FAT BMX Magazine - FAT-JAM 2006. The 19th edition - BMX Freestyle

BMX Freestyle : FAT-JAM 2006. The 19th edition

Posted by Bart on 2006/8/21 13:00:00 (10315 reads)

What a day. The FAT-JAM on Saturday saw plenty of riders make it to the Sugar Hills. The trails had been modified during the week and with the little showers in between the sessions, the dust disappeared making the trails even better. New this year was the bank to wall that was only finished on Friday night and had yet to be ridden. Riders from all over showed up with a good number of local kids on BMX bikes. That's always good to see with the future of BMX in mind. The i-pod was plugged in at 13:30 on Saturday and the jam was on. The most asked question of the day was when it was going to start. Dude, it already started. No, the contest! well, there is no contest. To please the crowd we did have an open three hour session and were looking for the best trick on the wall, the worst crash and the best trick anywhere on the jumps. This left a good opportunity for everyone to turn it up a notch and for the media to take some photos or film some clips. Most riders don't even ride dirt but in Aarle-Rixtel they give it a try twice a year.

The jumps are small and sandy which is perfect to try to clear the lines. The little BMX kids that were flowing through the lines were a good motivation for everyone else to at least try to make it through.

Pim van den Bos didn't stop to amaze us with his dedication to learn new tricks. 3-whips, backflips and front flips are in the pocket but it was time for yet another one, the flip-whip. The double
been stepping it up for the Dutch scene which is awesome.

Barry Kohne grabbed two prizes in Aarle-Rixtel and was happy not to win the Best Crash category. Barry is another rider who doesn't ride dirt much but always comes to the FAT-JAM for the good time. Barry pulled fakie wall taps but his wallride to tailwhip out won the limited edition Eastpak bag. Barry downside whipped the hip and also went for the 270 DS Ali Whitton Whip over the hip for another limited edition rock star backpack. At the end of the day Barry learned a new trick over the first double, a turndown flip. Stoked he was.

Best crash went to FAT-JAM regular Wouter. His rasta bike didn't cooperate over the third double and he ate some Sugar Hills dirt. He said it hurt so he got the Eastpak bag. Later on that night he was seen dancing on the OJA dancefloor so we aren't too sure on his injuries from the crash.....Oerend Hard!?

It was the 19th edition of the summer FAT-JAM making it one of the longest running annual BMX events. It was free to enter, free to watch and you could bring whatever drinks or food you wanted. Life is expensive enough, why spend more. The line to get a run in was about 10 bikes long at all times. Everyone rode whenever they felt like it and chilled in between the sessions catching up with fellow riders they only get to see a few times a year. We packed up from the Sugar Hills just in time for the clouds to open up. We ate a "Frietje met" at the snackbar and went to OJA for the party afterwards. DJ Nikolai and JD Sinned got the riders on the dance floor with the help of some cheap or free Bavaria's. It was Paul's B-day at midnight which was celebrated by some to drink out of a rusty pair of handlebars. Beer went in on one side as a pilsner and came out on the other end as "dark brown" beer. Aaahhh whatever, it's all about having fun and for certain Saturday 19 August was a good day for that. Thanks to everyone for coming over.

BdJ

Sponsored by: Vans, Eastpak, EBC, Paul's Boutique, FATBMX.com

Read the FAT-JAM report and check more photos on the Kemo.be report.