DeGroot: News From Miami
Being out of the show loop for a few years and this year has been amazing as far as getting out there traveling and doing more weird than core BMX shows to corporate events. I have always liked doing shows, it builds confidence, gets me on my bike more, and traveling with a good crew is always fun and the way it use to be. This week both shows were in Miami, and as usual we don’t know much about them except the location and set up time. The first one was in an 8 story parking garage designed by the same person who did the Olympic stadium Birds Nest in Beijing, Ai Weiwei. You think a parking garage is weird but this one is high scale and with some good character and an amazing view it was pretty damn nice surface and crowd. On a side note the owner lives on the top floor, sounds weird but its a paradise for sure. This one was for Cisco Systems, which we found out at the last minute, which didn’t make a damn of a difference but knowing these people are going to experience bmx and bring home some stories to their families is rad.
The next night was a tech convention at the Florida Marlins baseball stadium with a full retractable roof and capacity of 80,000. Our side of it was the Gopro competitor ION which is for me a way better camera, simpler to use, and really fun. They have a good thing going and I hope they tap into the market and do well, pretty sure they are on their way. Our show was really for people going into the stadium and to film with the cameras during the show and after to show what these little gems can do, but the main people stopped by to see what was going on and yet again BMX killing it in a good way and representing.One of the perks of setting up early is that security isn’t fully on point with everything that is going on, like me riding flat in the infield between 2nd and 3rd bases in the dirt on the Marlins field. Did a hitch hiker with the thumbs up, posed in a stall with a pano of the whole indoors, and did my best baseball swing while scuffing on the back wheel. Took advantage of the situation and even walked away with some sweet tech gear. On a side note, this stadium passed a law that it is illegal to skate or bike on property outside, so after a 4 million dollar policy and 6 pages of wild paper work we were able to ride for the night, the look on the police officers faces was priceless. Word got out on the internet and skaters started showing up in bunches, they didn’t really try to skate but they really wanted to be somewhere they were not suppose to be…it was rad and worked out just fine.
Till next show…-Chad DeGroot
