Ah… BMX Dan. This is one kid I met a few years back and I’ve watched develop from a pretty quiet kid who was pretty good on a bike to a full blown man child that can toss the bars like the best and isn’t scared to send it on anything you put in front of him. There are a lot of stories that come to mind when I think about different times I’ve crossed paths with Dan. Some of the stories are pretty hilarious and probably not ideal to share in an intro. All I’ll say is he has definitely taken his fair amount of shit from some of the finest in the Midwest which has molded him into the kid he is today. After joining the knee club and making a full recovery and getting a ton of travel time in, Dan was bumped up to the Madera flow team last week. We figured it was time to get to introduce this up and comer from the Milwaukee scene to you guys. Let’s take a look at what he had to say.
Name: Dan Kruk
Location: West Allis, WI
Sponsors: Madera, CEM, 4 Seasons Skatepark
Years riding: 6
What was it that first got you into BMX? Any early memories come to mind?
When I was about 12 years old the GT BMX demo team came to the Wisconsin statefair and did shows for about a week straight. It was only a couple blocks from my house so I would ride down there on my K-Mart bike and watch the shows from behind the fence every single day. It was something I had never seen in real life before, only on TV and stuff. The thing that got me real stoked on riding was Dan Sieg’s No-handed front flip. It blew my mind and I got his autograph. When the fair ended and the pros went home, I started to try to imitate what they were doing and that’s where it all started.
So it was announced the other day that you got bumped up to the Madera flow team after putting your time in with the grassroots program. How did Mike bring the news? Was it something you were expecting?
Well, a day before it was officially announced, Mike and I were on our way back to Milwaukee from Chicago with a couple friends after we had ridden all day there. While in the car he said something like “I didn’t want to say this in front of everyone, but you’re now a part of the Madera flow team!” I was so stoked and still am! I wasn’t really expecting it to happen more just hoping one day it would. Mike had mentioned that if I had rode well during the Tulsa trip he would hook me up with some parts but I never thought that meant he’d put me on the actual team. Can’t thank him enough for that!
I know you have been filming for a new Madera Midwest Mixtape that’s due out here soon. How has filming been going for that? Where all have you been trip wise for it?
Filming has been great. I have a lot of clips that I am really stoked on and that I’m proud of. Some places I’ve been during the filming of it are: Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma. All of the people in it got really awesome clips and I can’t wait to see the finished product.
Will you have a separate welcome edit or are you putting all your clips into that video?
Right now all of my clips are in that mixtape. Now that filming is over for that, I might start a welcome edit in between trying to film for The Hunt this year.
You have been riding for Cement Face for a while now. How’s things going with that? What’s Eben cooking on these days?
Cement Face has been awesome to me. All the dudes there are super cool and talented in what they do. I’m sure Eben is painting some crazy new shirt designs or airbushing something on the hood of a custom car right now.
You have been riding for 4Seasons for a while. What’s new over there these days? What does Neil have planned for the summer for you guys? Any demos or anything like that?
Seasons is an amazing place to ride and Neil is always making changes to the park to give it a fresh feeling. I know the outdoor section is now open and I can’t wait to get to ride it for the first time. I was hurt last summer and never had the chance. We used to take a team trip to Lake Owen every summer but now that its closed down, there has been talk about possibly going to Woodward this summer.
Any other sponsor news you can tell us about?
I might have some stuff in the works, but for now it’s a secret!
I’m trying to think of the first time I met you, but all I can remember is you were just a little guy that went by the name BMX Dan. The name is pretty obvious, but who actually gave you that name?
I might have actually given that name to myself. Back in middle school Myspace was the hot shit to do and my name on there was BMX Dan. Whenever I would meet riders from around my town I would request them and I guess that was there way of identifying me. So it has just stuck since then and I don’t mind!
When I think BMX Dan, I think barspins. What is it about that trick that you like so much? Did Jeff K make you learn them?
Everytime I see you, you tell me not to do any of them, haha.
That’s because I know you can do them… I am all about flairs and Dew Tour tricks.
I think they look really awesome and you can do them in almost any trick to make it way cooler I guess. That’s kind of how I just progress now. I’ll learn a new trick and once I have it dialed in I try to throw a barspin into it and sometimes it works out. Jeff K is the reason I barspin so much though. He is the barspin master and It just rubs off on me I guess.
Approximately how many girls have you picked up thanks to your barspins?
Atleast one for sure at a Division BMX demo during Milwaukee’s Summerfest…..
You have been getting in a fair amount of travel time lately. I know you went up to Toronto and down to Tulsa and a few other places lately. Any trips planned you’re get stoked for? Isn’t California on that list?
Yes, California is a place I’ve wanted to go for forever. I was thinking to myself earlier this month “when will I go” and at that moment I said fuck it and I bought the ticket for the second week of May. I’ll be staying with Morgan Long and I cannot wait to get there and to film an edit.
You blew your knee out a while back and did the surgery and everything, right? How is it feeling these days? Are you back to 100% now?
Yep, in May of 2012 I was riding Midway Skatepark and messed up a Downside whip air. I ended up tearing my Acl, Mcl and Meniscus in my left knee. I had reconstructive surgery a month later then did therapy and 6 months off the bike. My whole summer was spent on the couch watching Walker Texas Ranger. I’d say I’m back at 100% or close to it. I’m just glad to be back on my bike.
During your down time you were doing a fair amount of filming and editing. Have you been keeping up with that or was it just something you did to pass the time?
I love to film and edit when I have the time so me being off the bike was the perfect opportunity to do a little bit of both. It was great to hang out with my friends at the skatepark and even better to get out of my house. 6 months of doing nothing really makes you go crazy.
Can we expect any new videos from you any time soon or are you trying to stay on the other side of the camera for a while?
I’m trying to stay on the other side of the camera for now. I have a lot of clips in mind I’d like to get done this summer with the addition of traveling a lot and hanging out with some ratchet girls. But who knows, there might be an edit or two popping up on my Vimeo page soon.
What have you been getting into when you aren’t riding these days? I heard you like sliding your Subaru into shit?
Turns out I’m not a pro drifter and I ended up sliding my car into a stop and go light.I Spent a grand fixing that all winter but its all fresh again now. When I’m not riding I like to hangout with friends, go to movies, pick up girls on Facebook and other teenager like things, haha.
What do you think you would be doing if you never got into BMX? Hackie Sack Dan? Slinky collector Dan?
I really have no idea what I’d be doing. Maybe it’d be Smoking Butt weed Dan or JDM as Fuck Dan. Probably a combination of both of those things.
Are you still in high school or am I just imagining things? Any plans for college?
I actually graduated last year around the same time that I tore my Acl. Walking across my graduation stage was sketchy with a blown out knee but its done and over with now. I always have going to college in the back of my mind but right now BMX is first. I know college is always going to be there if I need it. I’ll probably end up there soon though.
How did the chicks at your school feel about your barspins and being a sponsored BMX rider? I feel like they would be into that these days.
I’m pretty sure none of the girls at my high school cared that I rode bikes. If you weren’t on the football team you couldn’t hit it. There were a few girls who liked BMX though and those were the girls I hung out with, if you know what I’m saying, haha.
What’s something about yourself that might surprise people?
I don’t do drugs or drink. I think I’m like that because I surround myself with people who also don’t. It’s just not my thing and people never believe me when I tell them that. They usually just stereo type me into the skater/teenager group of potheads. I’m the complete opposite.
I can imagine you get this question a fair amount from parents and shit, but what do you want to do for a living some day if the whole BMX thing doesn’t work out?
I haven’t really figured that out yet. I think it’d be something computer related since I’m always on a computer or the internet. I would love to become someone who edits commercials or movies so if or when I do decide to go to college it might be for that. I have a couple friends who do that for a living already and it seems like they’re making good money for doing it.
You’re on Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, Vine and all those other damn social networking things, right? How can people keep up with you and where can the girls and boys send the nudes?
Hahaha you can follow me on Instagram/Twitter: @Dankrukbmx and Snapchat me nudes at: bmxdan
What’s the last song you heard, movie you watched and website you visited?
Last song I have heard was “Fuckin Problems” by A$ap Rocky.
Last Movie I watched was Hunger Games
Last website I visited was BMXUnion.com!
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
I’d like to thank Kurt at The Union for this interview, Madera, Cemface, Mike Hinkens, Morgan long, everyone at 4 Seasons, Jeff K, Grant Castelluzzo, Dan Sieg, Matt Coplon, Brian Kachinsky, Chad Degroot, Dan @ midway skatepark, Jon Wells, My parents, Mark Zuckerberg, August Zeratsky, anyone who has ever taught me a trick, all of my friends, Shout out to AJ and Deljon at ROOTBEERLIFE! and anyone else I forgot!
Anything else you want to say?
Keep BMX fun.
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