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park?
Susan: No, I’ve seen just about everything so nothing makes me squeamish. The funniest story was when I had a rider dislocate his shoulder and I drove him to the hospital. In my attempt to “drive safely” I managed to rear end the car in front of me making his dislocated shoulder ten times worse.

I am also a zealot for riders wearing helmets. I have seen way too many head injuries and wearing a helmet could probably prevent 90% of them. I know a lot of riders resist wearing helmets but it makes me cringe when I see “street competitions” and riders are completely unprotected.

How did you get involved in the Freedom BMX Park?
Susan: A few years ago my daughter was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome. While the disorder is grossly exaggerated as a “swearing disorder,” inappropriate language actually only affects less than 10% of the patients diagnosed. However, the social stigma of a kid with tics or twitches makes them “different.” All of a sudden I became aware of how many kids within my own community are considered “different” because of the activities they like to participate in. A kid with piercings or tattoos is judged. There is no reason for mainstream people to judge others who look different. I saw an unmet need within my own community and in less than 6 months I raised over $150,000 and opened Freedom in June 2007. 

Is it difficult to keep a park open all the time? What are some of the things that need to be done that people might not realize?
Susan: Running a park is hard work, no doubt about it, but the rewards are undoubtedly worth it. One of the things I struggle with is letting the riders have a good time and making the park a fun place to ride without irritating my “neighbors.” 95% of all the riders are awesome but I’ll admit, I’ve had a few that have been irresponsible and caused a lot of headaches. When I first wanted to build Freedom there was a lot of opposition. I got angry phone calls and even people writing into the local paper to complain. It’s a balancing act to keep the park fun but not let things get out of control.

I also pick up way too much garbage for my liking. I really wish the guys would pick up after themselves a bit more. Probably that’s a pretty unrealistic wish though.

A park relies on a strong local scene. Who are some of the locals at your park?
Susan: There is a good scene at the park and I sponsor a few riders (Vince Smith, Jake Hamlin and Coty Brown). My favorite rider is Lil Larry. Larry is an 11 year old who is at the park EVERY DAY and I have never seen a kid so committed to getting better. He also made me proud being “tapped” at Woodward and killing it at the Woodward Ambush Pro-Am contest in August.

I have to say that what makes Freedom unique and helps the scene is the incredible support I receive from so many people, organizations and companies. The guys at FBM have been awesome over the past few years and I can’t thank them enough for their support. Flip from Albe’s is such an awesome guy and has supported Freedom beyond words. I am truly grateful and tell everyone at the park “buy from Albe’s” Fat Tony and the guys at RideBMX have supported events at Freedom and Scott Goetz from Etiket Clothing has been a Freedom fan right since day one. Bart DeJong from fatbmx.com has given me the opportunity to contribute to the site and that has been a lot of fun. Mike Cottle and CaseBMX magazine have also been great.

The thing that makes Freedom unique is the collaboration between the BMX community and the park. When a kid had his bike stolen, people came out in force to help. Mike Cottle sent up loads of parts and Spooky Dave and the guys from FBM put the bike together and surprised the kid. The look on the kid’s face makes picking up all that garbage totally worth it.

A lot of the pros support the park too. In 2009, I wanted to organize a pro contest (not for the fact Freedom is like the Dew Tour course and the prize purse was enormous) as that couldn’t be further from the truth, but for the fact that I wanted “my kids” to know than ANYTHING is possible with hard work. I wanted to bring to Freedom the riders they idolize and have an opportunity I knew they might never get again.

Brian Hunt is probably one of the nicest guys in BMX and he was instrumental in helping me figure out how to make this event happen. He literally spent hours with me, figuring out what I needed to do and how to get it done. My park kids were in awe when they saw BHunt, Drew Bezanson, Jake Seeley, Eric Hough, Ronnie Napolitan, Chris Childs, Keith Schmidt, Joel Barnett and so many others riding for the love of riding and meeting the local riders. Seriously, with a prize purse of a few hundred bucks and a few cases of Gatorade there is no other reason they would have come out for the event. Trish Bare Grounds volunteered to provide medical support at the contest as well.

Austin Coleman gave me boxes of Nike 6.0 shoes to give to the riders who needed shoes but simply couldn’t afford them and I received cases of Monster from Ryan Guettler’s Monster stash.

Are people surprised that when they want to speak to “the owner” that they’re talking to a woman?
Susan: Eh…maybe at first they were. I am pretty passionate about free parks and helping communities plan and run them so I was able to meet a lot of people in the BMX community in a pretty short time. I’m not sure how many women run parks. I haven’t met any yet, but I am sure they are out there somewhere. Who I really respect though are the women riding BMX and advancing the sport beyond what anyone expected. Nina, Angie, Jessica, Maude and few others amaze me with their fearlessness and determination.

The other thing that is a little different is when someone showed up at the park to “settle a score” with a rider with brass knuckles I intervened standing between them asking “do you really want to punch a lady in the face with those?” He stormed off and that was the end of that. Don’t think I want to do that again though. I might be able to play the “badass” on the outside when necessary but in truth my knees were shaking the entire time.

What “strength” does a woman have that runs a BMX park, that a man doesn’t have?
Susan: In my own experience, I think as a woman I am more supportive and really the biggest cheerleader they’ve got. I am proud of them and their commitment. I celebrate their successes and hold them accountable when they get “off track.” It’s amazing to see both their riding progression but their personal progression. My first employee, Mike Crandall is now an Air Traffic Controller in the US Air Force stationed in North Carolina. A few have made mistakes and I’ve intervened or even gone to court with them to convince a judge they’d be better served by doing community service at the park teaching kids to ride than paying a fine or face more serious consequences.

Do you see some girls ride at your park?
Susan: Not many, unfortunately. Dani Windhausen rides at Freedom and she is not only a great person but also a really good rider. She entered the Harborshred contest and rode with the pros AND brought cookies to share. She is really awesome.

Why do you think there aren’t all too many girls hitting up parks on BMX bikes?
Susan: Part of it is probably girls of the age who would most likely start getting seriously involved in BMX are also the age they are in a silly “pack mentality” and none like to be different. Girls of that age need role models to challenge them to try new things and be their own person.

Did you skate/ride when you grew up?
Susan: I rode my bike everywhere. It was pretty much my only mode of transportation for years. I always liked the freedom to go where I wanted. I still like that even today. My BMX riding is nothing to rave about though. My specialty is big crashing. Three broken ribs, my teeth through my bottom lip, a face full of stitches and one heck of a black eye all in one season makes me think I should spend more time running a park than learning new tricks. I wish I was better but some people are more coordinated than others I suppose.

What keeps you motivated doing the park next to your regular job?
Susan: Freedom is my stress release. There is never a time I go to the park without laughing and leaving in a better mood than when I got there. Sometimes it is hard to balance work and Freedom but Freedom is only open from early April to the end of October so I get a break during the winter months.

Do you want to say something in general to wrap up this interview?
Susan: if someone would have told me 5 years ago I would be running a park, covering events like the Dew Tour and meeting such a wide and diverse group of people, I would have laughed out loud. That being said, I can’t think of a better, more rewarding and just plain fun way to spend my time. Thank you to everyone who has helped me help riders. My whole family has pitched in and even my Dad wears his “Freedom” T-shirts proudly all the time. Not many 60 year olds wear a skate park shirt, but he does. It’s been a wild ride at times, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks to the BMX community for “letting me in” and helping me realize my vision of what a park truly can be.