Intro: Effraim.

Text: Jon Dowker.

Photos: Kent Pearson.

One of the hardest things about running Flatmattersonline is having to share the heartbreaking news when someone from our community passes away. It’s something I’ve always struggled with, especially during busy times at work when it’s difficult to process and find the right words.

The devastating news that Jody Temple had passed hit me incredibly hard. I was fortunate to share many great conversations with Jody, particularly while working on his Flatmatters interview. He was not only a brilliant rider but also an intelligent, thoughtful, and kind person.

I chose not to rush posting about this loss, instead taking time to reflect and give his family and friends space. I also reached out to Jon Dowker to write something more in-depth and personal about Jody, to help capture who he truly was beyond his riding.

We’ve truly lost an amazing person—an incredible rider, yes, but even more so a remarkable human being. Thanks Jon for taking the time to write this beautiful piece, read on below.

Rest in peace, Jody. You’ll be deeply missed.

I think it’s safe to say that flatlanders are an eclectic bunch. I’d also like to think it takes a certain amount of intelligence to ride Flatland BMX at a high level. Both of these things rang true for Jody Temple.

Jody was well-read and had a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He loved comics, striped t-shirts, his cats & playing chess. He worked downtown, rarely drove his car, drank Mountain Dew, had many cool girlfriends, great taste in music, and was a big fan of skateboarding. More than anything, Jody lived life on his own terms, and this also applied to his BMX riding.

I first met Jody on a trip to Athens with the Knoxville crew around 1996. I remember a bunch of riders meeting up at the Tate Center on the UGA campus. After some time, everyone rolled out to go street riding. This left Jody Temple and me riding flatland. I remember thinking to myself: I like this dude.

By 1999, I was calling Athens home. It was then I learned just how strong a BMX scene this town had. The riders here were more like brothers than just riding buddies. We were often affectionately called the “Athens Family,” or “AthFam” for short. I found myself riding and hanging with the likes of Kent Pearson, Greg Overstreet, Darren Hough, Josh Pontzer, David Edison, Brit Boozoza, John Davis, Matt Potter, Steve Stewart, Carey Foreman, Halifax & Spooky Dave’s and many more. Also, flatlanders like Shayne Khajenoori, Roman Wilson, Darin Wright, Andrew Wickham, and Dane Beardsley came to reside here and become family.

Throughout the years, we had many people coming through and staying for extended periods of time – riders like Nathan Penonzek, Anthony Derbano, Erin Denato, Gabe Kadmiri, Jeff Foster, Aaron Behnke, James McGraw and even Kerry Gatt and Brian Tunney stayed here for long durations early on. Through all the riders coming and going, I was consistently riding with Jody Temple. His focus on flatland never wavered.

When I made the move to Athens, my thinking was that I’d like to be surrounded by guys who motivated me and who were more talented than me. This is exactly what I got riding with all these riders, and especially Jody. I’d even say Jody could be a little hard on me. Tough love, let’s call it. It was his way of encouraging my progression, and I believe I’m a more disciplined rider because of it.

Jody’s focus on Flatland BMX was profound. I could never match his level of discipline. He was never one to put out garbage links. Creativity and originality were a huge focus for him, and despite competing in very few contests, I’d say he was regarded as a great flatlander worldwide.

Reflecting on Jody’s riding career the last few days and watching old edits, it struck me just how many different tricks he learned and then just moved on from. Jody looked at flatland as a creative outlet. I recommend anyone reading this to watch a few videos from Jody Temple over the years. You won’t be disappointed – his trick-tionary was extensive!

Some memories I have are of the annual Hartwell Jam. Jody would invite his broke flatlander buddies to a delicious Thanksgiving meal courtesy of his folks’ generosity, and then we would proceed to ride all day in his hometown of Hartwell, which actually had an awesome parking lot. Good times for sure.

I went on countless road trips over the years with Jody, from local events to York Jams, JomoPro, X-Trials, and a few trips to Canada. We would always get a laugh reminiscing about keeping our stash in an old Gatorade bottle so we could pick it back up when we got back across the border. Worked like a charm every time!

It’s well known Jody was rather fond of Mountain Dew. Once, we went to the Metro Jam in Toronto and he was drinking his typical morning Mountain Dew, but he was experiencing unusual headaches. He couldn’t figure out why he felt so off on his bike. Took a day or two to realize that Mountain Dew in Canada doesn’t have caffeine! Thankfully, a few Tim Hortons coffees later, and he was back in business.

Another time, we went on a road trip in a rickety old Dodge van with a wooden box jump and a couple of ramp guys. We drove that setup all the way to Halifax, Nova Scotia, doing shows along the way. This had to be one of my favorite road trips of all time! At one point in NYC, we were doing a show and some old guy came out of nowhere all upset. He was yelling at us in Yiddish and started yanking all the cords from our PA system. I will never forget Jody coming to the rescue with backhanded karate chops – “NO WAY, DUDE!” That memory brings tears to my eyes.

There were other times riding at the Tate Center when campus police and university staff would sometimes park in the prime flatland area. This was obviously a point of contention, as we felt they would do this intentionally. On several occasions, I would crawl under the campus vehicles and disconnect the shift linkage, allowing Jody, Kent and myself to casually roll the vehicles aside. The campus employees must have been shaking their heads when they finally came back to their vehicles wondering why they were parked in such awkward places. Haha.

Jody always seemed to find employment in town. From Barnett’s magazine shop, to Cheng’s Chinese delivery, to working at the Gyro Wrap, where Jody earned the nickname “The Gyro Nazi,” as he was known to chase down customers if they forgot to tip their server! Later, he worked at the Speakeasy Bar, and then the famous vegetarian restaurant called The Grit. Most recently, he was working as a waiter at The Globe Bar and Grill, even helping Kent Pearson’s son Mason get a job in the kitchen. Due to his employment downtown, it seemed that Jody knew everyone whenever I went out with him. He was a man on the scene, for sure.

Over the last few years, I had moved up to the Philadelphia area. Still, Jody and I always tried to make the trip to California for Darin Wright’s One Love Jam. We would stay in our buddy Matt Potter’s bunkhouse, aka “The Surf Lodge,” in Venice Beach. I will cherish these memories forever. It was always great to eat at Ronnie’s Diner every morning up the street and meet up with friends who were also visiting from around the world. This was always such a good time – a great way to catch up every year. It saddens me to think we won’t be doing this anymore.

It goes without saying, Jody was extremely dedicated to getting tricks right. He never wanted to put out half-ass material. In fact, I don’t think Jody ever put out the same combo twice on social media. That would be flatland blasphemy to JT! I always respected him for this – he never took a shortcut. He put in the work and had the dedication that flatland requires to achieve a level of greatness that I believe he accomplished.

It’s interesting that some will put so much energy into something that is understood by so few. I know most of you reading this understand. I just feel privileged to have witnessed such a dedicated artist and athlete. I will always cherish my memories and times riding and hanging out with Jody.

He was quirky, and even a little nerdy, or maybe intellectual is the word? He was most certainly dedicated. He was basically one cool-ass mofo. He was a great friend.

I loved Jody Temple and will miss him very much. RIP, buddy.

References:

https://www.flatmattersonline.com/jody-temple-interview

https://www.flatmattersonline.com/jody-temple-bmx-banter-podcast