Kenan Harkin
Encyclopedia
Kenan Harkin is an American former professional BMX
rider and television personality having worked for NBC
, FOX Sports, FUEL TV
, ESPN
, CBS Sports
and Universal Sports
. Harkin is credited with being the first rider to successfully and consistently perform a 360 backflip in freestyle BMX
competition. Currently, Harkin is a commentator for BMX and other extreme sports events, perhaps most notably the men's and women's BMX events at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. He also was a lifestyle reporter and Snowboard analyst for Universal Sports
during the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver, Canada.
in shows for small, local audiences across the country. The transition from racer to showman involved several injuries for Harkin, breaking his collarbone, leg, and pinkie finger, and being knocked out cold twice. At age 20, Harkin met Jay Miron
and Matt Hoffman, He helped them while they were touring on Long Island. The duo invited Kenan to the world famous Woodward Camp
. Once at Woodward Kenan's riding excelled and he began experimenting with the camps newly built foam pits. In 1996 he began working on the 360 backflip, a trick that had only been performed by one other rider, English BMXer Zack Shaw. Kenan was the first rider to use the foam pits to take a trick from inception, to competition. He pulled the trick for the first time in competition at the Chelsea Piers B3 event aired on ESPN. He turned pro at that event and subsequently went into larger competitions. Performing his 360 backflip at these events gained him a great deal of attention and sponsorship, as BMX and other extreme sports entered the mainstream. Harkin has been referred to as a "pioneer" for introducing the 360 to the sport, and for thus forcing riders to think of progressively bigger and flashier tricks to do on the bike.
and sideline reporter
for numerous events, having worked at the Rockstar US Open, the Gravity Games
, the Dew Tour, the Vans Triple Crown series, and the BMX events at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. Harkin is also known for being the host of the Gear Guy' d segments on Universal Sports
.
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
rider and television personality having worked for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, FOX Sports, FUEL TV
Fuel TV
Fuel TV is a U.S. cable and satellite specialty channel that launched on July 1, 2003. It focuses on the cultures of such extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motocross, surfing, BMX and FMX. It is a unit of Fox Cable Networks and is currently available to 26-million...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
and Universal Sports
Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
. Harkin is credited with being the first rider to successfully and consistently perform a 360 backflip in freestyle BMX
Freestyle BMX
Freestyle BMX is a synonym for BMX stunt riding, a sport branch that hails from extreme sports. It consists of six disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, dirt and flatland .-History:...
competition. Currently, Harkin is a commentator for BMX and other extreme sports events, perhaps most notably the men's and women's BMX events at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. He also was a lifestyle reporter and Snowboard analyst for Universal Sports
Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
during the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver, Canada.
BMX career
Harkin began racing BMX at the age of 9. By 14, he had begun to concentrate more on style than speed, as he began to popularize what is now referred to as freestyle BMXFreestyle BMX
Freestyle BMX is a synonym for BMX stunt riding, a sport branch that hails from extreme sports. It consists of six disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, dirt and flatland .-History:...
in shows for small, local audiences across the country. The transition from racer to showman involved several injuries for Harkin, breaking his collarbone, leg, and pinkie finger, and being knocked out cold twice. At age 20, Harkin met Jay Miron
Jay Miron
Jay Lawrence McNeil Miron is a retired Canadian BMX athlete and former owner of MacNeil Bikes. Miron has competed in several X-Games competition since 1995, compiling 9 medals, including the first ever X-Games gold medal for Bike Dirt. In addition, Miron is credited with inventing more than 30...
and Matt Hoffman, He helped them while they were touring on Long Island. The duo invited Kenan to the world famous Woodward Camp
Woodward Camp
Camp Woodward is a youth sports summer camp near State College, Pennsylvania with programming in Gymnastics, Cheer, Skateboarding, BMX Freestyle, Inline Skating, and dry land Snowboard and Freeski....
. Once at Woodward Kenan's riding excelled and he began experimenting with the camps newly built foam pits. In 1996 he began working on the 360 backflip, a trick that had only been performed by one other rider, English BMXer Zack Shaw. Kenan was the first rider to use the foam pits to take a trick from inception, to competition. He pulled the trick for the first time in competition at the Chelsea Piers B3 event aired on ESPN. He turned pro at that event and subsequently went into larger competitions. Performing his 360 backflip at these events gained him a great deal of attention and sponsorship, as BMX and other extreme sports entered the mainstream. Harkin has been referred to as a "pioneer" for introducing the 360 to the sport, and for thus forcing riders to think of progressively bigger and flashier tricks to do on the bike.
Television career
Harkin is currently known as a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
and sideline reporter
Sideline reporter
A sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the...
for numerous events, having worked at the Rockstar US Open, the Gravity Games
Gravity Games
The Gravity Games were a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations...
, the Dew Tour, the Vans Triple Crown series, and the BMX events at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Harkin is also known for being the host of the Gear Guy
Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
.