Sam Downs Archives – BMX UNION

Sam Downs – Best BMX Of 2023

January 16, 2024

Sam Downs put together his favorite riding footage of 2023!

Over the course of 2023, Sam Downs was always putting out fresh edits and clips, along with battling some health issues. Sam decided to dig into his footage and pull together a few of his favorite clips for this fresh edit. Take a look!

“2023 was undoubtedly my best year on the bike so far, but I was also faced with some life challenges that held me back a bit.
I’m not glad that it happened, but it definitely changed me for the better. I’m focusing on living my life more and I’m finally at peace in Colorado.

Just a small setback for a major comeback!” – Sam Downs

Sam Downs – Halfway There

July 5, 2023

Sam Downs coming through with a mix of footage from the year so far!

It’s wild to think 2023 is already over halfway through! Sam Downs has been working on putting out monthly edits all year, and just dropped this new one with a bunch of footage he has filmed throughout 2023 so far. Take a peek since there’s plenty of real solid riding to check out!

“I had a goal this year to make a self-filmed bmx edit every month – half way in and I’m running a little behind. That said, the project as a whole has already made me much more comfortable on the bike and I’m getting more filmed than I ever have.

I took some of my favorites from this year and edited it into this appropriately titled video, ‘HALFWAY THERE’.” Sam Downs

Sam Downs – Florida Vacation

May 17, 2023

Sam Downs spent some time in Florida!

Here’s a new Self-Filmer video from Sam Downs to check out. During his latest trip down to Florida, he spent some time cruising a few parks and spots, stacking clips along the way. Check out what he got into with plenty of solid riding and clean film work.

“For the last few years following the pandemic, my girlfriend and I have been making the drive from Pennsylvania to south Florida to stay with her parents for a few weeks at a time. This years trip was brief, but I did get a few good sessions in at the local park in Palm City.” – Sam Downs

Sam Downs – Self Filmer

December 27, 2022

Sam Downs dropped a new solo edit!

The end of the year is here, and we’re starting to see some videos that have been worked on throughout the year. Sam Downs has been filming his solo sessions all year, and ended up coming through with a fresh video filled with solid riding from street spots, parks and more from Philadelphia to Florida and more. This has a real chill vibe to it, but plenty of solid clips worth checking out!

“Did a lot of solo sessions this year. It’s something i’ve always liked to do, but this year I made sure to film them. I love tuning out the world, setting up the tripod, and working on something difficult and equally as rewarding.

This year I put all of my self filmed clips into a short end of the year edit named ‘SELF FILMER’. Most of it was filmed around Philly with a few thrown in from trips to Florida.

Music
“Out Space” by INDBeats
https://airbit.com/profile/indbeats” – Sam Downs

Jibs For Jon Fundraiser Jam Highlights

November 11, 2022

The Philly scene came together for Jon Schimpf!

At the end of August Jon Schimpf had a serious accident and has been in the hospital making the long road to recovery. This past weekend the scene in Philadelphia threw a jam to help raise funds for Jon’s medical bills that are piling up. Here’s a highlight video from the day giving us a look at what went down. As expected, there was a good turn out and it looks like it was a real good day from start to finish! After checking out the highlights, go check out Jon’s GoFundMe page for updates on him and to learn how to donate!

“Last weekend the BMX crews from the Philadelphia area put together a fundraiser / BMX jam at 9th and Poplar DIY skatepark to raise money for Jon Schimpf’s road to recovery. The turnout was amazing – love to see the BMX community come together for one of their own.” – Sam Downs

“Distanced” Rough Cuts From California

June 30, 2022

A little while back Sam Downs released the “Distanced” video from his time in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, and Southern California that ultimately lead to a DVD, that you can still pick up here for $5.00, featuring a ton of familiar faces from the East and West coasts. The full video was recently released online (we have re-embedded it below), and now Sam is releasing raw footage from the project to check out. Here’s an 8 minute raw cut filled with clips from his time ou in California! Take a look!

“Rough Cuts is a collection of raw footage from my recent project “DISTANCED” – the film started in NYC and then quickly grew when more people wanted to be involved. Can’t thank everyone enough for the support!

Split into three sections, Rough Cuts begins in southern California with riding from Mike Stahl, Dan Kruk, Grant Castelluzzo, Pat Freyne, Mikey Andrew, Ison Bogosian and Sam Downs.” – Sam Downs

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Distanced

March 17, 2022

Whenever Sam Downs has a new video he put together, you know you’re going to see some great riding and super clean film work! Well, he just released the full “Distanced” video that is 14 minutes of BMX goodness from the streets featuring a whole slew of Pros and up and comers out in California online for your viewing pleasure! Get on that play button because this one does not disappoint.

“We’re really hyped to be able to premiere Sam Down’s latest and greatest video, “Distanced” online. This one has been out on DVD and digital download since October last year and now Sam has been kind enough to release it for all to see. This one is essential viewing! Enjoy.

”Distanced is a project I’ve been filming for the past few years with riders from all over the country. It originally began as a New York City video and quickly grew into a larger project after a few trips to Miami and southern California. It’s so wild a bike can connect you to so many people around the country – big thanks to anyone who bought a DVD or supported the project in the past few months!!” – Sam Downs

Riders: Mike Stahl, Mikey Andrew, Ison Bogosian, Grant Castelluzzo, Pat Freyne, Dan Kruk, Angus Tuttle, Sam Downs, Rainer Etsweiler, Dimitri McCombs, Liam Reegs, Markus Hoyte, Joeri Veul, Matt Miller, Dom Simoncini, Alex Avilla, Lorenzo Mesa, Matias Barboza and Calum Palmer

Filmed and edited by Sam Downs

Music: “M.E.” & “Films” by Gary Numan and “The Promise” by When in Rome” – DIG

Ride PA – Bepiscrawdad

June 20, 2021

Ride PA dropped this new one that Rainer Etsweiler put together for your viewing pleasure. Filmed over the course of the past two years, this 12 minute mix is loaded with non-stop gems from the streets and a little park action. If you’re looking for grinds, this video is for you. Hit play and take it all in!

“Bepiscrawdad is a video project two years in the making by a group of friends from Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The project was spearheaded by Rainer Etsweiler, with additional filming provided by most of the riders involved and Dan Conway. The video includes sections from Rainer Etsweiler, Angus Tuttle, Griffin Mann, and Mike Stahl with guest clips from Sam Downs, Noah Doss, Paul Lichtenstein, Andrew Thompson, Jesse Romano, and Grant Castelluzzo.” – Ride PA