Boyd Hilder 'Off the Couch' Jam Interview
Photos by Mitch Wood
LUXBMX team rider and long-time friend Boyd Hilder just threw what was the 3rd 'Off the Couch' jam at Pizzey Park on the Gold Coast. We caught up with him to dig a little into the motivations behind throwing the jam, what went down on the day, what's in store for the future, and much more.
Be sure to check out the full-length RAW video and edit by Troy Charlesworth at the bottom of this post.
- Boyd & Sean hooking up the attendees with giveaways
Mikey: How long have you been throwing the Off the Couch jam? Can you tell us a little bit about the history of the jam and how it all came about?
Boyd: The first off-the-couch jam was 4 years ago, but this being the 3rd time doing it, skipped a year in there somewhere. It all came about a year or 2 before that, me and Alex got together and threw 2 jams at some parks in Brissy, which got me buzzing to bring one to my local park
Mikey: What's up with the name? Are you actually trying to get people off the couch and onto bikes, or is there another vision/mission you have for throwing jams?
Boyd: 100% just want to get everyone off the couch and down to the park, hanging out together. Also thought it would be funny to grab a couch and throw it down there to make it a bit of a theme
Mikey: Tell us a little bit about how you go about preparing for the jam?
Boyd: I basically just pick the date, get a flyer going and chat to my sponsors to see if they want to send out some giveaways for the day. Then scan marketplace for a free couch haha
- Sean Gardner sending it over the couch/high jump
Mikey: For those of us who were lazy and very much stayed on the couch, can you explain the atmosphere and energy throughout the day?
Boyd: Stoke was high all afternoon, the weather cleared just before it started so it seemed everyone was just buzzing to get out and ride. Randomly a car caught on fire in the backfield and a bit later on someone was setting off fireworks. Loads of entertainment!
Mikey: I saw you had some nice corduroy 'Off the Couch' caps for sale this year, can you tell us a little bit about that?
Boyd: That just branched off from the jam shirts from the last time I ran the jam. I thought hats was something new and a bit easier as it's a one size fits all type of thing
- Cody with an absolutely insane turndown in the old bowl
Mikey: You've travelled pretty extensively for a young dude, can you tell us a little bit about how the Gold Coast/Brisbane BMX communities compare to others around the world?
Boyd: Mate it’s super positive, there’s everything from the core street dudes to the Olympic-style guys all in a close area. So whatever you're into you can do that but everyone’s still homies, I love it
Mikey: What kind of an impact do you think throwing jams like this has on the BMX community?
Boyd: It can only be positive right? Different age groups and crews all meeting up to share their love for BMX
- Sean & Termite's smiles sum up the mood pretty well
Mikey: Aside from the Off the Couch jam, what is the best memory you have of another BMX Jam?
Boyd: First thing that comes to mind is from the most recent street station jam in Lyon, France. They had the rights to take over the streets to ride spot to spot, it was actually insane. Hundreds of Bmxers took over the streets with a dude riding with a speaker on a trailer to lead the charge
Mikey: The weather was pretty dicey for a minute there, how was that making you feel in the hours before the jam kicked off? I heard some folks had travelled all the way up from Newcastle?
Boyd: Oh mate wasn’t looking good at all, my phone was blowing up and I had no idea what to say. Checked the radar that many times and just throught stuff it I have to try. Especially for the few crew that travelled to be there, the furthest I know of was from Newcastle
- Termite blasting the high jump
Mikey: What's in store for the future for both Boyd Hilder and the Off the Couch Jam?
Boyd: Jam-wise I’m gonna have to brainstorm something pretty rad to try better this years one, it’s gonna be tough to beat! As for me I’ve got a few trips lined up so I’m keen to get on a flight and go shred
Mikey: Alright, time to shout out some riders. What was some of the crazier riding you saw go down?
Boyd: There was a bunch of sick stuff going down but Sean & termite battling to win the high jump was epic. Legit had to re-screw the sidebars up higher because they max it out! Also quick mention to @Keeganpbmx he was kicking double whips and whip to bars over the couch. Pretty big moves for a bank flyout haha
- Cody Pollard blasting one of the bumpiest bowls in Australia
Mikey: I'm sitting next to Biggie in the office editing the footage, I don't think people understand how big and gnarly that old blue bowl is! How was that session?
Boyd: That bowls horrible haha. What them boys can do in there makes no sense! It’s bumpy as and not one spot feels the same. Was a treat to end the night watching them shred that with a box of pizza and a beer
Mikey: Who was going the highest on the day? I'm glancing over at his screen and seeing Cody like double over head-height
Boyd: Cody was going off for sure but there was a grom named Sam lyttle going to the moon on 16inch, I was impressed
- Chris Goldring
Bonus Question time!
A few questions from the crew around the office at LUX.
Bruce: Does your girl still call you Boydy-Babes?
Boyd: Constantly
Evan: What are your first memories of riding BMX?
Boyd: Riding a pit bike from the dump in the backyard jumping the corner of the pavement area. I would have been tiny! Can’t remember anything else from that house, to be honest
Evan: Why do you hate couches so much? What do you have against couches?
Boyd: Haha I only dislike leather couches, you know that feeling when you're shirtless and you sit up and your backs half stuck to the couch? No thank you!
- Raph Jeroma-Williams downside double pegging the corner of the old bowl
Tim: Will you consider donating one of your dreads at the next jam?
Boyd: I could do that, who knows? Maybe by next jam it will be time for all of them to go
Tim: How come you couldn't get any real pros to come to your jam this year?
Boyd: What do you mean? Australia's biggest name was there! J.Irvine
Will Fraser: Do you have any advice for kids wanting to hold a jam of their own?
Boyd: I’d say pick a park that’s fun for a lot of different skill levels and can cope with abit of a crowd
- Cody Pollard - Forever blasting bowls and blowing minds
Will Fraser: What's your favourite part about holding jams?
Boyd: everyone getting together and feeding off each other. Stoke is real and everyone gets that little bit more sendy
Pat Johns: Whose car got burnt out?
Boyd: I have no idea, someone told me the guy was in there eating a pizza and it sparked up. Seems dodgy to me...
Mikey: Any other shout-outs or last words?
Boyd: Shout out to everyone for coming and lux for throwing down 100 pizzas to finish off the night
LUXBMX's content guy Troy Charlesworth was running around filming the day, you can see both the LUX RAW and LUX Presents edits below.
Shout out to Mitch for all the photos, Boyd for taking the time to answer all of these questions, Troy for the videos, and everyone who made the effort to attend the jam.
