Legends of BMX: A glimpse into my childhood

Kevin Robinson, Matt Hoffman, Dennis McCoy, Brian Blyther, Joe Johnson, Mike Dominguez, Ron Wilkerson and more.  I know, I know.  These names don't mean a damn thing to you, right?  Well, these are some of the names of my childhood idols.  These were the guys that filled the pages of my old bmx magazines.  Magazines that I spent my hard earned paper route money on.  They truly are legends in bmx history.


Over 20yrs ago these guys made bmx/freestyling/vert & street, however you want to label it, what it turned out to be.  They forever changed the sport.  Well, I caught wind of this entire group heading to Rye Airfield for a birthday session on Sunday.  It turns out that Krob is turning 40 and these guys from all across the country came out for a surprise party and to ride.  How great is that?!  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that couldn't be missed.  How many more times could this group possibly assemble and of those chances, how many of them will take place nearby?


Riding bikes was a huge part of my youth and that's putting it somewhat lightly.  A bike for me wasn't just something to get me from point a to point b.  It wasn't a toy that was left outside to rot.  Biking was a way of life for me.  You wouldn't believe the time and effort I put into trying to master freestyling.  I think my family can attest to my dedication, passion and effort put into the sport.  Was I any good?  Nope, no good at all but I like to think that the passion, dedication and work ethic are still present in my life now. 

So, my buddy Dave and I headed down to Rye, NH.  We made the decision to get off our butts and go a little late, but better late than never as they say.  We hung out for a few hours with hopes to see something special, something crazy maybe.  Yeah, these guys are getting up in age but some of them are still pretty active.  Truth be told, there wasn't much riding that took place at all.  I was disappointed in this for a while until I took a step back and put myself in their shoes.  This wasn't a showcase of talent, a contest for money, a bragging opportunity.  It was a reunion of sorts of some of the greatest riders to ever ride.  It was an opportunity to reminisce about the days when they lived like kings.  These guys managed to make something of something that every one of us learns to do not long after getting out of our diapers....ride bikes. Imagine that. After all these years they're still passionate about something that they learned to do 35yrs ago.  What a ride that must have been.


This is in no way a showcase of my photographic skills.  In fact, you could say the opposite.  It's possibly some of my worst stuff.  This is due to shooting in a dungeon without strobing and from shooting inside the spectator area.  For once though, this is a post not about photography at all but rather a post about super heroes.  To me these were real life super heroes for a time.  We all have those right?  Right?!  I wouldn't say that they are still modern day super heroes.  Not in the same regard anyway.  I will say that for a number of years these guys made a go at something they thoroughly enjoyed and were extremely passionate about.  They did it.  They succeeded.  I can only wish the same could be said about my life.  We all want to spend our life doing what we love.  Problem is, for most of us, what we love doesn't pay the bills.