The Story Behind The Stories
Getting The Background On UTV Sports Mag’s Contributing Editor
Story By: Cody Carney
Photos By: Friends & Family Of Cody Carney
I remember back in grade school all the students were asked what they want to do when they get older. More often than not, the answers are light years different from what they actually end up doing. Take me for example. When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut. Yeah, I know. Badass right? Something about jumping into space and exploring the vast unknown got me amped up for adventures. Now being a part of UTV Sports Magazine, I might not be jumping into a rocket ship any time soon, but I do get to play around in UTV’s and am able to take off and learn about things that I’ve never even dreamt of experiencing before—still BA.
My ambition to travel and learn things started back as a teenager when I was introduced to parkour. Yep, I was one of those idiots jumping around building to building to see if I could bust my head open. At least that’s what it looks like parkour is about. It actually started as a military escape tactic. It’s a discipline that focuses on precise movements to get from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. Including vaulting, leaping, and climbing over whatever obstacles are in your path.
As the sport progressed, people started getting flashy. Parkour was introduced to flips, breakdancing, martial arts, and other practices. That’s when the term parkour transitioned to free running. When that happened I had to actually start worrying about busting my head open. I was a gymnastics instructor for eight years but that didn’t make it any easier, and it took me a little to get the hang of things. But once I turned sketchy into a little bit of skill, I wanted to learn more. Some buddies and I would travel to different cities and hold events we called “jams” where these strange parkour people would gather and show off a bit. After traveling to my first jam, every one after had me feeling like Grandpa Joe from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, springing from my bed at any opportunity to travel. That yearning never stopped.
Fast forward years later, I began working in a tire shop. Until then, my whole life was only about working out, free running, doing gymnastics, fighting MMA and playing an occasional video game. I only ever knew body mechanics, not any other kind of mechanics. I was new to the automotive industry, so adjusting was a little bit of a challenge. I learned a lot more in the next few years than I had my whole life. I gained better people skills, knowledge of vehicles, business smarts, and how to use my hands to do more than just play with a joystick… for video games.
I worked at the tire shop for seven years. Our Content Manager, Brandon Bunch, here at UTV Sports Magazine even worked there a bit of a while back. I met him in high school in gym class and became better friends during our time at the tire shop. Brandon left and went to live a gypsy lifestyle and I stayed for some years. Later we ended up meeting up again and he was already working for the magazine. He mentioned something about them needing a guy that can headbutt a keyboard a few times and somehow make a story out of it. Conveniently enough, Keith Hook, the mastermind behind our dysfunctionally functioning family stopped into the tire shop I was working at. One of my coworkers told him I could write. Little did he know, that guy was a comedian.
So here I am now. Button mashing and hoping it sounds somewhat decent. Again, in an environment that I know nothing about. In all seriousness though, I am eager to learn all that I can and luckily I have the support of a rad crew. These guys are passionate about their work and put in long hours to make things happen. They’re there to bust my… well you know, whenever I ask dumb questions, but never hesitate to give me the correct answer and point me toward the right path. I can’t help but want to be engaged and do what I can to take some of the workload off of these guy’s backs. Plus, I get to do the things I’ve always wanted to do: adventure and learn new things. What’s better than that?
