A Word from Brandon Kilbury

Proto rider Brandon Kilbury recently posted this note on his facebook. I feel like he needs no introduction but for the newer riders out there, BK has been one of the cleanest and technical ramp riders out there for the better part of 4 years now. He's been a major influence on many peoples' riding, including my own. Not only that but hes a super nice humble guy to talk to. Anyway, check out this article, it basically tells about what the sport has done for him over the years. Its a great read for sure.

It's been about 8 years since I picked up a scooter, and holy shit what a trip it's been. I never would have expected a kids toy to affect my life as much as it has but I guess some of the most important parts of my life came without much warning and this was no different. I wanted to write this to sort of honor that hunk of aluminum I've kept around for so long, and to thank everyone that's supported me for all these years.

I remember my first time messing around with a scooter, it was at my cousin's house during the summer of 2002, I couldn't barely do anything on it but it was something fun to do and a nice change from skateboarding and roller blading (I did both before and during the first few years of riding.) I got a razor scooter a few months later and I remember my first "ramp" was an old chunk of cabinet I would grind on, and it took me a while before I was old enough to figure out how to make a decent kicker. I'm sure anyone that's been riding since 2004-5 remembers all my old videos riding kickers. My main influence back then was Martin Kimbell, his old old videos were all riding kickers and were basically the only thing I had to learn from starting out. My friend Silas Harris was the only person I had to ride with back then. He rides BMX now but is still one of my main riding buddies when I go back to VT. It took a few years for me to meet anyone else that rode scooters, Miles Quirk was the first person I rode with from outside VT I'm pretty sure, long before competitions or anything. It was pretty lonely riding back then but things have changed drastically.

Fast forward to 2005ish when Tyler Hale and I first became friends. We really didn't have a whole lot in common aside from a spanish class, and I doubt we'd still be friends at all if he hadn't started riding. That's the first thing I have scootering to thank for, Tyler's my best friend hands down, and always will be. He isn't the only close friend I've made through riding, in fact, many of the people I've met have remained good friends despite the hours of travelling that separate us. Matt Dibble is another one to mention, another person I never would have known without scootering. For years now we've visited each other whether to ride or just sit around and bullshit (usually the latter). He's going to school near me next year and we've talked about living together. Regardless of whether that works out or not, I see us staying friends forever. Aside from those two I can think just off the top of my head a good sized list of awesome people I've met through riding, Jesse Mac, Jon Reyes, Dan Barrett, Levon Fortin, Miles Quirk, Brian Boston, Raymond Warner, Tyler Bonner, Twan, Alex Steadman, Dylan Kasson, Steve Wilson, Dan Warwick, Matt Ogle, Steven T, and plenty of others. I've been closer wtih some than others but I'll remember those names for the rest of my life, whether you helped me out as a true friend during a rough time or inspired my riding or personality in any way. I owe all of you a thanks. That brings me to the next chapter in my life of riding.

Starting as Scooter Resource, my first sponsor came about in 2007 after the 2nd TIC competition in New Jersey. Andrew Broussard was the creator of the online forum and shop, and approached me after my 2nd place finish in the contest. He said he was starting a small team and I was extremely honored to be one of the first people to join it. Scooter Resource as a forum seems to have kind of lost its presence in the scooter scene as of recently, but Andrew's company PROTO scooters is one of the dominating names in the sport today. Being part of this team has pushed me to try new things and has reinforced my belief that riding should be about fun. Every person on that team rides for the same reason and I could not ask for better guys to ride with on trips. I don't feel like I'm riding with my "team" I feel like I'm riding with close friends. We bounce not only riding ideas off each other, but ideas about everything. There's never a dull moment when I'm with any of them, and every one of them has pushed my riding more than they realize. Andrew has helped me out tremendously, anything from entry fees to plane tickets to a place to crash in Cali, parts whenever I need them, or a good laugh when he pulls out his mustache wax. Filming for the Proto DVD has moved my riding in a completely new direction from the last video I released, in which I mainly rode park. This video is aimed at mainly street riding and it's been both a challenge and an exciting new experience to film for it. I'm excited to see how everyone's riding progresses and changes with the coming DVD's (yes this video is going to be released, and yes there will be more of them).

Another aspect of riding I've been fortunate enough to experience is the travelling. I haven't yet made it across the atlantic, but I've seen many different areas, from NYC, Ohio, NJ, San Diego, LA, NH, Canada, all over NY and VT, and others. Maybe at some point in my life without riding I would have made it to these areas, but I've gained a whole new perspective from travelling, and you develop a strange relationship with these areas that you probably wouldn't as a normal tourist. The best part about scootering is what a close-knit community it is, so just about anywhere in the world I want to travel I can find someone who rides to be my tour guide or help me find a place to stay.

I've come a long way since those first few years, my riding has changed and progressed more than I ever would have expected, and I plan on continuing riding for years to come. I know in an interview with Inside Scooters I mentioned how college was slowing me down, and to be honest there were times I considered stopping. Well those doubts are gone down, thanks to fellow riders, proto, my parents, and my good friends, along with the sheer excitement I get from riding. I'm more psyched than ever to ride at this point in my life, I'm pleased with the direction my riding is going and I look at it more as a deviation from what I used to consider my best riding, rather than slowing down.

So here goes, thanks to every person I've ever ridden with, every video I've watched, every city I've traveled to, anyone who's even just shaken my hand at a competition, anyone who has helped plan any of those competitions or jams, my parents and sponsor for supporting me, anyone who has ever talked shit on youtube or in person (your insults only make me want to ride more), thanks to every scooter company out there, you're helping the sport progress, and finally to anyone who actually sat and read this entire thing. I'm going to ride for as long as my body can handle it, and I'll always have fun doing it. -BK