Ever since I had a near death experience back in 2016 I appreciate life more. Every day I’m able to ride I feel lucky. I usually try to take a moment at some point in the session and enjoy the surroundings. The sun, the birds, the situation that I’m still able to ride at all.
Kip Williamson
SPACE BROTHER
Age?
45
Location?
Maitland FL (suburb of Orlando)
Bike?
S&M InTRIKat frame 19″tt, ODY forks, Shadow bars, grips, bar ends, and front hub, Subrosa cranks, Shadow sprocket, pedals, chain, Subrosa bb, Shadow Pivotal seat post, Deco flatland seat, Profile/Nankai hub shell, Shadow rims
How often do you ride and who with?
I ride solo alot in the next door neighbors driveway several times per week, but I really enjoy riding with other people the most. Marcos De Jesus, Bob Walter, and Chad DeGroot are guys I ride with regularly that always make it more fun. Those guys are all close to my age so we’re all in a similar mindset in terms of riding flatland. I like riding with just about anyone really. I feel like every rider is good at something so maybe I can learn something from them and vice versa. When I’m healthy it’s normal for me to ride 5-6 days per week for 2-3 hour sessions but that also depends on the weather. It rains a lot here in the summer months in FL. Winter and spring months are pretty dry but the temps are moderate all winter long so it rules here in Central Florida most of the time.
I know you’ve had a recent injury. Hows the recovery going?
I had an awkward fall on my right foot back in May which turned out to be three injuries in one. I had a major sprain, partial tear in my plantar fasciitis which is a tendon that runs on the bottom of your foot, and I had some stress fractures in my tibia down near my ankle. This is the worst bmx related injury I’ve ever had in terms of pain and just the amount of time being off of my bike. After exactly 19 weeks I was finally able to give it a go just the other day. I worked on something new that I had thought up while injured and sitting on the sofa. After 2 hours I ended up pulling it on video, so I called it a day. So stoked to be able to ride again and not be hampered by this thing anymore!
There was a point around 12 weeks and my foot still felt terrible. I wondered if it might be something that would keep me off my bike long term. Being able to come back from this injury to ride again is confirmation my journey hasn’t ended yet. I feel like I’m on extra credit!
Do you deal well with time off riding due to injuries?
It’s definitely tough, but the fire for riding is in my heart so I never worry about getting back to it. I think about riding more when I can’t do it. I think that’s just human nature. I still come up with trick ideas so I jot those down in my phone for a later date. I’m really into my business (Master Blaster Planet) where I sell bmx bikes, components, safety gear, and soft goods so I’m always dealing with other riders.
Tonight for example I had a guy hit me up about a Rant American bb kit I sell asking if it was compatible with his Redline Flight cranks and Bully bash guard frame/bike? I like working with other riders to get them what they want rather it’s to upgrade a carpet queen or for riding at the local park. Also doing the Space Brothers Podcast, and making videos and promo stuff for the podcast and my online business, my life revolves around bmx every day. I’m passionate about it so I feel very lucky. When I’m unable to ride that creative riding part of my soul is definitely deprived but I’m still able to be heavily involved with BMX so that helps me cope with any time off my bike.
Are you more prone to injury now that you older?
No. I think it’s different for every person but for me, I don’t feel like age is as much of a problem as the fact as we get older, we just aren’t as active. If you aren’t as active, when you decide to go out and ride you’re going to feel it in the form of sore muscles. Just like when you do a new trick you should expect to be sore. I was sore the day after learning a new trick when I was younger too. I just rode the other day for the first time in 4 months and man was I feeling it all over. To me that feels good. It feels like I’m doing something worthwhile.
Do you do any exercise or stretching to help with BMX fitness and/or injury prevention?
I’m the worst when it comes to stretching and I’m probably the least flexible person I’ve ever met! Remember all the bar hop stuff in the 80s? I couldn’t do any of it because I couldn’t get one leg through the bars much less both of them! I usually warm up working on a new trick. It’s hard for me to just go through the motions on tricks I can do to warm up so I just start working on something new. It’s a process and usually 10-15 min into the session I’m warmed up. If the trick I started working on is pretty fun I’ll just stick to it and see if I can pull it. Not ideal for most riders but it’s always fun to pull something new by the end of the day!
What about Diet?
I do pay attention to my diet somewhat but that’s mostly because I have diabetes. I try to eat less carbs than the average person. Carbs are what have a direct affect on our blood sugar which our bodies use as fuel. Any carbs your body doesn’t use are stored as fat. I have to count everything out.
For example if one serving of chips is 16 chips, that’s what I have to eat so I know how many carbs I’m getting so I know how much insulin to take. Every day is like a science project to an extent. I usually check my blood sugar at least 5 times per day and the days I ride versus the days I don’t, there’s a huge difference in how my blood sugar reacts. I have to be careful while I’m riding as well as in the evening after a long session because I can go too low and have a seizure. When I feel low I just eat something with some carbs to get my blood sugar back up. Riding increases circulation and helps break down blood glucose aka sugar in the body. The more you ride, the more circulation, and the easier it is to break down those carbs which is why riding is so good for the body. Not just for me but for anyone. I have the scientific proof! haha
Do you sometimes struggle for motivation to get out and ride?
Ever since I had a near death experience back in 2016 I appreciate life more. Every day I’m able to ride I feel lucky. I usually try to take a moment at some point in the session and enjoy the surroundings. The sun, the birds, the situation that I’m still able to ride at all.
That said anyone that rides a lot will have certain days where you don’t really feel like riding, but sometimes those days turn out to be the best. I just try to find something fun to work on. So many times I’ve ridden when I didn’t really feel like it but then I ended up learning a new trick. When that happens on those days, I always think to myself, what if I didn’t ride today? I wouldn’t have learned that trick! Learning something new, no matter how little, is the ultimate motivation to keep the stoke level high. If you’re stoked when you put your bike away at the end of the day, you’ll be stoked to get it out and ride again soon. It’s all about having fun!
What’s your take on BMX media as a whole? Have we lost something crucial since the demise of print or has it instead opened doors to newer more engaging forms of media like your podcasts?
We’ve definitely lost something and gained something. Gone are the days of waiting on a magazine to arrive just to see 3 month old contest placings and photos. But damn what a time in BMX! When you would get that newest issue of Freestylin’ Magazine it was exciting! I would take my mags with me to school every day and study everything from the riders, to their bikes, and anything or anyone in the background of the photos. You really looked forward to receiving them. It was your lifeline to BMX!
However the internet is instant and it’s amazing in it’s own way. As far as podcasts go you can hear the stories from the riders who lived them in their own words. It’s a great opportunity for fans of bmx to get as much bmx info as they have time for. In addition to podcasts, the majority of contest footage, and other video parts are released incredibly fast and most of the time are free. In many cases you can watch a major contest live while sitting on your sofa in your house so that’s incredible. What’s lost is some of the wow factor. It was a lot easier to be impressed when we relied on magazines. Now kids can see a 900 tailwhip on Instagram and not even give it a like! We are spoiled now.
What made you start the podcast?
I’ve always wanted to do one, but I knew it was going to take a tremendous amount of work to do it the way I wanted to present it. I have done a number of projects with my good friend Chip Riggs over the years revolving around BMX. For at least two years we talked about the podcast but never went through with it. We’d get together at this restaurant called Tijuana Flats and discuss topics and just BMX in general. We just kept edging towards pulling the trigger and finally did it. We had to establish roles so we could split up the tasks. We started off buying and using a plug in digital mic which simply plugged into my I Phone but we quickly realized it wasn’t giving us the quality we both wanted. We ended up buying some studio mics and a mixer and a few other things. Now we have this huge bag of equipment we set up for each podcast. It’s all about putting out the best quality product we can.
How hard is it to schedule the interviews?
Scheduling the interview is the hardest part of doing the podcast. Sometimes there’s a lot of back and forth and some people communicate with a few words. Some people are easier to schedule than others that’s for sure! When we started we really focused on having not only quality people to interview, but also a good variety of riders. We want to cover every time period of the sport, old, mid, and new school and every discipline within BMX. We’ve had a few people scheduled and it didn’t work out for various reasons. Usually we can reschedule but in a couple situations we just had to move on.
How much planning do you do for the structure of the conversation? Are your questions tightly scripted or do you just let it flow and see where it goes?
We do a good bit of planning.
Chip and I go over potential guests, we reach out to them, and try to set a date. Once the date is set, we have a meeting and go over questions. We both try to come up with things we want to know and things we think our audience might want to know. After that we’ll do a good bit of research and I’ll type up what I call a show rundown which takes a good bit of time, usually 3-4 hours. The show run down has most of our initial questions typed up. I usually try to have more questions than we need just in case our guest gives shorter answers. Part of being a good interviewer is listening to your guest and asking follow up questions and just being curious. In some cases the first question I ask can turn into 5 follow up questions that myself or Chip come up with during the guest’s answer. So it’s loosely set up. Sometimes a guest will start talking about something we had planned to ask later in the show, but if it works I’ll just push those questions up and ask them at that time. That way it seems more organic. As I get close to the 1 hour 30 min mark which is our target length, I’ll pick and chose a few questions and decide which ones to omit.
The Space Brothers Podcasts have proved hugely popular. What is it about them that people enjoy?
Thank you for the compliment! From the response we’ve gotten it’s many different things. Everything from, “hey I didn’t really like that guy before but I’m a fan now” to “your podcast really gets me stoked to go ride even though I’m older”. The latter is the best response to us. Obviously we do this for fun but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or there’s not a lot of hard work that goes into it. We’re always juggling getting everything done in addition to our own careers and riding and lives.
Have you ever done an interview that hasn’t been as easy as you’d hoped?
Every interview has its unique challenges. I thought the Chase Gouin interview would be difficult and his ended up being easy! We switched from an open ended interview that could last any length to trying to do a 90 min interview. If it goes longer that’s ok. If it’s a good interview and it’s flowing and there’s tons of stories than you have to wear that producer hat that says, let it go. In some cases less is more. You always want the listener to be left wanting more, instead of thinking that was too much.
Sometimes it’s a fine line. We try to make our interviews seem more conversational. I’ve learned over the years that the best podcasts are a mix of questions and conversation and when the guest is comfortable we get the best results. It also helps to have people on the show who are good at telling stories. Some are better than others but that’s the biggest challenge really.
What’s been the most surprising revelation/answer you’ve had in the interviews?
The most surprising thing I’ve heard on the podcast was when Chase Gouin said he first pulled a quad decade in 1984 in his basement using a straight brake cable. I’m still questioning that one but it’s Chase and he’s a freak when it comes to flatland so if anyone could have done it, it would be him but damn… 1984?
On a totally different note our interviews with people like Steve Crandall, Pete Augustin, Tim Fuzzy Hall, Scott Towne, Rich Bartlett, Nina Buitrago, Chase Gouin, and Zack Yankush got pretty real at times. Sometimes non bmx related topics and real life struggles can be just as interesting if not more. I like it light and I like it serious. Podcasts and interviews are like riding, you want to experience a good variety and that’s what we hope to bring to the table.
I see you’ve started using skype for more and more interviews. Does this make it easier to schedule interviews?
It’s not so much about being easier to schedule the interviews because we’re pretty flexible but it helps us be able to interview people who live far away from us. Using Skype allows us to be able to interview a wider range of guests without compromising quality too much.
Any plans to start interviewing international riders?
For sure! I’ve always been a huge fan of the UK scene specifically because there’s a lot of deep history with BMX freestyle there. Rob Ridge and James White are two of my favorite riders along with Jamie Bestwick and Simon Tabron so hopefully we can have all three of those guys on the show in the near future.
Who’s your dream guest?
My dream guest is Mat Hoffman. I’m friends with Mat, worked for Mat announcing X Games and his production at Universal Islands Of Adventure here in Orlando FL called Mat Hoffman’s Crazy Freakin’ Stunt Show. He’s already agreed to do the interview but he’s such a busy guy so it’s difficult to hammer down a date. Hopefully soon we can get something that works for everyone and bring an awesome interview with Mat for everyone to listen!
Who’s said no to being interviewed?
There’s only been a few people that said no. I don’t want to mention any names because the way I see it they gave me a temporary no. Ha ha! I think it’s possible they may change their mind at some point. Doing an interview for the world to listen to isn’t for everyone. I don’t take it personal. I really like all of those guys so there’s no hard feelings. I’m hoping they will feel differently about it somewhere down the road and have a change of mind.
Flatland seems really healthy at the minute. But it’s still somewhat disconnected from BMX as a whole. Do you see anyway to unite all the disciplines in BMX once more? And how could this be done?
I don’t view flatland any differently now than I ever have. Flatland has gotten so technical that it takes a trained eye to appreciate a lot of it. I think overall it’s more accepted in BMX because street and park riders can relate a bit more.
As for uniting discipline, the reason I don’t think that works is flatland riders don’t want to fuck up their bikes doing street tricks not to mention the geometry on a lot of modern flatland bikes make it feel weird to do anything but flatland. I think there’s a lot more street guys who ride a little flatland than there are hardcore flatland riders who ride street at least on the same bike. If only everyone had the skills of Matthias Dandois and Mateus Beckmann! Then we’d be having a different conversation.
Do you see anyway that flat could be included in future Olympics and/or maybe the X games ever again?
Yes to the Olympics. There’s already a huge international scene. I think that’s going to happen eventually. The Olympics are trying to add as many new exciting sports to their line up as they can. As for the X Games, NO. The X Games used to be 8 days long, then it went down to 5 days, and then down to 4. Pretty soon it could be 3 days. They already have enough BMX events represented and ESPN has never figured out how to show flatland on TV. I announced the X Games for all the BMX events back in 1999 and 2000 in San Francisco and the flatland events were largely successful. The live audiences were big and very receptive to it. ESPN just couldn’t figure out how to carry the excitement from the live event to tv.
Now with crazy events like BMX Big Air, dirt, park, vert… and that’s just bmx. Flatland doesn’t really fit in there. It’s better when it’s given it’s own stage like Flat Ark, VooDoo Jam, Circle Of Balance, and other events that put flatland on a pedestal. With the X Games flatland was always a side show and was barely shown. Mat Hoffman helped keep flatland in the X Games for a number of years which is very commendable. Can you imagine a flatland rider holding vert contests? ESPN wanted to dump flatland long before it did, and Mat kept it going. Flatland doesn’t need the X Games in my opinion.
What makes flatland so appealing to you?
My love for flatland has changed over the years. I can’t really explain it. The first time I saw BMX Flatland was back in the summer of 1985 in my small town of Angola IN. When I saw it I was 11 years old. This guy named Derek Craig was riding flatland out in front of a movie theatre and I just sat down on the curb and watched him for about 20 min. He’d been riding for about 4 years so he knew what he was doing and he made flatland look so damn cool! I can remember that day vividly. I felt like a lightning bolt shot through my body. I remember thinking to myself, that’s it… that’s what I want to do! When I asked him how to get involved in flatland, he said to get my hands on as many bmx magazines as I could. About 30 min later I was at the local book store buying up every bmx magazine they had which back then might have been 4-5. I didn’t care about how hard it was or getting sponsored. I just wanted to do it.
I definitely wasn’t a natural either. I had to work pretty hard at it to pull off the easiest of tricks. At the end of the summer of 1987, I remember learning how to do a cherry picker which was a trick you saw in the magazines in the mid 80s quite a bit. I was so stoked to learn that trick. It made me feel like I was somewhat current and progressing.
In addition I was a fan of every aspect of riding bmx including racing, dirt jumping, and vert. In the mid 90s I didn’t ride much flatland and rode a decent amount of mini ramp and a little street but I ended up going back to flatland 100% around 1998. I started working for GT Bicycles around that time and lived with pro flatlander Aaron Behnke, and Chad DeGroot had moved to Orlando and lived about 2 blocks from me. So I just showed up to the spot and rode with those guys every day. I hadn’t learned anything in years but I forced myself out of my comfort zone and learned a few new tricks. That rekindled a fire for flatland and it was on from there. Here I am 35 years after I started riding and I’m more stoked than ever. I just enjoy the process of learning something new. To me there’s no other feeling like it!
I know you had a near death experience when you had a stroke which put you into a coma. How did this experience change you and your approach to bmx? (or even your approach to life?)
I had so many things happen to me during that stint which is the single most life altering thing that’s ever happened to me. I actually had multiple strokes. I was in a coma for 14 days on life support in ICU. I had heart failure, kidney failure, sepsis, pneumonia, blood clot on my kidneys, a mystery infection, and barely escaped emergency vascular surgery while I was in the coma.
On day 14 my mom and girlfriend who were by my side were told by the doctors that I wasn’t going to wake up. They had run several “pain tests” on me and I didn’t respond to any of them. Later that same day I opened my eyes. I’m not sure when my memory started to work again, but I do remember not far out of the coma, they wouldn’t let me eat or drink anything. I had to pass a “swallow test” to learn how to swallow properly. I was at level zero.
Very few humans ever experience what it feels like to have to learn how to do things we just automatically can do. I had lost 35 lbs while being in the coma. My legs were always rock hard from riding bmx my whole life, but when I woke up I was skinnier but I felt like a marshmallow. I was in the hospital for an additional 7 days and I improved every day. I felt pretty good on my 6th day out of the coma. So they decided to get me out of the bed for the first time and teach me how to use a walker. I struggled to stand. It took a few people to hold me up. I instantly felt nauseous. I struggled to walk 20 feet with the walker. I was hooked to a bunch of machines too. As I was exhausted from trying to walk and sitting back down in the bed, I asked the nurse, “how long will it take before I’m able to walk?” He said very matter of factly, 10 weeks.
I remember thinking to myself I’m a lot more fucked up than I had thought! I was so weak it’s hard to imagine. As I laid in the hospital, and regained who I was little by little. I started having this strong urge to want to ride flatland again. I started daydreaming about riding and just being out there in the parking lot. It became one of my reasons to get better and stronger and hopefully ride again some day. When you go through something like that, so life altering, nothing in the future is promised. I knew I was lucky and thankful just to be alive.
Were there any long term implications for you due to the stroke?
Nothing long term except an occasional blurry memory and shaky hands from time to time. I always had a great memory and I still do, but a few things like names get jumbled up sometimes. I got very lucky! When you go through a life changing situation like that, it becomes a timeline stamp.
Everything in my life either happened before or after my stroke when I’m trying to place a timeline. I was considered the “lucky patient” in the hospital at least for a week or so. Nurses I didn’t recognize who had heard about me waking up after a 2 week coma would drop by, many of them in tears, because they saw how good I was doing and they saw me when it didn’t look like I would pull through. The doctors initially thought if I came out of the coma at all I would be a vegetable or I would be blind because of the area of my brain where my stroke took place, but I came out of it with perfect 20/15 vision. My left side was affected during my stroke and it took much longer for my coordination to return to my left arm and hand because of this.
I understand you are diabetic and your stroke was a result in low blood sugar.
Actually my stroke was due to HIGH blood sugar over a long period of time. I wasn’t managing my blood sugar and had literally stopped checking my blood glucose for many years. I still gave myself insulin injections for snacks and meals, but didn’t monitor my numbers which ultimately made my body go into diabetic keto acidosis which is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones.
What’s the reality of being a bmx rider living with diabetes? Does it change things?
BMX flatland saved my life! I used riding after my stroke to regain my overall strength. The main things to do when you’re a diabetic are to eat a lower carb diet, take your meds, check your blood sugar, and exercise. Since I’ve always been a rider and riding a bike is good for you it was a perfect match! The main thing I have to do now is check my blood sugar mid session so I don’t go too low. If you get to low you can have a seizure. I’m much more conscious now of checking my blood sugar which includes while I’m riding. I check my blood sugar 5-7 times a day. Riding my bike is huge key to my health’s success both physically and mentally. I feel lucky that I’m in my mid 40s and still able to ride and enjoy it!
Its clear from comments made by the people you interview, that you’ve lived a life of helping out your fellow riders/friends when they’re in need. Did this kindness come full circle when you had your stroke and you were the one in need?
One of my earliest memories not long after I came out of my coma was my girlfriend April telling me what had happened to me. I have to admit, when I was told I had been in a coma for 14 days, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed like a lie… I didn’t know how I ended up in the hospital, or which hospital I was at. I was so confused by everything including being hooked up to a bunch of machines, why is my mouth so dry, what’s the date, when’s the last time I went to the bathroom, and where do I go to the bathroom if I have to go? hahaha!
Then she told me my good friend Steve Mulder had started a Go Fund Me campaign to help out. She started reading the comments people had left, and it made me cry. Just hearing the names and things people had said was quite overwhelming. It still is when I think about it. So many people contributed and it was heavy for me. Anyone from Mat Hoffman to my closest friends, to people I’d never met. It also helped me realize pretty quickly that something very serious had happened to me. It was just nice to know those people cared enough to donate their hard earned money to help me recover. I’ll never forget that!
What do you miss about the BMX scene of times gone by?
Mostly friends and looking forward to certain events, mostly because of the friends you would hang out with. It’s crazy to think that there was a point in time, when it was the last time I saw some of my riding friends at least face to face. At the time you didn’t know it. I had so many people to ride with growing up and I watched them all quit one by one. It was so depressing. Luckily a few of my original crew has dabbled with riding again so that feels awesome!
Another thing I miss is back in the day if you saw another person on a bmx bike, you were stoked to meet them, approached them and talked to them. You got their phone number in hopes of riding with them sometime soon. You made a friend to ride with and possibly for life! When you share a strong passion for something like BMX it creates a bond. You’re brothers forever! Family for life. Seeing the evolution of the sport was and still is incredible. It’s come so far now, things we once thought were impossible are being done. I started off doing hopping and balancing tricks and now look at where the sport of BMX is at!
What’s next for you?
I’ve always been a pretty consistent person so I just stick to what I like doing and do it for as long as I can and try to improve and get better at it. I know more podcasts are in my near future, running my business selling BMX bikes and components at Master Blaster Planet, and riding flatland. In addition to that my health is very important to me so I hope to stay healthy long term.
Any last words?
I’d like to thank some people that have been incredibly important in my life. First off I’d like to thank my girlfriend April who is such a great teammate. She’s unbelievably supportive of everything I do including riding, podcasts, and my online store. I couldn’t do it without her. I’d like to thank my parents. My mom has always taught me to be passionate about what I’m doing. She’s always been an outside the box thinker and shown me that hard work pays off. I’d like to thank Ron Bonner for helping me move from Indiana to Florida. Ron offered me a job working UGP which allowed be to do that move. He also showed me incredible hospitality and how to choose your own path in life.
I’d like to thank Steve Mulder for being a great friend and was there when I was at my lowest point, in addition to setting up the GoFundMe. Bill Nitschke has always been supportive of my projects and a strong friend for 30 + years. Derek Craig took me under his wing as a young punk kid and really helped me get started in the right direction and helped me along the way. I’d like to thank Rob Nolli for helping me get on GT Bicycles which led to summer tour, then announcing for ESPN, which led to other major event and tv opportunities. Woody Itson for providing me the opportunity to be a part of GT Bikes and work for them as well as a couple of companies under Woody.
I want to thank Chad DeGroot, Scott Weaver, Bob Walter, and Robert Castillo for always having my back and being good friends and supporting me through the years. Last but not least I want to thank Chip Riggs. Chip has shot photos with me and for me, built computers, fixed computers, built websites, and genuinely cared about me when I was fresh out of the hospital. Without Chip and all the hard work he puts into the Space Brothers Podcast, there wouldn’t be a show. He goes above and beyond and never takes the easy way out. He’s a tremendous friend, and someone you can count on. All of these people I mentioned were there for me when I came out of my coma. You really find out who your real friends are when you go through some shit like I did.
Also thank you to anyone who donated to my GoFundMe when I was in the hospital, all of our guests we’ve been able to have on the podcast, anyone who’s ever listened to our podcast, given words of encouragement, or just general support. Also thank you to anyone who’s ever purchased something from Master Blaster Planet. I really appreciate you!