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Courtesy of Freestylin'Dennis McCoy at a national American Freestyle Association contest in 1985.From the early-to-mid '80s to the early '90s, the BMX contest scene was hectic.

My bike-curious friend didn't seem to believe that BMX could've been that big back then. During my Freestyle heyday, I lived in Southeast Ala. We had bike-shop sponsored local contests every other weekend and regional ones monthly, as well as shows to do and the occasional national event thanks to the American Freestyle Association. From the early-to-mid '80s to the early '90s, BMX was hectic. My age class in those national contests often boasted well over a hundred entrants. One thing I tried to explain to my friend was that though we played video games (e.g., Atari, Nintendo, arcade games, etc.), riding one's bike was still way more exciting. Our hands were more likely to be found on handlebars than joysticks.

Therein lies the first major difference: The experience of a BMXer today is much more likely to be mediated by technology than it was in the '80s. Given the proliferation of technology into every aspect of our lives, that's not much of an insight, but hear me out. In addition to the lack of dope video games, the riders of thirty years ago were also missing out on the parks. There were like three ride-able skateparks in the whole country. Now there are at least that many in every city of any size whatsoever. Where the past was spent riding curb cuts, banks, walls, streets, and backyard ramps, today the terrain consists of those as well as many human-made options. It makes for different riding, different tricks, and different values. Let's tackle those in turn.

Nothing has changed the collective knowledge of BMXers more than mobile technologies

Flatland used to be one-half of Freestyle BMX. Now it is obscured out-of-sight in parking structures and flat driveways. Its intricate moves and flowing connections do not translate to television coverage, the pedestrian spectator, nor the beginning rider. The same can be said for other kinds of riding: flow and style are less valued than the big trick. One huge trick at the X Games can make a career.

Riders still go looking for street spots and terrain to tackle, but back in the day -- aside from backyard ramps and plywood propped up on bricks -- that's all there was. The proliferation of skateparks changed not only the scarcity of spots, but the spread of information. Having a central place to meet and exchange ideas changes the dynamics of a local scene, thereby affecting overall progression of the sport.

Courtesy of Freestylin'When Kevin Jones burst onto the flatland scene in 1987, it was due in part to his appearances at national AFA contests, but knowledge of Kevin's progression was largely spread by Mike Daily's "Aggro Rag" zine and Mark Eaton's "Dorkin' in York" videos.

With that said, nothing has changed the collective knowledge of BMXers more than mobile technologies. Before cell phones, camera phones, iPhones, smaller and smaller digital cameras and video cameras, and even the Web, riders relied on a handful of magazines and zines to keep up on what was happening: new companies and products, who was riding for whom, and more importantly, who was doing what new tricks. An individual or crew in some remote enclave (York, Pa., perhaps) could be light years ahead of the overall curve of the sport and no one would know. For example, when Kevin Jones burst onto the flatland scene in 1987, it was due in part to his appearances at national AFA contests which were covered by the major magazines, but knowledge of Kevin's progression was largely spread by Mike Daily's "Aggro Rag" zine and Mark Eaton's "Dorkin' in York" videos. Hiding such talent is much more difficult in our hyper connected world now -- even if you try. Can you imagine Mat Hoffman's Highest Air Ever happening in total obscurity today? Mobile media can make one famous. Like the X Games, one huge trick -- or one huge crash -- captured on camera and immediately distributed online might not make a career, but it can make someone an instant star.

There are other obvious differences, but these are the ones that really stick out to me. Again, I don't think it was better back then. I do not lament the old days of waiting by the mailbox for a new VHS tape, zine, or magazine. To quote a friend, "What it is is up to us," and I think BMX and BMX media just keep getting better.

The third annual Old School BMX Reunion returns to Woodward West in Tehachapi, Calif. this weekend. For those that lived through the first generation of freestyle in the '80s, it is a perfect opportunity to bridge the gap back to the formative days of BMX freestyle.

[Roy Christopher is a writer, media theorist and BMXer. His books include the interview anthology Follow for Now (Well-Red Bear, 2007) and the essay collection Sound Unbound with DJ Spooky (The MIT Press, 2008). He is currently working on a book about technological mediation, while also pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, in between flatland sessions.]