The Pumptrack Jam Was Jammin'!

Photo by Mike Thomas MBOSC was excited to partner with local bike party extraordinaires, Good Times Crew, to host the first ever Pumptrack Jam at Harvey West Park! The event went down on Saturday, July 27, and everybody is still buzzin' from all the good times. True to it’s name, this event was a free-flowing proper pumptrack jam, building up to the highest jump contest as the grand finale. We even had a 10 & Under Grom Jam! A total of 75 riders took to the track, ranging from 4 years old to 44. There were heaps of prizes, a raffle, beer, and delicious food. The competition was free, and all proceeds from sales of beer, food, raffle tickets, and merch went back to MBOSC! Photo by Mike Thomas

About Harvey West Pumptrack

The Harvey West Pumptrack in the City of Santa Cruz’s Harvey West Park opened during the summer of 2016. MBOSC Trails Program Director, Drew Perkins, and Executive Director, Matt De Young, worked closely with the City to design, build, and maintain a world-class pump track. The project was completed through a cost share between the two organizations and has served to activate a portion of the park that was a hangout for transients who often engaged in less than legal activities. Since then, there has never been an official “jam” or event held at the pumptrack… until now! The pumptrack is maintained twice a month by MBOSC Trails Specialist Cob Hyde, and more recently, underwent a major revamp designed by Cob, with help from the Summer High School Trail Crew and others. The crew worked for two weeks straight to get the pumptrack spick and span in time for the Jam. Pierre Tardiff, photographer, arborist, and longtime MBOSC volunteer, worked with the crew every day for a week, and then arrived at 8:00am on Saturday before the jam to make some finishing touches. Thanks Pierre!

Grom Jam

The groms got the spotlight early in the afternoon with a special jam just for our 10 & Under kiddos. Don't be fooled... Just because these kids are young doesn't mean they can't shred. Youngsters were clearing jumps and getting wild out there! The future sure does look bright. The youngest jammers were 4 years old! Photo by Mike Thomas Photo by Mike Thomas

Shredders Jam

Once the kiddos cleared the track, it was time for an open session for the best shredders. And boy did they put on a show! We saw it all... big air, whips, tricks, and even a backflip. Photo by Mike Thomas

Whip Off

2002 X-Games BMX gold medalist and Good Times Crew party planner Allan Cooke jumped off his bike and onto the megaphone to announce a surprise whip-off during the Shredders Jam. Competition was fierce... The crowd got to decide who won, and after making some serious noise, the crowd declared Rob Donato the whip off champion!

High Jump Contest

The grand finale of the day was the High Jump Contest! Everybody is familar with limo, right? Well imagine a reverse limbo. Two people are holding a pole, which is hoisted up higher each round, and you have to make it over the pole without knocking it down. Knock down the pole, and you're out. In the early rounds, the pole was lifted 6-inches each round, and towards the end when only a handful of riders were left, it was only raised 3-inches. When it was all said and down, the pole was up to 93-inches (7.75-feet!), and only rider could clear that height... Photo by Mike Thomas

Three Cheers for Cob!

Let's all send some virtual high fives to MBOSC's Trails Specialist, Cob Hyde! He put in some serious sweat equity leading up to the Pumptrack Jam getting the track dialed and designing/building a brand new jump. That apparently didn't tire him out though since he was able to show-up on Saturday and dominate the highest jump contest clearing that 93-inch pole! Photos by Bruce Dorman

Thank You!

Thanks to help from our volunteer sales team and Good Times Crew, we made just over $3,000 in sales in a few hours, with part of the proceeds going directly to fund more pumptracks and bike parks in Santa Cruz. Double-win! Photo by Mike Thomas Franco Boffi and friends cooked gourmet Colombian tacos all day for the crowds, selling over 70 plates and raising $700 for MBOSC! Finally, we want to thank City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation and event staff for inviting MBOSC to activate the pumptrack at their Family Fun Day. Family Fun Day is an event hosted every year in different local parks in collaboration by the City of Santa Cruz and County of Santa Cruz. The goal of the event is always to activate a park for a day and invite families, kids, and the community out to the park to have some fun! This year, at Harvey West Park, there was open pool time, bocci ball, kickball, a dunk tank, food trucks, and of course, our Pumptrack Jam at the Harvey West Pumptrack!

Jam Photos

Photo by Mike Thomas There were some great photographers on the track capturing all the exciting action. If you were there, there's probably a photo of you in one of the galleries linked below! Photos from @mthomasphoto Photos from @brucedorman

Help Keep Harvey West Pumptrack in Prime Shape

Everybody was stoked on how dialed the pumptrack was during the jam, and you can help keep it prime! Our Trail Crew is out working on the Harvey West Pumptrack on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, and we would love to have some helping hands. We'll show you the ropes, and we've got the tools, so all you need to do is show up! Photo by Bruce Dorman City staff were very appreciative of our event and recommended we do it more often - we couldn’t agree more. Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated the pumptrack with us!