Part 1 of the Ronnie Faisst Interview.

As promised Action Recon did a interview with Ronnie Faisst and it was something that I had wanted to do for a long time. Ronnie always intrigued me, seemed like a pretty quiet dude who often kept to himself, but once you get the guy talking he really opens up and has a lot of positive things to say. Seems like the world is surrounded with doom and gloom these days and its nice to take some time and sit down with a guy who has a really positive out look on life and really believes and gives his all in what he does. I don’t think I need to tell anyone how good a rider Ronnie is and there are few people that would dispute his amazing flow and style on a dirt bike. He is an OG of FMX and has been working his way up the ranks for a long time, he is a humble guy who appreciates all that he has been blessed with and has all the time in the world for his fans, family and friends. This is a great interview and something that I feel will give you a good look into what Faisst is all about and what has shaped him into becoming the man he is toady. This interview will presented in two parts, I will be posting part 2 on Monday morning so be sure to come back and check for the second half then. Now here is Part 1 of the Ronnie Faisst interview:

1) Ronnie you have been involved in FMX and are an original member of the Metal Mulisha. Where are you originally from and what brought you out to sunny California in the first place?

Well I am originally from New Jersey and I moved out to California because the whole motocross industry was basically out in California. At that time I really wanted to get into the FMX scene and all the riders and videos were being filmed out there and I thought to my self I really need to get into these videos. See that is kind of before FMX even took off, there were no competitions at that time, no X-games or Dew Tour or anything like that so if you wanted to be noticed you needed to film and get in videos. My timing ended up working out really well because right when I moved out there FMX was starting to take off. Right when I got out there the first videos were being launched, the first contest happened and by the time FMX made it into the X-Games, I had already filmed a lot and was living with Deegan.

2) In the early days who were some of the guys you met up with and got to know that introduced you to the whole FMX scene and lifestyle?

Well Deegan for sure, we go way back and have been at it for years now. I also starting meeting up with and riding with Mike Metzger and Cary Hart. Metzger used to tattoo me up at his house and then we would roll down to Vegas to ride with Hart and we had cool vibe and crew going on back then. Also Larry Linkogle was always hanging with Deegan so we rode together and then Twitch starting hanging out with us too and we would all ride and film together. It was a small group back then man, were talking a handful of guys all the way back in like 1997-1998.

3) FMX has come a long way since those early days and the first few X-Games. Now there is an organization called the AFMXA that you are involved with. Tell us about your role in the organization, how it came about and what its goals are?

The AFMXA was basically inspired by the passing of Jeremy Lusk, after that happened we all knew that something needed to be done to protect the riders. In FMX there was really no rules, regulations, safety standards or anything like that in place. Really it was bit ridiculous, the whole thing was kind of a free for all. There are rules in every single sport and we wanted to come up with specs for the take off ramps, the landings and the size of the course as well. We also set up a full emergency response team that can respond to injured riders that go down anywhere in the world. We took a look at what happened to Lusk and we don’t want anyone to ever be in that situation again.

All the riders that sign up go through CPR and trauma training, we want all the riders that ride to know what to do if someone goes down when you are practicing out in the hills or even at one of our houses. People need to know how to stabilize a person until help can get there and how to keep that person alive. The AFMXA also has an emergency response number, its an 800 number that you can call from anywhere in the world and it goes straight to two orthopedic surgeons that sit on our board. Also when you sign up for our organization you get two emergency flights a year that will get you back to where you need to be to receive the proper care. We even have translators on hand that can make sure that the doctors on hand can actually talk to and understand what our guys are saying back home. Because when Lusk went down there was definitely a language barrier and in a circumstance like that there is no time to be fumbling over language.

We have also developed an amateur series, we did one contest in 2009 and have five set up for 2010. The reason we did this was to help grow the sport, because in FMX all contests are invitational so people don’t really have a good circuit to learn and come up in. Now you submit a video the riders on the board pick what class you go into, amateur, pro-am or pro and you get to compete in a safe environment. Then at the end of each year we put on the AFMXA awards so each year there is a huge banquet and awards for everyone to work towards. Its such an amazing organization and so much has been done in such a short period of time and its all been so positive that I really hope people will support it. The AFMXA is really going to be what benefits the sport of FMX in the years to come.

4) You have had a lot of injuries in the last say three years, but at the moment you are healthy. How was the healing process and what did it involve?

Ya I have gone through like a three and half year stint where I just could not get through the season with out getting hurt. (laughs)

Really I think that when you get hurt you just really need to take your time off and give your body the proper amount of rest and rehabilitation. Also whenever I’m hurt I always train whatever body part is not hurt. Because it helps to just do something, get the blood flowing and keep positive. Once I get back to where I can rehab the part that was hurt I hit it hard, I’m at the gym two times a day and train until I am 100%.

I also think that the biggest thing about coming back from an injury is the mental aspect, because its hard to get your confidence back and your head clear. Confidence is one of the biggest things in FMX and when you have that confidence it shows and you ride better. Its like anything in life when you are confident you will always perform better.

5) The Nuclear Cowboys Tour is kicking off this year as well. What is that tour about? Who is on it and what can we expect to see?

The Nuclear Cowboyz tour is cool and I am really pumped about being on the tour. It’s a 15 city tour and close to 30 shows, so we are doubling up all the time. This is a full on show, its totally choreographed with 16 riders, there are back up dancers, pyro-techniques, fire breathers and usually 8 or more riders out on the course at once. Its also the first time a show like this has been done in America with all these other elements. For next year what I have heard is there are going to more stops here in America and they want to bring it over to Europe as well, so I hope that works out.

6) A few moths back I noticed that the Make A Wish Foundation had some kids out to the Metal Mulisha compound and that you were one of the riders there that day. How was that experience for you? I am sure it was a lot different then any contest of demo you have done.

Ya we have done that a few times and put on some great shows for the Make A Wish Foundation. Its super cool we get all the riders out at the Mulsiah compound and Make A Wish brings the kids out. Then we put on FMX shows for them, hook them up with tons of gear, have a huge bbq and just hang out with them and have a really good time taking pictures with them and their families. I really like doing that, its good to give back and make some kids wishes come true and give them a day where they can be really happy and just have some fun with their families as well. The last group of people we had out to the Compound were actually at a show we did in Baltimore and we were able to meet up with them and keep in contact with them, so that was really cool as well.

This concludes Part 1 of The Ronnie Faisst Interview. Check back on Monday for Part 2 where we get into his clothing line, his other passions, interests and some video as well as more action shots.

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