There was a post on Facebook that Tod Miller was going to be riding in San Marco,Texas today and was inviting any and all people to come and ride. It had been about a month since I have been on my bike due to work and bike issues. So I really wanted to take the opportunity to meet up with Tod for a Flatland Session. It was a great time with Tod we hit up 3 different spots. We took a couple of photos in the last to location.
Rad Dad rolling a cliffhanger
Tod Miller mid Cross footed Halflash.
Here is a quick vidoe of Tod doing one of his many tricks he can pull regularly.
New ride spot, new tricks! Steve & Shaun Lapsley riding at the Court Parking Garage on Christmas night in Buffalo, NY. 12/25/2011. Additional skateboard footage (and credit for hooking up the spot) Lou Bergeron!
Dax is a personal friend of mine. I have session with him at the O.G. and personal riding spots. I recently got a phone call from him telling me he was moving away from Texas to pursue his education. The H-Town Crew got together recently to have one last jam with Dax before he leave. Kelly Baldwin shot some great photos. Please enjoy.
I was recently contacted by the Michal from bmxflatland.net about doing a interview with him on his new web site. It is up today! Check it out, leave some comments and help spread the word.
Master List for 2011
January- Hang 5
February – Turbine Peg Wheelie Sponsored By Team Mc Duff
March – Cliffhanger Sponsored by Moya
April – Stick B Sponsored by Rick MacDonald
May- G-turn sponsored by Scott Powell
June- Dump Truck Sponsored by John Yull
July- Hitchhiker Juggler sponsored by Bobby Carter
August-Time Machine sponsored by Matt Wilhelm
September- Crackpacker Kris Veal
October-Lung Spin sponsored by FlatWebTV
November- Whiplash sponsored by Fred Penner
December-Death Truck sponsored by Chris Armstrong
Do you have variations, learning or can do Trick of the Month? Send your submission to webmaster@bmxfreestyler.comYou Tube or Vimeo links are preferred. Please include your name.
BMX flatland and Indiana go way back! Steve Mulder, Bill Nitschke, and Perry Mervar were the flatland shredders of the Hoosier state back in the mid 80s. The least known of the three was Steve. I've been friends with Steve for over 20 years, and as far back as I can remember he was always one of the best riders in the Midwest. He has continued to progress his riding to new levels this past year. Even though Steve hasn't competed in several years, he's one of the most respected riders on the planet! Super ropes and 360 bike flips are 2 of the hardest tricks ever done in BMX flatland, both of which he invented.
Back in June 2011 Steve told me he had been riding alot and he we discussed the idea of a new web edit. Unfortunately my trip got postponed until the fall which is typically a cold and rainy time of year in Indiana. Luckily the weather was decent and we were able to accomplish what we set out to do. We've worked together in the past on some video stuff, usually just a few clips here and there. This time we wanted to do a little longer edit. Steve wanted to focus on boomerang and decade tricks from his past. Steve said he wanted to do some tricks that got him stocked on riding. Steve created a list and one by one he checked them off. We got off to a good start, and once we had a few moves in the can, we discussed a few more trick options, and the list grew. Some of these tricks were done for the first time ever, others were tricks he had only pulled a couple of times, while some of these tricks were done for the first time without any brakes. Some of these tricks don't have anything to do with boomerangs or decades... That's why they call it FREESTYLE! ha ha... We hope you enjoy it!
Special thanks to Steve for taking the time out of his work schedule to put in over 25 hours of time in front of the camera. Special thanks to his wife Mary for watching the kids so Steve could film after work and on the weekends. Special thanks to Todd Carter for busting out his skills with the motion graphics. A very special thanks to Bill Nitschke and Shannon Zook over at Wonder Wheels BMX for giving me a place to crash! Also thanks to Bill for the shooting the final clip in the video. Ayyyyyy! Hoosier hospitality!
Thanks to Effraim for his dedication to Flatland and to Flatmatters. Happy Birthday to Flatmatters! Check out this special web edit to celebrate 3 years of being online!
Recently a very cool inspirational rider Nina Buitrago has broke her jaw and needs some help with the dental bills... she is always helping other people out and is having a rough time right now... check out the flyer and buy a shirt to help support her!
Hey everyone, there is a new site out there that is dedicated to helping people that are looking at flatland and trying to figure out whats next. A site like this has been needed for a very long time. I was recently contacted by Michael Chua that the site was up and running. So as we find people that are looking to get into flatland we have another source to direct people too.
Master List for 2011 January- Hang 5 February – Turbine Peg Wheelie Sponsored By Team Mc Duff March – Cliffhanger Sponsored by Moya April – Stick B Sponsored by Rick MacDonald May- G-turn sponsored by Scott Powell June- Dump Truck Sponsored by John Yull July- Hitchhiker Juggler sponsored by Bobby Carter August-Time Machine sponsored by Matt Wilhelm September- Crackpacker Kris Veal October-Lung Spin sponsored by FlatWebTV November- Whiplash sponsored by Fred Penner December-Death Truck sponsored by Chris Armstrong
Do you have variations, learning or can do Trick of the Month? Send your submission to webmaster@bmxfreestyler.comYou Tube or Vimeo links are preferred. Please include your name.
Jim Mckay over on http://flatstyle.blogspot.com/ has created a group for the Texas Flatland Round Up Videos. Here you can view videos that we have produced over the years since the first Round Up in 2005. Check out the group and become a member. Please spread the word! We will see ya at the next Texas Flatland Round Up! http://vimeo.com/groups/111129
Alex Johnson turned 18 on October 15, 2011. In Celebration of his birthday his Mother brought hot pizza and cold drinks for everyone to enjoy during the session. Alex even got his 1 combo he wanted for his birthday. Happy Birthday to ya Alex!
This is my good friend Ed Jodie. He has been watching BMX Freestyler vidoes for many years. He also holds the record for most comments and likes here on Vimeo! This was the first time we ever had the chance to ride together. He told me this was his very first contest ever! I knew right then I would highlight his riding. This is a moment to remember always. He ended up taking 4 place in the Expert Class after doing battle with Dax Wolford and Kelly Baldwin.
Dax Wolford was riding in the Texas Flatland Round Up 7. He was in a intentse Battle with Ed Jodie. He was down to his last 15 seconds and he was looking for his hard work and training to pay off. It did in these final moments. With praise from Jesse Puente at the compleation of this link. Job well done Dax a well deserved win!
Rider: Drew Henderson
Location: Oklahoma, USA
20 years ago I rode my last flatland compe and quit riding. About a year ago I stumbled upon bmxfreestyler.com and wondered if I could pick up riding again. Here is a quick edit after being back on my bike for the last 10 months.
you may have done more pinkies than i, but i've broken more rules: did not say date, did not land, bonked wheel, entered via twitter, posted after midnight central time, counted 1/2 a pinky, no pay pal acc't, did not have fun, invented own category (most rules broken) and i should have taken my pedals off chomp on this
All video submission must be filmed during the Month of September 2011. To insure this you must say on film “This was filmed for the BMX Freestyler Pinky Squeak Contest”. This can be said either at the beginning or the end of the video by the rider.
Kebong Evasco is leading the way with Pinky Squeaks using Brakes and Peg. Remember everyone we are counting from normal riding position back to normal position. No halfs will be counted.
A few days back I mention that Garry Pollak made a contribution to the Pinky Squeak Contest. He has generously gave $143. to the Cause. Thank you so much Gary! Please click this link for full details of the contest.
Ruben Castillo showes how to do the Orginal Pinky Squeak that Gary Pollack invented years ago then threw in some variations for good messure! Also get the full Chase Gouin Shout Out!
The Austin area riders got together, spearheaded by Adam DiClaudio, to raise money to help Chase out with his medical bills. It was a great time, and a success as a fundraiser as well.
for more info, or to donate, please visit: www.flatmattersonline.com/chase-gouin-recovery-fund-gathers-pace
camera / edit: jm mckay.
music / guns 'n' roses: welcome to the jungle / fleet foxes: helplessness blues
tech stuff:
camera / canon t3i
lens / (kit) 18-55mmm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
canon monopod
opteka x-grip
editor / sony vegas pro 10
To all riders that are participating in the Pinky Squeak Contest. Please make sure that you follow the rules. I have had to turn others away for the same reason. In this case it was Rule #1
1. All video submission must be filmed during the Month of September 2011. To insure this you must say on film “This was filmed for the BMX Freestyler Pinky Squeak Contest”. This can be said either at the beginning or the end of the video by the rider
So please if you go to film for the contest please make sure you say "This was filmed for the BMX Freestyler Pinky Squeak Contest" and or give a date.
A:I’m a Lead Production Coordinator at FedEx Office in Downtown Austin and I started the OG Flatland Stunt Team.
B: Tell us more about that. A:Last year I was contacted to do a few shows for another stunt team.I began to think that with so many flat riders in Austin, I should start my own company. I decided to call it “OG Flatland Stunt Team” (OG meaning Oltorf Garage). I saved up and bought a Fender PA system, talked to different people in the business to figure out what was best, and am now working on promoting. The website is OGFST.comWe are starting to get inquiries about demos and it’s a lot more fun than going to “work”.I hope that in a few years the business will be successful enough to go part time at my other job or maybe even do shows full time. (Ride my bike for a living)
B:Do you think more flatlanders should do shows or make show teams? A:I think if you’re into that kind of riding, then yes. It can only help awareness of the sport, especially to people who have never actually seen flatland; which by show of hands at our demos is almost everyone.New opportunities present themselves every time we ride so it can put flatland into really cool and unusual situations that you wouldn’t normally find it in. Some riders I know just aren’t into doing shows and I can respect that. From both perspectives, you don’t want flatlanders to come off like circus show monkeys, yet shows may be the best way for the sport to be noticed and to help riders get paid for doing what they love. I guess the way I see it is as long as you feel what you’re doing in your shows is tasteful, allowing the art of flatland to show through and being true to how much your comfortable with then it’s healthy to do demos for the public. Another thing I’d like to say is if you start a team, don’t sell yourself short. You spend years mastering your tricks in one of the (if not the hardest) sports on the planet. Your skills are few and far between. If you can land links that can impress the crowds, don’t sell yourself for a very low amount. Flatland should be a pricy entertainment option.
B:You have your own custom frame and handlebars from London Bikes. Tell us the process of how you figured out what you wanted and why you designed the parts the way you did. A:I designed the frame off the front end of the KHE Tantra, and the backend of the KGB Superpower. The Tantra had a 75 degree head tube and seat tube. This brought the seat much closer to me when I was on the front wheel so it felt better than leaning really far over the front to reach the seat. Since there’s less back and forth body leaning balance between tricks while on the front wheel, it takes less time to get correctly stood up before switches and less back strain. Having the seat farther foreword also gives you more room above the back tire to get your leg and foot in. The backend is designed at the length of the Superpower. (The Tantra just had a little too short of a back end). That’s the positives. The downsides is that there is less room above the top tube, and having a 75/75 makes it a little harder to pump since you have less area to “get off” your balance point and “return” to create a pump. The custom bars are ugly as sin, (The overall look of my design, but not the fabrication) although they are very functional for flat. I wanted more room, so that’s what I did. I got sick of hitting my knees. Upsides are I have plenty of room to get around the front without hitting anything. Downsides are it makes tomahawk tricks a little harder because of the height of the mini crossbar, and plastic mans are extremely hard when you don’t have anything to rest your leg on. Everything I designed was for my style of riding and might not work for other riders.
I currently have a second flatland frame designed. One like no other frame I’ve ever seen. I have to save up some money to have it created. It is nutty like my bars. This new one will have 73 degree seat tube to even out the two extremes between 71 and 75; to fix the downsides on my current frame along with other tweaks. If you want the best fabricated flatland frame in the entire world, (and I’m not just saying that… do your research) go to londonbikes.us . They are more expensive, but again, the best should be.
B:What kind of advice would you give to someone who was thinking about designing their own frame? A:The only reason I did it was because there were no frames or bars on the market to get exactly what I wanted. So first advice, try lots of different frames and parts out to see what works best for your tricks or style of riding you want to go towards. Second is to go with a good manufacturer who knows whether or not a design will be strong enough to hold up to abuse and who knows what thickness of tubes to use in the correct spots to save weight and still be strong.
B:What parts in the industry do you think can be changed to be better? A:I think that the KHE Mac tires are some of the best tires available, although I’ve had many of them blow up by coming off the side of my rim at only 120 psi. Two different times they were not even a week old, (and they’re expensive). I feel the tires would be great as a steel bead non-folding in 20”x 1.75” to keep them tighter on the rim and still be a good size for flat. After seeing all the posts and discussions about KHE watanabe seats being converted into pivotal seats, KHE should either find a way to make a pivotal or get rid of the rails/screws/plastic boxes under the seat that you can get your fingers caught in/on.Brakes in the fork would be nice. I saw someone has made a prototype. I have a design but it would be very expensive to manufacture a prototype. You would have to make custom brakes along with a custom fork. My design would allow full adjustment of tension but the brakes could not be removed. I’ve wanted to design a custom pair of shoes forever. A cross between the Adidas Dave Mirra shoes from back in 2000 that had the tread curling around the sides of the shoes, and Adidas shell toe STs with a mid top ankle protection. (I’m dreaming pretty heavily there) I think all other parts in the market are good to go.
B: What advice could you give to help a rider progress and be an overall better rider, and what steps do you use to learn new tricks? A:I’d say the first thing is a good diet, regular stretching, and an additional core workout outside of flatland to improve center balance. Squats are great for holding yourself strong. Second, while riding, you need to breathe and relax. It’s important to have a sense of restraint. In other words, while moving through a link, you need to know when to slow down and when to speed up.It’s important to think about what you’re going to do before you do it, whether it’s before you start the run or in mid link about to move to your next trick. The way to get through is to concentrate on the exact moment that you are in, and at the same time, think about where you are going to go next. I call it “staying ahead of the bike” Now the idea of the more you ride the better you get is true. The more times you repeat the same action in a way that keeps the bike on the balance point, the more your muscles will remember where to be to hold a certain position, and where to be during set up before a switch.
While learning new tricks, I go two different directions depending on what I’m trying to learn. If the trick is a basic body position with no switching, I learn first the balance point of that body position. Second, I learn how to ride out. Then third, I learn to ride in. The reason I learn the ride in last is I feel a trick is useless if you can’t ride out. Learning how to do the roll and ride out first gives me an extra boost of motivation to want to learn how to ride in so I can use the trick. When it comes to learning switches I follow a very important rule. You can only switch to somewhere that you already know how to hold. In other words, the trick that I’m going to end up in has to be a position I can hold well or I will be jumping/pivoting /stepping into unknown territory, and cannot expect to land the switch. So I make sure I know the trick I’m landing in well or at least work on the trick I’m landing in first before I learn to switch myself into it. Then it’s all about a perfect setup. This can be a little more complicated. What I do is figure out first where my bike will be in specifics when I end up in the trick I’m switching to. Then I go to the position I’m switching from and line up either the front end or the frame to have as little transition between the trick I’m coming from and the trick I’m going to. To make it easier to understand, if I’m switching to a trick on my front wheel, and the trick I’m switching to has my wheel carving to the left, my handlebars leaning forward, and my frame at let’s say “eleven o’clock”, the trick I’m coming from will need to have the wheel as close as possible to carving to the left, handlebars forward, and the frame as close as possible to move to eleven o’clock before the moment that I’m set up and ready to make the switch. The more you set up the switch as close as possible, the less transition time which means the smoother two tricks can flow together. Staying on a link breaks down to quickly correcting your setup before you switch. The faster you can immediately land or get adjusted to the correct “sweet spot” before a switch, the cleaner tricks will go together.
Learning to do a switch by breaking everything down to its smallest details is extremely important. I ask questions like… How should my feet be? How high should I lift or lower my heels? How should my hands be? How should I lean and when? Where should my elbows be?How fast should I go? How much should I bend my knees? Once all these questions are answered correctly and can all be done at the same time, the faster a trick will come. The “game” for me during a link is to go from switch to switch with as little amount of setup between switches as possible. I feel this makes links look better. The less pumping and the less time it takes to get setup before a switch the cleaner it looks. And of course, the more you repeat, the less “mind” you have to use, the more you can put the trust in your body’s memory and let it take over.
One thing I want to add is perfect practice makes perfect. After every trick you don’t complete make sure to ask yourself, “what went wrong, and what needs to be fixed for the next try?” If you keep making the same mistake, take a second to breathe, regroup your thoughts, check the details, and then try again. All of this stuff works for me but there may be a better way for you. So experiment and don’t limit yourself, try everything because you never know what you’re capable of. Believe you CAN.
B:What’s your thought about contests? A:This is a touchy subject so I’ll tread lightly. Just like anything, contests have they’re upsides and downsides. Upsides are you get to go ride with friends and other riders while meeting new ones and seeing different riding styles, traveling and seeing new places. By riding against each other you can learn a lot about yourself, how far you can go, how you respond to pressure, and where you need to improve, and that’s all very healthy. The downsides come in when riders try to prove themselves in a sense of insecurity.I feel you should only enter contest if you want to test yourself to see if you can land your tricks under pressure. That’s it. If your there to do anything other than land your tricks in your runs, be prepared to possibly walk away very upset. If you’re going to care about not being the winner, not qualifying, being judged below somebody that you thought didn’t do as good as you, then don’t compete in flatland. Since we are not all doing exactly the same thing, it cannot be judged perfectly. If you land your links and you get judged highly, think of it as a little something extra. I feel with so much negativity brewing in the discussions between flat riders that I can see why no large sponsorship backing is going to want to invest time and effort into putting flatland in the forefront. I want coverage of contests and larger more televised venues just as bad as any other person, but I think we all need to see how we can put flatland into societies “fresh flash of the moment” attention span, more than asking society to accept us as we currently see fit.
I wonder what happened to Chad Johnson’s tricktionary breakdown of flatland riding. It may be the best way to start. Record everyone’s runs the entire contest, look over the entire footage one rider at a time, take scores from the trictionary, and get the results in a few days. If there’s something new, you can get the highest amount of points possible, then it gets added to the trictionary, and from then on gets a “standard” score like other tricks that have been done before. Everyone would have to be ok with the point ranking per trick first or you would have “how could that trick be this many points and that trick be that many points… not fair” Or another idea… the pros have hand held devices that are linked to a computer, (Bluetooth), they watch battle format, and they become the judges. After each battle, the rest of the pro riders judge who won by choosing a number or color linked to the riders riding. Who can you hold responsible? 3 to 5 judges at a table, or your peers riding in the same contest as you. They can’t vote for themselves if they’re not riding… you know? That might work best because if your peers think you won or lost a battle, they have more right to say so. Does anyone understand how to hook up some handheld Bluetooth judging devices?
Personally for me, I will only travel to contests if I am prepared to land my runs. I go through stages. Sometimes a contest will come around at a time where I’ve been spending more time dialing in tricks, so I’ll enter. Most of the time, this is not the case in my riding style. I think I’m more of a “work really hard to learn a trick, and move on” kind of style. I don’t really ever try to “dial” any set of tricks in too often. I like the spur of the moment, “think of it and do it” freestyle riding style. I get bored doing the same 1 goes to 2, 2 goes to 3, and so on. It’s just too monotonous. Only to do well at contests with perfect consistency, this is how you have to ride. So I don’t enter too much anymore. My personal progression will always come first.
B:Who are some of your favorite riders right now? A:Martti, Keisuke Tanigawa, Tsutomu Kitayama, DUB, Ciaran Perry, Moto Sasaki, Russia, Yoshiki Uchino
B:Where are some places you would like to travel?
A:I want to hit Japan and ride with as many scenes as possible while I’m there. I’d like to ride at the Green Mile, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Italy, Africa, Austria, Costa Rica, I’d like to go to California and ride in San Diego and the clock tower, I’d like to hit Atlanta and ride with their crew, and Indianapolis’s crew. Ah…everywhere.
B:Describe your personality type in six words:A:obsessive, compulsive, perfectionist, driven, dedicated, anal (ha ha, yea I said anal),
B:List the six most important things in flatland to you in order most important to less.
1.Personal progression
2.Having fun by myself or with friends
3.Staying healthy (not hurt)
4.Keeping up with sponsors and shows
5.Keeping my bike dialed
6.Keeping links dialed
B: List the five NOT important things in flatland to you (no specific order):
1.Contest placings
2.Global-flat bickering, it’s like elementary school for flatlanders
3.Seeing Matthias link clones everywhere, I didn’t say trick, I said links… (Matthias you rock!)
4.What anyone thinks, wears, listens to, or tricks they decide to work on.
5.Egos…your level of riding, if you are trying to learn your first trick, you are of same importance to me as a veteran rider. It’s about people, not about what you can do on your bike.
6.Aaron Frost’s Raccoon
B:Any other ideas for your future in flatland? A:I would like to start a flatland school later down the road. I feel that I’m a little too busy with other projects to start that one, but I will do it. I love teaching and I love to see others progress.
B:Who are your sponsors and who would you like to give a shout out to? A:Sponsors: Clown Dog Bikes (Best Bike Shop in Austin/The World), Sequence, Ophicial Clothing, Runnur Straps. I’d like to give a shout out to the Austin Flatland Crew, Brice, Mike, and John at the Dog, every rider on the planet that’s ever found enjoyment in learning a trick, Effraim for all the hard work he puts in at flatmatters, and Mark at bmxfreestyler.
Master List for 2011
January- Hang 5
February – Turbine Peg Wheelie Sponsored By Team Mc Duff
March – Cliffhanger Sponsored by Moya
April – Stick B Sponsored by Rick MacDonald
May- G-turn sponsored by Scott Powell
June- Dump Truck Sponsored by John Yull
July- Hitchhiker Juggler sponsored by Bobby Carter
August-Time Machine sponsored by Matt Wilhelm
September- Crackpacker Kris Veal
October-Lung Spin sponsored by FlatWebTV
November- Whiplash sponsored by Fred Penner
December-Death Truck sponsored by Chris Armstrong
Do you have variations, learning or can do Trick of the Month? Send your submission to webmaster@bmxfreestyler.comYou Tube or Vimeo links are preferred. Please include your name.
The ATX Crew is going to throw a Jam on September 10, 2011 in order to help raise money for Chase. Adam DiClaudio will be the organizer. The Jam will be held at the Oltorf Garage in Austin, Texas. There will be more details given out at a later date. We want to wish Chase well and help out as much as we can.
Friends,
This letter is to inform you of Chase Gouin’s battle against illness and his current health condition. On December 12, 2009, Chase woke up with a severe headache and was feeling ill. For the next fifteen months he saw more than twenty different Doctors and Specialists who did every kind of traditional test and scan that they believed to be relevant and yet they found nothing that they could diagnose. At one point during that time, Chase decided to move out of his basement apartment and discovered what appeared to be mold in two locations in his bedroom, one being in the wall merely three feet from the head of his bed. Petri dish lab results confirmed three types of mold that are known to be pathogenic to humans under conditions like the ones he was living in (i.e. an old building basement with poor ventilation).
He soon began to suspect that his illness might have been caused by the prolonged close proximity and breathing in of mold spores. A Naturopathic Doctor ordered an advanced DNA based stool sample analysis that he sent to a high tech lab in Georgia. The results confirmed much more and worse than he expected. Results showed the highest possible concentration rating of yeast/fungal overgrowth throughout his body; in the cells, tissues, and bloodstream. A parasite was also found, that may be from the exactly numerous mosquito bites he received one night on an island in Panama in November, 2008. The yeast/fungi and parasite consume most of his fat soluble vitamins which causes a mal absorption disease. The constant and relentless symptoms that Chase has been suffering with include a toxic feeling headache, a cracking kind of facial pressure/pain, numerous sinus issues, tearing goopy eyes, chronic fatigue/weakness, debilitating lethargy, and others. These kinds of infestations can and have resulted in cognitive impairment, memory loss, lack of concentration and disorientation. The immune system also becomes severely weakened and goes into a hyper defence mode which causes multiple environmental chemical sensitivities along with food allergies and devastating reactions to many typically harmless substances that have had him bed ridden for days and even weeks at a time.
The suffering he has endured along with the apathy, denial, and lies he has encountered in the health care system have put him in a desperate situation in which he is racing to find real answers and a cure. Ninety five percent of what he has discovered has been through his own research while enduring the host of symptoms listed above, he barely props himself up at the computer, makes phone calls and writes letters, all of which are only possibly due to the minor relief provided by taking prescription pain killers and sedatives. He has been on a restricted diet of no yeast or sugar, as well as a custom protocol of anti-fungal and anti-parasitic supplements. For over a year now he has lived in a new apartment with all laminate flooring (can’t have carpeting), with an expensive air purifier, all natural household cleaning products, spotless living quarters, and he must bring a medical mask with him everywhere he goes. Nothing has yet changed or improved my health in any way.
He thought it was good news when he got the diagnosis five months ago, but it turns out that most modern western Doctors are not educated in the types of diseases Chase is dealing with. Because of this they are actually known as “the quiet epidemics”. Even an infectious disease Specialist was not familiar with the lab results or methodology used, and she did not accept his plus four fungal overgrowth rating. She ordered blood tests unrelated to evidence he presented to her and ordered him to do three more inferior culture based stool tests which he had already done and which failed to detect what is there. He even printed out information from the Metametrix lab and submitted it to the I.D. Specialist in an attempt to inform her. It has been a struggle trying to convince and educate the Doctors so that they can help him. Many of these encounters have left him feeling that such efforts have been utterly futile and that the health system is severely broken.
The pain medication he is on is interfering with the metabolizing of the food he eats and supplements he takes which renders them ineffective but, he needs the meds simply to function and to continue the mission to save his own life. Besides that, the side effects and withdrawal symptoms of the pain meds makes it difficult to decipher the real pain from the symptoms of his disease, so it is difficult to determine if he is making any progress.
What he needs to do is find what’s called an integrated Medical Doctor who knows about these diseases and how to treat them aggressively and successfully, which may require heavy duty intravenous medications. He is currently in debt due to all the medical costs not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan and unable to effectively pursue a solution to his condition. He cannot even try to ride or exercise because if he does in this weakened state his symptoms become ten times worse. For a high-level professional athlete known for his aggressive and intense riding style, not being able to ride or be active at all for the past fifteen months has taken a serious toll on his physical fitness and emotional well-being. In the face of these extreme obstacles Chase is holding out hope that he may find some real help soon to eradicate these insidious infections, and get back to the love of his life…riding.
Chase has brought so much to the world of flatland and BMX in general. He has inspired many and he has been dedicated to pushing his own limits of potential. He has also been encouraging and helped others to do and be their best. More than that, he has been a true friend and a genuine person. He has been a flatland icon for many years, helping flatland to stay alive in its lowest points. Now I am sincerely asking you to help Chase stay alive through what is no doubt his lowest point. With your help, Chase can continue to pursue the additional medical attention he needs to try and conquer his debilitating condition. The Athlete Recovery Fund has agreed to financially assist Chase towards his cause, but he cannot depend on that as the only source for help, so that is why we need your help. We ask that you please donate to Chase’s recovery fund today. Please give anything that you can so that we can help to get Chase to return to good health and hopefully one day he will be able to get back on his bike and be that amazing rider we all know him to be.
Donations may be sent via paypal to the following address: HYPERLINK “mailto:chasegouinrecoveryfund@gmail.com” chasegouinrecoveryfund@gmail.com
Chase’s close personal friend Ryan Quinn has set up the paypal account on Chase’s behalf since Chase doesn’t have a credit card. So don’t be alarmed if Ryan’s name shows up on your paypal receipt. All of your donations are going directly to supporting Chase’s recovery mission.
Sincerely,
Brandon Fenton
Words from (farwestev)
25 year bmx reunion of cast & crew from RAD / Bill Allen, Jaime Clarke, Hal Needham, Robert Levy, Sam Bernard and US bmx crew: Eddie Fiola, Martin Aparijo, Beatle Roserans, Ev Rosecrans, Kevin Hull, Jeff Ingram. Thanks to All the Canadians that came from All over to attend and be a part of RAD history.
We all wanted to be Cru, all we needed was to get ahold of his jacket!! This was the Hi lite of the whole weekend. The real Cru Jones step forward!!!
Go Balls out!
As many of you know there as been a lot of discussion about the Pinky Squeak contest since it was announced on all the social media sites. I have listen to both sides and everyone is making valid points. The ultimate goal is to bring everyone together and have some fun doing what we love to do. In order to have maximum participation I broken things down into 3 categories.
Original Pinky Squeaks with brakes using tire and frame.
Pinky Squeaks with brakes using pegs.
Pinky Squeaks with out brakes.
Instead of 2 there will be 3 winners. The prizes will be divided between them by 3rds. I feel this is the only fair thing to do so we can show respect to the inventor of The Pinky Squeak, Gary Pollack. We can also give a rider a shot at breaking the world record using the highly recognized peg version. So now the focus can stop being what is a Pinky Squeak to who is going to win this!
Filmed in Cochrane, Alberta Canada during the 25th Anniversary of the movie RAD. Eddie once again proved to be the great ambassador to the sport of BMX by riding a fan's old school bike and performing a few tricks. Gnarly.
Written By ChiCan76 on You TUbe
Rad Dad contributed $20.00
Ron Seay contributed $5.00
Anthony Buglio contributed $20.00
profile sprocket, some pedals and grips
Joseph Cicman contributed $40.00
For a total of $85.00
If you would like to contribute to The Pinky Squeak Contest you can send money via Pay Pal to raddad67@bmxfreestyler.com
Thank you so very much for your support and making this contest possible.
I got a phone call from Ruben Castillo today. He gave me the real scoop on how Gary Pollak originally created pinky squeaks. He used tire and frame with out the use of the front pegs. It can still go either direction with out a fire hydrant though because that makes it a different trick. So I will be changing rule# 3. They use of a peg is considered a variation. I want to hold the contest in the true spirit of how Gary originally did them. I want to dedicate this Contest to Gary for naming and coming up with Pinky Squeaks.
3. Pinky Squeaks can be done either direction. You can not use your pegs to complete your pinky squeaks. You must use only the tire and the top tube. They will be counted from normal riding position back to normal riding position.You can only do pinky squeaks once you start. No other tricks will be allowed.
