adrenaline

It was nearing the end of the first day at Barret Junction and everyone was at the top of the hill ready to take another run. The road was clear and the street lugers took off first as usual. Everyone was coming down the hill and it wasn’t until Doc’s corner that things went wrong.

Doc’s turn has the name for a reason. It is the fastest part of the road and it also the part where most of the gnarly crashes happen.

“The bike was coming up the hill towards the middle of the road and as soon as he saw me he veered to his right and I veered to my left” said Ryan Farmer.

They basically both tried to avoid the other person but swerved into each other. Ryan was probably going close to 50 mph down the hill while the bike was coming at about 25-30 mph up the hill when they collided. Ryan actually hit the bike so hard the forks on the bike bent.

“So when he came up the side of me he hit my hip, just a little bit lower then my ass, like just the top of my thigh, and then rolled up towards my shoulder. When he hit me the way that my tuck was on the luge, the tire hit my forearm and it pushed it into the side of the luge which then pushed into my side like rib area. What that did is pushed those two bones, the ulna and I forgot the other one. When it pushed it up it broke the ulna cleanly by the elbow and then dislocated everything right there and pushed the two arm bones up like an inch, so it made it look like my elbow was swollen, but it really was just where it was at and like the forearm was at the wrong angle. It was weird. It dislocated everything inside and I had another fracture going up the bone. When I went into the dr. they had to push it back into place the first night, and then the next morning they could do surgery.”

The road was supposed to be closed off and people were supposed to be stopping others from coming up. The guy on the dirt bike was a skater as well and he should not have been coming up the road at the time he was. Ryan is still alive and in good spirits but also in a lot of pain. This is a crash that never had to happen and is a good reminder to everyone to know what is happening on the road and that street luging or downhill skating are not a joke. People get hurt and usually it is unpredicted elements that come into play that cause the most damage.

The crash is one that didn’t have to happen but Ryan remains in good spirits about it and can’t wait to get back on his luge again soon.

When you think of motocross you usually think about guys racing and maneuvering dirt bikes through various different obstacles as fast as they can. The first time we met Laura and watched her ride it was very impressive. The 250cc dirt bike she rides is just as big as the boys and she definitely knows how to ride and maneuver it. She had recently moved to California from France and communicating was sometimes difficult but we managed to get an interview with her and her english is really good actually. She has many sponsors that help her out and is a big part of the French motocross scene.

Laura Bruneau (LB) – Bonjour!

Adrenaline Fueled (AF) – So you just moved to Riverside, California from France. What made you decide on Riverside?
LB – California is so far the best place to ride motocross, and Riverside is perfect because all tracks are like 30 min from my house.

AF – What is your favorite track to go riding at?

LB – I like Cahuilla Creek

AF – Is there anything you miss about France?

LB – I miss the food so bad! And my family for sure!

AF – How did you get involved in riding and racing motocross? How long have you been riding?

LB – My brother was an ex professional rider. I still wanted to do the same thing, but i was competing seriously in jumping with my horses, and my dad was scared to buy me a bike, but at 17 he told me. Ok, lets buy a bike, and it really started!

AF – What kind of bike was your first one? What are you riding now?

LB – My first one was my scooter at 14 years old. (laughs) I did jumps with it! I actually ride a 250 Kawasaki now.

AF – What is it like to be a female in the motocross world?

LB – I have two brothers, and I had grown up in motocross tracks, so I’m more comfortable in a guys world, they are more funny than girls. (laughs)

AF – What is your favorite thing about riding your motocross bike?

LB – I think it’s the same with every sport. You feel bad when you stop. Its like a drug.

AF – Have you ever had a bad crash?

LB – I already had 9 fractures, so yes I can say I had bad ones. The worst was when I broke my hip, collarbone and my hand in the same time. I had to spend one month in an hospital bed.

AF – Is there anyone that you look up to? Who’s your favorite rider?

LB – I’m not really a fan, but Travis Pastrana is the coolest dude I think!

AF – I understand Motocross is not the only sport you enjoy. What other sports do you participate in? Do you compete in anything else?

LB – I ride in Snowscoot. I did my first competitions last year, and it’s a lot of fun! I also like Mountain bike, wake boarding and I still like horse riding.

AF – Are there other sports you’d like to try?

LB – I would like to ride in downhill mountain biking, but it’s as expensive as motocross, and it’s impossible to do everything.

AF – Cheese rolling is very popular in France. Have you ever participated in a cheese rolling event?
LB – (laughing) It’s a legend, I’ve never heard about this before.

AF – How is the food in America compared to France? How do you like Americans eating habits?

LB – In America there is a big problem with the products, it’s too fake, apples looks like plastic, milk have no taste, in France we eat a lot Organic food, and cook. Fast foods are really occasionally for us!

AF – Who do you ride for? Would you like to give any shout outs to friends?

LB – I want to say thank you to all people who support me: Troy lee Designs, DC Shoes, RXR protect, Isaw, Maxima Racing Oils, 100%, Matrix Concepts, Nost suspensions, OP designs and Blackmountain Snowscoot.

AF – Thanks Laura! What do motocross people say?

LB – à bientôt, see ya in french

You can become a fan of Laura’s on her facebook fanpage.

Ninjacats: JBall from Ninja Cats on Vimeo.

If you have ever tried to ride a fixed gear bike then chances are you know how tough it is. I have never seen anyone ride a fixed gear bike the way our homie Jonathan Ball rides his. I don’t even know how half the stuff in this video is possible. Burly crashes, stairsets, gaps all while pedaling the whole time.

Look out for Jonathan Ball to innovate the sport of fixed gear biking as his list of tricks grows and grows.

Make sure to go check out his blog called Suck My Cog for more action. – Lee

Bonelli is always a fun time but as far as all the racers are concerned it’s a super lame race…..yet they still come.
The course used to be a straight line until quite a few years back now they added the right hand turn into it.
The turn is kind of technical though. It is pretty flat after the turn so riders must hold their speed as much as possible through the turn to win it.

This causes many crashes since everyone is trying to take the line as fast as they can but not so fast that they slide or crash into the hay bails.
The hay bails lining the turn are the best 3rd basemen in skateboarding. I call it crash corner due to the large amount of crashes.

This actually makes for a very entertaining event for the spectators also.
There seemed to be a lot less crashes this year compared to the 2010 or 2011 races we attended. That’s not to say there weren’t a lot of crashes, but there weren’t as many.

For those who don’t already know Bonelli is a sanctioned IGSA race. It is actually the U.S. Nationals. The race is not just downhill skateboarding but also includes street luge, classic street luge and inline rollerblading.
The big story of the day is 18 year old Daniel Luna taking 1st place in the open division. Great job Daniel!

Team Movember soars to first place at Red Bull Flugtag San Francisco in McCovey Cove. Photo By: Garth Milan, Red Bull Content Pool

An entertaining day full of cheesy dance skits, colorful costumes and many unsuccessful attempts at flight. The Red Bull Flugtag event brought 116,000 spectators to McCovey Cove, right outside of the San Francisco Giants stadium.

Thirty-five teams lined the streets getting ready for their turn to launch their homemade crafts off a 30 ft tall ramp. These crafts had requirements to be under 450 lbs including the pilot and to be less than 30 feet wide.

The Red Bull Air Force Team skydove in and landed on the dock. Soon after that a song that must have been named “jump” started playing. All I could see was orange hair and pom pom’s bouncing around everywhere as the team danced around their float.

“Extra long, super talented, their sweating. Time to get into your pizza tub. ” said the announcer.

The pilot got into the craft as the other 4 members of the pilot crew pushed the craft off he end. The craft flipped off the end catapulting the pilot off the top. He ended up in the water at about the 30 ft mark.

Team Sugarskull shows that freeing your mind is a good thing through their craft. Photo from:Garth Milan, Red Bull

Each team had their own little skit they performed. Everything from men painted in full body paint as different cats, to guys in American flag speedo’s. There was a banana float, a Nyan cat, a flying Dia Del Muerte style skull (2nd place) and even a flying dragon.

Team Movember decked out with fake mustache’s won the contest flying 58 ft. “The superior engineering of the most distinguished of mustaches cannot fail,” said team captain William A. Hinkamp.

The Californauts won the people’s choice awards flying a huge surfboard into the sea.

My personal favorite was Team Skyjackers which was the third place team. The team all dressed up as Jack from Jack in the Box in all suits and a big white bobble heads. They all started bouncing and dancing around “kinda in coordination” to a popular rap song….”Poppin’ bottles in the ice. Like a blizzard. When we drink we do it right getting slizzard……” After shaking their buts around and dancing like corporate geeks the pilot climber up a ladder and into the taco pilot cabin on top of the aircraft. “You gotta go faster then that, you gotta go faster than that. Go, go!” Yelled the announcer. They pushed the craft off the end and it soared to about 60 ft. The pilot didn’t even get wet, still safely on top of the craft in the taco he sat.

Winners celebrate at Red Bull Flugtag in San Francisco, California, USA on November 10, 2012. Photo by: Garth Milan, Red Bull

At the end of all this hilarity Team Movember got the bragging rights and won an unforgettable day of skydiving alongside the Red Bull Air Force team.

The second prize winners Team Sugarskull won a chance to sail the sea’s with ORACLE TEAM USA in ttheir chase boat.

The third prize winner s Team Skyjackers won a chance to go to iFly and participate in some indoor skydiving with a member of the Red Bull Air Force team.

Jesse Swalley, 50 from Palmdale, Ca finishes the 26.2 mile Adrenalina Race pushing the whole thing on his hands and sitting on his knees. Swalley can’t stand up while skating due to a paralyzed leg. Photo By: Lee Eisler

The Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon. 26.2 miles consisting of 6 circles around Fiesta Island in San Diego, Ca.

Riders arrived at 5:30am decked out in spandex pants, sweatbands, water and skateboards, ready for a 6 am starting time. The misty cool drizzly morning left the path nice and wet making pushing a little more difficult.

Before the sun was even out the race was on.

4 laps around Fiesta Island in San Diego, CA made up the 26.2 mile marathon.

With around 100-150 competitors, traveling from all over the US and some even from other countries as they competed to win $5,000 in prizes.

The 1st place winner Andrei Hippix, NY took home $1,500. 2nd place took home $1,000 and 3rd place took home $200.

There were more cash prizes awarded to different classes and everyone seemed pretty tired and beat by the time we arrived.

(Click here to see a complete list of the results)

Our friend Jesse Swalley who you might remember from our Can’t Stand Skating article completed the full 26.2 mile marathon on his knees pushing with his hands the whole way. He skates this way because one of his legs is paralyzed. “My leg kept falling asleep,” said Swalley after the race.

Swalley not only did the 26.2 mile marathon on his knees pushing with his hands, but he is also 50 years old. Chew on those facts all you youngsters who think 2 miles is far.

Anyways the marathon was a success and everyone who participated seemed to have a lot of fun. – Leecifer

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THRASH! Let me just start off this post by saying that the Bake and Destroy skateboard “riot” was both rad and bad.

Having an event that gets this many skateboarders in the community together is rad no matter what. This video premiere didn’t have skateboarding included in the schedule of events. Nor did it have a riot planned, but that doesn’t mean an adrenaline rush wasn’t about to be experienced by all 500 eager skateboarders waiting in line to see the Bake and Destroy video. The excited skaters lined the streets to see Baker Skateboard’s first video in 5 years.

I’m sure that being among the crowd of 500 skateboarders with 100 cops in riot gear and 3 helicopters hovering above, that had to have been a pretty rad time.

Now with that being said the whole thing kinda makes the whole skateboard world look pretty bad. As far as riots go this was extremely tame. Cops showed up and people for the most part didn’t know what to do.

Usually when you see a riot on TV cars are being flipped, burned and cops are forcing people off the streets with their riot shields. This DID NOT happen here.

Unfortunately people will not look at it that way. They will see the videos of everyone chanting “fuck the police, fuck the police” and just think we are all punk kids. There were also kids running over cars, shop windows were broken and bottles and rocks were being thrown.

Here’s how the day went…

Saturday October, 13 2012 The Bake and Destroy video was premiering on Hollywood Blvd. A crowd of around 500 skateboarders waited outside lining the Hollywood Blvd, some of them there all day. “I got here at 7:30 a.m. If you get here 2 hours before your fucking up,” said the guy in the front of the line.

With 2 showings planned, the first was an industry premiere for all the pros and company owners. As the first showing was underway kids in the back of the line and people who had been waiting all day started to get bored. Unfortunately bored, skateboarders and kids don’t all go together too well.

Laser pointers were being flashed into apartment windows. Someone in an apartment started shining a laser pointer right back. There were then kids throwing rocks and beer cans at cars and buses.

It wasn’t long until police were dispersed. 2 police helicopters arrived to spotlight the happenings and 100 officers in full tactical swat gear arrived making a perimeter and shutting down Hollywood Blvd.

People threw rocks and bottles at police officers and it took officers around 3 hrs to disperse the crowd of 500 skateboarders. No injuries were reported and 2 cars were reported damaged during the incident.

As all this was happening outside the premiere, inside the industry viewing was underway. “This is a fucking skateboard video! You live and die for skateboarding! You want some? Get some! Bake and fucking destroy!!!!” and with that being said the “play that shit” button was pressed and the video was under way.

In the middle of the industry viewing the people inside the theater started to hear about the riots outside the theater. At the end of the video security started to let everyone out the back doors of the theater.

As people filed out the back doors a police helicopter spotlight lit up the back exit. “That’s when we knew it was going down out front.” Police officers in riot gear quickly shut down that exit figuring that letting these people out would only add to the chaos.

After all was said and done this was just another night in the skateboard world. Bake and Destroy will be sent out with the next issue of Thrasher Magazine and it will be available on the internet in a couple months for free. Skateboarding rules! – Leecifer

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Sitting on his board feet first, long grey mustache trailing him in the wind, Jesse Swalley came flying past everyone at around 40 mph. But this isn’t always how he skated, “I skated up until the day I got my injury. I even had my skateboard with me the day I got stabbed,” said Swalley.

Swalley was born in 1962 and skated throughout the 70′s. “The first time I skated I was 7 years old,” said Swalley. “I think my first skateboard was made by the Red Wagon Company. It was one of those wooden ones with the metal wheels on it.”

It was around 1973-74 when Swalley really started getting into skateboarding.

It was 1980 when Swalley joined the Navy and set off to sea. Swalley worked the flight deck of an aircraft carrier moving airplanes around for a majority of the 2 1/2 years he was on the carrier. He also did some firefighting for around 6 to 9 months.

Swalley brought his skateboard onto the aircraft carrier with him while he was out to sea.”I would skate on the carrier and they used to laugh,” said Swalley. “Everyone from back east used to trip out because they were like, you’re like the typical California stereotype. You got the skateboard and your always talking about going to the beach.”

Being born and raised in California that’s all Swalley knew. That’s just what he grew up doing. “I was the only one on my boat as far as I knew that had a skateboard,” said Swalley. “It was cool. It was in experience. I got to go to some cool places. Skated in Australia, the Phillipines, Hawaii, San Diego. A lot of San Diego skating.”

Swalley’s life was changed on June 26, 1991. “I got stabbed because two guys were trying to jump on one of my friends coming out of a bar because they had some sort of dispute and I jumped in to help and the guy grabbed me, had some sorta knife and stabbed me and that was it,” said Swalley. “I actually didn’t even realize I got stabbed at first. I just thought that guy had one really hard punch that took me out.”

The stabbing cut Swalley’s spinal cord in half at the t-12 level. “I got stabbed in the back and then they got me 4 times under here (motions to around just under the armpit area) and they said I was gonna lose use of both legs and this arm, and I was in a wheelchair for awhile,” said Swalley. “I was told the day after I got stabbed, after the surgery, they said I’d never walk again. The first thing I said is if I cant walk how can I skate?”

With a strong determination to walk again Swalley went through several different braces to get to the one he wears today. “There’s no muscle control in my leg so my bones are just resting on each other, so the brace helps me from crushing my bones. My legs slowly degenerating and the doctor says that one day it will fold backwards. I don’t know when that will be but until then and even after then if there’s still a way to skate I’m gonna do it.” Swalley said.

Swalley was 28 when he got stabbed. June 26, 1991 was his last day on a skateboard for 20 years. “I never lost the inspiration to skate, I just finally realized that there was still a way for me to skate,” said Swalley.

Swalley had entered the 2011 Venice world record skateboarding parade, before he even realized he could still skate. The 2011 Venice world record skateboarding parade actually fell on June, 26, 2011. The 21st anniversary of the actual day that Swalley was stabbed, but in order to be in the parade you had to be able to skate in it.

“I was messing around in my house and I sat on my board in the position I ride in, I pushed myself around and figured I could do it so I gave it a shot and did it. Ever since then I’ve been skating,” said Swalley.

Sitting on his board on his knees pushing himself and stopping himself with his hands, Swalley realized he would need something for his hands. “I was practicing riding with gloves and they kept falling off,” said Swalley.

He then invented a new type of glove for himself that he calls the Shoves. The Shoves are basically cut up, modified shoes with both of the ends cut off. Swalley basically modifies shoes to become shoes for your hand. Swalley uses his shoves to push himself and as brakes to stop himself.

“The person with the biggest smile on their faces is the winner,” David “Slash” Hackett told Swalley. You see Swalley on a skateboard with a big smile doesn’t go away. “That’s what inspires me most is that I’m able to do it now, whether I’m doing 2 mph or 20 mph. I love it it’s that cool feeling. It’s moving fast,” said Swalley.

Skateboarding is not only fun for Swalley but a great means of transportation. Without a skateboard Swalley would need a fast electric wheelchair to get places. Walking is very slow for him. “It kinda feels like I’m walking on stilts,” said Swalley.

“I mean sometimes I’ll ride the buses, and if I had to get a bus from right here, I mean I’d have to go down there to catch it. (Motions towards the bus stop about 2 blocks down the street) I’d take about a good half hour to walk that far probably, maybe 20 minutes. I don’t know, I walk slow but on a board I’ll be there in like 3 minutes and I’ll avoid having to ride a bus from here to there. It’s so cool. I love it. I mean I get around,” said Swalley.

Getting a bike was something that Swalley thought about, but even on a bike he could only do so much pedaling with one leg. “I can’t go up hills because of this leg wont pedal,” said Swalley.

Obviously sitting on your knees on your skateboard can be hard on the knees. “The hardest part is just the cramping on my leg.” said Swalley. “All my weight is on my one leg so it’s a lot of work on my good leg.”

Swalley does all sorts of skating. He started getting back into it just by pushing around town but after meeting up with local skaters like Jesse Murillo and Chritopher Angeles and they started getting him into the skateparks. Swalley learned how to 50-50 grind again, learned to ride transition, and even learned how to do various tricks in the park.

Lately Swalley has been getting into downhill skating and has been loving it. There is even a video of him laying down face first going around 35-40 mph on a skateboard. “I wish you guys could see it if my leg was good. you would see how much into it. I would be doing pools, downhill all that shit,” said Swalley. “Dude, I did 19 miles the other day. That’s cool, none of my friends skate 19 miles just for fun. Most people are like; your crazy dude. But It’s something to do and it’s fun. I don’t lose interest.”

“Marc Juvenile, he skates across the country and stuff, because it’s a cool feeling and it’s a lot of work but it’s fun. It’s fun to be able to say I did that,” said Swalley. “It’s just something I won’t stop doing. You know skate until I die. I really like that saying. It’s really a true saying.” – Leecifer

Jesse is supported by The Pharmacy Boardshop in Palmdale and Victorville, Ca.

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