Todd Carter has some gems from the archives on his YT channel and social media, this week we feature Surfer master, Jeff Cotter’s run from Portland Oregon, March 1998.
Todd Carter has some gems from the archives on his YT channel and social media, this week we feature Surfer master, Jeff Cotter’s run from Portland Oregon, March 1998.
Thanks for posting, Effraim!
I’m surprised that handlebar design didn’t take off. Just kidding. Sick run though.
CROSS fire hydrant to decade , straight to Tischman-rang……don’t think I’ve ever seen that one before. Leap to bar ride was BURLY, too. It’s crazy old school moves like surfers and Garrido-rangs can be tough to re-learn. ( at least for me , anyway , ha. ) Cotter’s SCURFER variations are HARD along with all his other stuff. Double decades on lock , rolaids….dude ruled/ rules . Thank you , Todd ! So many O.G. BMX legends I’ve wondered about , wanting to see more of their riding from back before video footage was hard to really come by …….you’ve converted / uploaded online. I appreciate this. It’s also rad seeing all of your own riding from back then…….and of course now @ some events I’ve been to. ( A.F.A. / A.B.F.L. Space Jam contests- April 2022 and June 2024. ) Best forward ropes to lard glides in the business , Todd ! Shout out , Big- E on selecting another O.S.S. gem……………NOW….. you , Todd……..or anyone could find/ upload Jason Brown’s prelim AND finals 2nd place -contest footage from the 1999 , Louisville ,Kentucky’s E.S.P.N. contest , when he had just signed to Redline bikes , riding a blue G.T. show frame with Redline stickers on it , wearing a red Redline bikes T-shirt…….going crazy with his signature fire -flip hitchhiker , 180 and 360 bar twitch combos……..if THAT video footage could be uploaded………THAT would really stoke me…..FLATMATTERSONLINE.COM…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmWNumUF96Q —-clip of jason at 2 mins in.
Thank you , Jro . I’ve seen that footage before though. I’m referring to the preliminary rounds where I had heard from a rider that was actually there about how Jason was going bonkers , just freestyling his combos dominating the multiple rounds. ( I believe @ that event they were using a jam circle format that was introduced by, I think Scott Powell ? ) I’d also love to see MORE footage of his finals runs , too. ( more than the edited video that E.S.P.N. broadcast back in October of 1999. ) I appreciate the video link though , Jro ! Jro , I’m curious who are you ? A BMX Flatland rider from the mid -west , France , Texas ??? I’ve noticed you’re always commenting with really good video links , edits. Do you have any videos of your riding that you’ve shared or are posted on this site and online anywhere ?? I’m also guessing you’re maybe , a rider from California ?? Jason Hughes ? I have videos of me riding on this site under my name , Rodney Williams……I’d love to see videos of your riding . Especially if you’re Jason Hughes . Brett Foster , or Kris Ketchum……Thanks again , man…….
rodney, i am none of those people. just an old-old skool rider from the pacific northwest who looks on yootoob daily for new videos (or old ones). rode a few times with j. brown looonnngggg before he was good/famous. he always had a sort of style though, wanted to be dennis mccoy, then chase gouin. then yeeaarrrsss later, he started developing his own thing. he was always doing his own thing style-wise, just far from the best rider at comps, but he won a lot of the local ones regardless. anyways, i was loonnggg retired from riding and grabbed a ‘ride’ magazine in 1999 or 2000 at a cd/book store, and saw he placed at an x-games qualifier, even got a pic in the mag. was nice to see. and i was very sorry to hear of his passing, neverminding any past relationship stuff i had with him in 1990 or 1991. r.i.p. jason brown. and i hope jeff cotter still rides, or at least is around and sees this. he was a very stylish rider too. ^___^
Cool you got to session with Jason , Jro . I wish I could of gotten the chance to ride bikes with him. I did session in the same parking lot / Tennis court with him , though ! He was riding at the others ends. I was too star struck to actually pedal up and meet/ talk to him though , haha…around Fall of 2015 I had actually joined F.B. just to ” meet ” him and some other riders like Adam Guild , etc…..thing is Jason Brown’s long combo @ the end of his video part in the BMX video ,5 Combos…….that REALLY motivated me to chase doing long combos . ( along with seeing long combos by Effraim Big-E ! Catlow and Andrew Arroyo in other BMX videos. ) Jason Brown’s ” Raditude ” and demeanor while he was riding also made me a huge fan of his back 1995 . ( I was riding in the same parking lot and Tennis courts with him 1995 @ the Hoffman bikes O.K.C. contest , Labor day weekend……. and the E.S.P.N. X- Trials @ South Padre island , Spring Break in 1996 ! ) I’m sure you remember he was just ” electric ” on his bike , times 7….I became friends with him on F.B. in 2016ish and we’d message here and there . ( I remided him of his DOUBLE decade out of an INSIDE circle junk yard during he prelim run @ the O.K.C. contest in 1995. He was stoked to remember that ! I even got to tell him about his influence on my riding which he gave me some props on my long combos ! ) When I heard the tragic news I was bummed . ( still am. ) He was cool and really humble . Especially considering my first F.B. message to him…..I was in ” super fan ” messaging him the first time , haha….I’m grateful I got to at least be F.B. friends with him for a lil bit …….Yup , he’s one of the greatest and always will be forever. I hope Cotter still rides to this day , also. Jro , send Effraim some video of your riding . ( even old stuff. I’d be stoked to see it , man. You riding bikes with Jason personally has me very curious about your riding. What’s your name ??? ) Being from the Pacific Northwest I’m sure you were really , really skilled as all riders were in that area . especially back then…….myself , I’m ” mild sauce ” of a BMX Flatlander , I’m no Yoshiki Hoteke Uchino , haha. In 1990 , yeah I was riding ……but I sucked , haha……….
my last little riding edit was from halloween day 2003, i posted it somewhere (back on the pedal forums) before yootoob was a thing. i’m glad you got to connect with jason, but he was just another rider when i knew him in 89′-91′ or so. i was just glad to see he finally went pro and got to ride with the real pros for a while, he always had that competitive edge, and a pretty cool style. once he got some up-to-date tricks in the mid or late 90’s, well, i’m not surprised he hit the world stage for a while. below is a link from a comp around the time i knew jason. same style more or less, he just didn’t have new enough tricks, or much of his own yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRCuyLdCP48&t=14s
Thank you for the video link , Jro. Jason’s lines were too good . Pink , ashtray step through to switch ( left footed. ) locomotive in a line full of Sigur ( Rich ” Spider Man ” Sigur .) -rangs…. and Itson ( Durwood ” Woody ” Itson. ) -reverts . His riding so fluid with authority…….Jason was ALWAYS ahead of the game as far as I’ve seen , since 1989. I.E………half packers IN lines , 1989 , multiple fire pinks to TURBINE Mc circles IN lines , 1989 , multiple X-leg whiplashes , pop to forward ropes to Smiths to START lines , 1989 , opposite to regular Tishman ( Randy ” The Magian ” Tischman .) -rangs, mixed with boomer-ankles …AND Top-Rock footwork with decades…..ALL in the SAME line , 1988 …..the list goes on. Trust me , I know and remember all of it. He’s ALWAYS been ahead , using his own original twists on things. For instance 1998 during the entire bar -flip hitchhiker era. He created did it a HARD way , 180 twitch to hitchhiker. ( pretty much from a dead stop after the twitch and dumping into the hitchhiker. ) He was linked that with a 360 Flap-Jack , TURBINE steam in 1999…….all of these things are online. Thing is …..if he filmed it during the years I stated. THAT means he was doing it even BEFORE then. A true BMX Flatland Icon , Jason Brown , r.i.p………Jro , I see this video link is from Sean ” Fish ” Hoskin’s channel. He was still riding in 2003 , 2004 and still is today I think. ( he was up on the nose manual game , riding street before it really ” hit ” the scene , riding for Quamen bikes and had shaved his head. ) I’m curious , you said you were on the Pedal BMX Forum . I used to check that Forum out using another Flatlander’s internet when we get together and ride bikes during 2003 , 2004 , 2005. Are you , Brett Crowther ? David Mcdaniel ? Grex Axeford ? Josh Williams ? Micheal ” DJ Amtrak ” Sommer ? Denny Howell ? Chirs Rothrock ? WHO are you ???? I’m curious , again , you should send even that 2003 Halloween edit video footage to Effraim Catlow ( THIS website , maybe he could post it on T.T. ( Throwback Thursday. ) . WHO are you , bruv ???!!
Oh yeah , Jro …….here some of Jason’ s own signature switches , tricks and transitions……. Turbine Mc circles , early 1989 , left cross Cobain roll 360 bar to funky chicken , 1997 , X-arm twitch , pink to pink ( clockwise . ) , 1997 , cross left front yard screamer to left cross elephant glide , 1989 , pedal stance left cross lard , 1995 , catching PEDALS exiting decades , 1995 , Vader shuffle , single kick , multiple frame rebates , 1997 , ” dancing ” pinks ( both feet -mid pink. ) , 1995 , left side yard twitch to right elephant glide , 1995 , pink ,catch ashtray , pop to hang five , 1995 , INSIDE junk yard to DOUBLE decade , 1995 , bars big ,pedal stance -cross tomahawk , spinning , 1996 , bars small , pedal stance tomahawk , spinning , 1997 , fire hydrant bar ( counter clockwise. ) to right cross elephant glide , 1997 , pedals pop to quick revert , 1987 , fire to 360 bar / freak squeak , 1998 ……..I could go on and on……..and on. Just thought I’d share that with you , Jro . Again , WHO are ya , man ???!! I’m curious to check out your bike riding …….
—-i’m no one, none of those people you named, and i prefer to remain anonymous really. i assure you i was never on the national circuit, just rode in a small town, hit a few local comps. last big one i went to (and did not enter) was the 1989 boise, idaho afa masters. jason didn’t go that far “south” back then i guess. somehow jeff rugg won it, which was kinda crazy since at least 3-4 guys rode almost as well and had newer tricks (hitchhikers, death-to-dump, etc.). eric emerson was there handing out copies of bmx plus or whatever it was, that he was on the cover of that month ha-ha. bill n., but no perry m. weird out of the way, middle of nowhere fraction-of-a-parking-lot comp. the afa was dying fast.
—-jason wasn’t making tricks up when i knew him, he’d just combo the same stuff we all did a year before with a bunch of fire hydrants and pinky squeaks thrown in. but that was 89′-90′ or so. i saw (online) that he came up with a few things 4-5 years later (online years later once yootoob was a thing). that said, he wasn’t just a chase gouin wanna-be, he was like that before he saw those dorkin’ vids we showed him. jason had ‘style’, that’s something almost none of us had back then, that’s something very few riders ever really develop. i remember him for that, not the latest tricks, or even making any up – he made flatland look good. even way back in the late 80’s/early 90’s.
Cool , man……I was just wondering WHO you were , you can stay anonymous if you really want to……… however Jason DID create LOADS of stuff from 1987 to 2000ish …… I listed just a lil bit of it in my comments above and…… trust me……I can list AND even give video names on You Tube of LOADS more . He made BMX Flatland look good AND created / innovated tricks , variations…….