Let´s start out with a brief introduction. What´s your full name, how old are you, where do you live, and how long have you been riding? 

My full name in Arabic is (Yousef Al Ghanim), in English Translation is (Joseph El Ghanim) that is Joe for the shortcut. Everyone calls me Joe in the first place so I believe I accept that as my primary name to Joe El Ghanim. I´am 19 years old. I´ve been riding flatland for about 3 years and half right now.

I live in Kuwait City, South Surra Al-Zahra.

I can´t imagine being the only flatland rider in my country! I have to ask, how did you even discover flatland? It must also be difficult to get flatland-specific parts for your bike too?

I have discovered flatland by seeing my friend ride in 2009. His name is Mohammad Marafi.  He is a great back wheel rider. He got inspired to learn flatland by watching the A Bad Thing Crew ride in the Contest of Fise Festival which was hosted in Kuwait´s Extreme Sports Company back in 2007. The members of the A Bad Thing Crew who came to Kuwait was... Matthias Dandois, Alex Jumelin, Raphael Chiquet.

It is very difficult & costly for me to get flatland parts for my bike. My friend named Saad Al Suraye who is also a flatland rider helps me get through all that shipping orders of Flatlandfuel and so on.

Do you have any ideas on how to start to grow a flatland scene in Kuwait?
I do have an idea for growing the flatland scene in Kuwait. and I have planned it for a long time ago. but it seems no one cares to have the time to progress each day of riding & starts to train hard not even on their street bikes (within) the flatland scene in Kuwait or even in the Middle East. It´s not ever going to grow without people taking the time to progress even on their street bikes. At least a little bit of the progression then they can get their own flatland specific bike to continue their journey for the future but unfortunately that is impossible.

Have you ever ridden with another flatland rider?

I have only ridden with Mohammad Marafi & Saad Al Suraye.  Mohammad quit flatland about 2 years ago now. He did not have the time to progress flatland seriously, he had a job at that time and no time to ride flatland.  And speaking for Saad Al Suraye from the other hand is recently a College Student right now and he also doesn´t have time to ride flatland with me. Considering I´m the only rider that progresses right now.

Tell me a little bit about how you´re able to stay motivated and keep progressing:

Honestly, I stay really motivated by watching the Japanese flatland scene. especially the back wheel riders there.  Also to mention the young riders,  it´s really inspiring me to even ride more and progress much more for flatland as much as it takes for me to achieve my goal.Iit is pretty much every time I see a flatland video I get motivated to go out and ride.

Do you think that if flatland parts were sold in Kuwait, more people would start riding flatland?

I think if Kuwait could sell flatland parts there won´t be even 40% of serious flatland riders who cares to progress each day. They will pretty much buy the flatland bikes because it´s lighter than a street bike obviously, because Kuwait street riders mostly cares for the lightest weight than the control or the modifications of the bike. So I´m sure it will most likely going to be 80% of the people are going to buy flatland bikes for "Nothing" or they are going to use the flatland bike to ride street which is pretty funny. But I´m sure it will be 20% of those people will pretty much going to care to progress flatland. And those 20% are enough to grow flatland scene in Kuwait by many years to come in the future.

What do you do for a living? Are you in school?

I have finished high school since 2012. I did not go to University or College yet, because I´ve decided to progress flatland without any interruption going on in my life. I did not even find a job yet because it is really hard to find a job in Kuwait sometimes it´s a bad luck. But thanks to my family, my mother & my uncle still supports me.  My father has died when I was 4 years old and I do not have brothers or sisters so I´m pretty much alone with Uncles & Mother. 

If you could take a trip to visit and ride with any rider in the world, who would it be, and why?

I would take a trip to visit Trinidad. Because one of my good friends named Kestrel Roopnarine lives there. We skype sometimes and we have also played the game of bike over Facebook on videos. He seems to have the same feelings as me for flatland & he almost has the same combos as me. But with different style on the back wheel. It is really amazing to meet the riders who I used to talk to on Skype or Facebook etc...

What led you to choose the back wheel, instead of the front wheel or both wheels?

I have not chosen the back wheel, the back wheel have chosen me. It´s funny because I have started flatland by trying to spin the back wheel on the opposite side. Without even learning any of the first important front wheel basics  like fork glides, track stands, etc. I got motivated to learn that spin for the first time I´ve seen it from my best friend Mohammad Marafi, he can turbine the peg wheelie on the opposite foot. He taught me a little about how to do it and make the bike spins and all the techniques needed. Then I decided to try to keep doing that & progress it for a few months just for fun of doing it. But I have never thought or expected in the near future I could be on this level of riding which I recently got into right now. It´s obviously been a hell of a long journey for me to achieve this back wheel progression. I have still then learned some of the front wheel basics like Cliffhanger, Half lash, Hang-5, Halflash Turbine, Whiplash, Forward/Backward Steamrollers. I´ve also managed to Pump on Half lash & Forward Steamrollers & ended up pulling them. Flatland is fun in both ways front or back it´s an enjoyment for me.

Top 3 favorite movies?

My top 3 favorite movies are. The Mist, A Nightmare on Elm Street, IP Man.

Can you tell us how your bike is set up? Any special parts or modifications?

Well, my bike is not yet modified. Even when the first I got the Greyhound Freecoaster on the Release date of it. I did not even open the Hub to take off the spacers out of the coaster gap to have more space for the Freecoaster to lock on. It´s still the same as it was shipped to me it is not even regreased.  The only special part for my bike which is considered to me is the Ares Var Pegs that has Plastic Caps attached, it is from AresBykes Company.  It has surely improved the "Flowity" of my riding style for about 40% better. My pivots are smoother than my previous ST Martin Hollopegs.

What tricks are you working on right now?

The tricks I´m working on right now are The Multiple Lard whips, Junkyard Variations, & Upside Down Variations, last but not least Decade.

Do you have any favorite street riders?

My favorite street riders are Mark Webb, Harry Main, Aaron Ross, Mike Spinner.

Favorite flatland riders?

 My favorite flatland riders are Yohei Uchino, Matthias Dandois, Kensuke Hamai, Moto Sasaki, Kazuaki Saeki, Tsutomu Kitayama, Martti Kuoppa, Viki Gomez, Kestrel Roopnarine, Tomokazu Morinaga, York Uno, Jean William Prevost, Taiko Kaneta.

Favorite video this year?

My favorite videos of this year?  well... I couldn´t tell because it is a tough question.  All the flatland videos are a big motivation for me.  But the most that got me mind blown is the Guru Jam Edited by Jim McKay & The Flat Ark Edits.

Do you think that one day you might travel and enter contests?

Yes I do think that I might travel in the future and this will possibly happen in the next 3 or 2 years I suppose.  I´d love to travel because it is my dream to enter the King of Ground contest in Japan & meet the pro Japanese riders over there & see them ride with my own eyes naturally. I would also love to enter any other contests around the world that has my favorite riders over there.

Anything else you´d like to add?

I´d like to thank Mr.Global Flat a lot for making this happen & taking the time to read my story for the first time. Every second of that was an appreciation & I would like to give special thanks to Mohammad Marafi, & Saad Al Suraye  for helping me keep up with Flatland. It really changed my whole entire life for 100% better  than it used to be when I wasn´t even a BMX Rider. Thank you so much for this wonderful time.  All the riders around the world flatland or street please take care and keep progressing on whatever style you on.  It´s still a "Freestyle" in the end.. God bless you all. 

Thanks, Joe!

-GF