Zen and the Art of BMX Vert – Serene Meditations Before the X Games

Aug 03 2006 / Los Angeles, CA Calm before the storm

There’s something a bit surreal about sitting in on the day-before activities at the X Games.
 
First, there’s the Zen calm of a laidback BMX practice session: Without the usual soundtrack and crowd frenzy, BMX Vert must be the quietest of all professional sports. Chad Kagy, Kevin Robinson, and Jimmy Walker were on hand to acquaint themselves with the huge ramp, blasting lofty one-footers and rodeo 540s as they explored the massive ramp in the austere silence of Buddhist monks.
 
The riders might as well have been practicing Zen archery, Tai Chi meditation, or motorcycle maintenance – if you’re watching the X Games and wondering how these riders find the focus to pull this mind-blowing stuff off, know that it’s the result of many nirvana-seeking days like today.
 
Time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done
 
Known as the Grandfather of BMX, Dennis McCoy is inspiring a new kind of awe among his peers this week as the BMX champion of the PartyPoker.net Big ThrowDown at the Bank of the West Beach Games.
 
DMC was on deck at the Vert practice session today on the X Games ramp, scoping out the contest conditions and collecting props from defeated poker pals Kevin Robinson and Chad Kagy,
 
“It was a lot of fun,” said McCoy, trying not to beam or let the dollar signs in his eyes show as he strapped on his pads.
 
He also beat out Mike Mancuso, Josh Harrington, and Van Homan to qualify for the final event, and heads to Vegas on Monday to face off with surfer Pat O’Connell, skater Sergie Ventura, FMX rider Jeff Tilton, wakeboarder Josh Sanders, and snowboarder Danny Kass for the $10,000 prize.
 
McCoy’s not on any of ESPN’s official competitor lists for X Games 12 yet, but in BMX Vert, you never know. As Paul Zitzer put it in his Lat34 blog, “Anytime there is a BMX contest, I always ask, ‘who wants to watch a few guys go to the hospital?’ Career ending slams are a dime a dozen to the bikers, but they always seem to be riding a week later.”
 
Just last week, John Parker broke his hand and knocked himself out in England, a new addition to his increasing collection of concussions. Then there’s Dave Mirra, who fell today in practice over on the BMX Park course. Maybe it’s time for everybody to take up poker?
 
Both Parker and Mirra are still planning to compete at X Games 12, but it’s no surprise to see some alternates riding around in the practice sessions hoping for a seat at the final table: Koji Kraft was also on hand for today’s Vert session, throwing some huge dog-piss one-footers with tongue planted firmly in cheek and generally taking it easy despite wielding an impressive aresenal of tricks up his sleeve. As they say, you gotta know when to hold ‘em. 
 
– Colin Bane