pallet. With this bad economy I don’t see it lasting. I mean it’s nice to have choices but I’ve learned to stick with what works, not what’s new and hip.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- Ummmm x-up, no wait tabletop, no wait huge stylish moto whip…yeah that’s it I think…

Do you prefer a web edit or full team video? Please explain why.

- Both…I like to be able to hop online and see all the new edits floating around. But I also love the anticipation of a new video coming out because when I first started riding there were no web edits.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- I definitely don’t keep to myself. I like to be part of what’s going on whether it’s a trip to Boston or a jam down the trails.

Name/Age/Years Riding?

Garrett Gage/15 years old/Been riding for about 2 years now

What brought you into BMX/

- I got into BMX because I was riding around my town one day and I saw a group of kids at the basketball courts jumping over crates and stuff and it just looked so cool to me. I went down there and embarrassed myself a bit. They thought I had potential and I just rode with them a couple times and loved doing it.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- I feel like BMX started out as just an “activity” with guys just fooling around and having fun back in the 90’s. Lately it’s becoming just as big as any other sport and should be classified as a sport even though there are no rules and you can do anything you want with no limitations or coaches telling you what to do.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- In ten years I see myself probably working some kind of “odd” job, saving up some money for stuff and probably renting some kind of apartment with some friends. I still want to ride for the fun of it just like a couple of the guys I ride with.

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding more than any other? or Top 5 favorite riders to watch.

- My top 5 favorite riders to watch are probably: Stevie Churchill, Tate Roskelley, Chase Hawk, Dan Lacey, and Chase Dehart

What makes you decide on which frame to buy (i.e. riders, a shop or ads)?

- I usually first look at some reliable company to make sure I’m not buying something I know I would break in half. Then I usually ask some of my friends or DMBS to see what they think about it and if they don’t think it’s reliable I second guess myself and might not run that particular part. I also see if some of the pros actually run it or not because I know they wouldn’t run a crappy frame and do tricks down 20 sets if they really didn’t trust it.

- I think the industry will grow larger with all the new companies like Fiend. I hope that all the new companies produce top of the line, quality parts that are reliable. Having these new companies come out, I’m hoping they cause the older ones that produce lesser quality parts to go away. I’d also like to think that the newer companies are run by guys that know their stuff and aren’t just out for the money.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- Right now, my favorites are 360’s and manual to 180

Do you prefer a wed edit of full team video? Please explain why.

- I’d rather watch a team video because you can watch how different every rider is compared to one another. It also showcases their style and individuality.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene of do you keep to yourself?

- I usually keep to myself and the friends I ride with instead of looking at myself as “part of the local scene.”

Name/age/years riding?

- Micheal L. Macisco/35 years young/riding since 91’

What brought you into BMX?

- BMX was something I wanted to do even before I could ride a two wheeler. There were kids in my neighborhood that rode. One rode for Vision Street Wear and I always saw them riding on my block, probably just goofing around waiting to ride some other spot, but that was it for me. I didn’t get a bike for a few years, but that memory still stands out. Years later I met a kid who rode, and he took me to some jumps and I’ve never stopped. (That’s the short version) Thanks to Jon Goll

Do you feel that BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- BMX is whatever you want it to be. I mean if Curling is a sport, then I guess BMX definitely is too. BMX is so many things….

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- In ten years I hope to still be riding, at least that’s the plan. Also still working in the bicycle industry. Running my shops and working at them.(Tony’s Bikes) Bikes in general are such a huge part of my life!

Is there one rider(local or pro) that had affected your riding more than any other?

Top 5 favorite riders to watch?

- I grew up in the 90’s, there wasn’t many people that rode so I’d have to say there weren’t many local guys to look up to. We all looked up to someone clear across the country. The closest groups I looked up to, that I’d say affected my style where the Dirt Bros., South Shore Posse, and Team Ugly. If I had to pick one it would be impossible. The 90’s would be what affected me mostly, when I was riding with some of these guys daily and I still consider them all local legends.

What makes you decided on which frame or parts to buy? Ex. Riders, a shop, or ads?

- My purchasing of parts, frames, etc. is mostly influenced by who my dollar will support. Will it help to create a future for BMX and quality, and of course of they perform and feel.

Where do you see the BMX industry going? Getting more popular and gain more companies, or the bubble bursting and going back to a few core companies like the 90’s? Do you think there are too many companies out there?

- The future of BMX is so hard to estimate. I’d love to see the smaller companies keep growing, stay rider owned and in control. Thus squeezing out the big cheesy brands. On the flip side of the coin though, BMX has exploded the last couple of years and without that, we wouldn’t have half as many parks and spots to ride as we do today. The more people see BMX, the more they think they understand it and will leave us alone to do our thing. So it’s a double edged sword. The one thing I can say is that I hope it continues to stay out of the malls and “big box” stores!

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- It’s changes all the time, but if anything tables and variations of them!

Do you prefer a web edit or a full team video? Please explain why.

- I prefer full team videos. They have a way, when done right, of showing what a brand or group is all about. i.e. Style etc… They aren’t just thrown together and tend to hype me up more to go ride!

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- I consider myself part of my local scene, but my role is different than many others. I own two bike shops that both sell BMX (properly), and also work way too much as a result. Soooo there are times I’m digging with everyone at the trails, and times you can’t get ahold of me because I’m buried in work..

Photo Justin Allen

Name/age/years riding?

- Justin Shanley/15/1 year and a half

What brought you into BMX?

- Just seeing pictures everywhere of people riding. I thought it was amazing that people could throw their bikes in mid air and land a crazy trick just using their bodies.

Do you feel BMX is a “sport” or an activity that shouldn’t be classified as such?

- BMX is definitely a sport. It requires so much energy and concentration just to keep your bike where you want it. If it weren’t for the X-Games, BMX wouldn’t have as much recognition at all. I think it should be classified as a sport…Yes!

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

- Hopefully having a carrer in riding and if not just riding with my friends and having fun!

Is there one rider (local or pro) that has affected your riding more than any other?

Top 5 riders to watch

- Justin Allen has affected my riding, he’s a really chill dude. Whenever I ride with him he’s always getting me to push myself farther. He’s really helped me out!

What makes you decide on which frame or parts to buy? Ex riders, a shop or ads.

- I only trust my bike to Maul’s bike shop, so basically whatever they recommend, that will hold up. I don’t care who’s riding what, I’m my own person and just want to ride stuff that will hold up and is affordable.

Where do you see the BMX industry going? Getting more popular and gain more companies or the bubble bursting and going back to a few core companies like the 90’s? Do you think there are too many companies out there?

- I think there is a perfect number of companies out. There are companies for flatland, beginners, and people who are advanced and ride really hard. I do think the industry is going to expand, and then go back to a few core companies.

Favorite trick? Or do you constantly change your mind?

- Overall I’d say the turndown, but it all depends on what I’m riding, be it street or park.

Do you prefer a wb edit or a full team video? Please explain why.

- Full team video for sure, because I like how it shows the different styles.

Do you consider yourself part of your local scene or do you keep to yourself?

- It’s really hard to say, probably yes. I mean riding has definitely changed who I hang out with and the people I meet.