I don't ever blog or feel my life might as important as some of that boyz on the site! This is my second year at woodward camp, I remember the day i quit my Job In NYC and thought i'd give BMX a chance.
It's amazing how far you will go to follow something as crazy as riding a bike, how much you give up just for this passion, the amount of crap you are willing to take because deep down inside It's part of you, you can't stop thinking about it. i t burns deep down inside your chest when you can't ride cause it's snowing or raining or you're hurt or have to work.
How can some people sit on a couch most of their life living the eazy life and we choose to struggle to live out our dream?
About 3 years ago i was an Immigrant in this country, i was born in honduras and moved to the states when i was about 8. THE BRONX of all places( I thank my Mom for that one) None the less it was the biggest change of my life. I remember waking up in honduras and riding my bike from the moment i woke up to the moment i went to sleep. It was the most amazing feeling ( I felt free ) and than NYC, cold, wet, scarry, and no bike it sucked!!! We were poor and i couldn't afford a bike nor would I ask my mom who was at this present time cleaning toilets for a living just to make ends meet.
At about 14 i started to work at a bike shop close to my house and slowly save money to buy a bike; A GT performer. I bought a video too GT 4130, It was like a new world had openned up for me you could do all of these things on bikes Holly Crap this is crazy i thought. I started building small kickers out in front of my house and jumping over the local kids who thought i was LOCO, and than an older guy with a BMX bike rolls up and tells me about Mullaly ramp park that was only about 10 Blocks away. i got my boddies together that same weekend and off we went. We get to the main entrance and i can't believe my eyes all of these ramps it was dream come true. I couldn't wait to get in there and do do do anything. we go in and 5 minutes into entering one of my buddies get jacked for his bike by some of the local thughs ( ha ha Thug life son) They run off with his bike and try to take mine too. I held on to my bike with all my might and talked one of the guys into not stealing it from me. It worked and not only that but one of the older dudes that was riding the park got my boys bike back. We didn't go back for a year!!!
1995 and i started going back to the skate park i got my helmet stolen that day, so crazy. I was determined to ride this place and i tuffed it out. I kept going and started learning fast learned 360 in that a week and no footers and bang bang bang! It was like i was made for this, like my whole life started that one moment, like i had hit reset. Than a few months later I went to the KING of New York. It was unbelieveble, backflips, guys flying so high, bands and wresling ring. Too much for my brain to even begin to imagine. I know that BMX would be a part of my life for ever. That no matter what people told me it was in my blood. I learned anything and everything. My life revolved around BMX and by 1999 I was doing 360 flips 720s and touring with (hell on wheels) a stunt show out of jersey.
I was an Immigrant thought and that always hounted me. I was fired from the bike shop for being Illegal in 1996 and paited apartments and went to school.from 96 to 99. in 99 i was allowed to get a permit to work in the states and althought it cost $400.00 a year it was worth it. I was a pretty good unknown rider from THE BRONX NY where no one really gave a damn. I was now touring with this show team and figured this was a great way into BMX, NOT!!! Not even close this was farther from BMX than hangging out at MUllaly skate park in the getto. In 2002 I boke my wrist( Scafoid) and was off my bike for a year and a half. It sucked to know that what i loved to do so much also took me out. I was not working in construction,mixing cement, carrying sheet rock and plywood up and down stairs. renovating apartments and hating every moment of it. My love was from riding right! I had let it get away, I was so good and now i didn't even ride anymore. what happened? I started riding again slowly tring to get back to that time when i could do anything. That confidence that makes you believe that you are like superman. I now had two torn ACL's, fractured collar bones and tons of stitches and so on! You know the deal. I was back on track doing shows on week ends and riding once a week in between work.
Summer of 2006 i got home from a small tour and there was an envolope from Immigration. It was my green card; let me rewind for a second. I was supposed to get my green card in 2001 but things went wrong and i waited for another appointment than in 2005 Finally i was going to get it but the immigration officer didn't understand my case and denied my right to a piece of America. I went home and wrote a complete essay about every event i had experienced since 1988 when i moved to the states. A complete story of my life, everything including BMX and the this i had accomplished with this and went back the next day and gave this to her. She helped me out and gave me my freedom to be American( Some people will never know what thats like)
It was now time to live out my dream to ride a BMX bike to travel, to be a part of this community i love so much. I had put it aside so much and here it is the doors are openned right? I moved to Woodward Camp in January 2007 to be one of those guys you see killing it on a ramp. You know the dream, the one that hunts you. You know that you can and all you have to do is make it happen. The talent is defenatelly there you know it your friend know it. You have no i dea how you just know it will.
Is this it?????? I'm delivering pizza all winter long In the snow and my car keeps breaking down. there are time that I don't even know how i will pay for car parts or whats more important to pay for rent or phone bill. I don't know how I will pay for the next contest or plane ticket, hotel or how am I going to eat? Is this what all of those guys went through?? Is this the dream?? I love to ride so much and I'm willing to do this for it?? This is crazy!!!!
To be continued......................!
