712's got talent; too often it leaves
By Jesse Claeys, Journal staff reporter | Posted: Friday, August 22, 2008
Samuel Johnson shown competing in a 24-hour mountain biking race. (Submitted photo)
It comes as no surprise to most of us that Sioux City raises some good people.
The problem is many of them leave for greener pastures elsewhere.
The topic came up last weekend when I bumped into Joel, a 29-year-old former Sioux City resident who moved to Chicago so many years ago that his last name escapes me.
"There are some really talented people from Sioux City," Joel said over a beer at a Historic Fourth Street nightspot. "For some reason or another they just can't make things happen in Iowa. A lot of kids feel they need to move."
Joel is happy with his decision to move. Right now he and another ex-Sioux City resident, Heather Kortan, are celebrating the first record released by their punk rock band Come On Come On.
"We were just written up in a Chicago magazine, The Onion AV Club. It was small, just a couple of lines," Joel admitted, "but it was on the same page as all of the Lollapalooza bands. Pretty cool, huh?"
Joel is fairly certain he wouldn't have ended up in print alongside musicians like Radiohead and Kanye West if he hadn't taken the leap and moved to The Windy City.
If 2004 West High graduate Samuel Johnson hadn't moved to Colorado, he probably wouldn't have raced in one of the world's most grueling mountain bike events.
"It was probably my senior year when I started road biking a lot. Then I got into mountain biking and liked it quite a bit more," Johnson said.
Then he had to move? "Yeah. I wanted to start taking it serious, seeing if I could go pro mountain biking. The terrain is a little bit better out here," Johnson said with a laugh via telephone from Boulder, Colo.
In late July Johnson joined over 1,650 mountain bike riders from 15 different countries competing in the 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Solo Mountainbike Championship in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The event called upon riders to complete as many laps on a mountainous 20-kilometer (12.43-mile) course as they could in 24 hours. Johnson completed 11 laps, or rode nearly 137 miles. He finished 19th.
"I'm fine with my finish. It's not the Olympics but it's sort of like the Olympics because it attracts the best riders from everywhere in the world. Some of the guys I was racing against are hanging up on my walls."
Johnson has already qualified for next year's 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Solo Mountainbike Championship event by placing second in a qualifier in Gunnison, Colo., last weekend. He finished second, up one spot from his finishing place last year.
The son of Mark Johnson and Rachel Porter trains for each event by lifting weights during the winter and riding as much as he can during the warmer months, including rides of 10 hours twice a week.
His goal is to become a professional, attainable by finishing in the top spots in consecutive races. Johnson is sponsored by the bicycle retail and manufacturing company he currently works for, Spot Brand Bicycles, which picked up the $400 entry fee for the world championship. Sponsored riders get their entry fees paid. Pros earn a regular paycheck.
"My goal is to get that regular check."
Johnson, like Joel, returns to Siouxland once or twice a year to visit family and friends. While they may have missed all of the changes taking place in Sioux City, they have gone on to better their lots in life, following thier dreams to places that may position them to actually become a reality. Their story is the same as many others told from bar stools and dinner tables across Siouxland.
But what most of these ex-Sioux City residents have in common is that they haven't forgot where they come from, especially each time they give out their cell phone number.
"Yep," Johnson said. "I still have the 712 area code. Not sure if I'll ever get around to changing it."
The problem is many of them leave for greener pastures elsewhere.
The topic came up last weekend when I bumped into Joel, a 29-year-old former Sioux City resident who moved to Chicago so many years ago that his last name escapes me.
"There are some really talented people from Sioux City," Joel said over a beer at a Historic Fourth Street nightspot. "For some reason or another they just can't make things happen in Iowa. A lot of kids feel they need to move."
Joel is happy with his decision to move. Right now he and another ex-Sioux City resident, Heather Kortan, are celebrating the first record released by their punk rock band Come On Come On.
"We were just written up in a Chicago magazine, The Onion AV Club. It was small, just a couple of lines," Joel admitted, "but it was on the same page as all of the Lollapalooza bands. Pretty cool, huh?"
Joel is fairly certain he wouldn't have ended up in print alongside musicians like Radiohead and Kanye West if he hadn't taken the leap and moved to The Windy City.
If 2004 West High graduate Samuel Johnson hadn't moved to Colorado, he probably wouldn't have raced in one of the world's most grueling mountain bike events.
"It was probably my senior year when I started road biking a lot. Then I got into mountain biking and liked it quite a bit more," Johnson said.
Then he had to move? "Yeah. I wanted to start taking it serious, seeing if I could go pro mountain biking. The terrain is a little bit better out here," Johnson said with a laugh via telephone from Boulder, Colo.
In late July Johnson joined over 1,650 mountain bike riders from 15 different countries competing in the 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Solo Mountainbike Championship in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The event called upon riders to complete as many laps on a mountainous 20-kilometer (12.43-mile) course as they could in 24 hours. Johnson completed 11 laps, or rode nearly 137 miles. He finished 19th.
"I'm fine with my finish. It's not the Olympics but it's sort of like the Olympics because it attracts the best riders from everywhere in the world. Some of the guys I was racing against are hanging up on my walls."
Johnson has already qualified for next year's 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Solo Mountainbike Championship event by placing second in a qualifier in Gunnison, Colo., last weekend. He finished second, up one spot from his finishing place last year.
The son of Mark Johnson and Rachel Porter trains for each event by lifting weights during the winter and riding as much as he can during the warmer months, including rides of 10 hours twice a week.
His goal is to become a professional, attainable by finishing in the top spots in consecutive races. Johnson is sponsored by the bicycle retail and manufacturing company he currently works for, Spot Brand Bicycles, which picked up the $400 entry fee for the world championship. Sponsored riders get their entry fees paid. Pros earn a regular paycheck.
"My goal is to get that regular check."
Johnson, like Joel, returns to Siouxland once or twice a year to visit family and friends. While they may have missed all of the changes taking place in Sioux City, they have gone on to better their lots in life, following thier dreams to places that may position them to actually become a reality. Their story is the same as many others told from bar stools and dinner tables across Siouxland.
But what most of these ex-Sioux City residents have in common is that they haven't forgot where they come from, especially each time they give out their cell phone number.
"Yep," Johnson said. "I still have the 712 area code. Not sure if I'll ever get around to changing it."
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