BMX Pros, Metal Mulisha, Fans Turn Out for July 4th Stephen Murray Benefit Jam

Sep 05 2007 / Perris, CA

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The professional BMX community is an especially tight knit group and they have come together for one of their own.  Stephen Murray, a beloved BMX Dirt rider, was critically injured on June 22 while riding in the Dirt Finals of the AST Dew Tour's opening stop in Baltimore, the Panasonic Open.  The injury sent a shockwave through the industry and fellow riders and fans alike were hit hard.

Support for Murray and his family was fast and extensive.  Almost immediately the Stephen Murray Family Fund was set up to help his family with the expected huge medical costs of his treatment and recovery.  And as part of the fundraising effort, Stephen's hometown park, The Compound in Perris, CA, organized two benefit jams, the first of which happened on the Fourth of July.

PHOTO GALLERY    See who was there and read the get well wishes to Stephen Murray from his BMX friends and fans, incluidng Corey Bohan, in this Lat34 photo gallery. View Gallery>

More than 600 people came on Wednesday, including many fellow pro riders and friends including Corey Bohan, Dave Dillewaard, Ryan “Biz” Jordan, Luke Parslow, Jed Mildon, TJ Ellis, Carter Holland, Brendan Hanson, Jeff Emory, Josh Stead, Mark Kehl, Travis Branham, Ryan Russell, Nikki Buckaie along with others. 

In addition motocross rider Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg from the legendary Metal Mulisha stopped by to drop off some autographed Metal Mulisha jerseys for a raffle.

Shane Guillen, owner of The Compound, set up the event, which began at 10 a.m. and ran until 10 p.m. with a fireworks display.  Guillen has known Murray since he came to the United States from England back in the late '90s and decided he wanted to do something to show support for Stephen along with raising money for the Murray family.  Murray trained at The Compound the night before he took off for the AST Dew Tour in Baltimore.

MTV Sports from MTV Australia was also on hand to shoot the event.  They were already following Aussies Bohan and Dillewaard and decided to follow them to the Stephen Murray Benefit Jam.

A number of the pros on hand were also at the Panasonic Open in Baltimore and witnessed Murray's accident.  Several said it was a wake-up call and hit them hard emotionally seeing their friend go down.

Ryan “Biz” Jordan, a friend and BMX pro, wished Stephen and his family well saying, “stay strong, you can pull through this.”

Robin Short, a BMX rider and fan from Menifee, CA said about Murray, “I wish him good luck at getting better.  He’s my favorite dirt rider.”

A second Stephen Murray Benefit Jam will take place this Saturday, July 7th, from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. There is a $10 entry fee donation, many prizes being raffled and a collector Stephen Murray Benefit Jam shirt being sold for $10.00. 

If you're a BMX rider, a fan of the sport or even a fan of action sports in general you should try to come by.  While it’s an all-day event most of the pros showed up after 3:00 PM after it started to cool down.  The word is many of the BMX pros will be back again on Saturday. 

All money made at The Compound from both events will go directly to the Stephen Murray Family Fund.

Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen on our Stephen Murray update page and visit www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com to donate to help Stephen and his family.