Toronto Street Jam History

Before this weekend's jam here in Toronto, we thought we'd give everyone a little insight into exactly how Toronto street jams first came to be. Thanks to "Drifter" Dave Stewart of the ICC for the history lesson and be sure to watch the blog for the announcement of the official meeting spot for the jam!

"Street jams have been going down in Toronto since the 1990's. They originally started with a small group of 10-15 flatland/street riders who would meet at the banking district and ride the downtown core areas.

In 1998, Dennis Seldon hosted the first real street jam in Toronto. I remember meeting up downtown at Hogtown with about 20 other riders, and hitting some spots downtown. All levels of riders were present, from X-games competitor Paul Buchannan to Scotty2Hotty sketchy street assassin. Many good times were had in this motley crue of anarchy as handrails, banks, ledges and staircases felt the wrath of the street riders. This slightly organized jam format was the seed that planted the field of dreams for future BMX jams in Toronto. Dennis later moved away to Vancouver and the street jams died out.

In 2003, Taro Saito and myself decided to resurrect the street jam, so we set a date and made a poster to hang up in Hogtown. About 20 riders showed up, Chris Silva being the standout rider, and since I heard he only rode park, I busted his balls and he proved to us all he could kill street as well! This jam was the first hint of what was to come.

Later that fall, the Inner City Circle (ICC) was formed in a shady bar above St. Clair west. I called all the riders I knew and we all pitched in time, money and effort to make a private, temporary indoor park: the ICC Warehouse. Four months of pure mayhem and unbelievable good times were had, and many people became tight with the scene. After the dismantling of the warehouse, the group stayed in contact and often met up to film for the first ICC video "Lock 'n' Load." Because of that warehouse, a wide variety of riders would always be down for a session or two.

This is the point in which Toronto street jams became affiliated with the ICC. We promoted our street jam at Hogtown and all over Toronto by gluing flyers all over the city. The turn out was better, about 50 riders followed us to some of the best spots in the city and proceeded to shred. The atmosphere was amazing, riders were going off and taking chances, fully feeding off the energy created by one another. The next two street jams were the first advertised via the internet, and the response was phenomenal! Over 100 riders showed up from all over the country to ride the spots and professional filmers and photographers showed up to document the day. The diversity of the group, combined with the increasing skill levels of the riders, made for some unbelievable accomplishments as everyone pushed themselves to "show 'em whatcha got." The result was amazing tricks going down on amazing spots! The positive vibes made the jams fun for all, as well as providing an example to other crews on how to create and maintain a scene for themselves and others. The street jams have become the highlight of the year for the Toronto scene, because unlike the Bike Show in March, people can actually ride outside and see this great city and have a taste of the unreal spots Toronto has to offer.

As a result of these successes, the popularity of our street jam has grown through the internet and word of mouth. This year is the first to officially include some big name support including Animal, MacNeil and Ten Pack who are all involved in the 2009 Street Jam. We anticipate a turnout exceeding 150 riders from all over the continent and can't wait to host a day of super-fun riding and socializing at some of Toronto's top spots.

Overall, we have all benefited from the jams by perpetuating positive vibes and including ANYONE who wants to show up. The BMX community is stronger than ever and the ICC is committed to maintaining the scene for all riders to enjoy. We look forward to a future of even better jams with the involvement of our friends and sponsorship support. Thank you all for your support and involvement in our projects."

- "Drifter" Dave Stewart, ICC Grandpappy