As I've been going to the contests at Impact over the years, I've seen many new riders blowing up in the park. One of those guys is Josh Kirtland, an Impact local.
I thought it would be good to do an interview with him to (finally) get to know some of the non-flatlanders out there. Turns out he's a real nice guy, too, which is always cool to find out.
Name, age, & home:
Josh Kirtland, 18, and I live in Portsmouth, RI, on the edge of Aquidneck Island.
Do you want to stay in the northeast, or eventually move somewhere warmer?
I really like the norhteast so the only reason I'd move is for riding. I'd like to move up towards Greenville, where all the pros live and ride. I would probably push my riding a bunch more seeing them go off all the time.
Years riding:
I've been riding ramps for about 4 years now, and riding in general for about 6 or more.
Sponsor(s):
Gack Bicycle Company, SNAFU, Dia-Tech Braking Systems
How did you get started riding?
I was just always jumping curbs and little rocks around my house as a kid, and then when I was about 10-11 or so I met Rick Corcoran and he kept pushing me to ride more and always taught me tricks. He's pretty much the reason that I am whereever it is in this sport that I am.
You rip it up at Impact. Do you also ride street or dirt?
I like to ride real street every now and again, but it's harder to find lines and I can't really bunnyhop anymore because of a really damaged shoulder. It always dislocates when my arm pulls on something and all the muscles aren't used right (which is about everyday). I really like dirt though. I stopped riding it for a long time cause I got more into mini ramps but I'm gonna start jumping again this summer and see what I can still do.
Favorite riding spots:
Impact skatepark, Skater Island, Portsmouth High School, and Jody Willis's skatepark in his backyard.
Who do you usually ride with?
I ride with Andrew Soderland the most lately, which is weird because our riding style's are nothing alike. Keith McElhinney is always good to ride with when he's not hurt, Rick Corcoran, I try to ride with Kevin Robinson when he's down around this area, it's always good to see him go off on something. Brad Picard, Ricky and Dave from SI, and my little brother.
Who do you like to watch ride?
Mike Massed back before he trashed his knee was amazing, so it was ALWAYS good to see him ride. Andrew Soderland for having super fast lines and good flow. I love watching vert and flat, too. Those are the hardest types of riding (espicially flat) and it blows my mind to see all the new tricks that are getting thrown don lately. Overall I'd say the Mat Hoffman is my fave to watch cause hes a total bad ass when it comes to being on a bike.
Biggest influence(s):
My parents, Mat Hoffman, Kevin Robinson, and Evel Knievel, and Smallz.
Oldest rider you know:
Keith McElhinney...he's gonna get pissed at me for saying that.
Favorite trick(s) to do:
360's, really wall rides (those upside down thingys), turndowns, and wall slaps.
Trick you wish you could do:
I wish I could do truckdrivers, and flips comfortably. I've done them in foam and on resi boxes but not on a real box yet. Hopefully soon.
Best video:
Madd Matt! Turbulence is really good to though.
Music:
Punk, emo, techno, old school stuff like Tom Jones and Journey, just about anything can get me stoked to ride. The Untitleds are bad ass.
I'd like a younger rider's perspective on some things. What do you think of riding on TV, video games, and in the media in general?
When it first started blowing up I wasn't too into it just because I figured that everything would just burn out like it did in the 80's: the cameras would be gone, and so would the sports big sponsors that were keeping it big at the time. Lately though it seems to have gotten stronger than anything so I'm all for the sport getting pushed into the mainstream. I think it's really helped showcase some amazing people who can do amazing things. This sport has survived through a lot and I'm really happy to see it getting some recognition.
The video games are awesome, too...obviously some are better than others but it's still cool to see them out there. Before the Dave Mirra and Mat Hoffman games, I think that all you could do for BMX was on California Games for the old Nintendo. I know the media kinda makes this sport look shitty and pulls it away from what it's all about, but there's still series like the CFB and the Roots Jam, so it's not like its gonna fall out from under us.
What do you think of riding brakeless?
Those guys are just plain nuts! Their bike control is outta hand.
What about flatland? Ever try it? Find it boring to watch?
When I first started riding I was a flatlander....I think I even have a medal for it somewhere. I still think that it's loads of fun and I practice sometimes, but I dont have a seprate bike for it so it's kina hard to learn new shit with bent bars and a 20+" top tube. As far as watching it I think it's one of the coolest things ever. It can kinda put you in a trance sometimes watching really good guys ride just 'cause they flow so well. It's almost like a lava lamp moving really really fast.
Do you go to contests (other than Impact contests, of course)? What do you think of them?
The first contest I ever traveled for was the CFB in PA this year. The Stuntboy class was full and the pro class was $100 entry fee so I didn't get to compete in street. I registered for Am vert so I could get on of the wristbands and then just wussed out at the last minute. I wish I had at least given it a shot, though.
Final comments/thanks/whatever you want to say:
Thanks to eWire a bunch for wanting to do this interview and taking all the pictures. Thanks to Gack, SNAFU, and Dia-Tech for always being good to me and hooking me up with their stuff. Thanks to my parents for supporting me with my riding and helping me out with everything....God knows I need it. Thanks to Impact Skatepark in E. Providence, RI for being super cool to me for all these years. Thanks to Rick Corcoran and all the good times. Thanks to Jess Ross for being and awesome person and making me smile. The Untitleds and all the local punk projects. Finaly thanks to Keith McElhinney and Kevin Robinson for being bad ass pros and still being good friends to me. Peace.
