Zac is one of those dudes who not only can kill it on a bike, but he is also a smart guy. He is working towards some bigger projects and goals involving science that sounds really cool and fun. He is up to some interesting things from his work, bikes, school, and life. Enjoy and leave him some love in the comments.
Name:
Zacharia James Costa
Location:
San Francisco, Ca
Sponsors:
solid, primo, franchise, revenge industries, team hungry
Years riding:
11
What was it that originally got you into BMX?
I picked up a BMX plus and saw some stunts I wanted to do
How are things going with the sponsors these days? Any trips or cool things like that in the works?
My sponsors are my friends so it works out pretty good. We got a Team Hungry trip to costa rica going down in January with sean ryan, jake honesto, dolecki and some wild cards. I’m planning to ditch my bike and come back to el norte by land, work on my Spanish, chill in the jungle and on some beaches and experience some real central America life.
Photo: Kyle Emery Peck
What have you been up to lately? It seems like you have been on the down low lately?
I have been on the down low lately, and its mostly because i keep getting hurt. I had some health problems with a staph infection followed quickly by a ruptured spleen followed by a sprained knee in a knee I’ve had 2 surgeries on already. Then a few weeks ago I got doored on market street going like 20mph on my bike when a little girl in the passenger seat opened a car door right in front of me which tore my hand up and nearly popped my shoulder out. Ive been riding a bit just collecting unemployment and enjoying the nightlife of frisco.
Where have you been riding these days? Have you been doing any traveling lately?
I’ve been riding the bay, went to l.a. awhile back and kicked it with eddie c and jon peacy
Where are some places you have had the chance to check out?
I’ve been to some wild spots, some foreign spots, some domestics some grimy spots, some not so grimy. By far Thailand and Laos were the best
Photo: Talia Mota
What is Team Hungry?
Team Hungry is whoever needs to eat. Me, Kurtis and Dirt would always joke about whose hungriest. Like on Thanksgiving after dinner me and Kurtis met up at sizzler, then on the way home we went to the KFC drive-through and we both got big buckets, you know the kind of hunger that will get you a pot belly at 18, tryin to eat soup with chopsticks kind of shit. So whichever of the homies is striving the most to get more than what they got, that is Team Hungry.
Do you have any new web videos, or video parts for a video in the works?
Filming for solid and baygame upcoming videos
What’s the scene like where you are from? Any up and comers you think people should be hearing about?
I grew up in Santa Rosa and the scene out there pretty much taught me the game. Skaters and bikers came up together at the Rosa skatepark back in the day, partying and blowing up the spot. Now I’m in the Bay I got the knowledge, experience, tolerance levels and various vices to keep me a contender while still having a great time. Everybody in the Bay gets along pretty well, most everybody kicks it and rides and its usually pretty laid back. As far as up and comers, the whole Bay Game crew is doing their thing, progressing and shredding, 2000-hate is almost over look out for the Bay in 2000-Shine
If you could go on a road trip anywhere in the world with 5 people, who would you pick, where would you go, and why?
I would go to Vietnam and Thailand with Kurtis Elwell, Dirt, Jake Honesto, Jesse Hall and Sean Ryan. Those dudes are all my friends and their riding and personalities just hype everybody else up to stay positive, keep their energy up and fucking shred. Plus they love to party and are grimy enough to keep up with me and the wild shit that would be going down
How do you feel about BMX becoming so main-stream? From big contests on TV, to pros dating famous chicks and everything?
I don’t know, its cool because people can get paid, but its represented on some whack shit sometimes, like the peg slider clip in a movie preview for the Transporter 3 I saw on TV. the other day, like w.t.f? It sucks when riding is portrayed as a gimmick or some kooky sport, but other than that I don’t really think it matters anyways because the opinions of the public are fickle at best, so what does it matter how they perceive bike riding?
Photo: Kyle Emery Peck
If you could change anything at all about BMX, what would you change and why?
I would take it back to the riding in the late 90’s from vids like anthem and on the down low. Too many kids are on some bitch shit worrying about scratching the paint on their bikes and getting their clothes dirty when they ride. Everybody needs to just say fuck it and huck some shit sometimes to keep it live
What do you think you would be up to if you never got into BMX?
I would be a mark or I would be dead or in jail
Outside of riding, what are you usually up to?
Reading, thinking, cooking, women, partying, bikram yoga, mind expansion
Did you know there is another Zac Costa who is an ultimate fighter?
I never heard of that dude
Do you work or go to school at all?
I got a Bachelor of Science degree in Evolution and Ecology from UC Davis. I worked in a plant ecology research lab for a year, now I am unemployed. I am currently applying to graduate school for ecology to pursue a master degree in some sort of amphibian ecology-based research questions
For those people not familiar with science terms can you explain what that stuff means?
Basically ecology describes how living things interact among themselves and their environment. Evolution describes the gradual process of genetic change over time caused by differential survival of individuals. Those two broad concepts basically describe how life and the great diversity of organisms therein have come about, and given such immensity, the scientific fields of evolution and ecology are very large and encompass a lot of other sub-disciplines. I think it’s cool that if you convince other people a question your asking has relevance to the world/scientific community, then they will pay you to research that question. For example, my old boss got $10,000 to send me and a few other people to Puerto Rico to film lizards react to programmable robot lizards he had constructed. This was to address questions regarding the evolution of visual communication. If I can make a living hiking around in the jungle filming lizards, catching snakes, feeding tadpoles to snakes, etc, or whatever it may be, while being intellectually challenged and turning that information into scientific data and information, then I’m happy, that is pretty much my dream job.
Photo: Andy Fitz
What is a typical day like for you?
Well I’ve been lucky enough to live that easy life lately, I sleep in late, cop some food, maybe ride a bit or do some yoga, read, kick back with the homies or a lady and catch some drinks at the bar and repeat.
What are some things you would like to accomplish in the next few years?
I want to stay healthy, film a bangin video part, get my passport stamped a bunch and get a Master of Science degree in ecology.
If you won the lottery, what are the first 5 things you would spend money on?
Drink/Drugs (gotta celebrate!), Food, Land, custom house/concrete skatepark, and my family
How do you feel about Obama being elected as president?
I think its cool, though it doesn’t affect me much, but at least it shows this country is not as stupid as most of the world thinks it is. It was cool to see San Francisco so ecstatic and happy on election night, spontaneous block parties popped off all over the city, everyone was going wild, it was a fun scene.
Do you have any funny stories involving midgets, hookers, crack heads, homeless people, or pissed off people?
I can’t incriminate myself like that.
Top 5 Malt Liquors?
1. schlitz
2. Sparks Plus
3. king cobra
4. Old English
5. Crazy Horse (R.I.P.)
Top 5 bay area gangsta rap albums
1.e-40 “In a major Way”
2. Mac Dre “Stupid Doo Doo Dumb”
3. Cellski “Mr. Predictor”
4. The Jacka “The Jack Artist”
5. Ill Mannered Players “self-titled”
Photo: Sean Ryan
Jake Honesto questions:
Why do you refuse to drink coconut juice with an artificial sweetener but you’ll drink joose which has red5 in it?
It’s actually the preservative that tastes bad, I just hate the taste of sodium metabisulfite, Parrot brand is the best but it still doesn’t taste as good as fresh young jugo de coco, plus i rarely drank joose after I o.d.’d, thanks Brent Everitt!
What’s the shadiest thing you’ve ever seen while bmxing?
I haven’t seen anything that specifically grimy, I mean crack and heroin use, public defecation and sex acts are all fairly common sites in S.F., one time in Santa Rosa we were riding a wall ride and we found a 40 oz of king cobra over half-filled with vomit with the cap on? My friend broke it on a wall and it was probably the worst smell i have ever encountered, and one time at Bankzilla in Seattle there was a ridiculous amount of prostitutes and one in particular who was actually really pretty, hoped into cars with and then shortly thereafter got dropped off by like 10 dudes in the hour we were riding. I also saw a hawk viciously eat a pigeon in a tree right above my head right before I ran into that Muni bus foreshadowing? (franchise vid)
Who is the shadiest bmxer you’ve ever met?
The shadiest bmxer I ever met is probably that dude from Long Beach OnePunch, I just saw him wild out and I heard a few things, probably him or Dirt.
Photo: Noah Costa
Why don’t you start doing nice things for people so that you won’t be having all this bad karma that’s causing you to be hurt forever?
Yeah I probably should, you know it is what it is, so I do deserve what i get, but at the same time doing good deeds in the hopes of receiving something in return is a form of selfishness in its own right, therefore defeating the purpose and negating some of that good karma. I try to not hate as much as possible and I share tall cans with and drop 5’s and 10s on various homeless, and I try to be generous with whatever I got with the homies, but I guess it’s not enough!
What’s the best way to reel em’ in when your fishing around last call?
Smiling and not shitting out the mouth
If you couldn’t live where you live now, where would you move?
Thailand
If you could be sponsored by any non BMX related company, who would you choose and why?
Anheuser-Bush. I can get thirsty
If you could change anything about the world, what would you change?
No hating and redistribution of wealth
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Thanks to Aaron Huff, Barney and Nate at Tip, Sean McKinney, Sean Ryan, Sacramento homies, North 530 crew, everybody in the 707s keepin it real, BayGame cats, Jon Peacy, and my friends and family for support.
Anything else you would like to say?
Keep it lit
