03 Aug Nelson Jam – Interview with Wade Nelson & Andrew Lazaruk
The Nelson contests were our piece of ’90s BMX lore in British Columbia. They exemplified so many things about that time, from people scraping together road trips across Canada and the PNW to get there, to the collective party vibe that resonated throughout the town and its nightlife (which by most accounts could not handle that many BMXers). For those of us who were young, it was a chance to see our heroes in the flesh, riding in the purest way possible with our friends. There were bangers, crashes, and even a flatland contest. Above all else, the vibes were unbeatable and everyone who showed up had a chance to feel like they were a part of something. When a small crew of organizers resurrected the contest as a reunion effort in 2022, a long lost piece of our culture returned and by all accounts brought back its original spirit. The contest is on again for 2023 and I know many riders are feeling the collective pull to be there. Justin Schwanke and I traded some questions with Andrew Lazaruk and Wade Nelson, who are both at the helm again for this year’s gathering.
Justin: What’s the history behind the Nelson contest? How did the event begin and how long did it run for?
Wade: Rob Sigaty lived in this tiny town in British Columbia and wanted people to come ride with him. We had met at contests in 1990. He used to send me hand-written letters (that I still have) almost begging me to come visit him. Early in 1992, he included a VHS tape with him riding in the Garage Skatepark with one of his letters. Darren Bolton and I really wanted to ride a four-foot spine ramp, so we drove nine hours from Vancouver to Nelson that summer on a recon mission. We had a blast. The next summer, Rob and the local skaters threw a contest to try and convince folks to make the trip. A bunch of us did, as it was a time when contests and magazines had all but dried up. The Vancouver folks made the trip, folks from Calgary and Edmonton, some from Washington State and Oregon, and three youngsters from Winnipeg (David Osato, Jason Enns and David Hawthorne) were on their first big road trip away from home. I don’t remember who won flatland, but Sigaty won ramps, with me in second and a sixteen year old Osato in third. The second year, I took over the planning and sponsorships and the running of the event on the day (including the announcing) with the help of co-captain Rob Sigaty. For the rest of the 1990s, it was the largest BMX Freestyle event in Canada. We did a total of eight events in ten years, with the last one in 2003. Then I did a reunion event for the Nelson and District Youth Centre (NDYC) as a fundraiser in August of 2022. I then handed it over to Andrew Lazaruk for the future.
Justin: What were some highlights or standout moments from years past?
Wade: So, so many. There is a lot of video footage out there. Dom Mach and Simon Barry. Jay Miron, Paul Buchanan, Kevin Salmon came out from Toronto, Zack from Kink made it out, two friends from Mexico, Stephan Prantl from Germany, Dirt Brother Sean Yaroll. I think I met Dustin Guenther at Nelson, along with Nathan Penonzek. Hundreds of riders. Dearest long-term friendships formed. A baby was conceived at the first Nelson contest. There is video footage of a rider giving me a lap dance in just his tighty-whiteys at a contest after having done his run. I always entered the event myself even though I was running it and announcing – I would just hand the mic to Steve Roy. I got my first concussion while doing this in 1994. I rode the 1995 contest in a leg cast with my toes hanging out, pulling a barspin in the park class and a decade in the flatland class.
Aaron: Andrew, what impact/influence did the old contests have on you, growing up there as a local?
Andrew: The NDYC itself was literally all my influence in the yearly days of me getting into BMX. The scene in Nelson at that time was something really special. The locals all ripped but rode slightly different from each other. It was amazing to be able to see high level riding in person and also see a wide variety of different riding styles. Rob Sigaty was still riding hard at that time too, so it was always extra special any time he would come to the park. It was a good eye opener to what BMX was. I wasn’t too aware of the contests or their significance at this point; I just kind of knew they existed. Once I got more into riding I started realizing the impact and large scale of what those contests were. I was lucky enough to catch the last one of that era and was completely blown away. I couldn’t believe guys like Jay Miron, Dave Osato, and Jason Enns were all in my tiny hometown riding the local park. Watching those guys ride in person was surreal. Those contests would draw people who were at the top of the game and as a young kid getting started, you couldn’t ask for anything better to solidify your interest and passion for BMX.
Aaron: The Nelson Jam has always been held at the NDYC indoor park, but just as the jam and riders have evolved, the park has seen a lot of changes as well. Can you give us a brief history of the skatepark, from the early ‘90s Garage to present?
Wade: My first memory of the park from 1992 is that it had a 4ft spine. By the time we actually got there, this had been repositioned into a hip. We could have been disappointed with not getting what we wanted, or we could roll with it and make the most of whatever is there. The Garage / NDYC has has several different configurations, but ultimately, it hasn’t mattered. You go for the hang, not for the facility. That said, holy heck is the new setup fun. I kinda wish that I had more than fifteen minutes to ride it last year, but I was busy with the event and with friends.
Aaron: A few blocks from the park there is a giant rail, maybe one of the largest rails ever attempted. Who has tried it over the years, and do you think anyone will ever get the whole thing clean?
Andrew: The rumors I’ve heard have been Rob Sigaty, Leigh Ramsdell, and Dom Mach ( I think ??? ) all giving it attempts. Not sure if that’s true or who would have come the closest. It’s a really gnarly one, but anything is possible these days.
[Editor’s note: Jarrod Creally also tried this one]
Justin: After a long hiatus, the Nelson jam was brought back in 2022. How did that come about and who was involved?
Wade: I lost track of Rob Sigaty for about seven or eight years. I couldn’t find him. Eventually I did, and it led me to think that getting everybody back together for a reunion was a good idea. We have lost so many BMX friends to suicide over the past decade. Us older riders – hovering around 50 – have been having the most acute mid-life crises. So, I figured, let’s reestablish the old connections. I googled the NDYC, found a contact, and offered to volunteer to run an event for them. I told them that they could keep all the money. They let me do it. I contacted all the sponsors. I reached out to Andrew Lazaruk, an OG Nelson local and Pro BMXer who has returned to BC to start up Timeless Distribution, and asked him to be my helper monkey. He monkeyed so well that I offered the event to him to continue in the future as part of his Timeless BMX event series.
Dom Mach. Photo Credit: Alex Fenning.
Justin: It seemed like there was a good mix of generations represented at the 2022 event. How did it feel bringing together such a diverse crowd?
Wade: Warmed the heart, it did. The youngest rider was twelve (Jack Denny), and he rode with his dad (Shawn Denny) in the same heat/group. There were six fifty-one year olds. Diverse isn’t quite the word, though, as no women took part. And there wasn’t a flatland event as no one was feeling a flatland contest.
Left to right: Dustin Guenther, Wade Nelson, Josh Bissat, Carson Donovan, Dave Osato
Justin: What were some highlights or standout moments from the 2022 event?
Wade: The absolute highlight was when Tyler Horness won a complete Fit bike in the prizes draw at the end and immediately gave it to twelve year old Jack. Little dude was just about to outgrow his 18” bike and BOOM, Tyler upgrades him. Watching Carson Donovan ride. Tyler too. Travis Kozie. Meeting Richard Gallant: Legend. The last heat was stacked with some of my dearest friends because I wanted to ride with them all again: Osato, Dom and Simon, Darren Bolton, Dustin Guenther and I. All over 40. That five-minute heat lasted twenty, and no one minded. A lot of respect for the elders. Plus, Dustin, Dave, and Dom shut down the park, anyway. It all ended with Dustin icepicking something ten feet above the tallest transition in the park. It should also be noted that the times spent outside the skatepark were also infinitely valuable. A lot of hugs.
Andrew: For me personally it was seeing all the Nelson contest OG’s ( Osato, Dustin, Dom, Simon, Wade, etc ) show up, be excited about the event and kill it! The way Osato and Dustin were riding it might as well have been a mid 2000’s Metro Jam; it was unreal. I think it was really good for the younger generations to see that type of riding in real life too. The overall vibe and reception of the event was amazing, and I want to keep that vibe/moment rolling for the years to come.
Tyler Horness. Photo Credit: Shawn Denny.
Justin: What do you have planned for the 2023 event on August 19?
Wade: Andrew Lazaruk is organizing this year’s event and future events. He has volunteered to fly me in for it, so I might be directing traffic / hosting that day. Keep the vibe going. What you need to know is that it is a big fake contest. It’s a jam, but in contest form. And I do everything I can to take the competition out of it. It’s about the hang, and a celebration of getting together. So all contest seriousness needs to be left at home. It’s a day to make friends and to connect with old friends. It’s a form of benevolent socialism. And if I am running the show, I will be your benevolent dictator.
Andrew: Pretty much exactly what Wade said, that sums it up perfectly. I want to keep the feeling and energy of the event as close to what it originally was as possible. I’m super thankful Wade is down to continue to be part of the event and work with me moving forward. My goal is to keep this thing going for a long time. Hopefully we can get a new generation stoked on the Nelson contests while still having the original dudes be involved and excited.
Aaron: Why anyone should be comfortable showing up and riding in the same open class as some of Canada’s best riders, even if they’re 45 and haven’t ridden in a few years, or 14 and weren’t even born when the classic comps went down?
Wade: The key has been setting the vibe. It does not matter if you do well in the contest. You aren’t going to win, so just go have a good time. Show up, show off. You will get cheered for you being the best you that you can be. We used to award the top three people with just a t-shirt, and then everyone else tied for fourth. Then everyone’s name would go in a hat and have an equal chance for the best prizes. This last year, I announced a fifty-way tie for first place. So everyone that was there can say they “won” Nelson in 2022. My role in all this is setting the stage, keeping the party going, and maintaining the vibe.
Aaron: Who are the riders you’re most excited to watch this year, from the original generation and the current one?
Wade: The riding isn’t really my thing. Friendships trump riding. Jason Enns should make it this year and I haven’t seen him for about seven years. I just want to be in his presence – this is what I am excited for. But to answer your question – of the younger crowd – I like Tyler, Carson, and Travis. It would be cool if the Toronto guys came out – Jaden Chipman and Lawson Turner. Actually – here is a way to answer this – we had a bunch of old friends out last year just to hang that didn’t even get on a bike. So, I would like to see Corey Bolton, Cec Milligan, Darcy Saccucci, Jamie MacIntosh, and Greg Axford get on a bike again.
Andrew: There are so many good kids out there right now, I’m stoked to see any of them ride. The current set-up at the NDYC is still somewhat new, so I think there are a lot of people who haven’t ridden it yet. It’s always exciting seeing people ride something for the first time and watching the lines they come up with. From the original generation, Rob Sigaty would be the person I personally would be most stoked to see back on a bike. Watching him ride when I was growing up was such a huge influence and a big part of my riding; that will always be super special to me. If Dustin comes out again this year, that will definitely be a highlight. Although, I have no idea how he could possibly top what he did last year. He absolutely killed it.
Justin: Why should people organize BMX events in their local community? What value does it bring to BMX?
Wade: Community is everything. Friendships are everything. What doesn’t matter are contests, competition, sponsorships, pro-status. None of the business stuff will matter to you when you get older. Even the riding, the radness, is secondary. Bond with folks that love the thing that you love. My greatest gift to BMX, I think, is that I gave folks a chance to get together and share their love of playing BMX. The greatest gift that BMX has given me is a community. I have been well-compensated in this regard.
Andrew: The value is huge, especially in these current times. Any type of thing that is bringing riders together, getting them stoked, and encouraging new people to get into BMX is more important than ever. It doesn’t need to be anything super elaborate or over the top either; it can be super simple. I think it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the idea of trying to throw a jam, but it can literally be as simple as texting/DMing all the riders in your local area and having a big session at a local park or street spot. There doesn’t need to be tons of prizes or even prizes at all, people will be stoked on just meeting up and having a good session. If your local scene doesn’t have much going on jam/event wise, don’t be afraid to reach out to other riders you know or maybe don’t even know and try to get something started. Who knows where it could lead.