Story & photos by Brian Chapman

Ron Baker	Brandon Ryan
Darin Wright	John Dowker
Erin Donato	Mike Parnin
Bryan Huffman	Matt Hulgan

It was November when I heard that there was going to be another Final Exam Jam in Athens. I decided then and there that I needed a vacation from Providence and what better place to start than Athens. I mean, this place must be huge to have a scene big enough to have a name — The Athens Family. So I booked my flight and make some low-key arrangements for sleeping on John Dowker's floor.

Athens was not as large as I thought. The airport consisted of a single runway and a single gate which gave me an inclination of my misconception. I should have guessed that when I was transferred on a propeller plane in Charlotte, NC. I drove around exploring the area, not disappointed to find typical college town landmarks like a decent record store, book store, and good eats. After some fine vegetarian cuisine at the Grit, I went to a dive hotel and crashed for the night.

I showed up at the Tate Center parking lot at 11:30 or so to a fairly decent amount of flatlanders. I was stoked to see that I wasn't the only one who traveled far for this jam. I would estimate that by the end of the day, about 50 riders were there. I was glad to see a lot of riders from New Jersey, Chicago, and Virginia, as well as all the Atlanta/Athens locals. Compared to the awful winter that was happening back in New England, the weather was perfect: sunny and 50 degrees with no wind. I can see myself enjoying winter down there but I'm told that the summers are insufferable.

The jam was sort of a meeting ground for people who partake in the PedalBMX discussion group. Most of the people there were either members of the group or found out about the jam from someone who was. I was happy to see some of the faces behind the names like Matt Hulgan, D, Augie, vegkatgrrl, Jfos, and Jamie West. I learned that the reason Matt/Kent started this last year was because Jamie West was getting back into riding after being dormant for quite sometime. But it didn't end up being like the other jams that you just go to and ride all day. As silly as it might sound, we played games. Yes, there was the longest smith decade, longest bar endo, and longest hang nothing, as well as a couple rounds of "footdown". Great fun. Jamie West was able to defend the crown on the longest Smith decade and James Kennedy proved to be king with the longest hang nothing (even up a huge speed bump!).

Jamie West

Jody Temple

Kat

James Kennedy

Everyone rode until we ran out of daylight and then headed downtown to the Taco Stand for dinner, Dowker's for some video watching, and then back downtown to Mean Mike's for drinks (and more videos). I still can't get over the fact that they were playing skate/BMX videos in a bar. I could see why an Athens local would spend many an hour in there.

I had an incredible time and plan on going back to Athens again. If you've never been, go check it out. It's a great place to hang with friends, meet new people, and ride. If you missed it this year, mark your calendar because you're not going to want to miss it again. Special thanks to Hulgan, Kent and everyone else who helped organize this, Dowker for putting me up for the night, and all the Athens family who made me feel at home.

Kent Pearson	Matt Wilhelm	Ron Monis	Dave Petrin
Phillip Früeh	Roman Wilson	group shot	Southern hospitality

Updated Feb. 2003