Trey Jones' & crew's Swampfest 2024 (#8)

Here's the Dig BMX intro video to Swampfest 2024 above, the build.  Pirate ship halfpipe and a full concrete bowl? No problem.  And a whole bunch of other stuff.  It's flat out amazing how much stuff they build for this event.  It looks amazing.  Then comes a weekend of fire, bikes, and mayhem, to quote one of the former FBM slogans.  As an Old School Has Been BMX industry geezer and blogger, far outside the loop these days, I'm just going to compile links to most of the best videos here.  Watch one, watch 'em all, do what you want.  Looks like another crazy fun time at Swampfest 2024.  

Video editor tip (from a guy who made BMX videos back in the Dark Ages of S-VHS/Hi8)- If you put people's names in yellow, it shows up better on almost any background.  Just sayin'.

Swampfest Unclicked- Our BMX- 83 minute podcast on the whole Swampfest series- 2/2024

Our BMX Day Zero- Swampfest 2024 (practice day- Cameo by Old Schooler John Paul Rogers who has an actual alligator to cook.  How'd the gator bar-B-Q turn out?)  

Our BMX- Day One Mayhem- Swampfest 2024- 10:15

Bloom BMX- Swampfest- Waldo, Florida- 2024- 17:32- I think this is my favorite video yet.  While the guys were shooting Roman candles, lighting shit on fire, and shooting phone video, the Bloom crew women were actually riding the trails.  Little interviews with Robbie Morales and Chris Moeller, and different angle of the mayhem with really funny commentary throughout.  All that's missing from this edit is L7's "Everglade" playing in the background.  Oh, and don't grab a woman's ass at Swampfest.  

Dig BMX- Swampfest 2024- Odyssey Jam- Source High Air- Blood Wizard Channel- 8:40

Christian Raymond- Insane man-ramp to boardslide on fired up rail- 8:03

Dan Foley- Swampfest 2024- Raw- 10:00

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- Odyssey Ramp Jam- 8:13

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- Independent Swamp Rail- 9:50

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- Cult Long Jump- 5:06

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- Blood Wizard Channel Jam- 3:44

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- OJ Wheels Wild Ride- 6:52

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- Up Ledge Jam!- 9:00

Our BMX- Swampfest 2024- Bowl Jam- They built a cool permanent (?) concrete bowl for this event

Dig BMX- Swampfest 2024- Day Two- 10:28  

The Daily Woo- Swampfest 2024- Florida's Wildest event- 27:58

Moto Broo- The Most Crazy BMX Jam of the Year- Swampfest 2024- 20:52

Psumo Psensei- The Burning of Swampfest 2024- 23:42

Check out Our BMX site for their "The Best of Swampfest 2024"

Check out Dig BMX for their final edits

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Steve Emig The White Bear's Substack

Florideah Swampfest Documentary

From Our BMX, this a short documentary of the Florideah Swampfest, put on by Trey Jones and his crew, every year, for 7 years now.  This video is just a really fun watch, narrated by clips of Trey, explaining the process of building and putting Swampfest on.

BMX freestyle was an activity long before it became a sport.  A few kids were riding bikes in empty pools and skateparks in the mid 1970's.  Bob Haro started learning flatland tricks and kickturns in the late 1970's.  He put on the first BMX "trick riding" demos at races around 1979.  Around 1982 or 1983, Bob Morales put on some of the first contests at skateparks, and they were relatively small events, by sports competition standards.  It was mostly a bunch of riders.  What crowd there was could hang out and mix with the pros, shoot photos up close in many cases, and be real close to the action.  

As BMX freestyle grew into a worldwide and legitimate sport, and eventually into huge contest events like the X-Games, Dew Tour, and others, things got more rigid, more formal, more expensive, and ultimately less fun.  At the bleachers, paid admission, and wristband events, you can still see amazing riding.  But that crazy, anything could happen feel of the backyard jam went out the window.  

But through all the 43 or so years of the history of BMX freestyle, there have been smaller, hardcore, lower budget, almost anything goes events.  Those are the jams and comps where even spectators have a small chance of being hit by flying bikes or riders.  Let's face it, Those are the fun events.  Even of there is no pro purse, a bunch of top riders will always show up to the small, hardcore, semi-underground events.  For seven years, Trey Jones and his crew have been putting on Florideah Swampfest, and from the videos, it obviously looks like a crazy and fun time for all.  So check out the video above, about what it takes to make a Swampfest happen.  

 

The Our BMX "This is Swampfest" 2021 edit

What do BMXers in 2021 do after being largely stuck inside for months?  Swampfest.  This is BMX.  

I'm an old guy who doesn't have a bike these days, and blogs about the old days of BMX freestyle.  So I can't say much here.  But this video reminds me of a crazier version of AFA Venice Beach in 1985, 2-Hip King of Vert and Meet the Street contests in the late 80's, and especially the 2-Hip King of Dirt at Mission Trails in 1991, where Death Jump was first in a contest.  Also Steve Crandall's DIY Worlds in 2018.  People riding bikes, getting kinda stupid, sometimes really stupid, having fun, and some insane riding progression along the way.  The rail loop?  Holy fuck.  

Jam built and put on by Trey Jones and crew, plus sponsors, video by Our BMX.