I sit here at the airport to head home after attending the Sundance Film Festival, and “X-Dance” where I was blessed to be able to see the premier of: “Joe Kid Stingray” with the Producers/ Directors; Mark Eaton and John Swarr; their families, a theater full of BMX enthusiasts and my dear friend Bob Osborn. After the screening I was introduced to the crowd and gave a wave and sat down quickly. Yes, as most of you know, I could have talked on and on about the film, the history of BMX and more….BUT, I did not want to detract from Mark and John’s awesome accomplishment and deserved limelight. To be honest, I regret it… Later, I applauded John and Mark; giving them their due recognition and praise, but I did not take the opportunity to thank my good friend and mentor: Bob Osborn, the Wizard, the almighty OZ..!!!!
The film chronicles our sport: BMX and Freestyle in its early days and touches on today’s sport… It will benefit BMX in a multitude of ways for years to come. Oz was given SOME credit for his contributions, but it would take another whole film to properly demonstrate his widespread positive influences, dedication to the sport, its riders and the industry as a whole.
Harry Leary, Stu and myself make mentions in the film of Oz’s impact, but since the film covers so much, I think a great deal from our interviews and those of 20 other riders were clipped to keep it fast paced and “Tight”. For myself, I must say :”Thank you Bob.. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for helping me to focus and concentrate on my business and racing careers as a young man. Thank you for providing me the opportunity to express my creative writing talents, nurturing and motivating me along the way. Thank you for pushing me during tests to jump further, smack berms harder and push not only the bikes to the limit, but myself also. Thank you for making me a hero through your magazine, giving me coverage and exposure. Thank you for working with me in the early FMF days to create ads, and promote my team and products. Thank you for all you did to spread the word and “Image” of SE Racing; capturing the same energy, product excellence, and concept that ran through my viens… You gave 100’s of Pros their image, name and livelihood Oz. YOU made MEN out of wildeyed KIDS like me and countless others. Without you, the names Stompin Stu, Greg Hill, PK Kramer, Turbo Harry, Utterback, Bronco Beckering, Bubba the Blaze Hayes, The Lumberjack, Pistol Pete, the Pattersons, Toby “Hollywood” Henderson, “Big Daddy” Eric Rupe, “The Kos”, Jammin’ John Piant, Greg Esser,, The Jackel, RL & Buffy, Bob Haro (There would be NO Haro Bikes without your influence and drive), Eddie Fiola, Dr. Air Josh White, and SO MANY MORE would not be as revered, popular and famous… That says NOTHING of what you did to push the ABA, NBL and the IBMXF into the national spotlight..and the AFA in Freestyle, the introduction of “StreetStyle” and so so so much more… you unknowingly spearheaded the legitimacy of BMX!!! YOU were a major force in “Putting BMX on the map”… THANK YOU!
I made some bad decisions in my life, ran from emotional issues and paid the price. Here today, my life is as good as it gets. I feel blessed to have shared such vibrant and exciting moments with you, but most of all Oz, I must thank you for your 28 years of motivation, encouragement, guidance, friendship and unconditional love… YOU ROCK OZ!!! Soooo I guess that is what I would have said Oz.. Hear me????...
In saying this, I ask the other true Old Schoolers.. were you as profoundly & positively affected by Oz and BMXA as I was?
Love ya.. C-Ya..
THE OM of BMX..
Your friend, Scot

AMEN SCOT!!!! Nobody could have said it better than that, nor could anyone better have said it. You, Stu, Greg & the rest were our heroes back in the day for what you did, but Oz was the one who brought it to us in living color every month. The rad pics & cool captions elevated you guys that much more. Yes Oz, thanks for all you have done for the sport. And thanks to the OM, Stu, Greg, & the rest of you for being such great racers to look up to & for being such cool regular guys nowadays. I look forward to meeting all of you at the Rock.

[ January 23, 2005, 11:17 PM: Message edited by: VAbmxdad ]

...pause to catch my breath...wow Scot, very well put! Oz through the mighty BMXA showed me what hard work and dedication can accomplish. During those teenage years of trying to find a place to feel comfortable, BMXA was the beacon that shined showing me I was a part of something big. I was a local rider, but I knew I was a part of a collective unique group of guys. He delivered my heroes in true human form every month. This many years later I still get charged hearing from all of you. I cannot wait to go to Rockford just to shake his hand (and yours) and say thank you.

Well said Scot!

Without BMXA and the vision of Bob, BMX riders would have been subject to boring articals, unfocused photos, lame editorials and biased news....not to mention TV stars on the covers of our magazines.

There is simply nothing better than reading vintage issues of BMXA in the bathroom....that's a compliment.

Well said Scot, I couldnt agree with you more about OZ. You guys are a class act. Thank you.

Well, they say laughter is the best medicine. And man, without Oz's great captions, I wouldn't have laughed as much as I did...

Who can forget the (something like) "Twenty Percent Down, and Eighty Percent Financing...This Dude Is About to Buy the farm". I still laugh at that.

I still recall articles, tests, interviews and race coverage from BMXA'a back then, and I dont own one copy at all nowadays. That says something for the impact the magazine had on me.

It was the magazine that got me into a sport, when other sports held no interest to me, and gave me the best feeling and times (apart from the marriage to my great wife, and the birth of my two fantastic kids) ever. I still recall the excitement of the gate dropping, and getting air over the jumps, and the cheering of the crowd. Those are special days to me... And it all started from a copy of BMXA.

Oz, that was sure some thing you gave us Rock on

Scot,

That was excellent!!!! How can it be said better, it cannot. Bob Osborne is the man! His passion for BMX is what made it possible for everyone to know about BMX. I really believe my career would of been dismal without Bob and his magazine. I am in a position where I can absolutly tell you that BMXA was the motivation for me to make it in BMX..Especially having my sister date and marry Stu and seeing his pic all the time in the mag. Everyones goal was to "get in BMXA" if you got the mag and your pic was there you were STOKED bigtime. OK...I better go before I get all emotional...

Love ya Scot!!

Thank you Bob, you are
"the absolute commander of BMX"

GH

Those of us ancient enough to remember Oz before BMXA through BMX News and Bicycling Magazine owe a great deal to the Wiz cause he made us realize that we were not alone in our craziness. Kids from all over the country shared the rush of early BMX. I have said it many times, and I'll say it again: thanks. And I'll repeat what I said before we knew Bob was really in our mist: Oz, no matter where you are, you will always be numero uno in my BMX heart.

Hailz OM! Your write-ups makes me wanna promote BMX more and more. Cheers OM, OZ and everyone else. You all rocks!!

There are just a few things in life better than to receive such worthy honor and praise from your peers!

Scot your words concerning Oz ring very true indeed!

Oz, You were the eyes and ears for our generation. You were our gateway to the world of bmx, a world that you made alive with words, phrases and pics that we 'that younger generation' could totally relate with. It was as though you made the pages come alive for us!

The Vin Scully of BMX.

Oz thank you for making BMX a part of everybodys daily lives. I was lucky enough to be chosen to be in you mag a couple of times....and the feeling was the best in the world. Thanks....

Bob-I've said it before-It's not just American kids who were seriously influenced by your writing in BMX ACTION-
There is a whole generation of english kids who spent their time riding bikes and waiting for the next instalment of the magazine to arrive.We knew Chandler and Corona and pipeline etc as if we rode there-due to your writing talent and enthusiasm.Thankyou so much.

What seems most important to me is that Wiz Pubs didn't just cover BMX but wrote about the lifestyle of BMX'ers. While other mags just presented BMX in almost a detached and outsider's view, BMXA and Freestylin' were as much a part of the scene as riding itself. I don't know if Bob consciously decided to show the lifestyle as well as the competive, technical and personalites of BMX but he did what no other mag did. He brought BMX to us on a personal level.

Also, I want to thank Bob for hiring people like Len Weed, Giberson, Bob Haro, Gork, Andy Jenkins, Lew, Spike, Windy, Mike Daily, and all the other staffers with a similar vision and passion. They deserve our admiration as well.

Reilley, the word is midst.

Mist is what is in my eyes right now.

Did anyone else get chills when they ready OM's post.

Can we make Rockford last a whole week?.........

- Bob

I gotta second Brett up there. Even though editorial staff changed throughout the years and the different Wiz mags, the style and feeling that Oz put out there from the get-go always remained.
You made all us nobodies feel like we were part of something that the rest of the world just wasn't gonna understand unless they were part of the BMXA insiders.

OZ effected my life in a big way. It was because of him and seeing the fun he had at races and seeing the love he put into the mag in the 80s that pushed me to start my own national publication in the late 90s.
Unfortunalty I did not have the funding to keep it going more then a few years but becuase of doing that magazine it has lead to many other jobs. And this from a punk *** kid with no college degree who at 33 still rides a bike a few times a week.

Thanks OZ!

BMXA was like the portal to the stars BMX for me. Oz's style made them real and just like one of us - or what we could all achieve. Oz gave BMX personality and, in return, it became part of the ruler that we(especially me) measure our lives.

Words cannot explain the feelings I have had since Bob Osborn has checked in here to VBMX. Just to be able to read all his posts and to see his stash of pics, makes me feel like I'm some human fly on some great wall where Bob has leaned against. I am truly envious of those that actually know him and have been fortunate enough to call him a friend.

Like Scot, I want to thank Bob Osborn for being the "eye" and words in BMX through it's infancy, helping kids like me to feel "part of" just as much as Stu, OM, JU, PK, Turbo, GH and all the other giants of our sport were "part of".

Thanks Oz!

Funny Oz.. you had mist as you read this thread.. I had tears as I wrote it.. Seeing you ..and Joe Kid Stingray brought back such huge emotions and exhileration, I was bursting with bubbles of brilliant and bodacious brianstorms that bounced in my brain bringing my boyhood back to the forefront..thoughts and memories from temple to temple, zipping through my viens, to the core of my heart and soul..and you were present in the vivid pictures, like a Nikon flashing snapshots , I see; you on the sidelines cheering me on,... laughing so hard we cry,...riding with Jim Jannard in friendly hills, staring -locked into my eyes as we talked on a "connected" level,... shaking your head in disbelief when I come up with some hairbrained idea,.. writing with your glasses on the end of your nose,... packing the first issues of BMXA in your garage-not being able to put the mags ina box cuz we wanted to read the issue again and again,...you calling me "Nuts" as a compliment... and you clicking away on that apendage of yours that most others call a camera...the image maker... the part of you that captured the essence of our lives... Yuppers my friend, I was in tears.. tears of joy!
I'd have to say that as mentors, you and Mike Devitt are Godsends...Thank you ..I better stop before I start crying again.. LOL What a baby!
Love ya..
OM

I can remember riding to 7-11 with my friend Bret back in the summer of 82. We would both buy our own copy of BMXA. We couldn't wait until we got home, and more than a few times we got off of our bikes and sat on the grass of the local golf course just to read every page. With each copy I soon received in the mail each month, I was inspired more and more to ride harder and longer. Thank you Bob for delivering me my bible every month ..and thank you Scot for your awesome words that just sparked more great memories.

BMXA, Freestylin' and GO set the standard that every other magazine I read out there has to live up too. Unfornately, I have yet to find any publication (BMX or otherwise) that comes close.


Anthony

Having been involved in the other "action sports" industries (skateboarding, snowboarding), I think that it is safe to say that OZ's influence has pervaded all these. The obvious link is through some of the people that worked for Wizard Pubs, who are at work in the other sports; the first 2 that come to mind for me (because they have been an influence on me) are Andy Jenkins at Girl Skateboards and Jeff Tremaine who ran Big Brother Magazine and has since moved onto Jackass fame. (Oh yeah and some guy named Spike) The less obvious link is through people like me who have been less high profile, but contributors none the less, that have never forgotten the feeling they got from reading the mighty BMXA. Also being a photographer myself and a magazine junky, it's obvious to me that OZ's influence on "action sports" photography has been huge. The only other person with maybe as much influence would be the the much lauded skateboard photog Warren Bolster. In any case, I know that everytime I pick up my camera I'm trying to imagine how OZ would have framed it. Thanks OZ.

Oh yeah, and I'm stilling trying to win one of the OZ originals floating around on eBay.

A lot of this happened after I left the sport. I was lucky enough to be involved with one of Bob's first adventures and to this day, 30 years later people still remember...Thanks Bob from me and the sport of BMX.

Man, it's just wild to read this stuff from guys who had such an impact on me at such an early age.

Amazing how much impact a magazine can have when done right.

Sometimes the simplest things stick with you all your life, and one thing I remember about Oz was something my Father (Buddy McNiel) expressed quite often. My Dad was a hobbyist photographer and took advantage of the fact that I toured all over the country racing by taking pictures. He was always running around the infield or perched on some berm trying to snag a good pic, and Oz was usually doing the same, often from a more radical position!

Dad always considered himself a more technical photographer, good at the exposure/speed/DOF etc... and not so much a 'composer' of photos. The one person I know he respected/envied in that regard was Oz. His gift for capturing this sport through a little box with a lens on it made a massive impact not only on the minions of us bmx'ers through BMXA, but also in subtle ways that go unspoken.

When Dad passed away a couple of years ago I inherited all his old camera gear. When I look at that stuff I can't help but think of all the time he spent staring at all of us through those lenses, and how much he enjoyed it. He frequently thumbed through BMXA with a mixture of admiration and envy for your style Oz, and no doubt learned from it.

I don't know if you remember him or not Oz, but I wanted you to know that you influenced some less obvious people through the years...in a good way

ok, sorry for the sentimental rant...I'm gettin misty...

Scot, you are a sentimental old fart.

I, too, wrote a thing recently...a poem...that you were in. I'm sure you missed it because I would definitely have gotten some flack if you had seen it.

It is called THE RACE OF LEGENDS and it's on page 37 of Regarding Cosmo. It's worth checking if only because Reilley posted a picture of Halle Berry on the same page.

Thom, which particular first adventure are you talking about? Is it the one where this 16 year old Santa Monica/Dogtown hood rode his monoshock bicycle all the way over to Torrance (20 miles through big city traffic) to scam on my daughter?

I think it goes without saying that without Oz's writing, photos, and magazine that bmx would have fallen by the wayside a long time ago. It was his dedication to the sport that helped propel it to what it is today.

I'm forever in his debt.

Tony

Aw nuts, Scot. Between you and the movie, this has been a very emotional couple days for me. For you too, I'll bet.

Look what you started. I mean really look at what you started.

BMX would never never never have gone where it has gone if some nutcase like you hadn't been there from the begining...pushing boundaries, setting styles, doing things that were crazy and wild and impossible.

All I did was take pictures and write about it.

Thats right! a huge thank you to OZ for putting a way of life into words and pictures.

And of course a heartfelt thank you to Scot for taking a liking to a skinny Long Beach kid and plunging him into an adventure thats still rollin' along!

Thanks to both of you!

Dear Wiz:

What can you do for the man who made the BMX summers last forever, and the long Ohio winters tolerable?

I just hope thanks is enough.

A Rosa's taco would be cool.

Scot, that might have been some of your best writing...ever!

As I ponder my past, and how my life has turned out, I wonder where I might be without all of you, and all of this. Bob, like you said in our online chat session, everyone played a significant part in the sport. EVERYONE! If you ever lined up on the gate, used a broom, handed out trophies, marshalled the turns, whatever, this glorious past that we all share continues to unite us long after the moment seemed to have gone.

How can it be that we are all still together after all these years? How can it be that the passion still burns for many? Why do I begin to tremble when I see a Moto Mag for sale on ebay, knowing that I want to buy them all?

Indeed this is a cool place, in fact, a true community, where we can connect with friends past and future. Some of the best friends I have made in my life I found here AFTER the heyday of BMX. Most of us took some time off, but that was just the intermission of this long play. The second act has yet to be revealed. And the cool thing is that BMX is still so young, the real history of BMX is being written today. It is being written by each of you, your children, and your friends. What I am looking forward to is when I turn 100 and I am looking back on what we REALLY accomplished! The best has yet to come!

Cash Matthews
In Awe Of All BMxers!

I was thinking that now that we are old(er), maybe we should start a more relevant "Dear Wiz" column.

I'll start.


Dear Wiz.

I'm old, ugly, decrepit, and cannot spell midst. Any tips on how can I score on a hot chick like yours?

Dear Reilley,

Dude, get a long-stemmed red rose, get on your bike and scout out a moon-babe. When you find one, ride back and forth a few times with the rose in your teeth, one foot up on your seat, one leg sticking straight out to the rear, singing in a deep voice: "Wild thiinnngg, I think I luvs ya'..."

That's how I did it!

What? You don't believe me?

[ January 24, 2005, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: cosmo ]

LOL.. I DO believe you Oz... and I can picture it..
C-Ya..
OM

Scot, quick hand me a rose!



Wild thiinnngg, I think I luvs ya'..."

[ January 25, 2005, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: reilley1 ]

aw geez Rick untill i saw "fat guy on a little bike" I wuz groovin on this love fest. but all you geezers are gettin big mad props anyway! (no matter how queezy that picture makes me feel) Oz? Scot? are ya feelin' the (urp) love?

that pics too much i'm goin' to bed.

Oz,
I'm really lucky I'm as intelligent as I am. Mainly because I spent so much of my time being obsessed with BMX racing and reading your mag, I honestly don't remember studying. I was reading your mag, doing sprints, riding rollers, riding at the practice spots, doing gates, going to the gym, learning how to eat right for racing, working on my bike, and racing.

You were a great influence because you would mention things like fun, training, sportsmanship, dedication, family, quality, ect...... Things that really matter.

I could think of about 15 different races where I wanted to go up to, introduce myself, and tell you how much I loved "Bicycle Motocross Action." But then I would be selfish and think, "How can I get him to take a pic of me and put itin the mag?" Then I'd get frustrated and do nothing. No action is the worst action! Make it happen (I've heard that somewhere)!

Funny thing was, my very first national, the 1978 Grands in the L.A. Sports Arena, was the closest I ever came to getting a picture in Mighty BMXA. You put in a pic of Roy David leading a 10 novice race with a rider behind him. I was in third! Just out of your camera range! I fainted when I saw it in the magazine! Aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggg!!!!! Hahahahaha!!!

I raced till 87'. Became a club DJ and have had it pretty good. I occasionally see guys drop by a club I'm DJing at like Eddy King, Mike King, Steve Veltman, Jason Richardson (Karim's brother and a top AA Pro now), Richard Fleming, ect.

Having those magazines and those memories of all those friends reminds me of a very happy time.
Thank you Oz, you did a great thing for all of us.

Johnny Johnson

[ January 25, 2005, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: JohnnyJohnson OMAS DirtSlinger ]

Thanks Oz, I still remember the first time I was in the mag. I was standing in the background of a berm at a NBA national in Shawnee, Oklahoma as a moto went through a turn. I must have looked at it a thousand times and showed it to everyone I knew the same number of times. I was that proud and I was in the BACKGROUND. These guys aren't lying when they say you changed lives and made things better. That's proven to be a hard thing to do in this world and I just wanted to say thanks again for all you did for me personally and for the sport.

Thanks Oz! I can trace my steadily declining literacy back to the last issue of BMXA I received in the mail, but my perspective on life and how to live it has been forever shaped by you. I'm a lucky man.

JP

I'll say thanks too for the countless hours of enjoyment spent reading BMXA and daydreaming about what it might be like to see my own picture in there. When that finally happened, I felt somehow validated in BMX. These guys have said it all above, but I'll second the notions!

Oz, it didn't work.

I rode my bike by where she works, I sang and then asked her "Where have you been all my life?'

She answered "Grade school"

[ January 27, 2005, 12:34 PM: Message edited by: reilley1 ]

Reilley, I forgot the most important part...

You need to grow a beard. It demonstrates nonchalance, a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward women. Gets 'em every time. It also adds a certain distinction, a savoir faire appearance, a mysterious flair. Drives women crazy. Take it from me.

Maybe you could rent a beard and try the teeny-bopper again.

Oz,
How did you like the DVD footage?

Well, you forgot another important part: Make sure you take the thorns out of the rose stem BEFORE you put it in your mouth.

No, Reilley...that's part of it! The blood running down your chin gives you a kind of "Cave Man" look. The "Take Charge" kind of guy. I guarantee, it drives women crazy!

[ January 27, 2005, 03:57 PM: Message edited by: Oz ]

A big gnarly club being dragged lazily behind you doesnt hurt the image any either!

"WOMAN!!!"

[ January 27, 2005, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: reilley1 ]

Reilley, that looks just like Thom Lund!