Questions Answered and Random Thoughts

It’s that time again!  Time to talk about the FMX season so far, what to expect coming up and how things went this year.  I also have a question from a young fan in Traverse City, Michigan named Kelly U. 

From Kelly: “I can’t wait to see the show coming up this year.  My dad is taking me and my brother Nicky, and some of our friends go to.  I have a Yamaha TTR 125 which is almost new except for some scratches.  I saw pictures of TJ (JJ) Romans bike and saw it was a Yamaha, but it is pink!  I looked everywhere and can’t find a sticker kit like his.  My dad says he will paint the metal for me, but no stickers.  Can you ask JJ where he got his from?”

JJ Romans and his pink Yamaha

Hey Kelly- I passed this on to JJ, but he is on the road somewhere so I will help you out, and he won’t mind that you got his name wrong!  JJ, like many professional riders get custom graphics made so they can showcase their sponsors, give props to friends and express themselves and their personalities.  JJ of course is a freakin’ weirdo (which means he has lots of personality) and likes the color pink, which I am sure caught your eye.  If you look closely at his graphic kit, you will see lots of detail and of course all of his sponsors.  One of those is the company that made the custom graphic kit- DZ Graphics.  They do great work (check out Derek Cook- they do his too) and won’t break your parents bank.  Give them a look at DZgraphicsmx.com and tell them Cory from Coast to Coast sent you over.  Nice question- I’ll drop the good word for you over there.

Random thought time!  So much to talk about and speculate on! The IFMA Freestyle shows have gone into some new markets that never had the opportunity to have FMX in there town, and the response was great.  If I had a dollar for every time I walked into a restaurant, was asked why we were here, and found out that they had never heard of FMX before (or thought it was just MX), I could buy a back up bike.  Same thing for all the comments I would here after the show in the autograph line, at the coffee shop or the airport about how cool it was, how great the riders were, and of course how sexy the announcer was (okay, I never got that one-yet) I would be rich.  So at this time, I want to thank all the new fans for coming out and being exposed to something new and thank all the old fans who brought introduced friends to the sport. 

Much talk surrounds FMX and how it is dead, or how it is in a lull or going away.  I like to look at this way- every sport that has phenomenal growth has gone through a tough time and always bounced back.  Okay, maybe not street luge and if you don’t know what sport I am talking about, well don’t worry about it.  But look at BMX Vert or skateboarding, both experienced big expansion, then kinda faded out but not away. Just like with those sports, FMX has faded a little as the originators slow down and either retire, move on to other things or find safer jobs in the industry.  The original fans are kind of skeptical of the new riders moving up and many times there are rifts with how the new generation does it.  Either way, new fans emerge with fewer preconceptions of what FMX “should” be and decide to just enjoy what it is.  FMX is on the upswing again.  The ride up the charts will be a little slower than the first one, but I think it will be better as the shows and contests get safer, the riders more creative and the events more widespread.  One just needs to take a look at the guys coming into their own.  Guys like Jeremy Lusk, Todd Potter and Taka Higashino have already established themselves as the hot new guys with Kyle Loza, Greg Hartman and Jack Rowe right on the door step- things are getting exciting.  So fans, I say get ready for a new evolution in the sport and get a good seat now.

Next week is Nampa, Idaho for me and the crew so I hope to see you guys and gals there.  Don’t forget to get your questions in to fmxannouncerman@live.com and you may get some great swag if I pick your question!  And in the least, your questions will be answered. 

-Cory Stem