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2024 is shaping up to be the year for BMX events (Woden Jam photos)
It's mid February and we've already been pumping here in Australia with BMX events.
There is a plethora of BMX jams and events coming up for the first half of 2024, read on to find out when to mark your calendars!
Daylight Savings BMX Jam Photo Gallery & Recap
It's officially the end of daylight savings, but we held a jam to send it off properly. An awesome turn out from riders all up and down the east coast. Crew from up in QLD, Newcastle, Sydney, Dubbo and more, all made it to Weston Creek skatepark for an afternoon of good times on BMX bikes.
We gave away some awesome prizes, thanks to our sponsors Eclat, Fast and Loose, Colony (and us! Haha).
Riders young and old killed it all arvo, I shot some photos. Thanks to everyone who came and had a smile on their face - I've been reminded a lot lately that BMX is about good times with your mates - Saturday at Weston Creek was exactly that.
- Tyson
Big thanks to Shane Darwin from the Seen Co for filming this raw cut vid!
Spot the stoked kid! Some of the crew at Weston Creek.
Jyelan rode sick all day, really unique style and no chain or sprocket!
Harrison Fuller ripping and whipping, down from QLD for the weekend.
Benny McMillan kung fu slickin.
Arthur Birbilopoulos folding one over at height on the nicest paint job of the day.
Young Mylee Toohey just got back from 3 weeks up on the Gold Coast riding and competing. She is shredding lately and more importantly, is stoked on BMX.
I did some riding, too. 360 over the spine. Photo: Brendan Boeck
Dermo was full of gnarly tricks all weekend, like this topside no foot can can.
Sasha is only 11 years old and rides with style and maturity beyond his years.
Chris Kerr makes everything look awesome on a bike. Case in point.
Harrison Fuller with the back seat grab.
Dermo twisting it up.
Danny Stevenson, absolutely cranked lookback, way up there.
The two young guns, Sasha Kiselev and Jackson Presbury, worked hard to get these tables synched up and laid over at the right time.
End of Daylight Savings Jam and a farewell jam coming up
Summer just finished up, although it's still as warm as ever here - we're going to be holding an end of daylight savings jam to squeeze every bit of juice out of the long, warm days while it lasts.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS BMX JAM: Weston skatepark, April 1st. 4pm - Late.
Plenty of different prizes up for grabs from a lot of epic sponsors, start planning your trip to Canberra!
While on the jam subject, one of our long time supporters and mates, Liam O'Connell, has a farewell jam on next Friday at Gungahlin. It's gonna be a fun one, make sure you get there!
2022 is thick with BMX events.. and there's even one this weekend.
There's going to be no shortage of epic BMX events for 2022, including a fun one before the year wraps up, this weekend (11/12/21) at the new Albury skatepark. Albury got an amazing $3.6M upgrade to their local park, with two bowls, street plaza and even an asphalt pump track.
We've got a few crew heading down for the day to ride with the locals and spread the stoke, hit the boys up for some giveaways or stickers. If you've got a chance to get there, the park looks all time.
Then early January 2022, the Snowy Monaro Regional Council is running two skatepark competition series', with a whopping eleven stops across their council region, kicking off with Cooma and Queanbeyan skateparks, heading down the coast, and finishing with finals at Jindabyne.
More details can be found here and here; these competitions are open to all ages and we're sponsors all events with prizes, as well as providing coaching and judging.
Open riders can find themselves winning $1000 cash on both final stops - not bad!
Check the flyers for all the events below and contact us for more info.
The new Albury skatepark looks amazing. Photos: skateboard.com.au
Goulburn BMX Jam and Coaching
The year is 2021 and that's the unofficial year of the jam for us. Along with the rad Summer Nights jams that have been poppin' off every Friday at Belconnen skatepark, we're also hitting lightspeed into another dimension. The other dimension happens to be about an hour up the road, at Goulburn skatepark. Join us for a jam on the 31st of January (Sunday). Good times, some giveaways and a chance to ride somewhere new, as well as getting to meet some of the locals!
Not only is there a jam, but earlier in the day, Tyson will be running a BMX coaching clinic at the park from 3 - 4pm. Anyone who is interested, please email coaching@backbonebmx.com.au with your name and contact phone number. Tyson will be in touch!
Valley View Trail Camp 2020
Above: Harley Nowakowski took the most laps award on the weekend. Tipping it over to start the line.
If you're talking long running jams across Australia, there are few places that have been running jams as regularly, and for as long, as the Valley View trails in Young, NSW.
Will and Chris Kerr have been looking after the trail scene in the cherry-picking capital of Australia for over ten years, with yearly jams running for just as long.
Perhaps just as, or if not more, exciting as the jams has been watching the evolution of Valley View; with every jam comes new additions to the trails - Will and Chris have done a stellar job at shovelling mods that keep you on your toes year-after-year.
2020 has brought about some life-changing worldwide events.. But it was very comforting to see the Corona reigns loosen just enough to get some well needed BMX riding in - especially for the majority who travelled from interstate to be there.
It was a full trail camp in Young for 4 days, that's for certain.
One special shout out goes to (our latest Canberra local) Harley Nowakowski, who took the most laps of all, but unfortunately went down hard and is currently recovering in hospital from a severe concussion - but is looking to make a full recovery. Certified helmets save lives! FYI, Harley was shredding on the weekend!
Thanks as always to the Kerr bros for making it happen this year and every year, there's nothing quite like a long weekend spent at the trails. To see Valley View and the subsequent jams come from humble beginnings, to what it is now, is incredible.
Enjoy the photos from just some of the badassery that happened below.
- Tyson
Chris Kerr showing you how good a nac nac can look over a 30ft set.. Photo: Tyson JP
Russell Brindley dropping the foot off through Borders line. Photo: Tyson JP
The van life was real at the trails over the weekend and Jonny Mackellar's van was the poster child for them all. Weexy, James Fox and Jonny kickin' it. Photo: Tyson JP
Weexy celebrated his birthday by juicin' 30 footers and getting radical! You're a legend Weex! Photo: Tyson JP
Harley was tearing the Two Hips line a new one all day.. You better believe this one foot x-up got laid over into a one foot euro before he landed. Stoked to see you on the mend Harley! Photo: Tyson JP
Jonny Mack has the perfect mix. He does the gnarliest stuff, done ever-so-casually, with a style all his own - all while hootin' and hollerin' & a smile on his face. It makes you want to ride, that's for sure. 360 table on the 30fter. Photo: Tyson JP
What did I say about casual with a style all his own? Jonny Mack in his element. Photo: Tyson JP
Sun peaking through the clouds and Russ Brindley soaking up the hangtime with a picturesque turndown. Photo: Tyson JP
I shot this, looked at my camera & couldn't believe that Chris Harti could get in a position so dipped, over a 30ft set. So rad. Photo: Tyson JP
Will Gunn. I don't know how to describe how Will rides except 'badass'. Big old toboggan. Photo: Tyson JP
Harti hit the limiter on this jump. This was full throttle, powerband type stuff. Photo: Tyson JP
Will Gunn, the master of loft.. This one foot seatgrab table was EPIC. Photo: Tyson JP
ACT Jam 2019 Recap - Part One: Belco
If you've been to an ACT Jam in the last few years there will be no denying, it is one hell of a time!
ACT Jam 2019 went down a couple of weeks ago and we are blown away with how it all went down this year. If you were there, you know already!
This is the biggest year so far and we feel that it's already shaping up to be bigger next year..
A big year deserves a big recap, so we're breaking these down into days.
Want a recap of what went down on day one of ACT Jam 2019? As well as some things you didn't know happened?
Keep reading..
This year marks the seventh year since it's reincarnation from the OG ACT Jams that happened from 2001 - 2005 and this year we were able to join forces with BentSpoke Brewery, who came on board as a major sponsor to help to give away a whopping $8k prize money.
This sort of prize money wasn't all BentSpoke's doing though, we had a lot of help from the Australian BMX industry kicking in to help pay BMXers who kicked ass riding.
If you don't know by now to support the brands that support ACT Jam (and hence Australian BMX), then this is a reminder!
The weeks leading up to the jam:
This year we had crew from all over the world spending time in town, enjoying what the Canberra BMX scene has to offer. There was plenty of BMX sessions going down at spots across Canberra by a varied crew of BMX riders. It was cool to have trail riders rolling around the streets - and vice versa.
There was also copious amounts of coffee being sucked down at our humble BMX shop by a bunch of legends.
It was cool to have so many BMX riders in town, there was a real energy in the air and a lot of positive vibes.
Kris Fox was lighting up Belco bowl on the first day of the jam. Jack Gruber photo.
ACT Jam 2019 stop 1: Belconnen:
There was no doubt going to be some heavy BMX action on day one of the ACT jam. For those who don't know, above Back Bone BMX shop in Belconnen is Lakeside Tattoo parlour, who this year was a sponsor of the jam and stepped up in a big way by freeing their schedule and offering walk in ACT Jam and BMX tattoos to those willing!
Pat Freyne is now a lifer.. Photo: Jack Gruber
The bowl at Belconnen was damn near shut down by the Fast & Loose crew. Jason Watts, Kris Fox, Cody Pollard were blasting and I'm sure I saw Corey Walsh do an air that swung around half of the bowl - I know for certain at one stage he took off 15 feet from the left of the channel and still aired over it.. considering the bowl is round, 12 foot tall, with pool coping, that's as gnarly as it gets.
Corey Walsh voted best rider - Belco bowl for ACT Jam 2019
Guaranteed Corey Walsh swung this table around from far left of frame and will be landing outside of the right frame of this photo. Photo Jack Gruber.
The snake run was destroyed by many, but a stand out was no doubt Boyd Hilder. Boyd has that 'hard stuff done effortlessly' thing going on; he did triple truckdrivers, x-up whips and everything else in the BMX trick list with a smile on his face. Full blown ripper.
Boyd Hilder voted best rider - Belco snake run for ACT Jam 2019
You'd be psyched to be that nosed in just straight jumping.. Boyd Hilder, cannonball. Photo: Jack Gruber.
The street course was the last thing to be shut down on the first day of ACT Jam 2019, special mentions to Jack O'Reilly who battled and conquered a nollie tooth hanger the big down ledge, Jacman Hinns who did a bunch of hard moves including an oppo barspin to ice down the rail, and Cal Eggington who rode the bowl like a savage, the snake run, and then busted moves on the street section.
The night and street section belonged to Lewis Mills though, who tore apart the rail both, going both up and down it. Bar-crooks-bar down and up-rail 180 whip were just a couple of bangers from the Fiending shredder from Sydney.
Lewis Mills voted best rider - Belco street for ACT Jam 2019.
Lewis Mills up the rail and 180 whipping off the end of it! Photo: Jack Gruber
Pat Freyne balanced.. Photo: Jack Gruber
Belco Post-Jam:
It didn't just end at the final trick of the official jam and that's what makes ACT Jam so good; it's three days of real deal BMX mayhem. At one point I was set to leave at around 8.30pm (the official jam finished at 7pm) and as I was driving out, I couldn't help but see a huge mass of ACT Jammers crowded around the deep bowl.
I parked my car and walked up to find Sean Thompson, Cal Eggington and Brazilian Cauan Madona (who missed the official jam completely) going back-to-back for some of the gnarliest riding of the whole night. I'm fairly certain Madona knows no fear, because he didn't have any issue pumping out a shoulder high double whip among other things that had the crowd going bananas. Madona knows very little English, but I sure hope he understood by the screaming, swearing and jumping up-and-down from the crowd that his presence at the jam was highly appreciated that night.
It was an amazing way to encapsulate just what the ACT Jam is; full blown freestylin' for the love of it.
And we still had Tuggeranong and BentSpoke to go!
Cody Pollard on full blast. Photo: Jack Gruber.
The party kept going and the show went on for two more days..
I'm still jazzed just thinking about it, and there is so much to go through that we'll release part two and part three of the jam separately.. So keep an eye out!
- Tyson
Summer of Back Bone jams
Despite what a few people (who mainly live outside of Canberra) will say, Canberra has got plenty to offer and I will 100% testify to the fact that riding BMX is one of best things to do in Canberra.
The Canberra BMX scene is awesome for many reasons, one of them being we have a plethora of skateparks and spots that make it a serious destination for riding.
This summer in Canberra, we're organising some jams at a few of these parks so BMXers from Canberra and beyond can get together for a ride and enjoy the long days and sunshine.
If you've read the 11 reasons why riding BMX will make you a better person article I wrote last year, you'll know that many of the reasons will be ticked off if you attend any, or all, of the jams. Friendship, adventure and fun, to name a few..
Jam details
Woden skatepark: 11/1/2019, 6pm onwards, 40 Launceston St Phillip ACT
Belconnen skatepark: 18/1/2019, 6pm onwards, 77 Emu Bank Belconnen ACT
Tuggeranong skatepark: 25/1/2019, 6pm onwards, 25 Bartlet Pl Greenway ACT
All jams are ride at your own risk and are a way unifying the scene and getting riders stoked for an epic year of BMX ahead.
See you there!
- Tyson