The BMX In Our Blood

Hey everyone! It's been a while but fortunately I'm rolling again with Podcast Episode #136, Ben Achison. I threw "Night Digger" into Ben's episode announcement because I will always be in awe of his passion for trail building at whatever hour he can do it. As you will hear, Ben has worn a lot of hats, all of which are really amazing. From BMX racing to BMX State Commissioner to BMX trails to running to trail building, Ben doesn't stop. Enjoy the podcast and give those courtesy laughs to the dad jokes and genuine laughs to Ben's craziness! Thank you Nick Caporuscio for calling in to bring true stories that will make us all wonder, does Ben having food throwing issues? Anyhow, laugh and enjoy! If you want to support the podcast monetarily please message me through IG @gromdad2000 or FB Messenger at Joe Doherty. As always, thank you @nagooarts (Todd Breau) for the podcast announcement artwork.

Episode 135 - Brooks Manbeck by Interviews with the BMX community

Do you have the patience to get a bike park started in your area? How about 6 years of patience! Joe Lodato did, barely! The story you will hear in this podcast talks about the difficulty and the reward of persistence. Joe talks at length about how to make the dream happen and the challenges along the way...and why you should never send an email or message that was written under stress for at least a day after you write it ;) Congratulations Joe, the non-profit C.L.I.M.B. organization and all of the volunteers for a job well done in building a BMX park that will last for years to come! Learn more about the Percy Raynor Bike Park and CLIMB through the following links... www.percybikepark.org www.climbonline.org IG - @percyraynorbmx FB - Percy Raynor BMX Park

Episode 133, finally! Sorry for the long wait between podcast interviews. This one is worth the wait, Alan Foster. What an amazing guy. Alan has been involved in so many interesting layers of life that include BMX beyond what I expected. Alan is extremely modest so listen close and learn about the Cali transplant from Maryland and his trip around the Country which eventually brought him to my house for a great visit with his wife. We had a pretty good time and even experienced dinner in a local jail. 51 year old rebels. We aren't done yet!

What could be better than trapping Jay Dalton in a room to talk about all things BMX and Moto? Well, having Chase Pauza and Jamie Bestwick be the surprise call-ins didn't hurt! Jay is such a modest dude so when you flip through his Instagram it's pretty wild. He is an incredible bike rider and equally as talented on a 450cc motocross bike. Enjoy! A shout to Southside_bmx (Kyle Mcdonald) and Southsidebmx.net from Ireland for the podcast donation, much appreciated! Please DM me at @gromdad200 or FB Messenger at Joe Doherty. Any donation is helpful. If you are not able to donate, no problem! Please subscribe to the podcast and give a rating. Thank you in advance! Thank you once again @nagooarts for the podcast announcement graphics and @artvideophoto for the amazing shot of Jay! #bmx #bmxpodcast #bmxtrails #bmxfreestyle #ctclaimsjaydalton

Gabe Sharp of Shadow Riding Gear and Standard Bykes was another great surprise of my quick trip to the Wheel Mill a few weeks back. It is so much fun to learn about people you never would have known if not for people appreciating people. Gage was suggested for #thebmxinourblood to me by Ron Bonner of Shadow Conspiracy, Subrosa and Shadow Riding Gear. Ron couldn't have been more perfect with his suggestion. Gage was a great guy to get know and gave me even more appreciation of Cleveland and the surrounding area. And he can ride like a son of a gun too! Trigger warning, some explicit talk happens during the Instagram questions part of the interview. Good times and great laughs were had! Thank you for the Gage Sharp picture Murphy Moschetta!

Nina Buitrago rules! Not much else to say, you just have to listen to Nina's stories of living and taking chances in every part of her life. We talked about her many adventures, her career, the Olympics and her continued support of the women's BMX scene. I could interview Nina each year and come out of it charged up and educated on living the best life. If you can't get enough of Nina you can look back in The BMX In Our Blood archives to Ep 17 for my 1st introduction to Nina and the uphill climb she made to crowd favorite status. Please consider donating to the podcast as I run the show unsponsored as I did for the 1st 50 episodes. DM for my PayPal address if you choose to chip in. Thanks! Podcast graphics by Todd Breau and this months podcast picture by Murphy Moschetta. Thank you guys!

I really lucked out with a few awesome guys and an amazing woman for The BMX In Our Blood podcast this weekend at the Welcome Jam at The Wheel Mill. Jamie Thayer was one of them, and what a pleasant surprise he was! Big thanks to Ronnie Bonner for connecting me with Jamie and Gage Sharp (in a future episode this month). Jamie was great....and ended up winning a good handful of cash courtesy of the Welcome Jam at The Wheel Mill. In this interview you will hear Jamie's brother Dylan also. Dylan is an amazing videographer (and rider) that creates amazing edits. The Shadow Riding Gear edit he put out was awesome, check it out when you have a few minutes. Another thanks to Noah McBride of The Scenes Not Dead. I met Noah just before we started recording and he sat in and helped with come questions, it worked out great! Anyhow, congrats to Jamie for the new sponsorship with Shadow Riding Gear and getting hooked up with Subrosa too! The thumbnail picture for the podcast image is by Shaun Jordan.

EP 128 - Jesse Gregory With Joc313 by Interviews with the BMX community

Episode 127 is all about giving back and Carley Young exemplifies giving back more than most anyone I know. This podcast interview was recorded during Women's Weekend at Ray's MTB Park in Cleveland Ohio. A busy weekend to say the least! Carley and Nina Buitrago killed it. Ray's was packed all weekend long with women supporting other women while learning through clinics put on by Carley and Nina. It is important to note that Women rode for free at Ray's for the entire 3 day weekend! As you will hear, Carley instructs skills clinics all over as well as putting on Ride Like A Girl clinics as well. AND there is a Ride Like A Girl BMX racing team. Watch for the next Ride Like A Girl weekend at The Wheel Mill in Pittsburgh on March 26th and 27th. Don't miss it! As always, a big thank you to Powers BMX shop and museum for sponsoring the podcast. Please consider ordering from Powers for all of your BMX needs as well as a trip through the history of BMX by checking out the Powers collection. Lastly, thank you Todd Breau for taking care of the podcast announcement graphics. Always appreciated! Have a great week and stay safe!

Here you go, Part 2 of the Darren Meenan interview with The BMX In Our Blood (@thebmxinourblood)! A lot of conversation about Darren's business, The 7 Line and motocross racing. Darren is absolutely determined to succeed when taking on a challenge and these two topics are no exception. Apparently Darren has taken on the challenge of winning our Supercross Fantasy league as well because since this recording he has held on to the red plate with a slight lead over Keith Terra (@k_terra) after week 3 of the series. A big thank you to Chad Powers of @powersbmxshop for continuing to sponsor the podcast and to all of you out there that subscribe and like the podcast! Have a great week everyone!

If you don't know Darren Meenan you will know him well after this 2 part episode. Darren is one of those types of people that when thrown a challenge or taking one on by his own drive, he works at it until the goal is reached. The 7 Line in particular is such an amazing story that I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't witness it myself at his office/warehouse on Long Island during this recording. Originally from Queens, Darren spent plenty of his youth as a NY Mets fan. When it came time to make some money Darren showed his true Long Island hustle that has become a common story with many of my interviews with the BMXers from the area. That hustle landed him a unique Mets licensing deal for NY Mets merchandise. There is so much more to the story and it is all in Part 1 and Part 2 of Episode 126 of The BMX In Our Blood. BMX and Motocross are huge in Darren's story and are exactly what I was looking for. Darren puts it all together explaining how BMX started it all for him and how if not for BMX he wouldn't be where he is today because of Manmade BMX and BMX in general. So enjoy Part 1 and be ready for Part 2 toward the end of this week. Thank you all for listening and have a great week! Joe www.the7line.com www.manmadebmx.com @manmadebmx @darrenjmeenan @the7line https://the7line.com/blogs/the-7-line/51208769-sports-illustrated#

Josh Guyer of DWA4130 is one modest dude! Josh and I were able to meet up at the recent Oakwoods Chili Jam in Massachusetts last Saturday. It is a pretty relaxed conversation with a guy that is juggling more than most and you would never know it. One of the balls in the air of this juggling act is raising money to give back to the trails and the riders. It is pretty impressive as Josh does this from his home in Minnesota when not on road trips to New England, Pennsylvania, Texas or New York or working as a union electrician. It was just a great conversation with a really impressive rider that loves the BMX trail scene. Thank you Oakwoods crew for giving me the place to record and an awesome day of riding! Word to the wise regarding the chili...always start mild and from the right! You can find frames and soft goods from Josh at www.dwa4130.com As always, thank you Powers BMX Shop in Richmond, VA for sponsoring the podcast. Chad has an amazing shop and BMX museum going in Richmond that is awesome to visit and a great spot to buy online with a pretty amazing inventory! Podcast announcement photo by Tasha of @tjl_photo

The TRA BMX race never disappoints! So many people that I would have loved to record but as a huge fan of BMX I had a hard time stopping watching! I was still able to grab some great conversations that I hope you enjoy! The weather, the invite list, the track conditions, the Gentilcore family, Darryl Nau announcing...It was amazing! Huge congrats to your winners, Vic Behm, Nick Fix and Matty Cranmer. Well deserved! Can't wait until the next one! Follow TRABMX.com on the web or @tra.bmx on IG. Thank you to PowersBMX.com (@powersbmxshop on IG) for sponsoring the podcast and all of YOU for listening and surprising me with your thoughtful comments on the podcast. It means far more than #'s to me!

EP 123 - Olympian Payton Ridenour by Interviews with the BMX community

What a great couple days with the Road2Recovery Jam on July 25th and the opportunity to record Mike Aitken for #thebmxinourblood I'm pretty sure either of us could have fallen asleep at any given moment as midnight closed in but we got it in! Kind of like right now as I write this! I think you BMX In Our Blood fans will like this one. Lots of fun talk and real talk about traumatic brain injuries and keeping your spirit up no matter what. The surprise call in by Garrett Byrnes was perfect. Always fun and always heartfelt. Anyhow, thank you Mike for sticking it out and coming out to Connecticut allllll the way from Utah with your family! Another big thank you to Fit Bike Co and Odyssey for helping to get Mike and his family out here. It was so great to see Mike and have him there signing posters and shirts. Too many to thank but a really important one is the Trumbull BMX track for allowing me to hold the jam there. Thanks for listening and please subscribe and follow the podcast as I close in on 4 years! Your support has been amazing!

Episode #121 - Shannon Gillette, what an interesting conversation with a guy that clearly knows his way around the United States because of his childhood as a military brat and BMX. If I remember correctly from this interview, Shannon has been with USABMX for about 25 years after starting as a CDL driver for them and worked his way right up the ladder to marketing. It was really nice to give Shannon a platform to talk about whatever he wanted to. My personal goal was to get to know Shannon and talk about his experience with BMX to kind of...qualify him to be one of our stewards of our beloved sport. Pretty ridiculous, right? I think many of us actually do that and we certainly talked about exactly that. It turns out Shannon, as you will hear, has been involved in some way with BMX for 40 years or so. Flip through the pictures on my post for this episode on IG to see what I'm talking about, Gromdad2000. He goes way further back than I had ever thought and he is beyond modest about that! So feel confident that Shannon, as well as many others in the USABMX office, have the experience to keep BMX moving forward with our interests in mind. Thank you Powers BMX Shop for continuing to sponsor the podcast while preserving BMX history in the Powers BMX museum. While shopping at Powers online check out Curtis Cantwell's latest craziness in the bio of @powersbmxshop Unreal! Also, thank you @nagooarts for keeping up with the last minute podcast announcement requests! Couldn't do it without you!

Bonus EP - Bobby Iovinella Dedication - Tri City's 40th Anniversary by Interviews with the BMX community

Have you ever meet someone that gives you a renewed faith in humanity? Christian Arehart is one of the rewards of patience. I'm not saying I was heading toward quitting the podcast but it is a challenge sometimes that can get you feeling that way. Christian is a fantastic conversationalist and is great at articulating his experiences and gratefulness. You do not find that as often these days in 18 year old kids. Congratulations to Christian for finding his own way to experience a happiness and contentment that people of all ages could learn a thing or two from. So thank you Christian! Keep enjoying the ride that we call life! Also, thank you to @joshmcelweephoto for the podcast announcement photo and @nagooarts for pulling the graphics together! Thank you to the sponsor of the show, @powersbmxshop powersbmx.com I couldn't do it without you guys! Lastly, the @road2recovery fundraiser is coming up quick. July 25th at the @trumbull_track_bmx If you are able to donate BMX memorabilia and/or raffle items of any kind, please do! Also, if you all want the pit bike race to happen we need about 20 bikes that must be 16" wheels or under. Huge thanks to the Trumbull crew along with @andrew_mcconnie @rj__reale @thiskid_jonny and more for getting the jump lines ready for the jam!

The Woodward East stop of the USABMX Freestyle series was amazing! Aside from Woodward being the best BMX playground in the world they had the perfect setup for the contest. All the way from lodging to a huge variety BMX terrain to ride, Woodward does it right. When you add the incredible staff of USABMX Freestyle to the mix you end up with a perfectly run event with great judging, efficient schedules and super happy amateur riders. What was really cool was that USBMX was able to include a UCI contest on the last day of the event giving our Olympic hopefuls some competition for the first time since before the Covid pandemic and before the next UCI event in France. I was really impressed that these Elite athletes watched all of the amateur classes and cheered them on and took photos with the finalists and anyone else interested. Like racing, freestyle Elite professionals are so accessible, that is something we should tap into as often as possible. In this podcast you will hear riders of all ages and skill talk about their Woodward USABMX Freestyle experience, including @themajorbmx What a pleasant surprise Marshall was! I would like to offer most sincere thanks to the staff at Woodward and the everyone at USABMX, Tony D, Shane Fernandez, John David, Shannon Gillette (podcast with Shannon coming up)Travis and many others that were working both the freestyle event and the Gold Cup BMX race at the same facility. The Ivory Tower analogy that some of us have joked about is so far off, I even saw holes in Shannon's shoes that proved it otherwise. They work a TON of hours weekly and love their jobs! Anyhow, thank you @PowersBMXShop on IG and powersbmx.com for continuing sponsor the show and do great things all around the mid-Atlantic states and beyond. Check them out for all of your BMX needs and the biggest BMX museum around! One more big thank you to Kevin Robinson Jr. (@krobjrbmx)for helping me get the contest competitors over to the #thebmxinourblood podcast booth, it was perfect and there is no better person to do it! A great kid with a great future in BMX.

This episode has a couple things going on. Most importantly I was able to interview Rich Vatalaro, one of the most dedicated volunteers I have had the fortune to work with at the annual fundraisers that I put on. Rich is such selfless person that just loves to have a good time and help the cause each year. In addition to that Rich is a blast to ride with as we gently age. The other focus of the podcast is to talk a bit about this year's Road2Recovery Jam at the Trumbull BMX Track in Trumbull, CT on July 25th. It was great to get some feedback from Rich on some events he would like to see and the events he loves to see year after year. I would like ask each of you that have the ability to donate, please do so! We are always looking for raffle items and silent auction memorabilia or larger items. They do not have to be BMX related. On the auction side of things I should tell you that even though you may think it isn't of value to the fundraiser (last year's Taj T1 frame blueprint and the Brian Foster Fit complete 22” come to mind) they are incredible fundraising items that really help Road2Recovery out. As Ground Chuck says, the object isn't to get a deal, it is to bid more than what the item may be worth. So plan on lots of fun with so much to do at the event…and meet Mike Aitken! While you are at it please say hello to Rich Vatalaro and thank him for his hard work at making the event successful. A big thank you Powers BMX shop for continuing to sponsor the podcast and helping ease the costs that go along with it. Be safe everyone and enjoy the interview with Sir Richard Vatalaro! Intro music Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia Outro music Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots

I first met Kevin Robinson Jr. at the Find Your Fight Jam in 2018. The night before that jam Kevin and I were working on a Hoffman bike that Mat Hoffman had sent Kevin to start riding a level up on. Three short years later KRobJr is riding competitively all around the Country and riding for Ron Bonner and Subrosa! It is absolutely crazy how fast Kevin has progressed. His 1st flair was around a year into riding. Just amazing. Kevin Sr. is watching from above and clearly so proud of what an amazing young man Kevin has become, just as much off the bike as well. Huge huge huge shoutout to his mom, Robin Robinson, and his Uncle Kenny Robinson among others that have helped bring Kevin to the level he is at with so much love and support. Something that I would love to have all of the listeners pay close attention to is the move USABMX Freestyle has made to create a competition platform for amateurs that is helping riders like Kevin have a goal in competition and a pathway (as you will hear) to the Olympics if they so desire. That was not happening previously. I am so impressed by the hard work of Tony Degollado, Shannon Gillette and the staff at USABMX for making the series happen. You can find the easily by searching for USABMX Freestyle on IG or or their website. Enjoy the listen and keep your eyes out for these outrageous rippers as they progress while building friendships for a lifetime. Thanks for listening and thank you Powers BMX Shop in Richmond, VA for continuing to support the show, it wouldn't happen without them! Support those that support the show!

Just In Time Justin Loffredo! There is so much that makes up Justin's incredible life experiences and so many that I wasn't aware of! If there is one message that I hear the most often prior to sitting down to interview it is that the subject of the podcast doesn't feel worthy. I will keep plugging away and put these people of BMX history to accept that they have made a difference and accomplished some of life's greatest achievements...happiness and pride. Justin sure has made Long Island proud and created bonds that, although with occasional gaps of time, will last a lifetime. THAT is something you will here much about in this podcast. I'm extremely grateful that two of Long Island's finest, Tom Bivona and Keith Mulligan, accepted my request to call in and remind Justin of his importance to them and others. The stories and laughs will last forever, as they should! Stick with the podcast because even at 3 hours it moves along quickly and is so entertaining. Thank you Powers Bike Shop for continuing to support the podcast. If you haven't already, please try them out for your BMX needs at.... https://powersbmx.com/ Also, if you are into BMX history jump on to https://www.powersbmxmuseum.com/ It is amazing! Last but not least, thank you https://oldbonestherapy.com supporting these old bones. I've always believed in the product and am so grateful for their support...get it...support? Podcast Dad joke. Anyway, give any number of there products for BMX of any kind as well as running, skating and more! Thank you Todd Breau for the podcast artwork, always greatly appreciated!

Episode 115 - Dave "Whitey" Williams by Interviews with the BMX community

Another step out of the box for The BMX In Our Blood, an interview with John Badessa based on his book, Fit2besick. John is a former BMX racer and World Champion from Rhode Island that had the mindset of a champion. As you will learn through the podcast, champions suffer too. When John faced unexplained exercise fatigue after years of endurance sports he thought the answer and solution to the problem would be a much easier fix then it was. Stick with it to the end and you will learn about how to be your own health advocate and think trust your gut. You can find John's book on Amazon by searching Fit2besick. Once again, thank you to Powers Bike Shop for continuing to sponsor the show. Although I am grateful for the Powers sponsorship it doesn't cover the expenses. Please consider donating to the podcast through PayPal at josephPdoherty@hotmail.com if you like what you hear and I'll do my best to keep it going! Also, as you will hear in the intro there is a GoFundMe for the funeral expenses for Dave Pawson who unfortunately passed this weekend. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. You can find his GoFundMe by searching for "Funeral Costs For David Pawson aka BMX Legend". Still quite a shock for the BMX community that we are all a part of. That's it for this week, enjoy it and live every day with no reservations!

It hasn't always been this way but I'm a bit less hesitant with podcast interviews with people I don't know much about. Thankfully people like Chris Childs are out there because he exceeded all of my hopes and expectations by being one of the nicest and most comfortable conversations. Huge thank you to the ever humble Chris for your gift of time for all of us to listen to. Special thanks to Matt Coplon of Profile Racing for being the surprise guest this week. Matt's call in was perfect! Also, thank you Circuit BMX for letting us your space for Chris and I to record after his work shift there at one of the most popular BMX only shops in the Northeast and beyond. Check out Chris's new venture "No Exit" and his recent edits "Welcome to S&M" and "Running Out of Daylight". Also, check out his band Remainder (RemainderMA) on Bandcamp. At the beginning of the podcast you will hear the single "Reproach". Holy screaming cheetah wheelies, they are wild! Stay safe and be ready for the John Badessa interview in the next two weeks. It switches gears from the majority of my podcast and really focuses on health as well as the danger of exercise/competition fatigue that can cause some real health issues. Lastly, please contact me through Instagram if you are able to support the show with a monetary donation. As with most of us times are uncertain and the podcast could always use the assistance. Thank you! ~ Joe

Words can't describe the emotions felt by everyone involved in making this happen starting with Jenn Lyman of Foothills BMX. This was quite possibly the most moving experience I have had outside of my family. This was all BMX family in it's purist form. Thank you Roger Plaskett for towing the line and taking our little project to levels neither BMX sanction have seen up to when you took the program to such a high level, all while assisting on the National level with announcing events across the Country. You are in the BMX Hall Of Fame! So happy for you Roger! #thebmxinourblood is powered by @powersbikeshop and @oldbonestherapy For this episode we also have @devotedclothing Support these entrepreneurs that support the sport and this podcasts!

Most of what I do in life are spontaneous yet thoughtful moves, this interview with Jane is one of them. I first zoned in on Jane McCarthy's work as an RN during the pandemic when I read a few of her Facebook posts that were, we'll say, written under extreme stress during the late winter/early spring of the rapid onset of Covid. She was accurate in her reasoning and frustrated at the lack of concern. At that time it was more of a light hearted joke relating the virus to Corona beer. Honestly, even those little things contributed to more complacency, in my opinion. I have known Jane and her family for a few years now as we end up at a lot of the same events and their volunteering at mine. Listening to Jane tell her story can be heartbreaking at times. If you are like me in any way you may have been suspect during the early onset of Covid...it only hurts the weak and old, it's no worse than the flu, etc. I feel like an idiot after listening to Jane tell her story of working huge hours and trying to protect her husband and children from her Covid exposure at her job at the hospital. If you take just one thing from this podcast let it be this, if you don't think the threat is real, think about the others in your life. It is far bigger than you. The preventive measures required are the least you can do for your fellow humans in this crazy world we live in. So mask up, clean up and stop the spread...for others, not just you.

This was and is a tough one for all to say the least. Roger Plaskett has been an absolute on going legend in Connecticut BMX. His on the track leadership as well as his amazing NBL National announcing is nothing short of amazing. Roger has unfortunately been given the news that he has an incurable illness and most recently two strokes. Roger is a fighter and is probably pushing his was out of medical care as we speak! In addition to his leadership in BMX in general there are so many things that Roger has done for the sport with our current local track (Foothills BMX)in Torrington, CT for over 27 years as well as Thunder Alley BMX in Bristol, CT as well just to name a few. Please keep Roger and his family in your thoughts. For somewhat obvious reasons I have hammered this podcast out in hope that Roger can hear the love the BMX community has for him. Thank you Tim Brown for the announcing Audio from 1996 and thank you to Todd Breau for once again whipping up the podcast announcement graphics with no notice! Lastly, thank you Powers Bike Shop in Richmond, VA for continuing to sponsor The BMX In Our Blood and the hidden support (pun intended) by Old Bones Therapy with huge array of products for joint pain and support.

Everything you have heard about Ekim King, it's true. He is one crazy dude with more talent and passion than most any two of us combined. There isn't much more I can say aside from what you are about to hear. Thank you Ekim and the Catty Woods crew for your years of hard work. A special thanks to Garrett Byrnes for the call in! As always, thank you Powers Bike Shop for sponsoring the podcast.

Women's Weekend, a gathering of women from all over the USA and Canada that love BMX trail riding. I love covering this event because of the super positive vibe that goes on there each year. The veterans of women in BMX riding together with those that may have just started, like the unicycle seat woman in the last interview clip! As I have in the past, I only covered Saturday at Catty Woods. Before I started podcasting I did go to the Sunday at Posh as well, day two of the weekend, and it is just as awesome as Saturday. So another successful year in the books by Taryn Hipp and the women volunteers. It seems that with the continued success and growing numbers Taryn and others will keep this annual event going with no plans of stopping! Put this together with Carley Young's Ride Like A Girl events and the future for women in BMX continues to look bright on the East Coast!

I don't get too nervous for podcasts interviews as often as I used to in the beginning but Payton Ridenour brought that out of me through being such a well spoken 18 year old with just so many accomplishments! Payton tried hard and patiently to explain the progression levels on the path to Elite Women status within the UCI World Cups and USABMX National classes. So interesting and helps explain the challenges that she is progressing through. With such great parents (Karen and Keith Ridenour) Payton has just the support she will need to make her ultimate goal a reality, one of which is earning an Olympic medal. Another big piece of the puzzle to make this happen is through her coach, Arielle (Martin) Verhaaren (@amv15), someone that clearly knows how to make it happen. Enjoy the interview along with the surprise call in from Carley Young (sk8bmxchic)as she delivers her questions and comments to this incredible young lady. As if all of this isn't enough Payton has a children's book coming out, A to Z: BMX Style, possibly by Christmas if all goes well! Thank you to @powersbikeshop for continuing to sponsor the show and @oldbonestherapy for keeping this 50 year old man comfortable when riding, running, etc. as well as younger BMX shredders, @joc313 and @russbarone Podcast announcement photo by the amazing @tjl_photo and artwork by @nagooarts Thank you both! Payton's sponsors are: @mongoosebikes @flybikesbmx @e6racingcomponents @onyxracing @potterplates @answerbmxusa @hrpdesigns @wd40bike @shimanobmx #soxsmith @evssports

Rad Chicks Society, possibly the most important movement going on right now for women looking to challenge themselves with an action sport. The leader of this monumental passion project is none other than Nutmeg State resident, Jessica Nason. Jess is so well spoken and dedicated to her project 200%. Mind you, she covers motocross, mountain bikes and BMX for starters. Some of the highlights of the episode surprise call-ins from Nina Buitrago and Joce Camarra and then Jess calling the sweetest Rad Chicklette, Callie Atchison. Please support the major efforts of Jessica by purchasing coffee, coffee mugs, shirts and more! Find the store link in the @radchickssociety Instagram profile. Thank you again Powers Bike Shop for supporting the podcast! Hit them up on @powersbikeshop on IG, Powersbikeshop.com or the old fashion ring a ding at 804-308-1847 for any BMX needs or maybe just a history lesson! Podcast artwork by Todd Breau

Part 2 of the Tim Strelecki podcast! I hope you have listened to Part 1 before Part 2 but there is really no wrong direction when listening to Tim Strelecki talk! This entire podcast is amazing but the take away is absolutely toward the end of the interview. Tim mean what he says and we should all pause to ponder what this message may mean to you as a friend of someone that needs an ear to listen or someone have a difficult time with addiction. We all have something. We also have the ability to help ourselves and others. Pick up that phone. Answer that call. You just never know. Thank you Tim and Darcy Strelecki for the hospitality and visit. It may have been the longest and fastest trip for #thebmxinourblood but I have had a hunch for a while that this interview had to happen for so many reasons. I hope you are as grateful as I am that Tim was able to share his story. Send him the love and appreciation he deserves for being as strong as he is. There is only one Tim Strelecki and we are so fortunate to have him with us. Thank you Tim, for everything you are and will always be. Thank you Powers Bike Shop for continuing to sponsor the show along with Old Bones Therapy the co-sponsor. You can find these great people at: powersbmx.com powersbmxmuseum.com oldbonestherapy.com Don't forget the Ride For Recovery fundraiser at the Trumbull BMX Track on July 26th, just two weeks away! Can't wait to see how well we can do for this amazing non-profit! You can learn more about them at road2recovery.com Podcast announcement created by Todd Breau with the photo by Tedd Nelson. Thanks guys!

Part 1 of possibly the most amazing subject I have had the opportunity to interview for #thebmxinourblood This is only Part 1 and I'm so grateful that this happened. I lost count of the National and World Championship #1's that Tim accomplished but it is somewhere around 9. Most racers are fortunate to be in the top 10 once nationally let alone world #1. Listeners may not know but I'm a huge fan of world tour road cycling and happy to fight to get my lycra cycling kit on for a ride so talking with Tim about his transformation into endurance cycling and racing is awesome. One of the highlights of the episode is the Danny Bailey call in. If you don't get choked up you may want to check your pulse or your moral compass. It is nothing short of completely a part of BMX history that will always be remembered. Stay tuned for Part 2 where Tim really dives into substance abuse and transforming himself into a road and cyclocross phenom. Oh yeah, I should probably mention that his sister Jen is married to some guy named Brian Foster. Thank you Jen for the perfect intro. As always, thank you Powers Bike Shop, Powers BMX Museum and Powers Pre-owned for supporting the show. Also, thank you to Old Bones Therapy for assisting my body in keeping those runs and rides in along with some BMX in between! Check out both companies. They are both passionate about BMX and I thank them for that! Lastly, the Road2Recovery Jam is back on!!! Follow my IG handle @gromdad2000 for info on that. I'm looking for auction items and raffle goods as soon as possible, it is only 3 weeks away on July 26th at the Trumbull BMX Track in Connecticut. Any help is appreciated!

Switching things up a bit with Episode 103 and getting back to a BMX racer. There is none better than Shawn Diprete from Massachusetts. Listening to Shawn describe his focus and intensity is pretty amazing. Some pretty important lessons in here for the younger generations as Shawn talks about the importance of staying out of trouble during those important years of development, the teens and early 20's. Shawn doesn't sugar coat the effect of his actions and how they came to be. The amazing part of Shawn's story is that he was able to put that energy into winning BMX titles, the most important being the 2013 USABMX National #1 Cruiser title. That means he had the most points with all age groups combined. There is only one winner each year and in the Northeast he has the only #1 title ever awarded. I loved that Shawn is searching for the fun in riding bikes after 4 decades of competitive BMX racing. He still loves racing but wants to let that competitive focus ease up a bit and learn how to have fun again. I'm pretty sure Jason Carnes' Berm Academy tour was a catalyst for this thought process as they toured around riding DJ and BMX bikes. Until next time, be safe and have fun! Big thanks to Powers Bike Shop for the sponsoring the show and Old Bones Therapy for co-sponsoring. Support those that support the podcast, thank you! Podcast graphics by Nagoo Productions, thanks Todd! Podcast photo by BMXActionPhotography.com

As much as we joke around on this episode about the amount of free time Jonny Nemecek has to ride, Jonny is way more than that and I'm sure his friends know that. Now you can learn how hard Jonny works to live his life his way after 50-60 hours of work each week as a multi County licensed Master Electrician. Not so coincidentally enough I was waiting last Saturday for Jonny to get home from work to record his podcast. I always have a list of interviews I would like to do and many of my decisions are based on what I'm feeling at the time. I was feeling like Iearning about the personal life of Jonny and wanted to hear about work, friends, family and future. His situation is far more intense than I expected due to a heavy job in electrical contracting. Yet he still makes the time to ride when most of us wouldn't. And ride at a high level as well! It was really nice to see my BMX daughter Joce Camarra in her new digs at Jonny's house as well and of course Rito! Soon to be a true BMX house with trails included. A great afternoon was had and once again Long Island delivered! Graphics by Todd Breau, thanks Todd. The BMX In Our Blood is sponsored by Powers Bike Shop in Richmond, VA. One of the best BMX only bike shops online and at the physical location. Find Powers at powersbikeshop.com

I can't think of many better situations to be in than among BMX riders that are so passionate about what they do that I have no chance of reeling them back in! The Stoneybrook Trail crew in Charlton Massachusetts was just like that. What I wanted most out of this podcast was to capture the joy and determination of this fairly new trail scene. So positive and in it for the right reasons. I cut out nearly 113 f-bombs so about half of them are edited out. Hey, when you have people as grateful as this group, you better expect it! Anyhow, great people with amazing hearts. Just what we all need in this strange time we are in. @stoneybrooktrails84 on IG

Surprise FBM! Episode #100 was dedicated to FBM a month or two ago but not quite the way the recently closed bike manufacturer may have thought. This episode was created by the FBM community in their words based on a basic question, what did FBM mean to you? You will hear some really consistent answers to this questions and as always, great stories. On behalf of your followers and fans, we thank each and everyone of you that held it down to the end of this chapter. Steve Crandall, Mike Erb, John Corts and John Lee...you are appreciated beyond what any of us could put into words. This podcast is just one step in showing you how much the team, distributors, shops and friends value what you have done since the early 90's. I apologize for the sound quality, various equipment was used so the volume is sometimes affected. Just crank it up when you need to! Order of appearance: Kaleb Bolton Bobby Proctor Kelly Baker (thank you Vic Bettencourt for the assist) Matt Coplon John Tillman (Chunk) (Thanks again Vic and Cara) Latane Coghill QBP - Jay Schlie Jay Schlie - personal thoughts Seamus Mckeon Dani Lightening Bolt Dillon Leeper Lukas Halahan Nathan Halahan Shane Halahan Kaci Halahan Jen Halahan Mike Halahan Stew Johnson Cara Bettencourt Vic Bettencourt Declan Murray Shane Leeper Chad Powers Kenny Horton Garrett Ginch with the banger to wrap it up! Be sure to keep an eye out for JC Metal Works if you are looking for the same FBM builder to fabricate a frame for you now. As always, thank you Powers Bike Shop for sponsoring the show, Brian Iarocci for the website assist and Todd Breau for the new podcast announcement while we give the amazingly talented Nuno Oliveira a break to focus on his job at Odyssey/Sunday and his Defgrip website (which is amazing!). See you all soon and please stay safe in these tough times. Joe

Although I'm fortunate enough to be able to go to work still, many of you are not. It may be a while before I get back on the road to record my next interview so here is my best improvision based on your questions. The purpose of this episode is for downtime entertainment but also to raise more $ for @bone_deth (Sean Burns) after his major spinal cord injury. Please head over to propsbmx.com to purchase Sean Burns stickers (the shirts have sold out). The stickers qualify you for raffle tickets so make sure you jump on there no later than tomorrow night. As far as this podcast, I'm looking for people to match my donation from this podcast up to $100. You could match 25%, 50%, etc. Let's see what else we can do for Sean. This money will go into Seans GoFundMe account www.gofundme.com/f/sean-burns-spinal-recovery or contact @sean.burns.recovery Congrats to @stew1201 for working the over time to get this done. The raffle is looking amazing as well!

This has to be one of my favorite episodes! I know it is longer than usual at 3 hours and 40 something minutes but you have plenty of time to listen as I won't be getting out to record again until Coronagedon blows over. Tom Bivona is a really special mid-school Long Island trail and race guy with the best laugh I've heard since I started recording 2-1/2 years ago. Well actually, Danny Bailey is another fantastic laugher. Gratefulness. Such a simple word but not expressed often enough. The highs and lows Tom has been through would make most lose their laugh and their gratefulness, not Janice or Tom Bivona though. I'm a very grateful guy but not even in the same ballpark as Tom. Please do yourself a favor, immerse yourself in this one and appreciate Tom's journey thus far. In the meantime, please stay clean and safe everyone. It's very difficult to find solid footing during this slippery slope of cautiousness and panic. On the BMX side, please do your best to get down to Swampfest for the postpone date of May 23rd. Trey Jones and his crew have worked so hard on this and could use a huge crowd as a thank you for their hard work. Also, I am announcing our Jam officially tomorrow. It will be on July 26th at the Trumbull, CT track with some wild events. The beneficiary will be Road2Recovery as their need is great as much now than ever. More on that later. So anyhow, enjoy Tom Bivona and start thinking about what you are grateful for.

Episode #97 - Ground Chuck Revisited by Interviews with the BMX community

I'll assume that most of you listeners out there don't know as much as we all should about flatland BMX. Although Brett Downs rides almost all disciplines of BMX (very well at that!) flatland is an important part of his BMX story and a fun story it is. Brett was kind enough to roll with my crazy schedule and we had some fun with the interview! Brett is also one of the best manufacture reps in the business. On top of that you also see Brett at almost every event. Just a huge supporter of all scenes. Please subscribe, donate (thru the website), like, comment...whatever suits you. As I head toward the 100th episode I'm starting to zone in on what I would like that to be. This may take time so be patient. In the meantime enjoy Brett Downs and look forward to the Ground Chuck revisited episode soon after along with Long Island legend Tom Bivona. Have a great rest of your week everyone! www.thebmxinourblood.com You can find Brett through his day job as a Sparky's Distro Rep for Shadow and Subrosa that puts him all over the East Coast and more. You can always reach Brett through Sparky's or his IG account, @BDC4130

Everything you want to know about Fingers Crossed is right here in this podcast! I was pretty excited to learn more about Ruben Alcantara and Garrett Byrnes newly released project. As of now Fingers Crossed is all about building your own fun, much like Steve Crandall would say! The basic premise is the amount of fun you can have riding a 20" BMX bike with suspension on any terrain. I'll leave the interpretation of this project up to each of you. What I do know is that Ruben and Garrett have something really cool going on and I'm very psyched to see what direction this goes! Garrett and I definitely spend some time revisiting some of his last podcast with me (episode #38) as we talk about the impact and rejection of the stigma of self help. There is a bit of everything for you all in this one! So enjoy and learn more about @fingerscrossedbmx on IG while it evolves week by week. As Darren Meenan said, if Ruben and Garrett are involved it is going to be good, and it is! As always thank you for listening and consider subscribing to the podcast and jumping on the www.thebmxinourblood.com to donate and check out past episodes. Coming up next, Brett Downs followed by Ground Chuck McCrea.

Another great event in the books! Be sure to check out @gromdad2000 on Instagram for more pictures and thebmxinourblood.com to learn more about the podcast. Please consider donating on the website to keep it going. Episode 100 is coming up! It's been an amazing experience over the past 2 years and a few months. Huge shout out to the Wheel Mill! Harry and the Potoczny brothers (Mike and Mark) for once again putting on an amazing event. I think I can speak for quite a few people about how fun and important the Welcome Jam is to the BMX community! I'll apologize ahead of time, I really got into some great conversation with a few friends and people that I hadn't met in person so the event interviews didn't go exactly how I had planned BUT isn't that what the Welcome Jam is all about? Coming up next, Brett Downs then Ground Chuck McCrea! Next trip out to the Wheel Mill will be for the Next Generation Jam on April 18th, 2020! Have a great week everyone! Joe

Alright, this week we are going from some of the nicest guys in BMX (Brian Boneau - Episode #92 and Paul Radosivich Episode #91) to one of the most modest guys in BMX, Brian Iarocci. I really appreciate the time that I was able to spend with Brian. Brian will forever be known as another as one of the best riders out of Long Island as you will hear through his peer's questions/statements because Brian won't admit it! Brian is also one of the few that have stayed in the cycling industry in some capacity. Brian currently lives in Columbus, OH and works for the Roll Bicycles (rollbicycles.com and @rollbicycles on IG). In his spare time, which doesn't really exist, he asked to be part of the podcast in a behind the scenes role. We talk about it a bit in the podcast but make no mistake, he has to work hard on keeping the website current with links to the podcast as well as a secured Square Space donation option, the podcast doesn't exist without it. Don't be fooled by Brian minimizing his role in the podcast, if not for Brian there is a good chance the podcast wouldn't continue. Coincidentally another Long Islander, Nuno Oliveira, has been helping out with the weekly announcement graphics. Please follow DEFGRIP.NET and @defgripcrew on IG, a creation of Nuno's that is so perfect to catch up with all kinds of BMX personalities and events. Basically, I have no idea how I became so lucky to have both of them in addition to the amazing @tjl_photo and @powerbikeshop They have made the podcast and the fundraising events much easier. So anyway, enjoy the Brian Iarocci podcast and consider donating to the podcast through the website, thebmxinourblood.com THANK YOU!

Now and again I like to fit in podcasts with BMX friends that may not be as well known but are really important to me personally. There are so many reasons why Brian Boneau is appreciated and respected. Brian's qualities aren't limited to being a great father, he is just a great person. Brian is the type of guy that wouldn't just give you the shirt off of his back, as he gently takes the "kick my ass" sign off that was taped on the back of that shirt to be sure you aren't inconvenienced by an ass kicking. Oh, and he just happens to be the biggest fan of BMX that I have ever met! Because of this you can only imagine how big of a deal it was to have Stu Thompson walk into the VIP room where were recording at Ray's Bike Park and sit down just as my interview with Brian started. It was a big room with Stu on a couch about 15-20' away so his voice is difficult to hear so just crank up the volume for the 1st short part of the podcast, it's worth it. The sound gets far better after that. It's not to often an absolute legend of BMX unexpectedly sits down in the middle of a podcast so I just let it ride. Brian has some seriously good karma because the next day (at the Old Fools Jam) Brian was randomly paired up with Stu for the pump track relay race! I will have pictures on my @gromdad2000 Instagram for you all to see. Anyway, the intro to the podcast is once again for RadShare.org, an organization run by Nate Hanger and Steve Crandall to get kids on bikes with the appropriate safety gear. Please check out their site and help however you can. That's about it so relax and listen to the 2nd nicest dude in BMX, Brian Boneau! I'll let you all guess who the 1st nicest guy is. I'll give you a hint....John Lee.

Wow, what a packed couple of weeks of BMX and the podcast! This week's episode is absolutely with someone I didn't know at all and came out of the interview feeling really rewarded and grateful that Paul Radosevich made the time for me. Especially with Ray's Bike Park having one of their biggest yearly events this same weekend, The Old Fools Weekend. For those that don't know, Paul is a full-time employee at Ray's and a master ramp builder as well. So much to learn in this one if you keep your ears peeled. Thanks again Paul, it truly was a pleasure.

Shain Bollen and his crew have outdone themselves once again! This may have been the 10th annual Old Fools BMX Jam at Ray's bike park in Cleveland. Or the 8th or 9th, no one is sure but everyone there wasn't there to count years, except maybe their own as winter knocks the fitness levels down. The event includes a Chili Cookoff and a pump track relay race for starters! Pretty awesome! In this episode you will hear the lead fool talking about all of the things he and his friends are doing each year to spread the BMX good times in the Ohio area and beyond. The rest of the podcast holds a variety of brave souls checking into #thebmxinourblood podcast booth on the mezzanine of the @profileracing room, all having an awesome time at the jam. Thanks to @raysmtb and @oldfoolsbmx for keeping things awesome!

Angelica and Ed Pollio are pretty amazing. Something about New Yorkers, their determination and passion against the increasingly difficult hoops they need to jump through is nothing short of amazing. The 5050 Skatepark in Staten Island is as unique as each of the five NYC boroughs. Every passion project floors me and grabs my attention. Maybe because I thought I have had a few challenging BMX passion projects in my BMX life but I don't think they come close to the hurdles Angelica and Ed have persisted through. I often talk about the NY hustle when interviewing New Yorkers, it is real! Anyhow, please give this story a listen and apply it to your strategy if you are embarking on a journey to give back to your community. 5050 can always use donations to keep their dream alive so look them up and do what you can. Help make sure this resource doesn't go away! Special thank you to Bryan Close of Brooklyn for being a guest for this podcast. Nothing better than having a New Yorker join in and be part of the podcast. Thank you Angelica and Ed for being amazing people that know what giving back is all about while making a difference in the lives of so many through the park. You can find 5050 on Instagram at @5050skatepark 5050skatepark.com Their merch store is through eBay by searching for 5050 Skatepark. Also, check out some other amazing projects of Ed's on Instagram @nydac Last but not least, thank you to Powers Bike Shop for sponsoring the show. #thebmxinourblood can be reached through me at @gromdad2000 or at www.thebmxinourblood.com where I gladly accept donations to keep the podcast going. Thanks!

A bit of a change of subject for podcast #88 and I'm really excited about it. Nothing is better than exploring and learning about what else is out there all around the world. I have always been intrigued by the AT (Appalachian Trail) and have done my share of seasonal and winter camping as well as miles of canoe camping. One of the perfect interviews for the subject of hiking and exploring is Danielle Breakell aka Red Panda. Danielle was super generous with her time while visiting her family in Connecticut. I will likely do this kind of diversion again so keep an ear out for it and let me know what you think. I won't be starting another podcast platform for it yet because, well, it is expensive and takes a lot of time. I truly believe listeners of The BMX In Our Blood will enjoy the occasional change up and appreciate the diversity of the podcast. Learning about the training and confidence it takes to hike the AT made Danielle the perfect interview for this 1st of a few hiker interviews over time in between BMX podcasts. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity, thank you Danielle. Enjoy the listen and be sure to look up Red Panda's blog through www.trailjournals.com if you want to read her account as she successfully managed and completed the 2,189 mile AT hike. See you Old Fools at the Old Fools Jam at Ray's indoor bike park in Cleveland the 2nd weekend in January and/or the Welcome Jam at The Wheel Mill in Pittsburgh the 3rd weekend in January. Lots of good ones interviews coming up! Have a happy and safe New Year!