Well, I am home and as I write this, I'm sure that Joe is smiling and belching and Scott's face is probably a little red. I abstained from the post-jam shenanagans due to lack of funds and.., well, cramping in my legs. Basically I rode my ass off, enjoyed my tricks and experience the pain as an honor bestoyed upon me by my battle-worn body.
Really alot of tricks went down both nights. Friday, the warehouse was host to Darrel, Devin, Brett, Justin, Joe and I. Devin rode about as long as any of us, which was cool. No dog shit this time, either. The good vibe we shared left me excited for the following day, when Canadians would be there, including Billy and Travis Collier.
Saturday, Coach had me up early. No lethargic dreams, this time. We gathered up the goods and headed out, getting to Conastoga first, along with Adam, a videographer who was filming/interviewing for a spot on a cable show in Eugene. He made us sign release forms with our own blood while he made horns on his forehead and mumbled in Latin.
Devin and Justin reversed roles for this jam; Justin showed up hung-over and left early, while Devin rode hard all day and impressed with his tricks. I was impressed with Devin, to say the least. It was also nice to ride with Canucks, again. Nels brought a van full of his buddies, including Billy, Travis and another guy, who I didn't get a name for. It was great watching Collier going through his dialed tricks and combos, but the person who really kept me going strong all day was Billy.
Billy is one of those riders who stoked you merely by being stoked to be on his bike. It's that simple. The plethera of styles at the jam ranged from James (fork-wheelies and hydrants) to Collier( you fuckin name it). I don't really remember what people were doing because I was focussed on my tricks all day.
My M.O. was this; Get the hole-shot and snake Justin or Nels, then do my trick and hope someone got it on film if I happened to pull it, then roll over to my spot against the wall and watch Billy go through his smooth switchy combos and get stoked...then repeat. All day. I loved it.
You boys have fun in Canada next weekend. Bring home some of the energy for me...I love this shit.
I want to say that Joe puts alot of his energy and time into his jams and they are getting better. Thanks, Coach. At this point, these are the best things I have been a part of. You really know how to throw a party, and I think right now you are really getting this scene together.
~J
