This just in: Chad Kagy is off DC Shoes. In a very humble statement from Chad, here's the deal:
"Got off the phone with DC shoes not long ago and due to budget cuts and the reallocation of funds and effort toward the core of their company (skate) they will not be renewing any contracts that are expiring this year in the other sports they work with. Since I'm the only BMX guy on the team with a contract expiring, I will be the only guy leaving the team. Rough budgets make for quick changes all around. It was a good 9 years with DC and I wish them all the best in the future."
So I'll give it to Chad. He couldn't have left the team with any more dignity, which is respectable to begin with. But let's think about this for a second, in terms of what Chad has accomplished in just this past year.
• Second place vert finishes at the Portland, Salt Lake City and Orlando Dew Tour Stops.
• Second place overall in vert standing for the 2009 Dew Tour.
• Twelve day tour of Iraq last month, doing demos for U.S. troops.
• Silver medal in Big Air at the 2009 X Games.
• Bronze medal in vert at the 2009 X Games.
But, he's not a skateboarder and his contract was up. I understand that times are tough and that the economy is in the toilet, but Kagy had a pretty amazing year, and every single time I saw him at a comp or on TV, he was repping DC. Simply put, Chad could not have done his job as a sponsored athlete anymore better than he already was doing. But he was still let go.
Is this simply a sign of tough economic times, or an indication that being an amazing, progressive athlete just isn't enough anymore? Maybe things would have been different if Chad had his own TV show?
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Contributors
Brian Tunney
This is Brian. He lives in Jersey City, rides BMX bikes often and somehow ended up in the X Games a few times. Facebook him if needed.
Cody York
From Cleveland, Ohio, Cody was raised on a steady diet of backyard jumps and skateparks, and his photos have graced the pages of Ride BMX, BMX Plus!, Ride UK, and Dig magazines. Got something to share? cyorkphoto@me.com
Mark Noble
Mark is from the U.K., and has 28-plus years of experience in BMX. He has launched, published, edited and written for more BMX mags than you can shake a bike at. He also runs Deluxe BMX.
Nick Ferreira
Nick Ferreira is a BMXer, photographer and zine maker from Taunton, Mass. He has been extolling the merits of tucks and tabes in print and online for the better part of the past 10 years.
Pat Nugent
Patrick was born and raised on Long Island. The only outlet to BMX that he grew up knowing was racing. For a while, he got into all those weird forms of BMX, but eventually returned to the race scene. He enjoys shooting races and snaking practice laps.
Steve Crandall
Hails from Ithaca, N.Y., created FBM in '93, paints pictures of eggs, soup and pigeons in his spare time, throws down a mean tabletop.
