Athletes
Welcome to the Tifosi Optics sponsored athletes page. Spend time learning about some of the talented teams and individuals that we have the pleasure of working with at Tifosi H.Q. From the streets of the Tour of California to the lakes of Georgia, these athletes are putting Tifosi Optics shades to the test. Click a link below to read more on that team or athlete’s mission, goals, and progress throughout the year.
Kent Pearson is Tifosi's BMX pro and has been riding BMX for most of his life. Kent rides ramps, street, parks, and some flatland making him unique in the BMX crowd. Kent prefers Tifosi both for fashion and durability, and is usually seen chilling in some of our numerous all black models. Be sure to check out Kent's hi-tech and original style at one of his live events, when he's chilling with the Freestyle Connection, riding with the "Ninja Crew", or in one of his numerous videos. Check out Kent Pearson's most recent Profile Edit.
MAY 11, 2012
Ninja Crew 2012
MAY 4, 2012
Kent Pearson ties for 5th at Twighlight in Athens, GA
Our BMX Pro Kent Pearson participated in the Athens, GA Twilight last weekend, tying for 5th in Pro Ramp. Here's a photo of him doing a nose whip in the comp. Stay tuned for a new BMX video from Kent in the coming week!
DECEMBER 9, 2011
Kent Pearson News
Tifosi's BMX Pro Kent Pearson competed in North Carolina's Zero Gravity BMX Comp last weekend, taking 4th place overall!
DECEMBER 4, 2010
Kent Pearson - Technical & Creative
This Q&A with Kent Pearson gives us the inside scoop on his take on combining the technical/creative, BMX trends, recent video projects and more! Check out his answers to questions written by some of the people closest to him!
Describe your style, and what is your motivation for doing the tricks that you do? - Jon Bast /Ninja Crew Member
I woulld describe my style as really technical but creative and the creative side being probably my main motivation to do the tricks that I choose to do. When I started riding the main goal for most riders was to do their own thing and not be a clone of any other particular rider and try to have as much fun as possible. I still try to live and ride that way today. BMX was my chance to combine creativeness with athletics. My thought process on moves that I'd like to work on is if it were music - would I rather play my own music or be in a cover band? I'll stick to doing my own thing...
After riding for most of your life and going thru various injuries and surgeries to repair the damage, you have become a mainly ramp and street rider and moved away from flatland which you were so well known for. How long do you think you can ride as hard as you do now and will you return to flatland when your body can't take the abuse of ramp riding any more? Jon Dowker/ Owner & President -The Freestyle Connection stunt shows
It was kind of strange how focusing more on ramps came about. One of my last injuries was a broken wrist. With the kind of break that I had, alot of people don't realize how long the physical therapy and recovery time can last. I realized that I could brace the wrist up and still be creative on ramps while the wrist actually couldn't hold up to the flatland moves that I like to do. By the time the wrist was as healed as it ever will be, I had really turned my focus to ramps and street moves because I had so much more to contribute. I will always love flat and will ride some flat but It's obvious that serious BMXers are going to get hurt. I accept that, but there are other athletes such as martial artists or fighters who really are at their best once they become veterans at what they do. The common thought is that most riders can't move from flat into ramp riding after so long. I didn't make it this far by doing what everyone else does, so I guess I plan to prove 'em wrong.
You've ridden for a long time and seen alot of trends come and go. Do you think that has changed the way you set your bike up and ride? Jay Roe/ Team Manager - Kink Bike Co
I've seen a million trends come and go and I always laugh when I see an old trend get reborn and the riders that are new to the game think it's a new thing and hasn't ever been done before! I've always tried to set my bike up based on function instead of what anyone else thought or what was trendy at the time. Of course I and everyone else wants a cool bike to ride. But I see so many guys ride bikes that are set up just to look like everyone else's bikes just to fit in and then their bike isn't set up to help them progress or do anything different than everyone else. Whatever moves I'm focused on learning or working on is what dictates how my bike is setup and what I'm going to need to learn those particular moves.
Of the many video projects you've been a part of which was your favorite and why? - Ryan Davis / Ninja Crew Member - Videographer / Editor
This is going to be a copout of an answer, but each video project has a favorite part to it. One of my vitalbmx.com edits had my favorite trick that I created as it's last trick. Our Ninja Crew web video was my favorite to work on while it was being filmed because everyone worked so hard and went so many places together and had so much fun. My biggest surprise was Kink Bike Co.'s "Jetlagged DVD" because I had just hoped to get a couple of tricks on there and ended up with my own section. I was really proud of that. My last Profile Racing web video meant alot to me personally because it was a milestone in my riding career but at the same time was really just filming what tricks I would be doing most of the time whether there was a camera there or not. Georgia Ninja Crew Summer Edit - More BMX Videos
How does it feel to have your son (Mason) coming to the skatepark and following in your footsteps at such a young age? - Kyle Kelsey /Ninja Crew Member - Athens Family
It is a feeling that I can't put into words and it gives us a connection that very few father and sons get to have. It's like he gets better every week he's out there, but I don't know about following in my footsteps though, I hope he'll be alot better than me! (laughter) He's a martial arts black belt and he has skated and done other things so I always tell him that I know he could decide to move on and not ride BMX at all but I will support whatever he commits himself to and has a passion for.
After riding for as long as you have, what keeps you motivated to ride SO hard after all these years? - Jon Bast / Ninja Crew
I love BMX and it has had such a huge impact on my life. Almost every aspect of what I do has been influenced by my experiences in riding and traveling and living BMX for so long. Every day things don't seem so hard when the night before was spent throwing yourself down on concrete trying learn something new on your bike. I ride this hard now because I owe BMX instead of it oweing me. This stuff isn't just what I do... It's WHO I AM.
Thanks?
My family, everyone at Kink BMX, Matt and Profile Racing, Tom and Tina at Empire, the Ninja Crew, Jon and everyone at the Freestyle Connection, Sunshine Cycles, everyone in the Athens Family, and of course everyone at Tifosi!
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Be sure to check out Kent's most recent edit for Profile! See below.
Kent Pearson Profile Edit from Ryan Davis on Vimeo.