Last few posts between Netley and Joel (on Dissrm blog) have kept me amused...
Is BMX on the decline? Maybe. For as long as I remember, I've been making my yearly trip up to Clapham Common for the Sprite Urban Games. Not this year though, the event organisers Haymarket Exhibitions decided they'd had enough and closed the event. The Bike Show earlier this year had a pretty poor turn out compared to recent years... and whatever happened to King of Concrete and the Backyard Jam? The BMX calendar is looking remarkably slim at a national level. So are things really going downhill?
What about the local scene? I guess it depends on what your definition of "scene" is? And what is "street" and what is "trails", "park" etc. My definitions are pretty simple. Trails = tight tees + even tighter jeans. Street = baggy jeans, big tees + new era flat cap. Trust me, my definition will hold true for 99.7% of the time.
Seriously though, what is important is if you enjoy riding your bike, and if you can actually find like minded people who share the same passion about riding as you do, then you have a "scene". On this note, I think the Southampton street scene is pretty strong right now. Just look what happened back in August. Fellow Bargate Centre resident Dave from Shakeaway had an idea to have a little organised street session with a few mates. I think in like 2 weeks, it had grown way beyond expectation to the "Street vs Tweak" jam and surprised everybody! Good times all round. Lets look forward to next year, which should be even better!
Street Vs Tweak pics
Yep, the local scene is strong. A week after "street vs tweak", a load of committed locals turned out for the annual Shirley Warren Jam on a wet Sunday afternoon.
Shirley Warren Jam pics
I also have 2 other dates penned for my diary, still local, but not strictly Southampton. One quid budget jam in Basingstoke on the 22nd September. Barend trails jam, 30th September - a more chilled out Sunday session than previous years. No prizes to compete for, just riding for fun, BBQ and beer!
So at the end of the day, does it matter if there is a "scene" or not? As long as you have fun riding your bike, and your riding can make you a few new friends along the way, that's all that really matters. Scene or no scene.
For all the locals (and not so locals too), thanks for riding, and keeping Pijin in business!
Local scene :
http://www.myspace.com/dissrm
http://www.xbmx.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/junctionnine
http://www.myspace.com/streetvstweak
http://www.myspace.com/blockonebmx
http://www.myspace.com/trailbore
http://www.myspace.com/authenticbmx
http://www.barendbmx.co.uk
(Sorry if i left you off the list, but these are the ones that come to mind at time of writing)
* Thanks to Dearsy for the pictures.
* Thanks to Alex Zardis for the video.
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