Recap January

Ok so lets get up to speed here... Sometime in November or December my lame ass landlord in a million excuses basically kicked me out with the best of intentions. I was pretty livid because to say Im a great tenant would be an understatement, hell I even tried to negotiate a lower rent if I paid it all a year in advance haha. Anyway dude asks when I can be out I stall for Feb 1st and he doesnt have a choice but to agree. I figure hey maybe its time to buy a house me and Alicia got some cash in the bank and we've been saving for a bit might have enough. This conversation leads to that one get in touch with an aunt run some numbers and bingo bango in less than 30days we scooped up on a nice spot back in my old stomping grounds of Newark. Grew up here so kinda just going back to the old roots, and Ill be just a few blocks from Grams and she can always use a hand with things around the house so it will be nice to be available. Now down to the good news, apparently the tax breaks are plentiful and that should be music to my ears next year. Me and Alicia play a dangerous shell game of hiding income so hoping this eases the process. No commute for me anymore is a scoop of sugar on top, Alicia getting a new whip soon to celebrate, things are looking good. Just avoid curveballs cuz when shit is going good you know something screwy is around the corner haha. 2017 is on and pushin cant wait for the weather to stabilize and get some ride time in. Lets go!

-Nick

2016 closeout!

Well 2016 was a roller coaster like many years before and surely many years to come. Thats life though and ultimately if you can live to fight another day than I think you are potentially one move away from being great. Keep fighting for what you desire, try and limit the mistakes and keep the eye on the prize as they say. My year started off with a ton of work as things had me wrapped up and in a strange turn of events I went from working to dealing drugs to getting a new job all within a quick 2-3 week span. LOL Just jokes. But in starting my new job it allowed me the time to pick up the race bike and get out and dust off things. It was nice having the time and availability to get involved with the local scene and it coincided with my friend Alex rebuilding my local track so I got to help a bunch with that. Fast forward a few short months and I was working with kids going to races and overall having a good time riding my race bike a bunch and I had definitely missed seeing many people from that scene. Started some clinics with newer riders and intermediates and just giving back has been a good time and helping with the local track is a good bonus that Im happy dedicate time to. End of year made some goals to get back to the whole team USA circus that is the worlds and this year doesn't mean as much to me as years past because the location isn't foreign but I've been working with my homie Benny and just getting him to ride confident regardless of results and myself as well should pay dividends for him and me in not just BMX but pretty much anything. Some things may revolve around BMX but its life lesson stuff that if you work hard put in the time you can get some results, he may see the short term goal of becoming a better BMX racer but the real deal thing is you teach kids to better young men and women and thats what really matters. Long after the plastic trophies are dusty and neglected if you have impacted people and in turn they have also impacted people to be better than you hang your hat on those facts. Each one teach one. Im not perfect, I fuck up daily and have had more mistakes that Im not proud of than moments I was genuinely happy about. But again you keep truckin' and keep going forward because each day you get up, each time you stand back up after a fall, or each time you set  a tire in the gate you have potential to be great. So 2016 you have been fair to me and thats all I could hope for. 2017 I hope you are equally as fair to me because Im gonna need it. Foot on the gas! Lets do this shit.

Legend!

Australian dudes man they use that term as like a term of endearment if someone calls you a legend its like you're the fuckin man basically. Well tonight after 16 years of volunteering at the track Mr. Orlando Trujillo has hung up the headset for the last time. The last set of moto sheet scores are turned in and he is going to relinquish his weekly obligation to the board and the riders of our area. Ive known Orlando for about 10years I would safely say and he always had Team Impact which was a pretty good sized local and state team for many years, he ushered in riders of all skill levels from noob kids to having  a few pro riders as well. Its safe to say if you raced anytime over the last 10 years Orlando has definitely watched your progression as he announced your highs and lows at the local level. 16 years is enough time to see so many people cycle in and out of the sport, see so many trends come and eventually fade away and how many rebuilds has this guy been a part of too? Lando has always been a staple and in BMX with so many fleeting splashes of this that and the other the real staple people are a rarity. Love him hate him or indifferent about him, I can honestly say beyond a shadow of a doubt I have the utmost respect for anyone who can dedicate 16 years toward something and get nothing more than a rare thank you. Glass raised to you my friend, it's been a pleasure working with you over the past few months the only regret I have is not coming along sooner. I sincerely hope this gift of some more free time can find you something else that you can pour dedication and compassion into like you have with helping the BMX community. You sir are a fuckin legend and if we had more people like you or even a fraction of you the world would be a much better place. Feel free to come grace us from time to time and anything we can ever do to help you out we are all just a call away. Salute you man!

Days Work.

Woke up and was lazy but determined at the same time to start checking off projects at the track. First up was some stairs that needed to be notched into a hill so my parents wouldnt have to brave gravity walking down a dirt bank to cheer on little groms. I got out there and did my best Bob Villa impression and knocked these steps out as you can see. Are they pro? No. Are they certified? No. Were they done in rain drizzle for free? Yes. Enjoy folks :) Then I saved my arch enemy Danny some cash by retrieving his car keys/fob that he left overnight in the parking lot. As much as I hate his power I definitely like his attitude and Ive yet to crash him so we are on good terms, but given the chance I throw him an elbow for $5 in a pro am in a second hahahahaha. Rain was coming down pretty good so had to cut the work session short but few things to tidy up at PAL and 2017 should be good. Track changes? Why not :) Headed over to see uncle Rob at the PD and spoke with him briefly and got some swag for tomorrow Niner game always appreciative of his hook up. Then got home sometime and got a call about the pre approval for the loan to cop a house came back all clean as a whistle. $750k of debt I can jump into LOL Trying to avoid being homeless is the plan so probably try and pull a trigger on something quick but at the same time not in a rush so wont buy anything if it doesnt fit my needs for sure. Stoked though I put in a solid few years of work and saved some serious cash as did Alicia so we made some good moves and now just keep the foot on the pedal and keep knocking it out. "somedays you build steps, and somedays you take steps, and on a rare occasion you can do both" thats the cheesy tag line of the day for me. Now to try to find 4 friends I can stand to be around for a few hours tomorrow at the game haha hmmmm this could be difficult lol. #nosquad #circletoosmallsometimes #qualitynotquantity

Put some respect on my name LOL

I figure that statement has died down long enough for me to use it LOL. Todays thoughts of the day come from my morning of meeting up with the Calculated Team at the track. I know a bunch of the guys some I race, some I admittedly cant stand sometimes but all in all a chill group of dudes and I have nothing bad to say for the most part. Today they had a track work day for those who dont know basically a team commits to helping with some tasks around the track and in turn the board gives them an exclusive track practice. I made sure to be on hand to make sure nothing crazy happened to my beloved baby track lol Anyway these guys killed it. 8-10 guys all on time for the most part, we knocked out a ton of weeds that have been growing with all the recent rains, cleaned up a few areas and we were in and out within 2hours I bet. It was a HUGE fucking help and goes to show the whole teamwork thing is soooooo key in how your facility can look and feel. When dudes put in some sweat equity I think they have a sense of ownership and that leads to some track pride and more down the road which also is key. So to team calculated I salute you guys, I personally appreciate the efforts today and few will say thanks but hoping mine shows you that I for one am quite thankful. You guys ever need anything dont hesitate to ask. #salute #respectearnedforsure

Rhianna said work work work!

Self timer shot today from the track getting my small lake drained out. Put in a fair amount of time addressing the holes in turn 1 finally and trying to think of what to do with the lack luster pro section at the track. I think I am going to fill in the first jump and make it a long table over the break when we close for 2 weeks. The section is getting overgrown currently and its mainly due to the lack of traffic through there. Its not a hard section when you sprint at it from turn 1 but from a full first straight I only know of 1-2 people that can do it and they damn sure arent doing it lap after lap. I think if I make it easier in a sense it will fix a few issues. Right now its not much faster or faster at all from what Ive seen. Fill in the first jump and I think it can be tap manualed and pedaled right through and would make the "big" jump easier to attack and not be such a send it jump. More guys going that route would be more reason to keep it maintained because at this rate I could care less and let it grow over. Have a couple other things up my sleeve for 2017 at the track but they will have to stay under wraps for now. Paving turn 1 is still at the top of the list and will happen I can guarantee it. Get your money ready kids cuz the gofundme heart strings will be pulled and tugged on as hard as possible so you will come up off that money you worked so hard for LOL. Alright time to house search a little bit before bed. 

Thanksgiving Vibes

Well with a few days off and the rain really stalling things out as far as riding wise I figure I can give my thoughts on what Im thankful for. Im a really really basic person as far as things go for being thankful and what not. Pretty much just happy and thankful to be alive. Sure it sounds like a cliche way to go about it but honestly here is my take so stay with me. Every morning you wake up you got 24hrs to work with and if you are ambitious and a go getter you can make shit happen. You always have the chance to get what you feel you deserve. Yes Im thankful for opportunities and friends all 3-4 of them lol but all that comes from work and the opportunity of waking up another day and working toward things. Whatever you are thankful for I would suggest dont just be thankful for it but nurture it and put some work into it. Dont get hung up on just being thankful but work it and make it even better and also pay it forward. If you are thankful for something look back and see how you can help the next person who is in your path behind you. Enjoy the holidays people.