Athletes fly high outside Galleria Mall

Originally published on SacramentoPress.com on May 9, 2010

The Journeys Backyard BBQ Tour rolled into Roseville Saturday to amaze hundreds of action sports fans for its only California stop during the 2010 tour.

Fans from all over Northern California flooded the south parking lot of the Galleria Mall in Roseville for the opportunity to watch their favorite extreme sports athletes. The event brought Sacramento a rare opportunity to watch stars participate in freestyle motocross, skateboarding and BMX demos on a 60,000-square-foot playground of ramps.

The event featured stars Rob Dyrdek, Danny Way, Dave Mirra and riders from the Metal Mulisha freestyle motocross team.

While the athletes were not putting on a show, live bands entertained the crowd on a 36-foot stage that presented a “Battle of the Bands” contest. Along with the athletes and bands putting on a show for the fans, the event offered many tents set up by sponsors to offer free swag for the fans.

One fan, Beau Riddles, drove down to the event from Plumas Lake in order to watch the Metal Mulisha perform high-flying tricks.

“Came down here to see the Metal Mulisha,” the 21-year-old Riddles said. “They're crazy, dog. Anybody can jump on a bicycle. You fall down, its not that bad. If you're flying through the air 30 feet up [on a motorcycle], and you fall, you're gonna break something.”

Many others saw the event as an opportunity to bring their kids out and enjoy the warm spring weather while they watched the show.

“I just wanted to bring my son to see Rob Dyrdek and Dave Mirra,” said Brandon Glasgow, who brought his son Cordell from Lincoln to watch his favorite stars.

Cordell said he wanted to come to the event to see Rob Dyrdek mostly, since he himself skateboards about three hours a day.

With music blaring and action sports athletes performing ridiculous tricks, the event produced quite the atmosphere for both the fans and the athletes in attendance.

“The atmosphere is awesome," said professional BMX rider and DC team member Chris Doyle. "Everyone's been really friendly, and it's been pretty cool.”

For DC team member and amateur skater Wes Kremer, the atmosphere was like nothing he had ever experienced.

“You know, this is honestly what I'm not used to. This is probably the most hectic skate event I've participated in. I'm just used to free skating with the homies and having a mellow day,” Kremer said. “It's not my usual environment. At the same time, it's good for the people, and everyone's hyped as long as the people love it. If everyone's having fun, it's all good.”

As an amateur skater from Carmel Valley on the DC skate team, Kremer knows what it takes for someone to make it in the industry.

“Skate at your own pace. Have fun," he said. "Don't do what anyone else thinks, don't even care about anything else. Do what makes you happy and have fun doing it."

The Journeys Backyard BBQ Tour has four more stops scheduled, including Dallas, Cleveland and Boston before ending in Nashville.

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