Name: Risto Kalmre
Hometown: Tallinn, Estonia (born in Tartu, Estonia)
Age: 34
Event: Simple Session
How many years has the Simple Session been running now?
Risto: It’s been 17 years in a row now. And we have done over 20 big events. I believe we’re one of the longest-running BMX and skate events in the world now.
When you started it 17 years ago, did you ever think that itwould last this long?
Risto: Of course not. I was just a 17-year-old kid. We didn’t have anywhere to ride. So we built our first skatepark in Tartu. That needed an opening event which went really well, so we threw it again the next year and so the tradition and the Simple Session was born. Still, there never was really any business plan in the beginning, it just grew somehow and it’s been a blast all these years. It hasn’t been always easy to keep the show running, though. People who have put on events, know the drill that goes into them. Simple Session is not a big organization like some other big series owned by TV companies, big shoe
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.