It's not often you find an action sports athlete that can dominate the competition in two different formats. Then again, it's not often a BMX rider as talented as Dennis Enarson comes around. Since debuting in 2007, Enarson has made an immediate impact in both the dirt and park portions of BMX scene. His biggest splash came this past weekend at the Dew Tour Championships in Las Vegas, where he finished first overall in the dirt standings and second overall in the park. Before the championships, Complex caught up with Dennis, and he spoke about Catty Woods, social media, and getting to design a competitive course.
What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Dennis Enarson: Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" always motivates me to ride.
What are your favorite sneakers to wear?
Dennis Enarson: The Nike 6.0 Mavrk Mid 2.
What’s the most money you ever spent on an item of clothing?
Dennis Enarson: $150 on a leather jacket.
Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Dennis Enarson: Scarlett Johansson is pretty hot.
Current video game obsession?
Dennis Enarson: I pretty much just play MX Unleashed or Skate 3 for XBox 360.
What is your dream car?
Dennis Enarson: I don't really have one. I like a good SUV. I have a Toyota 4Runner for when I like going riding. I can fit everybody's bikes. I have a 2010 Chevy Camaro SS, but really I'd just want the new 4Runner.
What tech product can you not go without?
Dennis Enarson: I can't go without an iPod. I get super bored and my iPhone too. It’s like my 10th one.
Favorite city to visit?
Dennis Enarson: Sydney, Australia. I spent a month there. It reminds me of San Diego. I went on a trip for Haro bikes. We went up the whole East coast. Canberra, Melbourne, Queensland. San Diego is my favorite place to live, though.
What’s your favorite style of biking?
Dennis Enarson: I like them all, but my favorite is a good set of trails. There's nothing better than starting up in the forest. That’s the most fun I can have. That’s always a good day. Catty Woods in Pennsylvania out in the middle of the forest is by far my favorite. They’ve been building for 10-15 years, and there are probably like 300 jumps in a couple acres. You start up on a roll, you can only see three jumps and then you just disappear.
How has this tour been for you this year?
Dennis Enarson: It has gone pretty well for me. Dirt and park I’ve been doing decent. I'm stoked just to make finals. I’m doing pretty well for myself. I didn't ever think I’d be getting on the podium. It's pretty unreal to me.
What’s the atmosphere like having an event in Vegas?
Dennis Enarson: Vegas is crazy. Everybody gets all wild at night. It’s pretty nuts. They have the vert set up in the pool. The Hard rock is awesome. It’s the best stop I’ve ever been to. The crowd's always feeling it coming straight from the bars cheering their lives away. The vibe is a lot better. It reminds me of European style. Over there, they let the crowd do whatever they want. Get up close and personal. When you walk to the top of the roll people are giving you high fives and cheering you on. It’s more laid back.
What’s it like competing with the top people in the sport?
Dennis Enarson: It’s cool competing with all these guys. I’m actually friends with them now. It’s another unreal moment being up on the roll with dudes like Ryan Nyquist. Now I've been riding with them for a couple years. It's just common and normal, like what’s up guys? I remember I was starstruck when I first saw them. What's it like with some people calling you the new face of BMX?Dennis Enarson: That’s pretty crazy. I heard a lot of people say that I’m a rider's guy. I always rode just because I liked progressing and did the tricks for me, not for the money. It’s just unreal. It still hasn’t even hit me. It’s crazy how people are even saying this stuff. It makes me more pumped to get out and ride. I’ve heard people say that I'm the best biker ever, which is crazy.
What are your thoughts on all the social media?
Dennis Enarson: For me, I’ve had Facebook and Myspace. Now i don't have any of that. I got rid of Facebook because I’d get so many messages and I didn't have time to get back to people, so I felt bad. I realized how much time I used to spend on there. I know what's going on with my friends anyways, so I don’t need to follow them. I don’t want people to follow me eveywhere I go. I'll just go on websites and gain knowledge instead of gossip. I just don’t need that. The Dew Tour let you help build and design the course in Portland. What was that like?Dennis Enarson: That was really fun. I got offered to design the whole thing, but I didn't have time. I went over it with Dennis McCoy, and I got to put my input on anything. I remember making it into the Dew Tour and being so stoked, and now I'm getting asked to design the course. It's awesome that they back me. A lot of competitions never ask the riders what they want. They let BMXers and skaters step in and help.
Did you have any experience designing before?Dennis Enarson: At my parents house, I have a backyard ramp. Nike put it there for a big party, and I kept adding on to it. I got a little experience from that. Ryan Nyquist helped to design a course this year as well. At the time, I was hanging out with a bunch of pros and I asked all their advice. They were my close friends. I wanted to see what they wanted. I wanted it to be good for everybody, not just me. We didn't have all the room to make it exactly how we wanted. There wasn’t enough space, so it was more condensed. It was just unproportional. Some of the ramps were way too big, some were way too small.
What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Dennis Enarson: Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" always motivates me to ride.
What are your favorite sneakers to wear?
Dennis Enarson: The Nike 6.0 Mavrk Mid 2.
What’s the most money you ever spent on an item of clothing?
Dennis Enarson: $150 on a leather jacket.
Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Dennis Enarson: Scarlett Johansson is pretty hot.
Current video game obsession?
Dennis Enarson: I pretty much just play MX Unleashed or Skate 3 for XBox 360.
What is your dream car?
Dennis Enarson: I don't really have one. I like a good SUV. I have a Toyota 4Runner for when I like going riding. I can fit everybody's bikes. I have a 2010 Chevy Camaro SS, but really I'd just want the new 4Runner.
What tech product can you not go without?
Dennis Enarson: I can't go without an iPod. I get super bored and my iPhone too. It’s like my 10th one.
Favorite city to visit?
Dennis Enarson: Sydney, Australia. I spent a month there. It reminds me of San Diego. I went on a trip for Haro bikes. We went up the whole East coast. Canberra, Melbourne, Queensland. San Diego is my favorite place to live, though.
What’s your favorite style of biking?
Dennis Enarson: I like them all, but my favorite is a good set of trails. There's nothing better than starting up in the forest. That’s the most fun I can have. That’s always a good day. Catty Woods in Pennsylvania out in the middle of the forest is by far my favorite. They’ve been building for 10-15 years, and there are probably like 300 jumps in a couple acres. You start up on a roll, you can only see three jumps and then you just disappear.
How has this tour been for you this year?
Dennis Enarson: It has gone pretty well for me. Dirt and park I’ve been doing decent. I'm stoked just to make finals. I’m doing pretty well for myself. I didn't ever think I’d be getting on the podium. It's pretty unreal to me.
What’s the atmosphere like having an event in Vegas?
Dennis Enarson: Vegas is crazy. Everybody gets all wild at night. It’s pretty nuts. They have the vert set up in the pool. The Hard rock is awesome. It’s the best stop I’ve ever been to. The crowd's always feeling it coming straight from the bars cheering their lives away. The vibe is a lot better. It reminds me of European style. Over there, they let the crowd do whatever they want. Get up close and personal. When you walk to the top of the roll people are giving you high fives and cheering you on. It’s more laid back.
What’s it like competing with the top people in the sport?
Dennis Enarson: It’s cool competing with all these guys. I’m actually friends with them now. It’s another unreal moment being up on the roll with dudes like Ryan Nyquist. Now I've been riding with them for a couple years. It's just common and normal, like what’s up guys? I remember I was starstruck when I first saw them.
What are your thoughts on all the social media?
Dennis Enarson: For me, I’ve had Facebook and Myspace. Now i don't have any of that. I got rid of Facebook because I’d get so many messages and I didn't have time to get back to people, so I felt bad. I realized how much time I used to spend on there. I know what's going on with my friends anyways, so I don’t need to follow them. I don’t want people to follow me eveywhere I go. I'll just go on websites and gain knowledge instead of gossip. I just don’t need that.
Did you have any experience designing before?Dennis Enarson: At my parents house, I have a backyard ramp. Nike put it there for a big party, and I kept adding on to it. I got a little experience from that. Ryan Nyquist helped to design a course this year as well. At the time, I was hanging out with a bunch of pros and I asked all their advice. They were my close friends. I wanted to see what they wanted. I wanted it to be good for everybody, not just me. We didn't have all the room to make it exactly how we wanted. There wasn’t enough space, so it was more condensed. It was just unproportional. Some of the ramps were way too big, some were way too small.
