Mongoose has long been a name synonymous with bicycles and since the company was the first to produce a complete BMX bike, it knows what enthusiasts and fans want.
Three years ago, Mongoose decided to create its own event, one that was unlike any other. The event offered amateur riders a chance to compete against one another, in the hopes of getting a chance to ride with some of the sport’s best professionals. It was set up in a team format, with Mongoose riders as captains, picking their team much the same way dodgeball is picked on the recess yard.
Since then, the event has continued to grow – and this year proved to be one of the best BMX events of the summer. The Mongoose sponsored four-day event once again returned to Camp Woodward, knowing full-well that it had plenty of riders, environments and fans at its fingertips. But there was more to it than that; this was an immersive, up close and personal view of the sport.
Before any of the events took place however, captains for each team had to be chosen. There were five teams, with five riders on each team, plus one amateur, captained by Ben Wallace, Kevin Peraza, Paul Ryan, Greg Illingworth and Steve McCann. Each rider has their own unique style, as well as their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the three disciplines – dirt, park, street.
To get things started, Mongoose Jam 2014 kicked off with the Woodward Camper Competition, a chance for some of the best riders spending the week at the site to show their skills and make it to one of the teams. For the five who advanced from the competition, it was a dream come true, as they were chosen to represent a team for the remainder of the jam and picked up some sweet prizes.
From there, it was time for both the professionals – and amateurs – to get to work.
Each day was a different discipline – the first day it was park, the second, street and finally dirt. Each discipline had its own set of events, or variances in the course, and lasted about two hours – plenty of time to see some of the best tricks the riders had to offer. Campers could sit right up close to all of the action, or continue about their day at another section of camp, as Woodward staff gave out goodies like cotton candy and hotdogs, while the Mongoose crew handed out all sorts of orange swag. There were even special contests to win a free week at camp or Greg Illingworth’s personal Mongoose.
When that day’s discipline came to an end, riders could often be found honing their tricks in one of the parks, catching a swim in the pool or testing their luck at the gokarts. There were even special meet and greets where all of the company’s 2015 Legion models, with brand new looks and colors, were on display.
It took all three events to determine the winner and in the end it was Team Peraza – made up of Peraza, Pat Casey, Jeremiah Smith, David Peraza and Kenneth Tencio – that came out victorious, taking home the biggest cut of the $50,000 prize money. The award for Most Valuable Rider went to former camper turned professional, Matt Ray, who was a member of Team Wallace. Ray took home a top of the line Mongoose Teocali mountain bike – and a whole cooler full of Gatorade, courtesy of his teammates.
Be sure to check out Mongoose’s website for more information on all of the company’s bikes, as well as complete results of Mongoose Jam 2014 from Camp Woodward.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
