Kendamas. We’ve all seen them, maybe even played with one, but what’s the deal with them? I reached out to Reed Stark (the first person I recall seeing with one in BMX) to learn more about them.
Click below for the Q&A.
Reed, how the hell are ya and what were you doing before answering these questions?
Doing good! Just showed up to the cut and sew studio to pick up some Safari State apparel in Downtown LA.
So here we are… talking about Kendamas! If someone has never seen or heard of a Kendama before, how would you describe what it is to them?
Kendama
is a lifestyle really. It’s a way for me to meditate, enhance hand eye
coordination, increase focus, and learn patience.
When and how did you
first come across one and how quickly were you hooked?
My
homie Bjorn in college was filming videos for Sweets Kendamas. He showed up
with one at my house. We were watching TV and every time during commercials
he’d bust it out and jam. I didn’t understand what it was, but found myself
staring at him playing and knew I had to get one.
How long did it take for
you to confidently feel good at it?
I
went on a 4 month trip around Europe and got one right beforehand. I don’t
think you can ever master it or feel too confident, but I remember a couple
months into that trip being able to flow with cups to the beat of some music
for a minute or so and definitely felt a lot more connected to it.
Do you ever get asked
about it when people see one around your neck?
Every
day. Most people want a reason to talk with others and kendama is the perfect
icebreaker. I actually met my girlfriend at a party teaching her how to big
cup. Been living with her for over a year now.
I credit you with
ushering the Kendama into BMX, so which rider/person from our scene has
excelled at it the most in your eyes?
Adam22
has leveled up insanely fast and I’d say is top dog in our scene at this point.
Catfish, Joris Coulomb, Anthony Perrin, Simone Barraco, Broc Raiford and Justin
Spriet all slay dama too. Pretty much all my friends can big cup but those are
some notable mentions for sure.
I saw you sessioning
your Kendama in between your runs at the recent Vans Rebel Jam in HB. Is this
to help you calm your nerves, keep you focused or something similar?
Both.
I can’t imagine being in a contest or even just going out riding without having
one nowadays. It keeps me safe because it tells me how ready I am for whatever
is about to go down on the BMX. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning and do
a big cup, the ball moves up and down super fast. It’s like the world is moving
in fast motion. After I’m playing with it for a while and start flowing, the
kendama starts to slow down time in my head. All of a sudden the ball is moving
slower and I can land way more shit. It also helps shake nerves. You’re never
waiting if you have a kendama.
Speaking of, Boo Johnson
came out to hang with you at Rebel Jam, talk a bit about your relationship with
him? Did you guys connect through Kendamas?
I
met Boo at Coachella a couple years back and we vibed right away. I showed him
the kendama and he was super stoked on it. He talked about how landing a trick
on the kendama gives him the same feeling he gets when he lands a skate trick.
Couldn’t be more stoked to welcome him to the Sweets team.
You have you’re own signature Kendama with
Sweets, and it carries your Safari vibe pretty damn well. How did this
partnership come about and how did they find out about you?
Ayy
cheers g! I walked into the Sweets store after my 4 month euro trip and was
going to buy my parents kendamas. Was wearing this Japanese designer’s coat
with a specific print on it and all the dudes at Sweets freaked out because
they were currently making a kendama holster with the same dude’s print. Sweets
ended up asking me to go model their new clothing line that night. Was sick
meeting everyone on the team. Felt like family right away. Some months later I had
a signature BSD giraffe print seat coming out and I thought damn what about a
giraffe print kendama. Suggested it to Sweets and they were down.
I assume you get
royalties from sales of it?
Yessir
same as you would with a signature BMX product.
Knowing next to nothing
about the Kendama scene, what can you tell me about it? Are people making good
money and/or a living with it?
It’s
a super tight crew of old people, young people, crazy people, normal people,
and everyone in between from everywhere around the world. There are contests
all the time and people definitely making a living off it. It’s wild being at a
kendama jam or contest. You can leave your bag sitting out with all your
valuables and that bag will be safe. People put so many hours into this thing
and they’d never do anything bad to anyone who did the same. There’s a lot of
respect. It’s similar to BMX. The kendama scene is growing fast, but it’s still
super new to most of the world. I actually work with Sweets to set up kendama
distributors and retailers in countries that don’t have one because it’s so
new.
Who is the Garrett
Reynolds of Kendama and why?
Definitely
my boy Bonzatron. He’s from Boulder, Colorado and grew up jamming dama on a
slackline. He’s the most balanced dude I know. Man has won every event in the
world at least once and will blow your fucking mind. Peep him on Instagram for
a jaw drop or 2.
In terms of difficulty,
what is the hardest Kendama move out there and what does it entail?
My
dude Cooper Eddy did a trick called the tightrope. It’s where you hold the tama
(ball), toss up the ken (handle), grab the string, and balance the spike of the
kendama on the string. Probably the hardest trick to describe and do. Look it
up on Youtube if you’re interested.
Have you ever nailed
one?
Not
even close. Been trying border balance lately which is where you balance the
spike on the ball, but I’ve only done it for a second or 2. Tightrope is so
next level.
Thanks Reed, anything
you’d like to add before we wrap this up?
Thanks
to Nuno @ Defgrip for the interview and shoutout to BSD, Sweets Kendamas,
Safari State, Rawr Superfoods, Los Angeles Kush, Plants Basically, and you for
all the support. Humans need gang.
© Nuno for Defgrip, 2019. |
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Source: Q&A: REED STARK / KENDAMAS