SPICOLI ON TWO WHEELS: MIKE “HUCKER” CLARK

Covering the bases with the young buck that’s holdin’ it down dirt-wise for the BMX am program.

Growing up in Huntington Beach, how did you get into riding?
Ever since my mom took off my training wheels when I was two I’ve loved riding my bike. I got my first BMX bike when I was six… I got into it because my older brother was really good friends with Cory Nastazio and all the H.B. pros from back in the day. After going to Sheep Hills my first time, I was hooked!

Was it Sheep Hills everyday for you growing up?
It’s only like two and a half miles away, so I was there pretty much everyday. There was also Hidden Valley, but then that got plowed, then there was Slater Trails, but those also got plowed. I would just go wherever was good at the time.

Did you primarily ride dirt, or did you ever mess with park or street?
Just dirt. There’s nothing else… there’s not that good of street around here, and the Vans skate park is the only park in the area, and that’s like 15 minutes away by driving.

Now, you’re not limited and you could go ride other stuff… like, if you wanted to, you have the option to go ride street. Do the other disciplines interest you?
Yeah! Ever since I went to San Diego all I’ve wanted to do is ride street. I mean, I still want to ride trails, but right now I’m hooked on street.

What about the competition side of things? Do you like that whole part of BMX?
I love it. There are so many different ways to ride and so many different riding styles. With contests, you get to see a bit of everything and see what else is going on. Every time I go to a contest I see other things and I want to learn new stuff. They’re just fun to do!

At comps, do you map out your run before you go or do you just huck it?
I try to map it out, but every time I map it out really well it changes a lot. Like, if you land low on a jump, you have to change your next trick because you won’t have the right speed to do exactly what you wanted to do. You just have to get an idea of what you want, then just go from there! I do the best when I make it up as I go… just have fun!


You’re riding with a healing hand. What happened to that?
I broke it at the Vans Skate Park while screwing around and doing a walltap. It’s the first real bone I ever broke, except for last year when I screwed up my foot and it had bone fragments in it.

Is it all better?
It still hurts. There are still things I can’t do, like push my fingers up.

It was still pretty hurt when you made the finals at Red Bull Elevation, Guadalajara, right?
It was literally my second time doing anything on a bike in 2 months. Prior to the event, I was going to take a week or two off when I got back just to make sure it healed, but now I’m not going to ‘cause I can ride again!

What did you think of Mexico overall?
Waaayyy too much fun.

Did you pick up any Spanish while you were down there?
Si. That’s about it. (laughs)

When are we going to see a Hucker video part?
I’ve never really even thought of making one until a couple of months ago. Now that I have the idea in my head it should be pretty fun!

Tell us what’s going on this summer.
Traveling and riding a lot. I want to do a couple of road trips—street trips and trail trips, go up to Seattle, and go to Utah. Just ride, ride, ride and surf!

That’s the life.
Yeah. Whenever I’m not on my bike I’m in the water.

Where’s the favorite place you’ve ever been?
So far, probably Whistler. Canada in general is fun. There, and Oahu. Nothin’ beats the North Shore.

What are your thoughts about the DC BMX team?
I’ve met everybody on the pro team, and they all rip and are super cool. The team is just too good. I never thought in a million years I’d be on DC!