bmxultra.com: Have you ever raced
BMX?
Yes, I have raced BMX for the last 16 Years. I started when I was 12 and I am 28 years old.
bmxultra.com: Do you have any of your own sponsors?
Yes, I am Sponsored by Troy Lee Designs, Specialized, Crupi, ATI, Tioga, GT Drive Train, Airwalk, Marwi, Champion Nutrition, Oakley, Head Lock, and SDG.
bmxultra.com: What bike do you ride?
I ride a Specialized Hemi Team Bike. Its a little different from a stock bike.
bmxultra.com: When/how did you get involved in BMX?
A few of my friends were doing it. I grew up in New York, so it wasn't very popular, but I went out a raced and I was hooked.
bmxultra.com: Have you lined up any of your riders with sponsors from outside BMX?
I have got a few outside of the BMX Industry such as Power Bar, Champion Nutrition, Adidas, and Kicker, to name a few.
bmxultra.com: Do you have the final word on deals for your riders?
I just present the deals to the riders and then they decide what they want to do, I only offer suggestions.
bmxultra.com: Are you always involved in negotiations?
I try to be, but there are some companies that only want to work with the athlete.
bmxultra.com: How do you keep track of all your riders?
I go to a majority of the races, but I talk to each one of them after an event or e mail. I live close to a few of them so we spend time together during the week. I was friends with all of the riders before I became there rep.
bmxultra.com: How do they communicate with you? Email,phone,fax, etc.?
All of the above
bmxultra.com: When do you get a chance to take a holiday?
When I go to the races it is a lot of fun, or I can take time off during the week when all my work is done. I work from an office at home.
bmxultra.com: Is it really the McGuire 'Show me the money' type of lifestyle?
Well, I drive a Mercedes, but its due to a lot of hard work and saving on my part. I really am honest with all of the riders and don't do anything that would hurt them or there careers. There is a lot of cool stuff involved working with top Pros.
bmxultra.com: What do you think needs to happen to BMX to make it as popular as say basketball or football? Do you think it is even possible?
It would be very difficult to get BMX that popular as it is too fast of a sport for such a long spectator event to go and watch just the pros, and too long of an event to watch a national. If there can be a program that lasts for 2-hrs that is always exciting, it may be possible to become a large sport but I don't think it would ever be as popular as the sports you mentioned.
bmxultra.com: Who are your favorite riders?
All of the riders that I work with are my favorites. They all can win at any time, and always have time for the fans as well as helping making BMX a better sport.
bmxultra.com: Do you think that American BMX becoming more international is good for BMX in America? How do you think it effects BMX world wide?
It is great to see more riders coming from other countries. It has effected the Europe scene by not having as many top riders in there series, so a few riders have dominated. At the same time, it help bring up new blood into the top spots in Europe. I feel that it is good to show the USA riders parent that BMX is taken very seriously and you can make a living at it.
bmxultra.com: Can you give us a bit of an insiders comment on each of the riders, tell us a little about what they are like etc. (It's difficult for some of us to ever meet these guys.)
Christophe Leveque is self taught in the English Language.
Thomas Allier may train harder than any other rider in
the sport.
Robert MacPherson took a 10 year break from BMX before
coming back and winning the ABA #1 Amateur title in his first
year back.
Matt Hadan plays way too much Sony Playstation.
Jason Donnell has been racing since he was 5, and has always
been on a factory team.
Wade Bootes can out eat anyone I know, except for maybe
Eric Carter.
Jamie Staff really likes to ride in the velodrome.
Greg Romero trains on a track bike and has a pet penguin.
Jason Richardson is working on getting his masters degree.
Randy Stumpfhauser lives in a part of California that is
always windy and hot, but still rides 3 hrs a day at the trails
he hand built.
bmxultra.com: What do you think the web can do for BMX and for sponsorship?
It will open up a whole new sport to people who don't have access
to it by there homes. It will be able to give them info on the
sport faster to help with purchasing decisions, as well as knowing
a little more about the riders and sport.
bmxultra.com: When will we see AA Marketing on the web?
My website should be done in 3 weeks. It will be www.doubleamarketing.com. It will have race info, info on each rider, his results from the season, interviews, and rider fan clubs. People will be able to join and get cool stuff from the racers. It should be really great.
For more information on your favourite riders e-mail Pete at doubleamkt@aol.com
Interviewed: - 22 July 1999