Joel Pierazek always brings a fresh style and his own flavor to everything he does on a bike and in this week’s Monday Edit we caught up with him during a few sessions at his local park in Orlando, Florida. Dig in…
Video by Brett Rohlfing.
Name: Joel Pierazek
Age: 25
Location: Orlando, FL
Sponsors: Myself… Action Village was helping me out for a bit and it was awesome, but they got bought out and didn’t bother to tell anyone on the team…not even the pro riders.
When did you get into riding, and what got you into it?
2001-ish…I saw a Ride BMX mag with Mike Aitken doing an unlookback over a dirt jump. I bought that magazine, then begged for a Mongoose for X-mas. Then stepped up to the Haro 540 Air two months later because Dave Mirra was the best rider ever back then! And I haven’t stopped since….
Where do you ride most often, and who with?
Usually I ride some awesome manual pads down the street or go to Downtown Orlando and cruise the normal spots—usually solo sessions or with my roomie. And when I have time I go to Vans, which is one of the two parks that actually allow bikes in Orlando. But I like to ride anything and everything…I split my time pretty 50/50 between street and park.
How would you describe your style?
Pretty technical, I guess. I will sometimes sit at a spot for hours trying to pull a long ass line, trying to cram as many tricks as I can into one manual or fakie line. And other days I don’t feel like messing with all that, and I’ll just go out and try to do something bigger and be done for the day.
What kind of riders are you stoked on and who do you like to watch?
Pretty much everyone, but I guess at the top of the list would be pretty much the same as most people’s…Sexton, DeHart, Williams, Hawk…and others like the Banned crew, Shane Weston, Eric Holley, Alex Magallan, Ben Hucke…The list could go on, everyone is so good now days.
Most of the time when we see footage of you, it’s from Vans Skatepark. Do you ride anywhere else?
Like I said before, I’m about 50/50. It just so happens I really only get a camera following me around at Vans. And those Vans edits are just like a collection of clips over the past months. I don’t really feel like I put a lot of work into those edits…that’s pretty much what I do every session there. My friend Nick Mahoney and I have been trying to film some street edits and whatnot where I’m really trying to get a wide variety of tricks and do a few bangers, but it has kind of been at a stand still for the past few months because our schedules are so different right now. I just need to get an iPhone or something, haha.
True or false: You found love at the skatepark?
Haha, true! But she is not a ramp tramp…she just worked at Vans, which is more a retail store than a park.
Any thanks?
Thanks to everyone I ride, with especially Nick Mahoney, Chris Kiggins, and Leevi Wilson, and I will even thank Ryan FreeBird, haha…and of course my parents.
TAGS: Brett Rohlfing, Florida, Joel Pierazek, Orlando, The Monday Edit, Vans Skatepark
