FAT BMX Magazine - Chad Kagy interview - Profiler

Profiler : Chad Kagy interview

Posted by Bart on 2008/10/29 23:30:00 (3224 reads)

Name: Chad Kagy
Age: 29
Hometown: Gilroy, CA and now living in State College, PA near Woodward Camp
Sponsors: Amp, DC, Failure, Bell, Kicker, Team Blowin it, Albe's,

The vert schedule doesn't seem to stop. What comps did you do in 2008 and which ones are still on the program?
Chad: NBC did a skate comp with a BMX demo in Beijing in April followed by the Asian X Games in Shanghai a week later in May. Dew Tour started in June in Baltimore, MD. Second Dew Tour in Cleveland the middle of June. The next week was the Soul Bowl in Southern California with X Games the following week in August. A few weeks later was the 3rd stop of the Dew Tour in Portland, OR. just a few weeks later was the 4th stop of the Dew Tour in Salt Lake City. In October I went to Steve Crandall's Ghetto High Air Challenge with the final Dew Tour in Orlando the following weekend.

In between all of those events were photo shoots, road trips, video shoots and one Motorcycle Racing School. I've been home about 50 days total in 5 months. Next up is the LG Championships in Seattle on Halloween, I go to an auto show for a sponsor directly from that comp. Achim Kujawski has a T-Mobile comp in Berlin, Germany at the end of November and I go home for 7 days before flying to Dubai to finish off the year of events.

You have been giving Jamie Bestwick a run for his money, do you have any special tactics going on for the Dubai X-Games with $ 100.000,= USD on the line for first place?
Chad: Jamie and I go back and forth a bit and I'm trying to make it a little more often that it has been, ha ha. We're running the same comp format we used at the US X Games and it makes for a weird event. With five 30 second runs and your 3 best runs count I'm going in with my consistent hard tricks for a few runs to put up a good score and then let loose with the new bangers if everything goes well. I'm after the #1 spot at that event. I'm not going to be bummed if I don't win but I'd be soooo stoked to win 100k at a single vert comp.

What's your feeling of Dave Mirra riding vert in Dubai? What are you expecting?
Chad: My honest opinion is that I don't think he should've gotten an invite. I know why they gave him an invite but it's been years since he's ridden in a vert comp and there are a lot of other actual vert riders that deserve an invite from riding damn good over the last 5 years that didn't get a spot. I'm not trying to step on anyones toes but I'm just calling it how I see it but then again I'm not the organizing body picking the people to ride nor am I the TV company putting on a show that they're trying to get ratings for. Having him in our event will definitely get more people to watch, the all time most gold medals won by an X Games athlete and the former host of an MTV show. His name associated with this event will bring in more people. The comp format we're using now is going to allow Dave to take runs up to 30 seconds and he still has some vert skills to tap into. I've seen him to 5-whips, double whips and flair whips on big quarters in the past few years so I know he can bring it. The format will allow him to take short runs if need be and put up scores. I think he'll place well. I'm hoping he comes to ride camp with us some time soon, brush up on those vert skills a bit.

Bike sponsors are hard to find in the vert class, just heard that Simon Tabron and Steve McCann lost their rides with Mongoose too. Do you have an explanation for this?
Chad: Vert is a bit of an art form and it takes time to figure out how it works. I've done everything from street riding to dirt to park and mega ramp so I'm allowed to say some this. Other than flatland, vert is the hardest things to figure out but like most things that are a challenge... its worth it to put the time in and get the feeling of a 12 foot air. Park and street have a quicker learning curve so kids can huck themselves for a year or two and be "pro". Companies have taken advantage of the fact that street riders are so young and how many there are so they can pay next to nothing to have a team of 6 riders where they used to pay 2 well known riders a decent salary. Youtube has changed things too, an unknown kid can do something cool in his hometown and an hour later everyone knows about it and he gets his 5 min of fame, it used to take months for videos to come out and magazines to show the action that people had been talking about. Vert is that thing that all bike riders respect and think it's cool cuz it's nuts but don't want to put the time in to elarn how to ride it the right way. There are a ton of kids riding street and they're going to buy a street riders signature bike. Not all kids know that a bike designed by a vert rider or street rider can be used on anything else so they're going to buy a "street" bike. I'm not offended by that at all, it's the way the world works. I just ride what I want and have fun with it all, you guys just don't see me riding trails or street cuz I compete on vert and that's what's shown on TV and the internet.

You have had some serious injuries but still you are not afraid to go big. What did you do to make a complete comeback to the top level after breaking your neck?
Chad: I did all my physical therapy, listened to most of what the doctor had to say as far as being cautious. I built the muscles back up as quickly as I could and took things slow on my bike. Sometimes an injury is a good thing, at no point will I say it's good that I broke my neck but I learned a lot from it. All that time off my bike got me thinking of how I got broken so badly and how to land certain tricks smoother to not hurt my neck again. I also approached learning tricks different. I would learn how to do the trick but I now figure out how to get out of the trick if it goes wrong at different points of the trick. Basically I prepare how to best crash without getting hurt. The time off my bike also let me think about a lot of things I wanted to learn. I had a lot of time on my hands.

Do you think more/better safety gear is a must to play it safe(r), or do you say it's up to everyone personally to do what he wants to do?
Chad: In most cases the major injuries are a rider error not a safety gear malfunction or lack of. We have room to improve on our safety gear by a lot, there is a lot of technology out there that could help protect us better but there is a point where no matter what you're wearing will not save you if you're dropping down 20 stairs to flat ground and landing backward, or going 50mph on the mega ramps 70 foot jump. If riders analyzed what they're doing a bit more and understood what it takes to pull the trick as well as what they need to do to get out of it if it goes wrong then we might have a few less injuries. And as uncool as it is to wear a helmet on trails and street, wear it cuz we don't need anymore Mikey Aitken type of accidents.

There's a possibility that Vert will be in the 2012 Olympic Games. Do you think this would be good?
Chad: It's good for BMX overall and there are a ton of reasons for it even though there are also reason that it'll be a negative affect on BMX. You have to take the good with the bad and the guys that don't compete and don't have a desire to ever compete won't like the fact that the Olympics will make BMX more popular around the world and would add more kids riding their local spots. But overall it would make us seem more legit in the publics eyes, allow more parks to be built around the world giving us more riding spots, I don't think street would be such a bust like it sometimes is since a regular person may have watched us on TV during the Olympics. For the competition guys, it will make it easier for more riders to make a living from riding a bike. It would provide jobs for retired riders in the future to work with the Olympic committee's or Olympic training facilities as a coach. There are a ton of options and it will all trickle down to all aspects of bike riding. If a company like Failure can get world wide coverage from the Olympics and business expands then everyone on the team, including the street rider that does Vital BMX videos and never gets on TV at a comp, will get a raise or get paid or a travel budget. It all depends on how you look at BMX. It's always changing and never stays the same, don't get bitter when it changes in a direction you didn't want it to go in... I never wanted to see riders wearing their sisters jeans but it's part of the riders style and one of the changes that happens over the years. I think vert will have more riders entering in the next few years anyway since you need vert skills to ride Mega Ramp and I've heard a ton of people say they want to ride it and my answer is, "ride vert and I'll vouch for you". The jump is easy, the quarter can kill you.

If BMX makes it in, also a girls class needs to be in. Do you think it is possible to get a decent girls class ready for 2012?
Chad: There will be a girls class, there's time to get some girls blasting some good airs but if it takes the prospect of the Olympics to get a girl to ride vert then she's riding vert for the wrong reason. You need to love vert to wan to ride it cuz there's no way in hell you're going to escape getting hurt and knocked out. I know a few girls that are interested in riding vert and want to ride it more often but just don't have access to a ramp on a regular basis. I'd love to have those girls stay at camp for a winter riding vert with all the vert guys that live here near woodward. The could hang in a regular vert comp in a year or two.

You have moved close to Woodward Camp. How important has that place been to you(r progression)?
Chad: It's a major reason a lot of the crazy ass tricks we do are possible. Foam pits allow me to test out a random idea to see if it's even possible. Some are and some aren't but if I had to try all those things on a real ramp I would have killed myself a lot time ago or been hurt so badly that I couldn't ride. It allows riders to progress quickly and stay healthy, without places like Woodward comps would be less exciting since riders wouldn't progress at a pace to allow new tricks at every event month after month. Woodward was unbelievably helpful after my broken neck too, allowed me to do all the tricks I knew I could do but was scared since I hadn't done them in a year. I was able to get comfortable on my bike again a lot faster.

Do you have a certain schedule where you go to Camp to ride your bike or do you just go with the flow and see when you will make it there?
Chad: My life and schedule is a mess. I go when I have the time and try to meet up with a crew of other guys riding. There are so many riders living around here now that it's easy to find someone to ride with. This year has been so messed up that I barely get to ride Woodward since I'm on the road so much. My friends that live here make jokes about weather I still live here or not and when the last time I rode at camp. This winter will be better, after Dubai I'm home for a while so I'll get to ride a lot even though I'm having surgery again.

Who do you like to ride with?
Chad: I like riding with different people all the time. It's good to session with a variety of guys to get influences from other styles of riding and learn something new since everyone has a different perspective of how to ride the same ramp I'm riding. Tom Stober, Seth UFC, Will the Thrill, Zack Warden, Jamie Bestwick, Daniel Dhers, Nate Wessel, John Parker, Vinny, Steve McCann, Keith McElhinney, Andy from Aus and the constant rotation of riders all year that come in and out of Woodward.

Who do you like to party with?
Chad: Nothing better than a party with the Albe's crew. Just go to their web site and look through the road trip/ party pics in the blogs.

Last words/thanks: I'm just a bike rider doing what I love. Some people go through life never knowing what it's like to be passionate about something and follow those passions through till the end. I'm lucky enough to love what I do and do what I love. I'd still be riding my bike if I didn't make a living at it but I just wouldn't be doing it as often since I'd have to get a real job to pay my bills... growing up and getting responsibility is tough. To the young kids out there, don't hate it cuz you don't know how to do it or don't understand it. Try it before you bash it. To all you little bastards in your parents basement talking S about everyone online cuz you're just so damn tough, use your time to go ride and let your riding speak for its self rather than getting keyboard courage.

I'd like to thank everyone I've ever ridden with, at one point or another I've learned something from you and had a good time riding with you. Thanks to all my sponsors past and present for supporting me. Obviously more thanks to the ones I have now than the ones I've parted ways with in the past but even those sponsors helped me get to where I'm at and I've learned something from them as well. Thanks to my family for supporting me and putting up with my life which I've come to realize is very difficult for most people to understand and hard for me to keep up with at times. Thanks Bart and FAT BMX for always posting quality content and keeping all of us informed and laughing.

Chad

Pics: BdJ/Dew AST/Jared Souney/Chad Kagy/Josh Kirtland

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Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/29 14:59

Re: Chad Kagy interview

very nice interview

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/29 17:22

Re: Chad Kagy interview

yeah its a good interview but forget chad kagey. he has let his head get to big and forget his roots. god look at jamie bestwick, jimmy walker, jay eggelston, they are doing more for vert than anyone. as for mirra ridin in dubai i wanna see the old battle between bestwick and mirra they are the vert ramp dominators. but hey im callin this how i see it.

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/29 19:38

Re: Chad Kagy interview

I believe he thanks everyone he's ever ridden with and even his ex sponsors. He recently got sponsorships for the Ghetto High Air Challenge that FBM put on, not even his own sponsor and he rides for Failure Bikes. He's helping the rider owned companies, teaches kids to ride at Woodward, he really sounds like a big headed rider we should all forget about... maybe if you're going to trash talk you could learn how to spell his damn name right. I know it's difficult since it's at the top of the interview in BOLD letters but hell maybe I'm the only one that noticed that.

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/29 22:59

Re: Chad Kagy interview

If you were able to hang out with Chad for a day in his personal life you would see what a down to earth guy he is. People need to learn that just because someone makes a lot of money from BMX and is on TV all the time doesn't mean they are not "real" riders. For Chad to go to events like the FBM Big Air and and really small events like the Albe's BBQ a few weeks ago proves he's out to have fun on his bike just as much make a living. This holds true for most of the "Dew" riders. Spinner, Bestwick, Dhers, Mccann, ect....

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/30 2:40

Re: Chad Kagy interview

oh sorry i spelled his name wrong like no one else makes mistakes when they're typing. but hey i gues that kagy forgets about his friends. since kagy is such good friends with jamie, how come when jamie went down at the dew tour in 2006 and knock himself so silly that he didnt know who he was where he was or anything else. kagy the "good friend" that he is left jamie to fend for himself and struggle to find his hotel room will chad was out partying, that is. i guess coke will do that to people. as well as the 909 guys huh?

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/30 15:53

Re: Chad Kagy interview

Oh joy, fatbmx is turning into thecomeup.

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/31 2:01

Re: Chad Kagy interview

hey guys, this is Chad. I came on here to see what pics Bart used for my interview earlier today and saw the responses to my interview. Thank you to the guys that had worth while comments to make. And then there's the guy with his keyboard courage, what to honestly say about you... well, I know you about as well as you now me so I guess I can't talk any S about you nor do I want to. I asked Jamie about his crash at the dew tour in 2006 and guess what? He didn't knock himself silly in '06. He got knocked silly in '05 in Denver and directly following finals I got on the Huck Jam tour bus and left town. Jamie walked to his hotel after being released from medical and went to his hotel to get his car and drive to the hospital to visit Simon since he punctured a lung crashing that night. Seems odd to me that you're so desperate to make me look bad when you don't even know me. BMX used to be about getting people together to ride and have fun, now it seems there are so many people judging everyone else and get into their little clicks of riders and no one else is cool enough to get in that circle. As for the coke, I've never done coke in my life. The 909 is over 300 miles away from where I grew up in Nor Cal. So... now that you've been proven wrong on all accounts lets see if you have something constructive to say. Your first comment was close to being constructive: Jamie, Jimmy & Jay are amazing vert riders. I commend them for sticking with vert as long as they have. I've only been riding vert for 8 years, I still have a lot to learn. And the Jamie Vs. Dave battle was a good comment but I don't think the battle will be as epic as you may think. Dave hasn't ridden in a vert comp in a long time and he rode vert at Woodward with us last winter and he still has vert skills. He's the kind of guy that has natural talent on a bike and can ride anything but to call it a tight battle between Dave and Jamie is a long shot. With the new format we're running he'll have a better chance at podium than if we ran 45-60 second runs but that's just being honest, no disrespect to Dave. He'll say the same thing. He's supposed to come ride Woodward with us sometime in the next month so we'll see what happens. I hope he rides vert more often. I always loved the old battles between Mirra, Miron & Bestwick.
If you seem to think you know me well enough to spread lies about me and say who my friends are and aren't, stop hiding behind your keyboard and say who you really are. Everyone does and says something stupid at one point in their life, we've all made mistakes but to maliciously attack someone that you don't know and try to make them look bad in the eyes of everyone else is just mean. I never did anything to you, but now that I've proven you wrong you're probably going to be bitter at me and say something else. The problem is that everything you've said is worth nothing and you've been proved to be a liar so say what you want, no one believes you. Try to be more positive like the other guys on here and we'll all move forward much better. Being positive doesn't mean to kiss my ass either, if I said something you don't agree with then ask me about it. Don't accuse me of doing drugs and ditching friends in need. I've skipped parts of comps to help hurt friends in the past so please do get your facts straight next time.

Chad

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/31 7:32

Rich Redmond

I've loved Chad's riding since his dirt days with the goofy confed flag helmet. More dirt Chad, you rule!!!

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/31 12:45

Re: Chad Kagy interview

Great interview Chad. Sincere and honest.

Very interesting regarding your comments about vert riding. It is indeed an artform and it should be in the olympics.

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/31 17:42

Dane Tilstra

I just wanna start by saying Chad is an amazing rider on the vert ramp in the last 8-9 years. There needs to be more guys like him out there. Personally I love to watch vert and maybe one day ride it. On more the one level it nis an art form exactlly how Chad said. As for people talking shit about Chad on here, its probly because they are jealous of him. He actually did something with his life, and as for the coke, they are probably talking about themself. As far as I think Vert is not dead, I read Chad's article in either RIDE BMX or BMX PLUS i don't remember for sure but he said vert isn't dead. I just want to say I have mad respect about anyone of those guys who drop in on the vert ramp. I wanna see more guys riding vert, I mean it needs to be progressed. Takin for granted the 900 has already been done and Jimmy has been ridding for years now. For him to throw out the 900 in Orlando i was so stoked to see that and to see Koji make the finals. Alls I'm saying is stop takin shit, these guys are down to earth, everyday guys making a living doing what the love. As for Dave riding, I want to see all the guys back on the vert ramp. Dave and Jamie had awsome battles as well as many other riders of time, I just want to to say thank you to the guys who ride or rode vert...Mat Hoffman, Dennis McCoy, Chad Kagy, Kevin Robinson, Jamie Bestwick, Jimmy Walker, Zach Warden, Steve McCan, Koji Kraft, Jay Eggelstan, Simon Tabron, Tom Stober, Dave Mirra, Jay Miron, and who ever I forgot it just hurts to see people talk shit all the time but hey at least him made himself lok stupid huh? Thanks Chad and the rest of you guys. vert rules!

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/10/31 17:42

Re: Chad Kagy interview

Amazing, I have known Chad for over 10 years and i just gotta say whoever was trash talking is so far off the mark & they really really do not know Chad, who ever made these comments probably should stay Anonymous for their own safety.
Jealousy is an ugly thing isnt it?......misinformed small minded person!
Anyway Chad this was a really good interview it made great reading.

See you soon mate

Zach Shaw

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/11/1 9:49

Re: Chad Kagy interview

Chad Kagy along with Mirra inspired me to ride vert again after 6/7 years off my bike.
After watching them at X Games 14 big air i had to ride again so i thank them both for that.
The big change i have noticed in bmx is the shit people talk about each other via the net.Ive been into to bmx since 1985 with only 7 years out and i never recall any shit talking back in the day.Dont know why there are some negative comments on here but its stupid and wrong.
What gets me is for years i/we as bmx riders have listened to abuse from people not into the sport for riding bikes,now fellow bmx riders are splitting into groups and talking too much shit about each other.Surely WE ALL ride and it would be better to stick together instead of negative comments.Some of the things ive read about Dhers is a disgrace,the guys so good.
Chad,cool interview, your a pleasure to watch ride.

Anonymous

Posted: 2008/11/4 16:41

Re: Chad Kagy interview

Isn't Chad the guy who was designing a helmet with a neck brace WHILE HE WAS IN TRACTION? I quit riding after I squished my toe doing a tailwhip. Ramp up those jawns Chad. Wally

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