Trying a new hat: Motocross' cowboy moves on to new challenge

By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | Monday, June 11, 2007 11:16 PM PDT ∞

Kenny Bartram wandered around, searching near and far for cell-phone reception.

It wasn't easy on his 150-acre ranch in rural Oklahoma, but Bartram finally found a clear spot.

It was hundreds of miles away from freestyle motocross' hotbed in Temecula, hundreds of miles from the tough-guy image built by his fellow riders, hundreds of miles from pretty much anywhere. It's a place, however, where the 28-year-old feels right at home.

It's a spot where Bartram's signature cowboy hat doesn't clash with the tattoos adorned by his rivals. He fits right into this niche, a mix of country music and motor sports.

"I have tremendous respect for all the athletes in this sport," Bartram said. "There's only 20-to-30 guys competing professionally, making it a pretty tight-knit group. But I don't hang out with most of those guys. We can all hang out and talk motocross without a problem.

"I respect their riding, but I don't go out and party with them. I have different hobbies and I'm interested in different things."

Bartram is as well known for his high-flying exploits in freestyle motocross as the 10-gallon hat that goes on when his helmet comes off. Bartram's performance before that patented exchange has produced more contest victories than anyone in the history of the sport.

Those awe-inspiring runs will become a rarity in the future as Bartram moves into the next phase of his career. He's moving away from the sport that made him famous and into Rally Car racing, a move also made by close friend Travis Pastrana.

Bartram's freestyle motocross career will now be reserved for exhibitions and demonstrations as opposed to the rigorous grind of competition. Bartram will stay involved in the sport by providing color commentary for three stops of the five-event Dew Action Sports Tour, which kicks off June 21 in Baltimore.

"I'm looking forward to this next stage," said Bartram, the 2005 Dew Tour overall champion. "I'm pretty comfortable on camera, which will give me a way to stay involved. It takes the pressure off a little bit."

There's always pressure to progress in freestyle motocross, which has transformed from a sideshow to a multi-million dollar industry over the past decade.

"This sport has grown at an unbelievable rate," Bartram said. "It's never really had a slow moment, but now it's really picking up momentum. And because of all the money and the improved practice facilities, freestyle motocross has really turned into a full-time job."

Bartram was going to extreme measures in order to maintain excellence. This country boy from Stillwater, Okla., hired a gymnastics coach to help with body control.

He hired a personal trainer for strength and flexibility. He did whatever was necessary to wow both the crowd and the judges at every competition.

Bartram really had to specialize, more so than he ever intended. It led him to recently re-evaluated his priorities, and chose to diversify. He now competes on the Rally Car circuit, does the occasional freestyle motocross demo or broadcast commitment, and even found time to star in a reality show about bull riding scheduled to air this summer on Country Music Television.

Freestyle motocross competition, however, had to be sacrificed.

"I guess I could still compete if I wanted to," Bartram said. "I could go out there without putting in the work and still finish eighth, but I wouldn't be proud of myself. I wouldn't be in it to win it.

"My bank account is a little smaller because of this decision, but I have no regrets. I love what I'm doing right now."

Bartram is pouring funds into Rally Car, which has been a learning process thus far.

"We've had some trouble, but we're still growing," he said. "But winning wouldn't be as fun if you didn't have to work for it."

He worked through 17 broken bones, seven knocked out teeth, a steel plate in the jaw and a ruptured blood vessel in the brain on the road to FMX glory.

Bartram's now fully healthy, happy and ready to expand his horizons.

"I don't think I fit in to just one spot," Bartram said. "I don't fit the freestyle motocross image, but I'm okay with that. I'm a normal guy from Oklahoma who likes country music and driving fast. I'm happy being out here in the sticks, doing my own thing." Ý

-- The action sports column runs every Tuesday. To suggest story ideas, report local events or offer general comments, contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.

ACTION SPORTS

Perfect 10s

The National Surf League

Former Encinitas resident Brad Gerlach has once again expanded his team-oriented surf contest format at the high school level. Last year Gerlach held the High School Cup between schools from San Diego and Orange County. This year, Gerlach has gone national. He will launch the Red Bull High School Cup National Championships, which will take place June 18-19 at San Onofre Trails Beach. There will be six schools vying for the national title, including San Dieguito Academy. The Mustangs have been seeded into the second round of the single-elimination tournament, which will take place on June 19, as will the championship final.

Here are the high schools competing in the tournament:

1. Cocoa Beach (Fla.)

2. Santa Cruz

3. Ocean City (N.J.)

4. Huntington Beach

5. San Dieguito Academy

6. Los Angeles Malibu High/Ventura (must win a play-in game to enter tournament)

Bob Burnquist

The Vista-based Brazilian was named Best Vert Skater 2007 by Transworld Skateboarding at an awards banquet on June 8. Burnquist has been on the cutting edge of progress over the past year, both in contests and free skating. He's become an elite mega ramp rider in addition to his exploits on the vert ramp.

"I'm so honored and humbled to win this award -- especially in this day and age of skateboarding," Burnquist said in a statement. "There is so much amazing talent out there pushing the sport to new heights that I feel very privileged to be recognized for my efforts.ÝI look forward to continuing to push the envelope."

Click here: lat34.com

The Website, powered by America Online, may be the most comprehensive action sports Website for those that follow the pros. Lat34 has videos, photos and constantly updated news on every action sport. While most news updates are glorified press releases, the Website guys occasionally get out to big events and do produce unique reports. They do a great job on women's sports and picking up little action sports stories that would typically fall through the cracks.

My rating: 9.5 points/10

Burning Question

If money was no object, which break would you travel to surf? Email your response to sbair@nctimes.com and it might be published as next week's Answer.