NAME? Joseph Rich

OCCUPATION IN BMX? long time lover of pedaling bicycles, Terribleone owner

SO WHATS YOUR AFFILIATION WITH THE SHOE INDUSTRY? I guess that would be having Etnies as a sponsor for over 12 years now. Wow, has it really been that long? . . .

WHAT SHOES ARE YOU GONNA WEAR TODAY? I have a pair of black Etnies on.

WHY THEM? They are comfy and pretty simple. I don't like a lot of frills on my shoes . . . I've had such and amazing past 12 years riding for Etnies. I think they have done so much to show their support for BMX and they have done a lot for me personally. I feel lucky to have been a part of the program there since they decided to start a team back in 96.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NIKE IN BMX Never really thought of it much. Meaning, they have been in the shoe business longer than almost anyone, so it doesn't seem that strange for them to have a BMX team. It was only a matter of time. For any company that is huge like that, it takes awhile for the higher ups to see what's going on in the world apart from what the company immediately focusing on. As far as I know, they started out with basketball shoes. So all they made were basketball shoes. That's what they knew. I remember being a kid and squeezing into a pair of blue and black Air Jordans that were a size too small for me. I just like them that much! My feet were miserable, but I thought the shoes were so cool. ha ha. Anyhow, whenever companies venture down new avenues, it takes them sometime to establish themselves. They weren't a presence at all in the golf world until they hooked up Tiger Woods. now they are beyond huge in golfing. Although I doubt a bunch of old rich people at the country club would be sitting around the 9th hole asking each other if Nike was committed to the game of golf or not . . . Ha ha. I would think that when you are a company like Nike, they must have so much leverage when it comes to starting a new program. Money isn't a problem, and they have a household name. If they get in with the right dudes, then more will follow. Its nothing new . . . On a separate note, I know they had something to do with making that new Freestylin' book a reality. That thing is pretty fuckin' amazing and I'm stoked on them for helping that happen.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ETHICALLY ABOUT NIKE? I don't really have an opinion honestly. And that's just due to the fact that I really don't know anything about them as a company. How could any of us really know anything about them? I personally have no idea who is behind the scenes and what direction they are going. Its easy to have misconceptions about big companies just because, well, because they are too big to understand. Its easy to think the worst of them. But all in all, its how you look at it. Lets start by using Orchid as an example. I'm sure Orchid seems like a huge company to someone that may just be starting a shoe company on their own and are on the ground level with it. Then, if you are Orchid, then Etnies must seem like a giant. And if you are Etnies, then Nike seems colossal. I think you are seeing what I'm getting at . . . When companies are that big, who knows if they even have an ultimate vision all in all for themselves. They get involved in areas they want to have a presence. Then I guess its up to who is in charge of each of those areas to decide what they want the image and participation of the company to be.

DO YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A PLACE FOR MULTI NATIONAL BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES IN BMX? Bmx has changed so much over the years that I barely feel like I can relate to most of what goes on these days. Multi Billion Dollar companies being involved is just a sign of the times. I saw a hotdog sponsored BMX video clip the other day. So do you really think the hotdog people are committed to BMX? . . . ha ha . . . So yeah, to me things have changed alot. BMX is as much of a lifestyle to some these days as it is a sport. BMX racing was in the olympics for fuck sake, and vert is said to have a place there in the year 2012 ! In the public's eye, a kid riding a BMX bike can be different these days. There can be a possible future in it now for them. If you were a kid riding your bmx bike down the street 20 years ago, people thought you were wasting your time and wanted to know when you were going to grow up. Television brings about respect from the general public, and dollar signs for the riders. BMX becomes like any other "sport". Riders are now termed athletes and the public loves "athletes". Companies love "athletes" too. Even companies that don't really care about bike riding in general, but they can get their logo seen by millions of people. And for how much a rider contract can cost, that is nothing compared to advertising time on TV. Its unreal that a BMX rider can make that kind of money from riding their bike. But maybe if there was no TV coverage, then maybe these multi national billion dollar corporations support for BMX would disappear into thin air. Who knows? But that's business I guess. And to them, its business. Everyone rides a bike for different reasons, so I don't really feel like its my place to point a finger at anyone that is making decisions for themselves and their own future.

WHY DO YOU CHOSE TO WEAR/RIDE FOR ETNIES? I've always been really stoked on how much of an effort Etnies has put towards BMX. They have been involved for so long. They were one of the first primarily skate shoe companies to show interest in BMX, and BMX was small then. Etnies had such a core reputation in the skate world and made really good shoes. It seemed like they were really going out on a limb to support BMX. Because up until then they were only a skate shoe company. But then again, there were no BMX shoe companies then. I remember when Rooftop first called me and told me that they were putting together a small team and wanted me to be a part of it. Rooftop and Mike Griffin were the only 2 bike riders getting free stuff up until then. The small team they wanted to add on was myself, Dave Freimuth, Brian Castillo and Nate Hanson. My first thought was how lucky I was. And how great the shoes were that I was going to be able to get. Yeah, and over the years, they've shown an amazing amount of support towards me. They've stuck by me through thick and thin. Through some pretty long spells of injuries. I've never had any pressure put in me by them. Because of all this, I've been able to live out some of my wildest dreams. And that all has been a big part in shaping me overall as a person.

ARE YOU WORKING ON A NEW SHOE YET? IM SURE PEOPLE WILL BE INTO THEM! Nope, no new shoe. I had my time, and that is something that has always felt more like a dream to me. Having my own shoe? What? How could they be serious? But they were! I really liked working with the designers to create something that was exactly what I envisioned. They were always great about listening to my ideas. Even when they would send me designs they had been working on for a long time, they would let me change them until I was completely happy. So, like I said, I'm glad to have had the chance to have one shoe let alone two different models. I feel like they had their place in time.

WHAT COULD NIKE AND COMPANIES DO TO MAKE YOU BUY THEM? Well, nothing really, I ride for Etnies. That's where my heart is regardless. They've done the world for me.