Interview: Nate Adams Is Back

When Nate Adams was 17-years-old he was the kid out of nowhere dropping into the X Games. Less then ten years later he’s a veteran on the scene setting the bar for all of the up-and-coming FMXers. Get ready for the Red Bull X-Fighters this weekend where Nate will be back once again after a hard year of injuries.

Nate Adams is ready for the X-Fighters This weekend. Are you?

It's been a rough few years for Nate Adams. After a serious knee blow out in 2005-06 he made an incredible comeback and won the summer X Games. Then in 2007 a documentary came out about his life that won the X-Dance Film Festival Movie of the Year award. The following year he had an amazing year of Dew Tour where he cleaned up and then 2008 he got knocked down again with injury after injury. Finally he’s back on track, feeling strong and ready to take on the FMX world.

FUEL.TV: What's this year looking like for you?
Nate: I am stoked because I am healthy now and riding again. I broke my arm in the beginning of January doing a supercross. It’s looking really good now though. I am feeling good on the bike. Got my confidence back. Got my strength back.

FUEL.TV: What’s your next few months like?
Nate: X-Fighters, Crusty tour in Australia, Then Madrid for more X-Fighters. I have Dew Tour, X Games, LG Action Sports championships. It’s going to be a good year if I can stay strong.

FUEL.TV: So you have Supercross dreams and you are pursuing them. That’s a hard one for an FMX competitor to do isn’t it?
Nate: Yeah, it’s not the norm. Usually an FMXer does their thing and a Supercross guy races. I want to do them booth. It’s been a dream of mine since childhood so I have to fulfill that.

FUEL.TV: How did it go last year with that?
Nate: Not so good. I went out there and cased it on a practice and broke and dislocated my wrist. Now I have pins in my arms from it. It’s kind of what people expected, so I am pretty disappointed that happened. I feel like I have to get back out there and prove that I can do it though.

FUEL.TV: Dew Tour last fall seemed rough too? Will you do it this year?
Nate: Oh yeah, I will be doing it again. Last year was a funky year for me. I rode good in the first event and got second. Then in the X Games I had a motor seize up on me in the jump. Then about a month after that crashed again and did nerve damage in my arm. It was one thing after another. I will be doing all of the regular contests this year though. Having such a bad year last year makes me really appreciate all that I missed. It’s funny how when you are at home on the couch all you can think about is how you miss the stress you felt before a contest. I kept thinking, “Man it sucks being at home on the couch with a cast on my arm!”

FUEL.TV: Any new tricks up your sleeve we should know about?
Nate: There are tricks up there but none I can talk about now. I have some things I am working on. I don’t want to just have the same tricks I have always had. Let’s just keep it at that for now.

FUEL.TV: What's your hardest trick right now and why?
Nate: What’s been hard has been stripper flips, but I am nailing those in the last few days. But there are all kinds of hard tricks like 360 and lazy boy flips. I can’t pinpoint one as being the most difficult. I am working on consistency and being really fluid in my riding.

FUEL.TV: Who do you feel like is your biggest competition or who pushes you the most?
Nate: I would say Bilko really inspires me to try harder. Doesn’t matter if he has broken bones in his foot, he is always pushing himself. Jeremy Sternberg always pushes me as well.

FUEL.TV: Any fancy new modifications on your bike?
Nate: No, Actually I am going the reverse way and have taken some parts off. The superflip levers are becoming obsolete I think. They are really lame. Travis Pastrana came out with them in ‘07 at the Dew Tour and a month after that everyone had those and everyone could do the tricks you needed them for like stripper flips. I took the levers off of my bike to try and just make it all clean and harder. I feel like it’s the new fad to do that trick with the levers. I am sick up having buttons and levers. I want to keep it real basic and fluid.

FUEL.TV: What's the one must have trick right now?
Nate: I would say it’s the backflip. It’s lame to say it but if you are not flipping you are not going to be in the contest.

FUEL.TV: Did you see the guys who pulled the front flip in France? Are you going to try one? Think that will become a standard trick?
Nate: I did see that. It was insane. They really took it up a notch with that one. I didn’t know what to say about that. It lit a fire under me. Everyone who has seen it has really woken us up. Those kids are not scared. It’s all of the things that everyone says are impossible that make the best tricks. I think if you say it’s impossible then it’s only a matter of time before people start doing it.

FUEL.TV: Will you do it?
Nate: I could see myself doing one. I haven’t tried one but I might be doing one in the foam put in the near future.

FUEL.TV: What's the most dangerous trick out there in FMX right now and why?
Nate: I would say the front flip. For me personally I think it’s the 360. You really have to do everything just right to pull the front flip though.

FUEL.TV: This was a tough year with Jeremy Lusk dying. How is the FMX community taking this? Has it changed anything?
Nate: It’s definitely changed things. More guys are wearing neck braces. It has opened everyone’s eyes to competitions and speaking up when a jump isn’t right or the wind is blowing. In the past we may not have said anything but sadly when someone dies we all become more aware of what we are out there doing. I was buddy’s with Jeremy and I have to say I am surprised with all of the crashes there haven’t been more serious consequences.

FUEL.TV: Do you think he was at fault there that day?
Nate: Let’s just say I heard the set up there wasn’t the best setup and it was voiced, but there was nothing they could do. I think riders will have a voice now. You can’t make a kid go out there and risk their lives for a show. More structure, more safety and better things like that will be the aftermath of his death I hope. It just sucks that’s what it takes to make everyone wake up but it is. It’s still affecting everyone.

FUEL.TV: Do you think you will take less risk after his death?
Nate: When you are in a group like we are we already know what comes with it. We know it’s a possibility. Here’s the thing though, if Jeremy was sitting in my car right now driving down the road and I said I am only going to go only 80 percent from now on, he would slap me in the back of the head and say keep doing what you are doing. That’s where we are at in our sport. Jeremy dying was inspiration for all of us to keep charging hard in the moment we are in because it doesn’t last forever. He was at the top of his game and he died and he was the tough guy. I have to do what I want to do now. If I want to win X Games I have to seize the moment. That’s how it is.

FUEL.TV: What events are you looking forward to?
Nate: I am excited about Canada X-Fighters. I haven’t competed since Dew Tour in SLC 8 months ago. I am ready to get the rust off and see all of my friends again. I have missed competing a lot. I really like traveling, seeing new places, being with my friends. writing down runs and figuring out what I am going to do.

FUEL.TV: Any new tattoos to talk about. You got one last year so just wondering?
Nate: I got one on my chest in January Psalm 91 and that’s the most recent. Maybe I’ll have another one before long.

FUEL.TV: Coolest trip you've been on this year?
Nate: I went snowboarding and I was pumped on that. Went to some local mountains in California. Little vacations here and there and had a lot of fun doing that.

FUEL.TV: What are you up to besides FMX?
Nate: I actually started a motocross glove company we are doing samples for right now. Dropping it at X Games. So far we are getting really good response from riders we are talking to. It’s called Deft. Check it out at Deftfamily.com

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