Spinning His Way to the Top: Mike Spinner
Dec 04 2006 / Los Angeles, CA
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When 18 year-old Mike Spinner showed up at Woodward Camp early in the summer from Miami, Florida, it didn’t take long before he’d created a buzz. He was doing 720’s like they were nothing, and soon started throwing down 720 tailwhips into the foam pit. Pros had been talking about, and trying the trick for a few years, and while some had come close, it was still a dream trick for most. Spinner didn’t seem to care. He knew he could do, it, and he did.
Fast forward to the Free Flow Tour Finals, which took place at the Dew Tour in Portland, Oregon a few months back. The winner of the Free Flow Tour (an amateur contest series) goes on to compete with the pros at the Dew Tour finals in Orlando, Florida. Mike Spinner was one of the participants, and even before the contest, the buzz had started. Everyone knew he had the 720 whip, and everyone wanted to see it. That kind of pressure would be enough to send most 18 year-olds running home, but not Spinner. Half the pro class was their watching the Am contest waiting to see one thing… the 720 whip.
At the end of his run, Spinner gave the 720 whip a go, and crashed. That hyped up the crowd and on-looking pros even more, so back up to the top he went. The second attempt was perfect. History was made, and Spinner was on his way to Orlando to compete against the Pros.
Lat34 got the exclusive scoop on what Spinner is thinking prior to Orlando, and how he got himself there.
MS: I am from Oceanside, NY. We moved when I was around eight years old to Miami, Florida. I guess it was just sunnier, and my parents got old so they wanted the retirement weather.
Lat34: How long ago did you start riding?
MS: I started riding about six years ago, bunnyhopping curbs and stuff. Then I saw Steve McCann on the X Games a few years ago, and I knew I wanted to do that.
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Lat34: So you wanted to be like Steve McCann?
Lat34: So you won the Free Flow Tour, and now you’re headed to ride with the Pros at the Dew Tour in Orlando. That’s pretty much your home turf, is that going to be a help to you, or put more pressure on you.
MS: I have about a hundred good friends that are going to be there, screaming their asses off. It’s going to be so awesome. I’m going to feel so at home, it will just be like a normal session, but with Dave Mirra and Steve McCann. Now, after riding at Woodward for the past few months it’s all just kind of normal. You get to ride with the best guys in the world, so it becomes kind of normal to have the Pros around. I don’t know, I’m just excited. I just want to do it already.
Lat34: When you went to Portland, you had the 720 whip and people knew it. All the Pros were out their watching the Am contest to see your run, and specifically the 720 whip. Was that a lot of pressure to get it done?
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MS: Actually, I didn’t even think about it at first. I knew I wanted to do it, and then at the end of my run I was feeling it. I looked over at the crowd, and I just saw everyone I had been riding with all summer…all the pros and stuff. It just psyched me up even more. It was awesome. Honestly, I can’t explain it…I really just wanted to do it, and it was the perfect place, and it hyped it a little. Whenever I have something on my mind, there’s no stopping doing it. I wanted to do it, and I was doing it I guess. I was committed in my head, and after I saw all those guys in the crowd it just made it even more fun to do it.
Lat34: Of those pros, who’s been an influence on your riding?
MS: I would say the biggest motivation has been Steve [McCann]. We’ve been riding every single day. We’ll ride, get some lunch, ride, get some dinner, ride… he beats me at pool… We have tremendous training sessions! [laughter]
Lat34: Do you feel like you have to live up to your last name?
MS: I guess I realized my last name was Spinner, so I just have to spin as much as I can. I guess it would be bad if my last name was flipper, because that doesn’t happen.
Lat34: You don’t do any flip stuff do you?
MS: No, spinning is the best. Pretty much because I can’t do anything else.
Lat34: Have you been working on some new stuff for Orlando?
MS: Yeah, I’ve got a few new tricks. I’ve been working on some more spins. The biggest one is 900’s. I’ve been working on them for the past few weeks, and I’m really psyched on them. I’ve done it a few times on quarters. I’m pretty confident with that trick right now. I’ve pulled in on an eight-foot quarter so I’m pretty psyched on that. I’ve been playing with some combinations like 540 tailwhips to turndown on quarters and stuff.
Lat34: That’s pretty serious stuff. Are you feeling confident going into Orlando as the new guy?
MS: I don’t know where I’m going to stand in with the pros, but honestly I’m riding the best that I can, I’m having the most fun every single day, and I’m riding with guys, that in my eyes, are the best pros in the world. I think I stand with them pretty well, so hopefully it will work out. I’m doing the best that I can.
Lat34: So have you put any expectations on yourself for that contest?
MS: I have a goal, and I guess it’s a pretty big goal. My goal is to make finals. That would make me feel like I did what I wanted to, but either way I’m going to have a great time.
MS: It’s like a dream just to travel around and see and ride new places. In the next year I just want to be at Woodward as much as I can, and jump around to different states when I get the chance to. I really would like to hit up the Dew Tour next year. I think I’m going to be at Woodward all winter long, so I think I’ll feel more comfortable next year, hopefully. Every single trick I’ve done in the last four months, I couldn’t do before I got to Woodward at the beginning of the summer. It’s all because of Woodward. I’m so excited, riding with the top dudes, all winter long.
Lat34: There are a lot of vert guys at Woodward, do you ever ride any of that?
MS: I’ve been riding it a little bit the last few weeks, just with the guys I ride with like Steve, Chad Kagy, and Jamie Bestwick once in a while. I’ll do a three-foot air and then the other guys will drop in and do eight-foot airs easy, so it’s motivation. I’d be psyched if I could ride vert, but we’ll see. I guess I’ve got all winter.
Lat34: When you were home in Florida what were you riding most of? You’ve got a lot of technical tricks, so you must have been riding a technical park.
MS: Actually, I pretty much just ride curbs when I’m at home. I love doing 180s and 360s on street... I just ride street a lot in Miami. Quarterpipes I probably ride once a week maybe. Tech tricks are the killers, but when you start riding the bigger quarters you have to know what you’re doing, or you can get really hurt. That’s what I’m seeing now, the tricks aren’t too bad, it’s all about being consistent so you don’t get hurt.
Lat34: Do you have a hard time transitioning those tricks from curbs to a bigger quarterpipe?
MS: I think it’s easier. I’m learning more and more from the guys I ride with, that the faster you pedal, it’s a little more dangerous, but it makes stuff easier. So I just try to go faster and it makes everything kind of easier. You get more time in the air to figure out what you’re doing.
Lat34: You do huge tricks like they’re nothing every time you ride. 720 variations, 540 whips... those are contest or video tricks for some people. What drives that?
MS: That’s what I thought everyone did anyway, just doing your biggest and best tricks every day. That’s how I think riding’s fun. Doing your best tricks every day keeps it fun. That’s what Steve does, that’s what Daniel [Dhers] does… every day they’re doing their best tricks. I’m just trying to follow that, since it seems like it’s working out for them. Like in Portland, I was just doing my normal stuff, from a normal day, so it was fun.
Lat34: What’s up with your car?
MS: I drove it up from Miami, and it broke down in New Jersey. I had it towed to Woodward and it’s been sitting there.
Lat34: Was it all spray painted like that before it broke down?
MS: Half of it was, but then I just left it at Woodward and more people did more things to it. They broke some lights of mine…I was kind of disappointed about that, but I guess they didn’t care.
Lat34: How come you don’t have spinners on it, being Spinner and all?
MS: I wanted to go to Walmart and get the spinning rims for $29, but then my car broke down. The spinning rims are definitely going to happen. Once I get back to my business and get another great car, the spinning rims are definitely going to happen.
Lat34: If you make the finals at Dew Tour you’ll have $29 spinning rims next year?
Mike Spinner will be competing in the Dew Tour BMX Park Prelims on Saturday, October 14th. Follow Lat34's Dew Tour coverage to find out whether he makes it to the finals.
