KOS 1984 />
Here comes the mother of all interviews with one of the real stars of the skatepark scene in the 80's. Donovan Ritter.
1 . Hi Donovan , where did you grow up and what got you into BMX , how long was it before you got a sponsor and how did this come about ?. D R: I grew up in Vista CA, I have lived here ever since. I got into riding vert when I saw Mike D perform at a Speedyway Race in San Bernardino, CA. I built a quarter pipe and started practicing on my own. A year later I entered my second skatepark contest, I got second place behind Brian Blyther. Ended up on the cover of BMX action July, 1984. About that time Bob Haro called me on the phone and asked me to ride for him.
2 . Wow Bob called you? that’s what dreams were made of . At the time when BMX was getting really popular you were right in the middle of it with the best riders in the world , did you realise the eyes of the BMX world were on your every move via Freestylin and BMX action Magazine. I know all my friends couldn't wait for the new issues of the new magazines and we would go over and over the pictures and try to emulate what we saw. D R: Yes I did realize how popular I was at that time, I learned my popularity during my first year of Tour. After a trick show five hundred kids would line up with magazines for me to sign autographs. It was cool, but hard to swallow at that young age. I didn't think I was that good.
3 . Was there money to be made with the likes of Mike D and Fiola taking the lions share?. To us in the UK you guys were living the dream.D R: The money wasn't like what you would have expected, After a month of tour I would come home with about $3000.
4 . That’s pretty good money for a 15 year old. From what we heard in the UK there were a lot of questions to be asked regarding the judging at KOS. How do you feel about this and how did it affect you ?.
D R: Beware! By reading this you're going to be exposed to the true facts about the sport of old school Freestylin. To validate this whole story, I was there, I was a top ranked rider in the sport I saw it, I heard it, this is all real! Just ask Woody Itson. The whole sport started off wrong, way wrong! In the beginning it was Bob Morales and Eddie Fiola they were business partners as a trick team. Bob and Eddie started the King of the Skateparks together with GT bicycles they called it AFA (Americano Freestyle Association). Bob Morales eventually started a branch of GT called Dyno.
This is where the stupid people come in to play. Eddie Fiola and Bob Morales were business partners; Eddie even had a big MF logo on the front his jerseys. Bob Morales worked for GT, GT sponsored Eddie Fiola to ride in the AFA events. So how can Eddie Fiola participate in any of the contest? Eddie Fiola was part of AFA, so was Don Hoffman owner of Upland Skatepark, and GT bikes who Eddie rode for, and Dyno who GT owns also with Bob. (There is an interview with Bob Morales admitting to all of this in Freestylin magazine).
5 . WOW that seems insane but explains why some great riders were not given the recognition they deserved. I always had Mike D as the real KOS. D R: You ever hear a Business announce that "no employee can in anyway enter or participate in a business raffle or contest?". Well that’s to guarantee that the contest is "NOT FIXED". Well with all that info, I figured that I would give it my best shot anyway, after all my goal was to beat Mike Dominguez the real King of the Skateparks, I even said that in a Freestylin interview.
6 . I always rated Mike D and you were not far behind going by the pictures we saw but the results never matched the pictures. How old were you when you first hit the big vert and what was it like being involved in the biggest and best skatepark scene in the world?.
D R: I was very young (14) when I started riding skateparks, even at that young age I still knew something was weird about the whole set-up. Eddie would wear his Morales & Fiola jersey during an AFA event while Bob Morales was walking around the same event with an AFA shirt on. I have to say that Americans can be pretty damn stupid some times, that's about the equivalent to thinking an invitation to participate in the "Jerry Springer" show is a good thing! My friends thought it was cool but my thoughts were how do you beat Eddie Fiola when the Eddie is business partners with the owner of AFA
7 . Could you explain the class division at KOS as it seemed to be very complicated and structured to favour certain ridersD R: Another real mystery was age class division. I couldn’t understand that one either. The AFA decided that they would create an age class to separate riders by age instead of skill level. The AFA divided the classes 16 and under and 17 and over. Eddie was 20 years old and most of the other riders were under 15 years old. Also the AFA decided that only the 17 and older class could hold the title of King of the Skateparks. Conveniently Bob and Eddie came up with the age 16 was a determining factor when they had to give out the King of the Skatepark crown. The King of the Skateparks crown was given to the oldest guy and not the best rider.
Well as the sport grew so did Mike D. Another AFA mystery, the year Mike Dominguez turned 17 the AFA created the Pro class. Now Mike Dominguez would be able to compete against the King of the Skateparks. This would be the first year with Mike D competing against Eddie Fiola. What is Eddie going to do now that he had to ride against Mike Dominguez? The AFA’s solution was a new judging system. Not a judging system panel with old skatepark riders, Fred Becker, Tinker, anyone with some kind of knowledge of the sport. They came up with a really cool judging system like Don King style. Imagine GT employees and GT riders in the judging panels.
8 . It's great that you are letting us in on all the inside information but I feel cheated so you must have been gutted , tell us about the last ever KOS when Eddie was crowned King of the skateparks.D R: The very last KOS contest ever! Eddie was crowned the King. How can judges grade a rider’s skill level when you don't ride skateparks? It's impossible! Give the judges a scoring chart to go by, certain amount of points for highest tricks, technical tricks, difficulty, courage involved to even attempt some tricks. Mike Dominguez was always in a bad mood at contest, I would be too if I was him. The last KOS contest Mike Dominguez tricks included: 10 foot airs all variations that high, NO FOOTED CAN CAN! no footer one hander, lookback, (one hand one foot air opposite direction). 700 flyout! 540 air 3 foot out!, one hand one foot inside the full pipe four feet past vert, fenceplant, Mike did everything Eddie did plus tricks that were so good even carried into supercross and motorcycle freestyle,(nac nacs, 2200 images on google no footed can cans)
9 . I was one of the many Fiola fans here in the UK as the Magazines hyped him up more than any other rider. It wasn't until he came to the UK in 84 that I saw the light and Ron Wilkerson and Mike D were truly amazing while Eddie was more of a showman but still entertaining to watch.D R: Eddie did tricks that Mike didn't do, other tricks like dance around on his handlebars and wiggle his fingers, talk like mickey mouse, oh yea and some Hugo Gonzo stuff, almost jump the fence. Skatepark tricks Eddie could never do, 540 air above the lip, No footers, Real Lookbacks, can't land smooth, 540 flyouts, He wears bright clothes and dances and wiggles around a lot and talks like mickey mouse! So I guess that makes him the King of the Skateparks
10 . I can see exactly what you mean and some of that dancing about did fool a lot of judges for sure. How would you get ready for a contest and how long would you practice your routine?.D R: At Delmar Skate Ranch I spent two weeks of everyday all day practice sessions in the Halfpipe. The Delmar halfpipe was about 150 feet long and 11 feet deep, no flat bottom, and the transitions were so different all the way down. Some spots were vert and some way over vert! Doing airs in one spot was completely different from the other. I had five different locations that I was doing airs from, going at least eight feet out. I set up my routine very technical and risky.
11 . Can you remember your Del Mar contest run and can you talk us through it ?. D R : I would pedal as fast as I could down the narrow sidewalk without hitting my bars on the fence, I would roll in and carve so fast my tires would barely hold grip on the smooth concrete, as I flew out into the air so high it became like slow motion.(remember 1985) While in the air my eyes were focused on the lip of the halfpipe, while my body was performing what ever variation (one hander one footer), The landing had to be smooth or else I wouldn't carry enough speed to fly out on the other side to do a fence-plant. The fence was 4 feet high and 3 feet back from the lip. You had to really pay close attention when you flew out, Mike Dominguez fell back in and crashed really bad from a fence-plant. I did 8-9 foot high airs in five different locations on the halfpipe each aerial was a variation from no footers, lookbacks, one hander one footer, way passed X-ups, one foot inverts way upside-down, alley oops traveling a huge distance in the back of the half pipe, I did fence-plants after each big air in all five locations.
At 200 pounds I was going as high as I could go! and smooth as glass! I had the most technical run out of everyone, the only rider that could out score me was Mike because of sheer Crazy high! (10 feet plus!) alley oops he was doing and 540 airs below the lip. I got second place behind Marc Mcglynn, who only did 7 foot airs in one spot. variations include x-up, one hander one footer (he grabs his foot), he couldn't do a fence-plant or no footer
12 . You must have felt devastated with your result even though you knew you were not popular with the judging panel. D R : I was so pissed! I went right up to the judges and got in their faces, "YOU'RE ALL COCK SUCKING FAGGOTS!" I yelled at the top of my lungs! I was 5'9" and 200 lbs. so it wasn't like a kid yelling at them. Lets put it this way Stu Thompson or Pistol Pete Loncarevich wouldn't arm wrestle me for money, Woody Itson tried to bet them each a hundred bucks, but they got scared!
13 . What made you stop riding and what year was it. Did you miss BMX when it seemed to die in the late 80's?.D R: I quit riding when I got that flyout-itus mental phobia 1987-88, was not really into riding Vert anymore after dealing with the AFA's bullshit so I really didn't care. I got back into supercross instead, was getting ready to compete in 1989.
14 . What tricks would you say were yours ? I know you were an innovative rider and pushed the sport to new limits. D R Tricks to my credit, One-Hander One-Footer touch the front tire, Mike D also copied my trick.
I was the first rider to perform No-Footers in a Skate-park contest.
I was the first one to do Look-backs over the fence at Upland Pipeline, Mike D only did them Low, its in the mags
Fish-Tail air, it like doing a look-back then a look-down in the same air
Hip Hanger One-Footer, the Vert-Search spread shot. Picture was the wrong angle, it was crazy looking from a different angle. Even Mat Hoffman saw me do it in Ohio, Matt said "what the hell was that!" Here is the trick, when you do and air to the left, you lift the bike high to the right side and drop your left leg strait down as if you are looking for the ground like in a cartoon
15 . What Do you do now for work and do you still ride?. D R: Currently I work as a internet business adviser doing SEO and marketing. I'm also building another business as a UFC training coach. I train UFC fighters mentally and physically. I will be on Spike TV, Jan 22 UFC preliminary fights, I will be in Joey Beltran's corner. My web is
www.MMAXTOUT.com MMA Xtreme Training!
