Thursday, November 1

Guatemalan Adventure - Part 2

By Chris Hallman
Woodward Camp

We spent our second day in Guatemala doing promotions for La Prensa Libre (The Free Press), who I learned had funded our entire trip. They brought us there as an added attraction, the "Big American Pros" to lend credibility to their event. First it was an autograph session at "The Jungle", a local skateshop which was owned and operated by Jeffrey. The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. I would guess I signed autographs for almost two hours, and not a single kid had any clue who I was. I think celebrity starvation is a symptom of the American culture infecting a new nation. Again I felt guilty, but perhaps that's just a symptom of my own neuroses.

After the autographs we did an interview on the local radio. All of the questions were intended to shine light on our celebrity status. They asked me about my ranking, contest placings, etc... Again I felt bad as I tried to explain that I just ride a bike because I think it's fun, and that I don't enter contests. In an attempt to salvage my celebrity status they latched onto the fact that I work at Woodward and claimed that I was popular in videos and magazines. Fortunately the interview was short, and soon we were back out on the streets.

The last appearance our hosts had scheduled for us was a little street session at a local skate spot. The spot was a small square on the other side of town with a few waxed benches and a long curving ledge. There were a few skaters there and again no bikers. There was however a big group of cheerleaders practicing cheers right in the middle of the square. It was a bizarre scene to be sure. They just dropped us into the mix and got out cameras to record whatever might happen. I had no idea what they expected, but it was fun just being on my bike in a strange town so far from home. It was a beautiful evening in Guatemala, and as I rode around playing with some flat ground tricks I marveled at where my bike had taken me.

The following day was the big show. For the locals it was a contest, the finals of their year long contest series. I guess it was their version of the X Games, but happily it was nothing like the X Games here. The course looked fun and a huge crowd had turned out for the event. When we arrived I finally met the local riders, and instantly I was among friends. Strange how BMX can do that. It was nice to finally be around other riders. We hung out and talked and watched the amateur bike event.

Watching the competition was nerve racking! Almost every rider tried a backflip, but only a few pulled them. Those that didn't were landing on their backs, heads, flying of the ramps, yet somehow narrowly escaping serious injury. To make it worse, Hector was on the mic provoking them all and telling them to kill themselves. It was a relief when the amateur class finally ended.

Then it was time for our show. We didn't get any practice on the course or any warm up, so it was a bit rough. Besides myself there was one inline skater, Robin Miller, and two skateboarders. We all hit the course at once and started riding. The ramps were rough and best suited to bikes, so it was easy to steal the show. After a bit of warming up I flipped the box and the crowd went shit crazy! I think backflips are along the same lines as Big Macs and Levis jeans, they're instantly recognizable and somehow very "American."

After the show I experienced what life must be like for celebrities, and I must say it's more than a bit disgusting. The local riders were cool. They were stoked on the riding and just happy to hang out, but everyone else in the crowd was insane. Everyone in the place wanted our autographs. I traded shirts with one kid, and another asked me to wipe my sweat off with his shirt!? I couldn't believe it, and I had to turn that one down. These people had absolutely no clue who I was, but somehow they had become convinced that I was important. We were kept separated from the crowd by a fence and we had guards to make sure that the crowd stayed back.

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Related Photos:
Getting Started wtih BMX Photography
Guatemala Living Gallery