Name: Scott D. Cranmer Jr.

Age:19

Hometown: Jackson

Sponsors: Felt Bikes, Fox Riders Co., Vans Shoes, Unbound Energy Drink, DUO, Pro-Tec, Staff BMX Mail Order, Profile Racing, The Incline Club

Scotty talking to the camera on Road Fools in between bouts of spontaneous laughter.  credit:  Fat Tony

You had an amazing year in the contest circuit, what have you been doing in the off season? Do you have any new tricks that you are going to fire out this year?

Since the end of the contest season I have been having the best time ever just riding the park every day with my friends. I have also been riding quads here and there and going to the movies a lot. As for the new tricks for this year I am taking a different approach… I am going to try and bring tech tricks back into the contest scene. I have so much fun pushing myself to learn new tech tricks! But don't get me wrong—I am still about catching air and I am very excited for this year!

This is probably the type of tech moves you'll see Scotty putting into contest runs this season—double barspin-to-tailtap-to several other tricks-to-tailwhip back in.  credit:  Fat Tony

Did you expect to see yourself on the cover of Ride when you were setting up pieces of wood on a bench in Little Rock? I think a lot of people have been wondering what was going through your mind as you were setting up and doing that trick. Walk us through it…

I am so excited about getting the cover! I always thought that it would be cool to get the cover of Ride. It's pretty unreal—I still don't think that it has actually hit me yet! And as for the trick itself, I learned tailtap-to-frontflip the day after I did manual-to-frontflip. Since there aren't any cool street obstacles near my house I was hoping that on Rock N' Roll Road Fools there would be something to do it on.

When we stopped in Little Rock I had a flat tire and the worst allergies of my life! We all sat in the parking lot for a little bit and I wasn't even going to go out for the street session. I was light headed, my eyes would not stop tearing and my nose was dripping uncontrollably—but I said screw it! I fixed my tire and got ready to go out with one of the groups. We headed down towards the water and Morgan Wade and Tobias Wicke were filming at this flat rail so I was scoping the scene for new terrain and that's when I came across the perfect wall to grass bank for a tailtap-to-frontflip. But there was no way to get up to the top of the ledge to do it. I told a couple of the guys that I was thinking of doing it and they went on the hunt for wood. Less than three minutes later they returned with a couple small pieces of scrap wood—PERFECT! We took two garbage cans and laid them down but they were too small. Tobias came up with the idea of putting a bench against the garbage cans but when we went to pull the bench over it was bolted down. So I tried to come up with a new plan and then I see Tobias with an adjustable wrench taking the bolts out of the bench. So two minutes later the bench was free and we put it against the garbage cans and then placed the wood on the bench. So now it finally looked possible and I gave it a go—came close but didn't rotate enough. I did that once more then tried it a third time—came around but my feet blew off due to the moist grass bank. So I borrowed Walter Pieringer's dry shoes and gave it another go and it worked. I was pretty happy about the trick! I was waiting for that set up!

This is the cover photo from Ride's issue 130 (March '07). Click the image to watch this insane trick in action.  credit: Ryan Fudger

What's it like having your family own a skatepark? What's up with the scooter scene there?

My parents owning a skatepark is awesome. I am seriously the luckiest guy in the world! I have a place to ride whenever I want and that is just awesome!

And as for the scooter scene, it is getting pretty nuts! There are so many of them—its crazy! I was riding with Jesse Macalusso (Probably the best scooter rider on the planet.) and he was dropping in on the mini and probably hitting 6ft over the spine! It was ridiculous! He was also doing 360 quad whips over the spine. When he caught the whip it was like he was putting his leg in helicopter blades!

What is the latest in your ongoing car projects? Last I heard you had a Skyline in the shop…

The latest project for the cars is that the Skyline got finished getting painted then I brought it in to get tuned. But the black car is still in Connecticut at Pruven Performance and is just about done so I am pretty excited!

Your riding intrigues me… Most people cruise around a skatepark, feeling out all the different obstacles and flow around it hitting different things. It seems like you pick out one setup (usually a mini or bowl) and ride it all night long. Explain…

Well when we were riding on the Rock N' Roll Tour there were people everywhere so I would go ride the least congested area—that's always what I do at every park that I go to. I think it has to do with the fact that I am a very shy person. If there wasn't anyone there I would be cruising around like the rest of them!

Scotty showing his shy personality in Milwaukee, WI—peering through a ramp at the other riders. Wait a minute… Is that shy? Or just plain creepy?  credit:  Fat Tony

You are definitely up there in the BMX ranks but are still a young dude. Who are some of the older riders you look up to (past and present)? And who do you see coming up that you are impressed with?

Um, I looked up to every pro rider that I saw in magazines and videos and I also looked up to a lot of the local riders that were good like Brad Gethard, Garrett Byrnes, John Jennings, JB, Biggins, Gary Thorpe and there are plenty more but I would be here all day! And as for the younger riders that are coming up—there are so many little guys that are amazing. It's crazy how fast they progress I love watching them. There was this kid I used to give lessons to—he is 10 or 11 now and he has so much bike control now and he does barspins-to-double pegs and I still remember when he couldn't drop in!

A crowd of youngsters getting an autograph from the X Games 12 Park gold medalist.  credit:  Fat Tony

Random 3s:

3 Web sites you visit most frequently: evolutionm.net, vitalbmx.com, bmxonline.com

3 people you ride with on a regular basis: Ed Webb, my cousin Buzzy, Z.

3 bands you enjoy: Something Corporate, The Getup Kids, Saves The Day

3 tricks that you'll never get tired of: tailwhips, barspins, nosedive 360

3 foods you absolutely hate: I really don't hate that many foods, but I am not too fond of Taco Bell.

How could he ever give up tailwhips? And why should he? He can do them on anything… Manual across all 4 parking blocks-to-tailwhip out. Dialed.  credit:  Fat Tony

Just for fun… What's the longest tech combo you've ever done?

Um, the first that comes to my head is tailwhip 360 tailtap-to-icepick-to-180 fufanu-to-pedal stall-to-180 fufanu, back-to-icepick-to-over pedal stall-to-tailtap-to-icepick-to-270. But it was just for fun—I think it's a little overkill!