A couple of weeks ago Mongoose Bikes hosted the first ever Mongoose Jam. Mongoose has always been an innovator in BMX, so it was no surprise that the event was a huge hit!
The event took place on one of the best-known stages in BMX – Camp Woodward West in Tehachapi, California. Getting to the camp was an extreme sport of its own. It was a fierce competition between car, curves and cattle.
The BMX-only event, featured competition among five teams, each headed by one of Mongoose’s pro riders – Greg Illingworth, Steve McCann, Paul Ryan, Ben Wallace, and Cam White. The Mongoose team captains choose a group of four pro BMX athletes, and drafted one amateur rider from the Amateur Audition, open to all Woodward campers. Brad Thomas, Mike Mendoza, Todd Cagel, Shea Doran and Ed Percival had the skills to win the unique opportunity to compete against the pros and receive a year long flow sponsorship with Mongoose.
Each team selected two riders to compete in each discipline — Park, Dirt and Street. Teams then earned points according to their placement in each contest to choose the overall Mongoose Jam first place team.
Greg Illingworth
Team Wallace, lead by Mongoose rider Ben Wallace won the first-annual Mongoose Jam, with overall wins in Dirt and Park.
“I’m pretty stoked about the win. It’s the first contest Mongoose has done, and I ended up winning it,” said team captain Ben Wallace. “I’m super happy with the way all the guys rode. They’ve done us proud, taking the win for Team Wallace!”
The Dirt contest gave each team an opportunity to get a jump-start in the standings, with Team Wallace taking an early lead. Kevin Peraza of Team Ryan, came out on top in the 10-man contest, with a stylish run that started with a one-footed invert on the first set, a knack knack on the second hit, a huge superman seat grab and a truck driver to downside whip on the final hit. Wallace and teammate TJ Ellis finished seventh and second respectively to take the overall team win.
The second day of the three-day event featured a doubleheader of competition, starting with the Park contest. Kyle Baldock riding for Team White took the top spot, tearing apart the Woodward West indoor park. His run started with a flair drop-in, and included a 900, a 720 over the spine, a flip whip and a 540 flair. Team Wallace’s Andy Buckworth took second and amateur rider Brad Thomas took fifth to give the team the overall win in the BMX Park competition.
Paul Ryan
The action closed out with the Street event, featuring three different zones for the riders to tackle. Jeremiah Smith of Team McCann took the top spot with Team McCann taking the overall win in Street, putting together clean, stylish lines in each of the three sections. Jeremiah’s ride during the jam included a double peg up the rail to a 180 downside tail whip in the third zone, along with an opposite double peg, hop over double peg ride on the a-frame rail, to manual to switch toothpick hangover ride.
The most enjoyable part of watching this event go down was the focus on teamwork. The inclusion of a Woodward camper in competition through the amateur draft provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an up-and-coming rider to learn from their sport’s best role models. I can’t think of a more appropriate setting than Woodward West, a place that is training future BMX stars.
Team Wallace Winners
“The Mongoose Jam is such an exciting event to be a part of,” said Mongoose Pro Rider Steve McCann. “The format allows riders with pro experience to mentor the campers and show them the ropes of BMX competition, and share the fun of what riding BMX with your friends is all about.”
This was truly an incredible event that you can experience too! The entire event was streamed live on Mongoose.com and is now available on-demand on the website. You can also keep up on the latest with the Mongoose team riders at Facebook.com/MongooseBikes and @Mongoose on Twitter and Instagram.
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