“I heard Chase requires all of his demos to be conducted in silence. Anyone paying someone to ride flatland in silence for john q public is a fool.”

 Well, regardless of how many riders or spectators are watching, what you might be saying is that a 15 minute solo demo with tricks spanning 25 years, and encompassing  a lot of what lead up to the types of tricks being done these days, would not in and of itself be worthy of checking out, just because there is no music. If a fool pays for this, then I guess I might be a fool as well in the sense that I’m fooling myself into thinking that I’m not making a fool of myself out there, and then fooling the guy into paying me. I guess that is what I have to do when I’m so washed up…just fake my way through it all. Look, I know that I don’t have the hardest , newest or most impressive tricks that appeal to the modern day Flatlanders eye, but that is just me out there giving a piece of myself to the sport I’ve been a part of. I normally ride at home alone with no music, so it was just one way to more accurately represent myself…(isn’t that what one would want to do). Music and riding are separate to me because I begin to analyze the words of the song and it throws me off. Maybe  “Music makes the people come together:,” but I think that on the flip side it’s also true that noise /music can be a barrier between people. There are many forces/elements which impede/disenable direct human interaction. I call them “third party distracters”. In the case of my demos, I consider music to be a third party distracter. In my demos I have some tricks in mind, but I generally don’t have full pre planned routines. So I go out there and do a little variety of some of Flatlands basic concepts. I don’t expect rider approval or praise for going out and doing old tricks, but on the other hand I really don’t think that I am a laughable old fart who shouldn’t show his face on the modern day scene, nor should I be ashamed to go out there and try (to be a laughable old fart…haha). If this was coming from anyone other than TJ, I wouldn’t zone in on the trick aspect of this as much. But I know you buddy, you ripped on me behind my back at a Toronto contest years ago because my tricks were not flashy enough and that I didn’t do enough half packer tricks.  I seems like many modern riders can only identify a trick as being good if it falls into the category of what is perceived as cool. But as far as me riding in silence. How about this for a broad statement: Anyone who has a problem with it has built up a tolerance and a need to having everything be made a spectacle of. There is plenty of noise in your daily lives and music whenever you want, plus the whole weekend event is loud. People seem to always want to be entertained. In short, there are a couple ways you can look at entertainment. It can be pure escapism to take your mind off things, or you can focus more on the material being produced as opposed to the hype that often goes with it. Not that the trick material I produce in front of people is all that good these days.

“Correct.  Anyone should be able to see that if they were the general public watching this it would be kind of on the odd side.  Its especially hard when there is a GIGANTIC street section within earshot filled with thunderous yelling and applause when a big trick is hit.  It probably doesn't take more then .2 of a second to decide to leave the flatland area and go towards all the commotion and noise of hundreds of excited people.”

 If flatland cannot be appreciated purely for the content of the riding, and that cheers from another part of the building pull them away, then were they really that interested in the first place? And if people in general are not captivated by Flatland, then it seems like you would have to alter the format and add a lot of hype to make them watch. Is the presentation of Flatland being deliberately arranged so that it attracts more attention, and therefore being untrue to itself? Or is it actually being true to what it has become which conveniently enough  is a rider base that is motivated by and thrives off of spectacle. And anyways, since when is something that seems “odd” always to be disregarded or ripped on.



“Dominik had a larger crowd gathered around him when he was practicing near the bleachers and we didn't have to pay him to do it.”

  Well, here again I take this as a personal attack on me. This makes it sound like I ride only for the money, which people who know me know is not true. As if to say that Dominick is the one out there riding for pure love and I’m not. I’m sure Dominick truly loves riding. He is young and practicing at a contest that he has chosen to enter, which sounds about right. Dominick is doing fast hard switches and I think he is a great rider. But if the general public can’t really grasp what’s involved with flatland, then trying and say that the size of the crowd has anything to do with who is better, Dominick or me, isn’t  very credible. But there you guys go again, always having to say something that compares and ranks riders.

“I had friends and family come out to the event, and they all agree, watching the Chase demos is just awkward at best.”

 It’s funny because I remember saying to myself before that I feel awkward riding in public. And then I said to myself that I will undoubtedly create an awkward feeling in spectators. I already knew that this would happen. But again, it is how I wanted to do my demos. Sometimes an awkward or uncomfortable moment can take people away from their familiar thought patterns and see something in a different light. Vulnerability and open-ness have been known to spark a few thoughts in people from time to time. I didn’t literally think I was going to accomplish that, nor was I literally trying. But who says that I can’t do my little gig the way I want, when most of you seem to have your agendas of making Flatland bigger and are free to pursue that. Aside from needing a funky beat soundtrack to your whole lives, maybe you felt awkward witnessing me in what might appear to be an awkward thing for me to do in silence in front of everybody. Maybe I passed along that awkward vibe after all, and I succeeded in sharing a piece of myself.   To some extent, everybody does things everyday that either unconsciously or deliberately tries to leave an impression on the world around them. You want flatland to be more noticed, right? Well you are a part of Flatland and you yourself want to be noticed (as you’ve said). It’s just that I am doing it my own way, and not simply because the “Make Flatland Popular Bandwagon” is a hot ticket. Now think about this for a second. You want you and your sport to be paid attention to, but you yourself can’t pay attention for two 10-15 minute time periods during my demo. What makes it worse is that what you are watching is actually flatland, which would seem like you’d be able to focus on. But you can still only think of how uncomfortable and counterproductive it is to your cause. I am suggesting that you have been reduced to only being able to appreciate riding from a very narrow perspective that has been dictated to you.  It’s something that more young riders should think about. And Alex, you don't have much room to talk about my demo, when your anger/frustration and bike tossing during your run does not exactly promote that we are having fun.I know that you are at impressionable age, but your clothing styles have changed more drastically than your tricks have progressed. Not long ago you had super baggy flailing ripped at the bottom pants that got caught on everything, and now it's tight shorts and accessories. Neither are practical or necessarily functional for flatland. Just keep an eye on yourself and your friends when you care more about trends and fashion and making flatland pop culture than about the riding itself.

“There is absolutely zero positives about holding demos without music or someone there to hype of the crowd.”

 That is an extremely narrow minded one sided statement. Again, you are only thinking of things in terms of what directly contributes to the popularization of Flatland. From that point of view, you could be right. But maybe just for a second, consider that there could be other people/riders watching who are not primarily driven by that agenda, and could get something meaningful out of it. It is possible that someone could appreciate it separate from any hopes of making Flatland mainstream.

 “The only reason that nobody is sayng anything about it is because it's f*cking CHASE CHASE CHASE.”

Except for you of course with your incredible courage to come out and swear  with my name in caps.This is the second time that you have singled me out and ripped on me (not to my face) with absolutely no provoking on my part. This says a lot more about you than it does me. Pretending like my demos are bad for Flatland and that it’s only excusable because of who I am. Come on. You may remember a few years ago when I was giving trick tips to a Flatlander on a forum. The trick was cross footed inward side donut, which I can do left or right footed in either direction and bars both ways. So I thought I was giving the kid pretty good advice, but all knowing TJ comes in and says I’ve got it all wrong and proceeds to take over the trick tips.  It honestly seems like you have not evolved one bit from years ago. It appears that you have very little self awareness. If you ever feel like the bubble you live in is in danger of bursting, don’t worry, I’ve got a bunch of industrial sized rolls of bubble wrap to protect your bubble.

 “To tell people "if you don't like it don't watch it" is kind of silly especially when you have other riders at the event who clearly drew more interest than anything Chase was doing. “

 No, I think that this makes perfect sense to tell people to not watch if they don’t like. First of all, we are talking about the riders here, and that they are the ones who would know better to watch me or not. Secondly, if there are other riders there who drew more interest/ ride better than me, then this especially makes sense since they could just get their fill of watching the better riders and ignore my lame demos. There you go again, having to suggest that I can’t keep interest from riders in my own sport.  Again, it’s funny how the riders who are so jaded to my tricks and style and are ripping on my demos, are the ones who are much younger than me and have nowhere near the amount of tricks or overall bike control.

 



 

“If it was anyone but CHASE GOUIN we would all point to it and think it's stupid, but since it is.. well.. “
 Looks like you are pointing to it and calling it stupid. Again, props for being so brave and coming out to drop “truth bombs.”

 
“However, Chase's riding is impressive, its the situation that doesn't reach its full potential I think...I'm not saying "f*ck the demos", I'm saying try and do it differently, we had zero crowd this year for anything, even during the pro finals, the crowd was so thin, this is what upsets me.  It upsets me that someone as good as Chase doesn't get respect from anyone but other riders.”

 The full potential you see it as is essentially working towards your generations ideal of what you hope Flatland becomes. It’s full potential as a sport or individuals is not limited to that ideal, and doesn’t necessarily have to be directly aimed at that cause. I don’t need respect from everybody. If I have to do something that feels untrue to me then it follows that I wouldn’t want the potential respect gained by doing it that way. By the looks of it on this forum, and what I am growing to believe is a semi-popular opinion among the young generation, it appears that some riders don’t respect my riding enough to let it be what it is and not make it sound like it failed their greater purpose.

“I want to see Chase ride...music or not!  The guys intensity is enough to drowned out any music if you ask me.  I think a demo without all the distractions would be good.  It shows the true essence of flatland...not just another circus freak show.  That's what park riders are for.  I think flatland is more of a purist thing.”



“This attitude will doom flatland to the underground pretty much forever.”

  I just don’t think that by me doing some solo demos in silence at a few events here and there, and by anyone being okay with watching me will have any negative effect on flatland. It is another extremely far fetched statement to suggest that this will doom Flatland to the underground.

 “Too anyone outside of the riding world the name Chase Gouin doesn't mean sh*t.”

  This is not a profound statement or any revelation. Almost no-one in BMX besides Mirra and several other televised riders are recognized by the general public.

 “If you want people to see "the true intensity" of flatland to people as opposed to a guy having fun doing bike tricks then you will turn people off to the sport. Why? Because most riders are not super intense. Most people just go out on their bikes and enjoy themselves. The whole point of any show is to hype up people on our sport. Turning it into some bizarre art show where people either have to love it or leave it, and we don't do anything to court outsiders is just stupid and counter productive.”

  That’s right buddy, keep everything on the light and easy side. Let’s all be the good ol’ boy twiddling his thumbs and having a jolly great time while performing.   You are suggesting that we all as riders have to portray ourselves in this unified way in order to not turn people off to Flatland. I really think that some of you think you’ve got it all figured out…the formula to Flatland Success!  So, Street and Vert  get attention and exposure and they are doing very intense tricks. It is pretty hard to disguise each riders unique intensity no matter what the discipline. And so what if some Flatlanders are more intense than others. It should not always have to be about the individual altering himself in order to make something more marketable. Here is what I think: I think that each rider should ride how they ride and be who they are in all aspects, and that the sum total of what we as Flatlanders look like to the public is what it will be. You care so much about the “sport” that you forget that it is made up of vastly different individuals. And how can you say that most riders are not intense? I think that you are automatically associating certain styles, speeds or levels of difficulty of tricks with intensity. Someone could be a very calm and mellow person off the bike, but that their style shows otherwise. Some may not give the outward appearance of that, but intensity is internal as well. If the end result of all this is that Flatland makes more money, and that you are using that as your reason to justify any means to make that happen, then you might want to take a closer look at yourself. I would take your comment “Bizarre Art Show”  as a compliment if it were coming from a person of intelligent discerning capabilities. It seems to me that regular people who are fans of any sport are drawn to the raw intensity which they sort of live vicariously through. Riding should be fun, but is not limited to that. My definition of true intensity would be the range of emotions and sensations that a rider necessarily goes through when he engages the riding process.  Just as I am being accused of having a mentality that is counterproductive to the growth of flatland, I could just as easily accuse you of wanting to snuff out what really goes into Flatland behind the scenes and  wanting to put on a false air of appearances instead.
 

 

 

“OLD SCHOOL THINKING PEOPLE ARE KILLING MODERN FLATLAND...
Peace out”

Well, I tried hard to give Mathias the benefit of the doubt. I know that he has had a lot of success very young. But this statement is way out of line, and I have to step in and say something because I know a lot of young riders will believe what he says. First of all, Mathias, I know that was a direct jab at both Brandon Fenton and myself. Brandon’s well thought out, experienced, intelligent and very rational replies on global flat cannot be considered old school, or any threat to modern Flatland. Secondly, there are hardly any oldschool Flatlanders of my age who are on the scene very much, so how can they be killing modern Flatland? Unless you think that my boring demos are killing it, but that would be giving me way too much credit. Word has it that you were making funny faces at me during my demo??? When you asked our organizer Dan if he needed help mopping the floor, he told you that it was okay and that you could go practice and you replied “I don’t need to practice”. Well, I don’t like to make such stereotypes such as “the French are arrogant”, but you are making that difficult for me. Since you come on here and try to tell kids that me and my friends mentality is killing modern Flatland, then maybe I will expose you for being so high on yourself. You don’t have to worry. Your modern flatland is alive and well and you can ride the high of being one of its leaders. You have plenty of battle contests to go to and no shortage of people who think like you. But I invite you to come on here and explain to myself and the other riders exactly how old school mentality is killing modern flatland. What is this “invasion movement” that is taking place and how do you plan to counter attack it?  It’s like you are spiteful towards and are trying to shut up any person who has opinions on Flatland that are not the same as your generation. Please try to put things into the perspective in that you came onto the Flatland scene at a time where it  was very evolved. So naturally, the talent and energy you put into these higher level tricks, resulted in how great of a rider you are. This has been happening with many other riders throughout stages of Flatland before you and it will still happen after you (if you can believe that anyone could be more skilled than you?). So again, please try to be a little more humble and open to the sport as a whole, and not just your generation.

 “it's not art. It's grown men riding bikes.”

“I'm with TJ on this one, haha, flatlanders need to take themselves way less seriously.  The whole "art" thing just comes off as us being conceded like we think so highly of what we do.  But in the end, we're just riding little bikes.”
The general opinion on this forum is that Flatland should be in the mainstream…right? Okay, now stay with me on this one.   Somehow any mention or portrayal of Flatland in an Artistic sense is considered conceited, but then what is the whole reason that most of you want to get Flatland popularized?  You must think highly enough of what we do to think that it should get more attention and money paid to it. You must think that to some extent we are doing something somewhat unique. If it wasn’t unique or exceptional, then why would the world need another traditional simplistic sport? Obviously you take yourselves and Flatland seriously enough to want to push it into the spotlight where it belongs. But how can that hold true if we are merely riding little bikes?


“It is an extremely rare talent.” 


“It's only extremely rare because we put it up on a f*cking pedestal and act like only a select few can do it when ANYONE can get good at this sport if they just put the time and effort into it. The only reason people get good at it in the first place is because of extraordinary dedication, NOT talent. Talent does not exist in my opinion, only good work ethic.

The reason top athletes are where they are in ANY discipline, whether it be flatland, basketball, pool, swimming... f*ck. ANYTHING. Is hard work. Nothing else.”

 You are right.
Anyone can get good at ANYTHING if they put the time and effort into it.
To me talent is something that can be developed.”

You think it’s great enough to be pushed into the spotlight, but contradict yourselves by talking about how almost anyone can do it as long as the dedication is there. If almost anyone could do it, then it wouldn’t be so special. This is yet another extreme view so say that it is only an abundance of time and effort, and that talent doesn’t exist. I don’t think that many people would agree with this. To me it seems like it would be a combination of natural kinesthetic ability along with bringing the best out of yourself by your work ethic.


“ The only priority Flatlanders should have, is trying to generate more Flatlanders. Period.  Once you have an audience and a market, then you get everything else, sponsors, real pro purse, fantastic venues, etc.    Without it, Flatland limps along as usual. “

 “But please, focus...
Go make more Flatlanders.  That's it.”

 It’s hard to believe I’m hearing this. It seems like you are stuck in some mindset of viewing the continuation of Flatland as a “biological imperative”. You actually believe that the only priority of Flatlanders should be to create more Flatlanders…wow.  Just think about the originality and individuality of some of the riders throughout the history of BMX, who may not have been so much in the public eye, or never pushed the sport in the way you say is important. Some of those riders invented the tricks and variations that are responsible for Flatland even still being here, let alone the levels it has reached. So before, you start telling everyone what their agenda for the “greater good” should be, just remember that Flatland might not exist in the way it does today without some obscure figures.

•   in closing:
•    A part of me has always been nervous about performing, but sometimes I did it anyways, just to face my fears, or experience different things, and maybe even make another rider happy which made me happy. But anyways, it just seems like my judging system, my demos and apparently my mentality are all in stark contrast to the direction that modern flatland is or wants to be going. For the record, I was only ever invited to do this kind of stuff, and so when I did, I made a few requests to suit my needs. I certainly don’t think that whatever little money I get here and there is not justified by what whatever I bring to the table. To those of you who have shown dissatisfaction with me or my demos …well…I don’t want to rain on any of your parades anymore. It’s been a blast though. I thought that Flatland was at least partly about  personal self expression, but that seems to be taking the back seat to more  superficial/worldly priorities. Sure there must be a balance to this kind of thing, but it appears to me that it is severely lopsided. It is now official that I have been ridiculed for both being underground and being involved.
•   
•   
•    Here  is some of my basic judging system. I am posting it so that people can see how I feel about some of what makes a good rider. I am also posting it to show how a traditional length routine and this judging system go hand in hand and allow the rider to display a fuller range of what he is capable of. If you all want to call  it primarily a sport, then you’ll realize that many sports involve endurance as well.(so Alex P., buck up and stop gasping for air at the 2 minute mark). But although it may be a sport, I do not feel like it has to be presented in a “combat style” format of competition. The problem here is that the world thrives off this battle aspect and has a hard time appreciating a performance if it doesn’t involve pitting one against another. The reason I believe in the traditional routine, has less to do with the time era I grew up in and more to do with how I feel about it representing the rider and what he has been practicing and learning. It is a rider-oriented approach. But having said that, back in the day, there were huge crowds. But this probably had to do with the fact that Freestyle BMX was still a fairly new thing and its upsurge paralleled Skateboarding, which didn’t hurt. BMX events also often had ramps and flatland together. People  gathered and cheered  to watch a guy stall on the side of his bike  or do pogos in a few minute routine. I’m not saying that’s great or the right way or anything. One would think that with how advanced Flatland is now, that if it was meant to be in the public eye, it would stand on its own merits, to where people could enjoy it no matter how it was presented, and that we wouldn’t need to devise some plan to convince people to check us out. But I do think that a lot of  Flatlanders are not unlike other regular people  in that they also buy into the hype and drama of everything. So when you have already fused with the “ways of the world” I guess it doesn’t feel like you’ve altered yourselves  for the sake of popularity and money. I’m not sitting here bummed that I didn’t make more money or that I’m  past my prime. I promise you that is not what’s fueling me. I am not clinging to some ideal of what Flatland should  have become, and I realize that it is not 1992 anymore. I have been Flatlanding  since 1983 and I feel like my opinions are as experienced and knowledge based as any riders can be. I do not hold anything specifically against new school riders. It doesn’t bother me that riders pump or do more front wheel tricks or anything like that. I see it all as a part of the natural evolution of Flatland and that there will always be phases and trends.  I just get a little disappointed  when modern generation riders claim Flatland as their own and that their way is the only way. To me, it just seems like a continuation, with riders who happen to appear throughout the evolution of it.

 
•   
•   Why this Judging System?
•   
•   With all the technical aspects of flatland, we feel that having 4 separate categories and one judge to concentrate only on his particular category, this will increase the accuracy of the total score. The sum of 4 categories covers much more, as opposed to giving one generalized overall score that may not cover the individual components of a riders run.
•   
•   
•   
•                                                    Why the Routine Format?
•   
•    Why the Routine Format? Think of it as an opportunity to build and establish some flow, confidence, and momentum. Also it gives you the opportunity to correct any mistakes and redeem yourself without having to stop and wait your turn (as in a Jam style format). Think of it as a chance to do your tricks at any pace you feel comfortable with.  Pros have a maximum 4-minute routine. Experts have a maximum 3-minute routine. We will go through the order of riders once, and then start back at the top of the order again. Riders will perform these 2 routines and the scores from both routines will be averaged to determine your final scores.
•   
•                                                        Ranges of Scoring:       
•   
•   For the category of Consistency, the judges will score the riders (Expert and Pro) between 60-80. There will be more emphasis placed on the categories of Originality and Difficulty because these aspects are what contribute to pushing the evolution of Flatland. There will also be more emphasis placed on Variety because more bike control in numerous positions is what helps to make a rider a master over his bicycle and himself. Originality, Difficulty and Variety will therefore be scored from 70-100, allowing this extra 10-point range to show who truly excels here. A 30 point scoring range (as opposed to 20) helps distinguish more clearly the riders who have the greater Originality, Difficulty and Variety in their runs.
•   
•          
•   
•   
•   Originality
•   
•   You are looking for some unique variations from the rider. Variations that you have never seen or that seem highly unlikely to have been done before. You are looking to see if the rider has at least tried to add his own personal touch to the basic trick concept involved. In reaching the actual number score you are considering how much of the riders run was original and to what degree. For example: How many of the combos were original and/or how many parts of those combos were original?
•   
•   
•   Difficulty
•   
•   
•    You are looking for tricks, variations, and combos that you feel have taken some serious effort in learning by the rider. When reaching the actual number score, you are considering if at least some parts of the attempted combo were pulled. High points may still be given on the difficult parts even if the combo was not completed at the end (remember you are not a Consistency judge). If the rider did some difficult stuff but touched at the end – you can give him points for what he DID accomplish. Touching the foot down multiple times during the combo is considered a form of cheating and takes away from the difficulty level – hence a lower score.  You are also considering how many tricks, variations and combos out of his entire run were difficult. Example: He may have done 4 fairly easy combos and 3 really difficult ones etc.


Variety

You are looking for the rider to display a general mastery over the bicycle. You are looking to see if the rider has a vast “tricktionary” based on the different styles of tricks and combos he’s doing. You are looking for an overall sense of bike control. You are looking for both front and back wheel combos. If the riders does mostly OR all front wheel tricks he may not score as high. The exception to this is – if he does a good variety of front wheel tricks, then he can also earn points for that. Ambidexterity (opposite and regular) counts as a source of variety. You are looking to be impressed and entertained by the depth and variety of the tricks or combos performed. Points may be given for parts of combos that contain variety even though all the combos may have not been completed. Be mindful of riders who repeat very similar concepts, but only show slight variation within those same concepts. For example: if they mostly or only do clockwise spinning tricks, or a lot HALF PACKER STUFF, then they are not showing a variety of unrelated concepts of tricks, and therefore will not score as high in this category. Keep in mind that the rider should show an amount of variety that can be reasonably expected in the time slot given. If it takes them multiple attempts to hit something, then they are using up a lot of their time, and generally will not be able to fit in more variety.



 Consistency
     
You are looking to see how much of each combo and how many combos out of the entire run are completed without a touchdown. If the rider does a fairly long combo and only touches at the very end, then he should not be deducted a lot of points. The rider has to give you something to work with in order to compare the ratio of touches vs. the amount of tricks executed. Generally speaking, if the rider touches more than he executes, he will score lower. If he executes more than he touches then he will receive a higher score. If the rider touches down multiple times during the combo itself – then pushes back into the trick – this is considered much less consistent and more points should be deducted. Keep in mind that one rider may do very short combos and pull them off near to or perfect, while another rider may do long combos jam packed with many more variations with a couple touches here and there. Make sure that you are not fooled into automatically giving a higher score (to the short combo rider who was absolutely or nearly perfect) than the guy who actually pulled way more stuff in comparison to how much he touched. Longer combos back to back throughout the entire routine usually add up to more tricks/variations executed than that of short combos back to back. Here’s a tip: There is a scenario where a rider pulls a perfect run and you give him a perfect score, but another rider actually executed a lot more tricks and touched only a few times at the end of some combos. Obviously, you cannot give a rider a perfect score if he touches at all, but just be cautious of scoring him too much lower than the perfect rider, because again, he may have executed way more tricks and variations than the perfect rider. This is just to be sure that the very consistent or perfect riders do not have an extreme advantage over the others. Remember that Consistency is worth less than the other categories.

  * here are a few quotes from someone in the BMX industry who i let read the global flat quotes about me and my replies before posting this:

 
> "Criticisms like these are typical, unoriginal and overly
> simplistic. You certainly aren't the scapegoat for any
> of flatland's perceived "problems".
>
> A few quick notes: You have a tremendous amount of
> non-flatlanders that respect you, and this is rare.
> With flatland, there are only a few riders that I've seen that have been able to draw this same sort of respect from
> non-flatlanders. It is unusual, and it is a good thing. And if anything, this sort of "stature"
> or "mass appeal" is a huge help to "supporting" flatland,
> because it WILL eventually get a street guy to sit in a
> parking lot and try a few things.
>
> Talent: Hard work will take a person a long way, but
> talent is real and shouldn't be discredited or
> ignored. Someone like Kevin Jones IS talented. There
> was far more at work there in York during the late 80's than
> simple hard work and dedication. Michael Jordan IS
> talented, etc. There is an intangible quality that you
> either have or you don't. Lance Armstrong was capable
> of winning the Tour de France 7 years in a row because of
> hard work AND talent. At the highest level of any
> sport or art form, you will need talent to rise above
> mediocrity. Take chess for example. Some
> children can play and excel at the highest level, while some
> people struggle with the game for their entire lives.
> What separates them? Talent. Was Beethoven a hard
> worker or was he talented? Both, and talent is what
> made him a genius."

  * all i ask for people to do is think a little about everything said here before  recklessly posting away.

  chase.

+++++++++1.

Good stuff, from a Good Guy!

I would watch you ride in a sound proof booth if I had 2!

This is complete insanity.

I find it depressing that anyone over 13 would put this much time and energy worrying about what someone thinks/says about them. 

Stick to riding. 

Unless this is all some elaborate hoax.   
(Which is what I'm hoping.)
 

It's a shame.
I'd like to remember him as an innovative and talented Flatlander -- not a juvenile lunatic.

Edit:  God damn you're really concerned about my clothing!  Silly Chase...

I copied this from another thread about a supposed Dominik interview.

Quote from: A. Poirier on March 20, 2009, 05:02:42 PM

Quote from: JoeKickass on March 20, 2009, 04:29:25 PM

Riveting.   

Just you wait for part 2...Holy smokes...

Will you try and find out if he loves me?

3 things:
-I don't think you are really entitled to call anyone juvenile after engaging in the above you special guy.

-Since when is thoughtfully responding to what is said to or about you "insanity"? And who made you the arbiter of what people can and cannot think or do?

-Your ad hominem type responses are about as juvenile as it gets.

wow chase every ounce of respect i had for you was just lost...

3 things:
-I don't think you are really entitled to call anyone juvenile after engaging in the above you special guy.

-Since when is thoughtfully responding to what is said to or about you "insanity"? And who made you the arbiter of what people can and cannot think or do?

-Your ad hominem type responses are about as juvenile as it gets.

So since there are no straws to grasp are you just settling on coffee stirrers now or what?

That thread was about as far as serious as you can be and you're citing that as a reason the dude can't have an opinion about an insane soapbox that Chase went on? Get real.

If Chase was being so thoughtful I'm sure he could have found a better way to address Alex's critique of your shows without tearing into his riding, and choice of clothing. Not very thoughtful.