FMX Riders Delight Okanagan Families

PENTICTON, BC – MARCH 25, 2023: Okanagan resident, Kyle DeMelo performs a trick called Cordova at the FMX World Tour performance at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC.(Photo by www.shootthebreeze.ca)

Local FMX riders join national favourites in a near two-hour show of extreme motocross stunts

The history of FMX goes back decades. If you are unfamiliar with the sport, it is a mix of motorcycle stunt riding and motocross brought into the air with a rather large ramp. Definitely not for the faint of heart. The sport eventually grew into big productions like Nitro-Circus, X-Games and naturally, Red Bull would eventually take a seat at the extreme sports table with X-Fighters.

Carey Hart is famous as an athlete in the sport. He was the first rider to attempt a backflip on a full-sized motocross bike at the Gravity Games in 2000. It didn’t end well for him but fuelled the passion of riders following him to give it a go. Enter Travis Pastrana, another huge name in FMX, who also tried it albeit unsuccessfully.

KELOWNA, BC – JUNE 8, 2013: Kris Garwasiuk and Bruce Cook introduced at their own FMX show at Prospera Place, in Kelowna, B.C. (Photo by Marissa Baecker / www.shootthebreeze.ca)

Local riders, Kris Garwasiuk and Bruce Cook would follow their passion for the sport as well. The pair would go on to produce shows, good shows with variety, lighting, pyrotechnics and more, drawing huge family crowds. The adrenaline driving their passion would have Cook join the Nitro Circus line-up of world-class athletes upping the ante of performance. Cook would push the limits to become the first rider to do a double front-flip that changed his life forever after missing the landing and sustaining serious injuries rendering him a paraplegic. But that didn’t’ stop him. The spirit of an FMX rider could not be broken. Cook returned, with a modified motocross bike, to Nitro Circus a mere 10 months later, and became the first paraplegic to land a back flip successfully.

It comes as no surprise that the FMX shows sell out audiences no matter who is riding or where they are held. Such was the case at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC on March 25, 2023.

Kids in the crowd could not wait to see Superman, and not the guy in tights with the red cape. Superman is just one of the tricks that FMX riders perform, fittingly making these athletes real-life super heroes. Add in a Whip, a Heelclicker, the Kiss of Death, an Airplane and a few variations of a Hart Attack (named after its creator, Carey Hart) and you will have just about covered the tricks performed at the FMX World Tour.

PENTICTON, BC – MARCH 25: Trent Rummel performs a holy grab during the FMX World Tour at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC. (Photo by Shoot the Breeze)

FMX is designed to be a family friendly thrill show inspiring the next generation of motocross riders. Garnering the looks on the faces of the sea of wide-eyed, awe-struck children sporting their favourite motocross jerseys, the motocross business in the Okanagan is alive and well.

PENTICTON, BC – MARCH 25: Brothers, Cody and Morgan Kalisuk perform a Kiss of Death duet at the FMX World Tour at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC. (Photo by Shoot the Breeze)

What was missing from the production however, was information. There was little to no information available on the riders, their bikes, their history or any type of program outlining the tricks performed, the difficulty or a program of photos. Only Vernon, BC brothers, Morgan and Cody Kaliszuk would have posters at the merchandise table. Other than that, it was checkered flags.

The show presented two separate categories each with four riders. The up and comers competing for a spot to move forward and the legends that have been in the sport for some time. Each performance was scored on the trick, the difficulty and the accuracy of execution.

PENTICTON, BC – MARCH 25: Bobby Duhame performs the Captain Morgan trick at the FMX World Tour at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC. (Photo by Shoot the Breeze)

The first rider out, Bobby Duhame, wearing a matching purple suit, flies off the ramp and into the air looking like Captain Morgan on the label of the infamous rum. The younger audience cheering while the older audience snickered. Definitely the first time I have seen this trick and if you didn’t know the name of the trick itself, you could garner a pretty accurate guess.

PENTICTON, BC – MARCH 25: Billy (aka Billy the Kid) Kohut performs at the FMX World Tour at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC. (Photo by Marissa Baecker / Shoot the Breeze)

The legends, former pros from X-Games, Nitro Circus and even the Red Bull X-fighters included Calgary native, Billy “Billy the Kid” Kohut, and local FMX celebrity Kyle DeMelo from Oliver, BC. DeMelo is a well-known name in the FMX circuit and especially here in the Okanagan. For more than a decade, Kyle has trained at his family farm in Oliver, B.C. and has opened his personal track to other local riders. He has mastered the art of FMX with local support from Valley Moto Sport so it wasn’t surprising that when he was introduced, the crowd got a little louder.

PENTICTON, BC – MARCH 25: Kyle DeMelo salutes the crowd after his introduction at the FMX World Tour at the South Okanagan Event Centre in Penticton, BC. (Photo by Marissa Baecker / Shoot the Breeze)

After the two groups performed their initial offering of tricks, riders were paired together and the Kaliszuks would kick-off the duet duels in-sync. All in all a great night of family fun.