BMXNJ is stoked to announce that we will be working on the revamped website for New Jersey's longest continuously running BMX racing track, HCBMX in Flemington! We will be doing a total redesign to their killer new domain name hcbmxracing.org. Look for up to date info on schedules, races, pictures as well as the varied history of this NJ legend. Word is also out there that the main man of OS BMX in NJ (The World?) Brian Pleva will be helping to run a OS BMX series there this year! Rocking! BMXNJ will be there on and off as well lensing for brokenspokes BMX and BMXNJ magazine.
Man, what a week for progression in mid-winter in NJ! Just got word today that the photog extraordinaire Jon Stettler (JSteady) has himself a 3 color silkscreen press and is starting up with some designs! What he is working on can be found at this link: Flatline BMX Clothing
There's a few more designs down below as well. Stuff looks tuff! Look for a BMXNJ shirt from Flatline later in the year! Also look for Flatline at events this year!
To commemorate Sean starring in season 3 of Camp Woodward, The Asbury Park Press has a little write up on the little dude who kills it from "The Factory", Toms River. Scope the article here: Sean in the Press.
It was bound to happen. We got issue numero uno of BMXNJ Magazine done! Our first issue includes a bunch of stuff from Jump For Joy to photos by Dirk Lesko, Shields, Bios, more photos and other nonsense. Congratulations go out to Ed Herbison for snagging the cover this time around. It was a toss up between him, Little Mike and Aaron but Ed just fit on there right so...he makes history! This issue is dedicated to a bunch of guys, Charlie Litsky, Bob Warnicke, Charlie Huber, The Veales, and The Zeuners as well as still happening BMXers who no longer ride, Brad Dalbec and Jeff Crawn. All of these people advanced the sport of BMX by leaps and bounds during their time in it and gave it their all. We're trying to live up to their standards.
The premiere issue can be ordered below. There is a cost to this thing and it is $4.50. (plus shipping which is about $1.40) It's print on demand and will take about a week to get to your door. Seems sorta lame when you take into account the instant gratification of the internet but let's face it, 10 years from now you'r not gonna be sitting in a chair or taking a dump and saying...hey let me take a look at that archive from 2009. You'll be grabbing something tangible and sitting there going...damn, remember when. So, be a part of history and get the inaugural issue of BMXNJ Magazine. I will be printing up some copies to sell at events this spring but the main place to get it will be online. Shops and parks that would like to carry BMXNJ magazine just have to go magcloud.com and order em up. Any order quantity over 20 gets a 20% discount off the cover price.
Since I am a webguy, I know the call for "print is dead" has been going around, but to me, this is the way to go. It's "green", we only print what we need and it only contains the highlights of good NJ stuff to hold onto for years to come. Order one up and let me know what you think If you would like to advertise in BMXNJ Magazine, send an email to adspace@bmxnj.com. The first issue has a few of the core guys who have helped BMX in NJ over the years.
Thanks to all you BMXers again and I'll see you out there!
The Average BMXer ~Part 20~
Masters of Land and Air, NBL, and the beginning of the Ramp-Ateria...
I mentioned one of these guys in the last installment and I should really give these fellas all the credit they are due. So here is a condensed version of how I met a bunch of guys who would help out IMMENSELY
with the contests and what was coming down the pike. These gents were Joe Doll (remember him?), Charlie Ford and Chris Kline who did a killer job painting a very grunge looking version of the High Voltage Trick Team logo on my crazy portable jump box. These guys would come out and move stuff, build stuff and basically follow what I said in order to get things going. I can even remember the first day I ever met these guys. I’m riding down the street in Dunellen and I see a group of BMX hoodlums (I’m joking, just a bunch of guys on bikes.) heading down the street. I see them; they see me and one of ‘em, (who would later turn out to be Joe Doll) says, “Are you Brett?”. Amazed that someone actually knew who I was I answered yes. Their reply was “cool, we were trying to find out where you live, did you have that General ramp in front of your house”…etc, etc… I was sorta stoked to find some people that had an interest in BMX in the area again and could see these guys would be down to help out and help out they did. In fact, in the months that I was out they kept me motivated and pumped up to get back into the scene to “make things happen”.
I’m sure more than a few of you have busted something or tore a ligament. So when I make the statement that 6 months of rehab sucks A**!!! You can feel my pain. A good month in a brace that slowly allowed movement to my knee. Then a new $400.00 dollar brace to get me back to the point where I could lift weights with my leg to rehab the muscles. Yea it was fun. I gotta say in my mind this whole thing was sort of a game changer. I guess when you are 13 and break yourself off it doesn’t really make a dent in your mind as far as maybe I shouldn’t try to hurt myself. You get to be near 25 and have bills to pay and you start to say to yourself…should I continue to push myself in a direction that could potentially hurt me for the rest of my life? When the ok was given for me to continue to ride late in 1990, I realized that maybe I should start to think about other ways to push the limits of BMX rather than be as big a bad ass as I could. This started actually, while I was still wandering around in a brace unable to ride.
(for all of Bill's pics click here.) First, I want to thank all who donated and helped to make the trip to Kentucky for the Presidents Cup possible for the kids from my BMX club. We raised enough to get our guys from the club and their family out to the events, including a passenger van rental and three rooms. The kids thank you! After what seemed like a never ending drive through Pa. and Oh. we reached our destination (13 hours later) in Louisville, Ky. We spent a couple hours getting our heads straight and then headed to Broad Bent arena for sign ups and practice. On to day two, the Presidents Cup Race, a state vs. state race. Some highlights of the day for the jersey gang went like this. Victor Behm won 1st in 15 expert and 1st in 15-16 cruiser, Kevin Laur placed 6th in 10 expert and 4th in cruiser, Dan Smith got a 5th place spot in Elite Open, Zack Dixon 6th in 10 rookie, Nick Stephanek 6th in 7rookie, Jake Bryson 6th in 9 expert, Aiden Timmons 7th in 6 novice, Ant Feinstein 7th, Carl Risley 8th, Mike Kuder 8th 16 rookie. We placed 15th over all.
Hidden deep in the back streets of Pennsville, behind the suburban landscape, lies one of South Jerseys best kept secrets. As you drive down the street filled with single family homes, basketball nets, mini vans, and children playing, you must ask yourself am I lost. But at the end of the street you start to see something familiar to us BMX geeks, and it brings a great joy to your heart, bike racks of all sizes and shapes strapped to cars of all the two wheeled crazies looking for a thrill in the woods. I approach the trail with glee, like a kid on my new bike, and see a BMX dirt jumpers play ground. The jumps are spread all over with large to small sections, and people are everywhere. To ride such jumps is a thrill to be sure, but to ride these trails with guys the likes of Brian Foster, Randy Brown, Geoff Slatery, Van Homan and so many more is complete BMX glory. After hours of jumping and chatting it up with guys from all over the Southern Jersey BMX scene, it was time to head to down town Pennsville to the 2x4 Bike Shop to get some poster signing for the kiddies and for some 2x4 and Fit give aways. Attending the autograph session was Foster, Homan, Slatery, Brown, Chase DeHart, Brian "WIZ" Wizmerski, Trey Lampe, Garrett Byrnes, and Dan Gannwear Kelleher. To end this already perfect day was a movie premier of Fits new flick.Bill"DOC" Dougherty (for all of Bill's pics, click here.)
Blizzard BMX Battle at Shields Skatepark 1-10-2010
(For most of the pics from the comp, click this here link.) Blizzard BMX Battle? Well there was no snow for the first contest of the year at Shields but the temperatures outside were cold…no wait I mean COLD! With that being spouted, I have to say that the most hardcore riders of the day were not quite inside the park but outside jamming in the lot. Some of the NJ flatland guys came up to chill for the day (um…no pun intended) and were seen shredding the lot outside Shields new location. Budz, Jsteady and his gal as well as Ken were busting the flat in the frosty cold. It’s great to see the different aspects of BMX riding coming together again around here. There has even been talk of a flatland comp at one of the future Jump For Joy comps…sounds like an even better time at Hippies!We didn’t come to Shields though to rock the flat exclusively, the main reason was to get a jump on the 2010 BMX year! Yea DAWGS! Walking into Shields that morning was insane. The amount of riders inside was completey OOC (out of control) and after talking to event organizer Aaron Graf I was informed that over 85 riders would be competing during the day.Realizing that this would be a long day of BMXatude action, I set about saying hi to all the regular BMX crazies that come to support the NJ BMX scene. Rodney from Grove Street was in the house with a slightly smaller contingent of killer riders than at Jump For Joy but his guys were still shredding it up during practice. GSB’s Chris Koval was in the house and repping Rod’s shop right with big racer style airs. Efingers was also in the house with a few guys chilling. Marc himself wasn’t there but Dean “deh machine” Watson was out front and in charge hitting the disco airs and crazy transfers. The biggest contingent of riders though, trucked all the way up from the town over from the birthplace of organized BMX in New Jersey, Ed’s Bike Shop out of Vineland.
Blizzard BMX Battle this weekend at Shields ! The times are the usual 11 am to 7 pm. Sponsors for swag? Shebagango! Skavenger, S&M, ANIMAL, Primo, Efinger's, FIT Bike Co., MONSTER, GROVE STREET BICYCLES, CJS, Alienation, System Cycle, Revenge Industries and ODYSSEY! This will be your last chance to be lensed for the first issue of BMXNJ Magazine! Bust out for the cameras! We'll also be filming for the winter episode of brokenspokes BMX web show at the end of February. 2010 will be a year of MANY changes for BMX in NJ, all of them positive as all get out. Prepare early and get to Shields for the inside scoop!
Whew! Another year has blown past us. The final year of the first decade of the 21st century of BMX in the Garden State has passed us by. As 2009 draws to a close here I wanted to thank everyone for making BMXNJ.com, BMXNJ Szine and brokenspokes BMX what it is....What is it? LOL!
Guys like Louis Orth, Budz, Jsteady, James Johnson, Dave Dechert, Steve Wisbeski, Aaron Graf, Al Dimino, John Ritchie, Al Bontoro, DocJr, Brian Shute, Dirk Lesko, Trevor Swan and all the guys I can't even remember. This has been a great year for BMX in NJ. I mean when NJ has a national #1 Dew Tour Pro in the likes of Garrett Reynolds, hailing from "The Factory" in Toms River you know it's been one hell of a year. 20 some odd years ago BMX was a staple every year in Jersey City NJ, now 3 BMXers have opened a rider run shop IN Jersey City. Rod, Mike and Ralph went to roots territory and opened Grove Street Bicycles. Steve Wisbeski dropped off not ONE but TWO Jump For Joys in one year! Yea man! Flatland is dead in NJ... not quite, through the essays of Louis Orth, the INCREDIBLE photography of Jonathan Stettler and the positive forum writings of Budz, by year end we had garnered the attention of NJ's newest BMX promoter, Mookie of Brielle Cyclery, who secured us the convention hall in Asbury Park, NJ for our first flatland jam in a long time....unfortunately momma nature had other plans. Other stuff...Van Homan blowing up the South Jersey scene with 2x4, Al Dimino opening up PA's Dome to competition, Rich Farside one of NJ's first top amatuer BMX racers becoming Assistant State Commissioner, Al from CJS busting out more comps...there's just too much to mention.
And here we are at BMXNJ trying our best with a limited budget to make sure you guys get some kind of props for all that hard work and to give NJ, as a whole, a positive image for BMX.
We'll be back in 2010, covering comps, scenes, getting interviews and causing havoc in a good way. 2009 saw the debut of our own webshow, brokenspokes BMX, 2010 will see BMXNJ Magazine. (now pushed off till late January due to the bad conditions at the Asbury Jam, bad for Asbury, good for Shields!...well still good for Asbury because it will still be in the magazine.)
So I guess...THANKS!!! To ALL of you! See you in 2010!
May the spirit of Litsky, Warnicke, and Huber smile on us all! Let's blow this thing up!!!
Louis Orth John McNeil Dave Dechert Bill "Doc" Dougherty James Johnson Tim Cook Bob Mathews John Malone Adam Guild Dirk Lesko Harry Myers Dan Hammell Rich Carolan Hyper Pro-Am Brian Shute JSteady Trevor Swan if I missed you email me!
