48
ISSUE 36
Ryan Shrapling: If your into pedalling uphill and pumping rollers than this spot is for you. But be sure not to lay skids on the way back down or Security get their knickers in a twist. Ryan with a cheeky carve before the Cavalry arrived.
ISSUE 36
49
Tyson Jones-Peni oating the second hip. PHOTO Nick Gascoine
Jake Reid PHOTO Raine Turnbull
54
ISSUE 36
IT’S A QUIET WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, AND I GET AN E-MAIL FROM MATT ATT HOLMES SAYING SOMETHING LIKE “HEY JAMES, THE DIRT PIPE IPE IS ON THIS WEEKEND, CAN YOU GO?” CASTING MY MIND BACK ACK MATT HAD MENTIONED TO ME THAT THE DIRT PIPE WAS ON AGAIN GAIN THIS YEAR, BUT HE DIDN’T TELL ME A DATE. HE SAID THAT HE MIGHT IGHT GET ME TO HEAD UP, BUT I FIGURED HE’D GIVE ME A BIT OF NOTICE. OTICE. I GUESS I FIGURED WRONG! BUT I’M NOT ONE TO WASTE AN PPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL… LET ALONE GO THE DIRT PIPE TO SHOOT OME PHOTOS, TAKE SOME NOTES AND HANG OUT. SO NAIVELY, I AY “YEAH MATE, NO WORRIES, I’M KEEN.” SO I CHECK OUT HOW
Cam Pianta PHOTO Raine Turnbull
ISSUE 36
55
ROAD TRIPS ARE FUN BUT IT’S HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING THAT GOES DOWN SO WE PUT A BLANK BOOK ON THE PASSENGER SEAT AND WHOEVER SAT SHOT GUN HAD TO SCRIBBLE IN IT. I BOUGHT AN OLD KOMBI VAN, THREW SOME MATES IN AND HEADED TO SYDNEY, ENDING UP AT THE ORANGE JAM. SO WE TOOK A LOT OF PHOTOS, FILMED A LOT FOR THE UP COMING COLONY VIDEO AND HAD AN AMAZING TIME. BY RYAN GUETTLER
Big Daddy Salad keeping it real....
62
ISSUE 36
DAY 1 Josh Mete 9.53am On the road to get Richo, could get a bit of breaky. Ryan 10.49am Just dropped Troy off at Helensvale bike shop because his back wheel is cactus and now sitting at UNIT so richo can sign cono because he’s their newest team rider as of today. I bet he grabs a lot of southern cross t-shirts and sticker kits. Nick 12.10pm Finished up at UNIT, got some sweet new threads. We then went and got some lunch at a shady corner store, then we went back to Helensvale BMX to pick up Troys bike. Thanks to Mitch and the boys for fixing it at lightning speed and now we’re on the road again heading for Coffs Harbour! Nick 1.10pm Drove to Cabritta beach to have a little break and ride the park but after spending 2 mins in the killer sun we got back in the Kombi and started driving again! Nick 1.42pm Driving along listening to MC Hammer. Josh and Troy get attacked by a wasp. There must be a nest in the roof... Stop. Hammer time.... Troy 6.16pm Aight B, so around 4.00pm we arrived at Balina skate park for some sangers and a ride. Shredded for about 2 hours. Highlights from that stop was Josh dropin’ like 20 clips in 5 mins. Richo hopping everything. Dammm, white man can jump. Ryan 7.20pm I’m not sleepy but well over driving so we pull into a BP and changed seats with Richo, so far the biggest mistake of the trip. Feels like we’re now on a rollercoaster to hell. And if you’re sitting shotgun, you’re the cars DJ. Right now I’m playing ‘The Game’ son. Ryan 7.45pm Letting Richo drive was a silly move, so I want to take this time to tell my family if we crash it’s all Richo’s fault and I love you. And yes Terry, you can have my PS 3. Please take care of Dagger, Can-Can and Nola. Nick 11.00pm Ryan ‘Grizz’ Guettler Photo Josh Mete
Chillin’ at the hotel for a while. Josh, Troy and I got some KFC for dinner while Ryan ate some healthy shit, then we chilled watched a BMX movie and about to pass out now.
ISSUE 36
63
CHRIS COURTENAY IS ONE OF THOSE RIDERS WHO IS SO GOOD IT MAKES YOU SICK. BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I’VE BEEN DOWN WITH HIM FOR SO MANY YEARS. CHRIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VERY HUMBLE, DOWN TO EARTH KIND OF GUY. GROWING UP, MY CREW OF FRIENDS MOSTLY RODE STREET, BUT CHRIS WOULD ALWAYS GO OUT OF HIS WAY TO CATCH UP AND HANG OUT WITH US. THAT’S JUST THE KIND OF PERSON CHRIS IS. HE WILL CHEER ON A KID DOING A THREE FOOT AIR, RIGHT AFTER HE DOES A 10 FOOT AIR. HIS HUMBLE PERSONA AND RIDICULOUS RIDING HAS SEEN HIM HOOKED UP WITH SOME BIG INTERNATIONAL BRANDS LIKE NIKE AND MORE RECENTLY, WELCOMED INTO THE COLONY BMX FAMILY INTRO BY MIKE CZAJKOWSKI PHOTOS BY NITAI WHITEHURST
72
ISSUE 36
ISSUE 36
73
80
ISSUE 36
We have wanted to do a TripleSix team road trip for a long time, but because we have such a large team it makes it seriously hard! You don’t want to leave anyone out and it becomes super expensive taking 16 or so dudes on a single trip, but we decided to just make it happen. We enlisted the services of the Roadtrip Bus motored by Jason and Joe who dragged us from Melbourne to Brisbane via a heap of spots. Including but not exclusive to South Bank, Geelong, Torquay, Bendigo, Albury, Canberra, Bomaderry, Campbeltown, Penrith, Bondi, Newcastle, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour and Ballina. We had Mike Cz, Matt Lawton, Ryan Sher (USA), Hoang Tran (USA), Raph Jeroma-Williams, Chris Harti, Macca, Sam Cummins, Cam Pianta, Jase Bannan, Tom Fordyce and myself on the trip. Also along for the ride were Nitai for 2020 and Wade Wootton from TripleSix in tow for the second half of the trip. The idea was to call in to see a few shops a day and then go ride and hang out with the locals wherever we were. No demos and no pressure! A simple mission of just having fun riding while trying to get some photos and video. More than anything it was a chance for the team to get to know each other as many had not met before. It was mostly a skatepark tour due to having this many blokes on the trip. It made stopping to ride something someone saw along the way almost impossible as it takes a half hour to unload the trailer. We did get a few trails sessions in and a day of nibbling the streets of Newcastle though. The Gentleman’s code is going to come into play here, and a lot of stuff that happened on the trip will stay between those on the trip but we’ll try and shed as much light as we can without getting anyone in trouble.... The basics happened; we rode, we drove, we partied and we quoted Trailer Park Boys from daylight to well, daylight on a number of occasions. Thanks to all the team guys on the trip, especially to Ryan and Hoang and everyone at Sparky’s for getting those guys over here for the eleven days or so. Without all the team guys it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun, as each guy brought a whole different element to the trip. Thanks to all the shops we stopped in at (Strictly, Mainly, Connections, Full Cycle, Backbone, Tippos, Pushbike Factory, Blackmans, Hell on Wheels, Drift, Ventoux, Transitions and Ride On) and sorry to those we didn’t make it to, we were probably just too drunk. I asked some of the guys on the trip to give me a paragraph or two on their time on the trip so I’ll let them take over from here.
“where are the bus drivers?”
ISSUE 36
81
IN SOME WAYS TRADITIO NAL BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY IS MUCH LIKE A YOUNG MICHAEL JACKSON. ESPECIALLY JACKSON 5’S SONG ‘EAS AS 123’. IF YOU BREA Y K IT DOWN, MICHAEL JA CKSON WENT FROM BLAC TO WHITE, MUCH LIKE K FILM DEVELOPMENT OR PRINTING. CHEMICALS, DRY, PRINT. AND WITH THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS , IT HAS FOLLOWED TH SAME RULES AS THE DE E VELOPING AND PRINTING PROCESS. COLLABORATE WITH A RIDER TO WORK OUT A SPOT AND A TRIC K, SHOOT THE TRICK AN D 88
ISSUE 36
Big Salad – Up-rail to suicide
EVERYTHING GOING ON AROUND THE SITUATION THEN HEAD TO THE DARK TO PROCESS AND PRINT ROOM YOUR IMAGES. IT’S TH AT EASY. BUT TO GIVE FEATURE A TWIST AND THE SOME EXTRA LOVE, I HA ND PAINTED THE DEVELO ON FOR EACH PRINT TO PE R MAKE PARTS OF THE PH OTO LEACHED AND BLEE OUT, WHICH MAKES EVER D Y PHOTO DIFFERENT. EV ERY TIME. MJ SAID IT BEST, IT’S EASY AS 12 3, SO GET INTO A DARK ROOM AND DO SOMETHIN DIFFERENT, YOU’LL EN G JOY IT........NICK GA SCOINE ISSUE 36 89
PHOTO Doug Talyor
96
ISSUE 36
Jimmy LeVan is a BMX icon, friend, hero, inspiration and a man of many stories and life experience to say the least. With almost two years off his bike, due to two freak accidents that left him in a coma for 15 days. Fortunately I got to hang out with him just after his recovery from this massive head injury. I quickly had a new respect for him, a non BMX related effect. Levangilsm. Jimmy was left for dead with nothing but his own head to wake him up from his deadly slumber. His second major injury was due to some old hoon running Jimmy down with his truck. James LeVan has had it tough the last two years, so I thought I’d grab some of his stories from his injury life, and his time spent here in Australia back in February. Interview by Alex Liiv So Jimmy, tell us a little about what you remember from your coma? You’ve mentioned to me a few times that you died four times and came back to life, what’s your thoughts on manifestation in the sense of willing yourself to come back to life? Was it brain power or something external? I will talk a little bit about this... but I don’t think I’m so much supposed to, or even could explain some of the things I, or my brain, saw during that time. Yes, my heart rate dropped below the .01 beats 4 times while in the coma, which is when they tell your family, “He’s passing away now.” Then I came back, out of nowhere! The docs have zero explanation. Do I think it’s mental or external? Actually a combination of both. The six years I lived in my coma was pretty normal for a while... Then it started getting weird. You see, the average person has about 150-200 dreams a night. You only remember like 3 or 4 but your brain has to keep working while you sleep. With this in mind realize you sleep maybe 7 or 8 hours a night. In my coma, I was asleep for 15 days! I can’t believe it wasn’t longer than just a six year life. The last couple of years I thought something was weird. One day would look very futuristic, then the next would look like 1970’s super eight film. I thought someone had drugged me. I think these existences are mental. The things I saw on my main walk into the white light, which, I turned and ran away from when the best conversation of my life took place. The conversation I had was with an awesome, understanding higher power of some sort. This part... WAS external. It was amazing! One of those conversations where they haven’t only answered your question, but answered the question you were going to ask next. The craziest thing I’ve ever experienced. How do you feel looking back at the last few years of your life? How does it feel to recover and then to get back on your bike? Do these last few years faze you?
I wouldn’t be the first one to say this but you have been a huge influence to the way bmx has shaped up. What’s your plans now with bmx and life in general? Thanks... My plan for myself is just to have fun on my bike riding whatever terrain I feel that day, same as my whole life. It’s great to be able to ride again so this year I’m planning a lot of trips to go ride with old friends around the world. I’ve been broken from two different injuries for the last couple of years, I was stoked as fuck to be able to ride and hang with old friends again. How was your most recent trip travelling around the south east of Australia. What were some stand out moments? This month long trip to OZ was a fucking blast! Crazy shit in every city. Seeing old friends and a great travel crew. Travelling with Alex, Jamie, Steve and Jordan, then hanging with Matt Holmes, who got me a ticket to see AD/DC! John for hanging and letting us crash in Newtown, the french dudes from Bondi and all the Hell on wheels crew and Sydney locals. We were Staying at Alex’s in the Blue Mountains hitting the swimming holes and The Three Sisters was classic. The Cam jam was awesome, saw a lot of old friends. Great comp for a good cause. Cruising through and hanging with Rhysty and the dudes at Back Bone was awesome. The largest BMX shop next to DANS Comp, probably! Finally getting to Melbourne and crashing and hanging with Chris Polack was a belter! Hanging with Leigh Gaison and the whole Anchor BMX crew, and Melbourne locals was super cool... last but not least, I got to meet Mark (Chopper) Reed in Melbourne thanks to BO! Thanks dudes! Jimmy
It sucked being out of riding for basically Two years! It got hard to even pay too much attention to riding for a bit, because it would piss you off even more thinking about not being able to ride period. On the good side, muscle memory does exist. Those tricks you’ve been doing for years don’t disappear. They come back, so I’ve been having fun relearning everything again. Your body remembers the tricks, you just have to find it in your head! Haha!
PHOTO Gorak
PHOTO Gorak
PHOTO Gorak
ISSUE 36
97
We had been on the road for hours on end when we arrived at this spot in Newcastle. Mick had scoped it on an previous drive through and wanted to get it done. In typical Bayzand style he got it done in a few short attempts. I am into long shots at the moment for both photos and filming and this shot I
102
ISSUE 36
feel is awesome. Love the landscape in this one with the water feature. While Mick was getting this done a bunch of the guys were partaking in the official game of the trip, ‘dice’. It’s scary how addictive this game is. For most of the trip Nick was living off his winnings to eat each day. I am also scared Alex is
going to become a gambler later in life, he couldn’t get enough of it. At one spot there was even a $10 buy-in game with the winner taking $70 in the pool. Nice one. Maybe that can be classed as a form of income?
Story Clint Millar Photos Cooper Brownlee
ISSUE 36
103
Is A Character. Can Party. Can Ride A Bmx. Can Dig A Dirt Jump. Can Surprise You. Can Get You Stoked To Ride. Can Make You Want To Quit. Does What He Wants.
108
ISSUE 36
Dean Manson is the man! I’ve known him for a while now and can’t think of a more kind and generous individual. He gets along with anyone and everyone and has the most care-free attitude you’d ever see. He will go out of his way to help out his friends and isn’t scared of a drink. He lives ‘out in the sticks’ just past the edge of Melbourne and lives the dream of having trails on his back door step. His skills are vast and gets tricks dialed and more stylish than you! He will also tell you how cute he is. Interview and photos by Gorak
Hey Mate, how you going? Oh yeah not bad, feeling that seedy from the weekend. First up, tell me the standards, what’s your name, age and home town? Dean, 24, Cockatoo. Cockatoo? That’s years from anything, what’s life like? Yeah, it’s good! Heaps better than the city. Just chill out in the bush, live in a cave. How did you get around before you had your license? Scab lifts off people, or ride, or drive anyway, caught the train after a lift. Two hour ride....
Do you get along with all of them? Tell me some stories. Yeah. My mum punched a lady in McDonalds, dropped her on her arse! She doesn’t take shit, she’s that good. How many of them are still living at home? Five of us at the moment. Would being a part of such a big family affect the way you live and interact with others? Do you think this is why you get along with everyone? Yeah for sure, you can deal with people heaps easier and learn how to drink real good. Like learn to drink when you’re thirteen.
What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve seen in Cockatoo? It’s bizarre everyday!
What got you into dirt over any other style? I just used to build jumps in the yard, as there’s nowhere to ride. I used to make moto jumps when I was six.
You’re still living at home and are a part of a larger than average family, how big is it exactly? Eight kids. four boys, four girls, I’m 2nd oldest & cutest.
When was it that you realized you have a bit of a talent for BMX and riding dirt? I didn’t haha, I’m shit.
ISSUE 36
109
Action: Losey Lifestyle: Letchworth
Garrett - 180-Barspin Up, Fakie-Whip, Barspin In
Mavrk Mid 2
Nigel Sylvester Dennis Enarson Mike Spinner Harry Main