We Don't Do It...

Sep 06 2006 / Los Angeles, CA

Not All Riders Subscribe to Living Life in the Fast Lane
 
The typical image of an action sports athlete is hardly hanging out in the gym, pumping iron and eating well. Usually when people think of skateboarders, BMXers and FMXers, a much different picture comes to mind. Something more like eating Slim Jims and getting totally wasted all night. But not all shreds subscribe to this image, in fact some of the best riders in the world do quite the opposite. These guys are athletes, after all. So meet four of them who you could bring home to mom as a good example of the action sports lifestyle.
 

Andy Macdonald Not only has Andy Mac met our former President Bill Clinton, but he spoke to the White House Press about his life as a sober athlete. View Clip>

Andy Macdonald
Skateboarding

Vert master Andy Macdonald is one of the most publicized sober guys in action sports. In 1998, he was actually part of President Clinton’s War on Drugs, and appeared in anti-drug commercials on national TV. He was even invited to the White House to meet President Clinton and speak in front of the anti-drug task force. Sure, it might not be hanging out in front of the 7-11, trying to find someone to buy you beer, but speaking at the White House is kind of a big deal.
 
A father, author, owner of a AndyMac, and 4th ranked Vert Skater on the Dew Tour, Macdonald probably doesn’t have a ton of extra time to spend wasted. But even if he did, Macdonald is one of the best examples of someone who’s used the clean and sober side of skateboarding to do something good. And hey, people only made fun of him a little about it.

- Video Clip of Andy Macdonald at the Dew Tour (2005 Orlando) View Clip>

- Watch a video clip of Andy Macdonald in action on Lat34. View Clip>

Gary Young
BMX

Gary Young Still cool for a non-drunken fool. Check out photos of Gary Young at the Dew Tour View Gallery>

Gary Young a 23-year-old professional BMXer from San Diego, CA has never drank alcohol. “I have seen a lot of people start drinking and get on the wrong path and stuff, not only with drinking but with drugs, I don’t want to succumb to that,” Young said.
 
But despite not being a drunken fool, people still think Young is pretty cool. Maybe it’s his riding. In 2005 he won BMX Worlds and the Metro Jam, and is currently ranked 5th overall on the Dew Tour for BMX Park. He is known for his smooth, fluid lines, and not being hungover helps with that.
 
And Young uses his sobriety for the greater good. “I’m usually D.D.,” He said. “I’m not against going out and partying and stuff. I still go out and have fun. I just choose not to drink. It’s usually a good thing because there’ve been a number of times that I’ve had to take care of a number of my teammates.”
 
Tom Haugen
BMX
 
Vert and Park rider Tom Haugen takes his healthy lifestyle to the next level. In addition to not drinking or doing any drugs, Haugen is also a strict vegetarian, and has been for half of his life. And at 30, he has never slipped off the wagon.
 
“The extent of my drinking is a wine cooler in the 8th grade,” Haugen said. “My dad also once tricked me into sipping beer when I was 7 or 8, telling me it was apple juice. I have never smoked, ingested, injected or in any other way put any type of drug into my body. I don't drink caffeine either, though I do take Ibuprofen when necessary.”
 
Haugen is currently ranked 8th in BMX Vert on the Dew Tour, and in terms of riding, staying sober doesn’t hurt.
 
“It helps in the sense that I've never had to ride with a hangover. But really, the only thing that will help with riding is to be on your bike a lot,” he said.
 
Kenny Bartram
FMX

Kenny Bartram No booze for this cowboy, just cool tricks. Check out Kenny Bartram's Bio here>

“Cowboy” Kenny Bartram looks much like the Marlboro Man, except with out the cigarette, or a beer. The 28-year-old, 7th ranked rider on the Dew Tour, is one guy who doesn’t do it.
 
“I don't like the taste of any sort of alcohol,” Bartram said. “Everybody tells me I need to acquire the taste for it. My response is, why should I willingly acquire the taste for something that is expensive, will make you feel like crap the next day, and at some point will get you into trouble.” A somewhat ironic statement from a guy who does a sport that has caused him 17 broken bones.
 
The real benefits of being sober are obvious in FMX though. “Just like driving a car, you need to have good judgment while jumping motorcycles 100 feet in the air,” Bartram said. “If you're drunk or hung over from the night before, you aren't going to have the same quick reaction times and so on.”  
 

-Brooke Geery