Without any professional training, Joey Tobolic started riding at 17-- an age where many riders already have years of training under belt. Now 32, he credits good old fashion hard work, trial and error, and YouTube videos for his advancement in the sport.
"I always wanted to ride, so I went out and bought one and started to do a wheelie."
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When he was just starting out, he would meet up with friends that were also new to riding and worked with them on getting better. After a few years in the industry, he became part of the Grand Rapids Stunt Team, a collective that started in 2006 and regularly performs in the area and internationally.
(Joey T. doing a smokey handstand burnout during a show at Auctions of America)He says that although his
parents initially hated it when he first started, they are now very supportive. His says his dad now likes it a lot and regularly cheers him on at
events. His mom is also supportive although she is still super nervous
because of the risk for injuries.
During his time riding he has torn his
shoulder, broken both hands, broken his foot a few times, collapsed a
lung and suffered from intense road rash. Despite it all, he says he loves the sport and has no intention of giving up on it in the foreseeable future.
One of the main things in the sport that has evolved is the availability and advancement of performance parts. In the beginning, since he was working on a limited budget, Tobolic quickly learned that he had to know everything there was about fixing bikes to cut down on costs and leave more money for parts.
Today his regular routine includes working on is bike and riding every night. When he travels, he generally preps during the week and rides all weekend at shows and uses Sunday as a travel day. His career has taken him out of the country a few times, visiting Trinidad and Tobago a total of four times for a competition.
(Joey Tobolic places 3rd place Pro at SBFC aka Street Bike Freestyle Championship)
When he visits the island he doesn't travel with his personal bike, instead he uses a bike given to him and brings along his performance parts to make it more custom to how he rides.
During competitions and demonstrations, Tobolic says he really enjoys talking to fans and answering questions. "Come up and talk to me, don't be shy. We love to talk to people."
(Joey T. practicing the Switch Back Churro, a trick riding the bike backwards standing up going in a circle)
(Joe T. jumping a Cam Am Maverick he purchased from Zeigler Motorsports)