Interview – Dj Ck Flash aka Michael Pusey MBE

Kye Whyte just came second at the Glasgow European Championships behind British Team mate Kyle Evans; how’s the reaction been from everyone?
It’s been unbelievable not just in BMX but for other people that follow me on Instagram and Facebook from the community, as people know running a club like Peckham BMX is keeping a lot of kids off the streets, and in the current climate a lot of youth clubs are being closed down in London.

Peckham BMX, in addition to being a BMX Club, is also a safe place for the kids to attend and ride, have fun and train 4 to 5 times a week where they can learn discipline, focus and have a passion for something that is going to help them in their later life when they start going to school, college, university or work and possibly ride for the Olympic team. It’s all about building children/people skills for the future.

Kye Whyte, who I have been working and training with since he was 4 years old, and now 18, his brother, Tre Whyte, Quillan Isidore with younger brother Tian are all good role models for the community and there are quite a few more Peckham riders that people will know in the future who are all training and aim to make the Olympic team.

I have inspirational discussions with them all and make them understand at the level they are right now nothing else matters but they need to win and make finals that’s all I’m interested in, after that they leave the rest to me – my network allows me to open doors to some big deals that are even bigger than some of the biggest sponsorships in BMX. For instance, Sky TV offered scholarships and much more.

Getting back to Kye Whyte, from the kids and parents they all love him because he has such a loving character; he will still come to the track and enjoy engaging with young kids but he also has a serious side to him which is no nonsense when it comes to BMX racing because he knows where he lives in London, despite being nice, there is still a lot of crime going on underground and it’s somewhere where he doesn’t want to return to. Kye wants to be a role model for the young people of London UK like the rest of the Peckham team who are on the Olympic program.

I like to say to them it is not about the money, cars or how big your house is, it’s about how many lives you can save and change.

You guys at Peckham seem like you’re getting more outside media then anyone in the race industry. What are you guys doing right to get the outside interest?
After being awarded an MBE (which is like receiving a Hollywood Walk of Fame) from Her Majesty The Queen of England in 2017 for my contribution to young people in sport the media is always keeping an eye on what I am doing next – with one of my youngest pro riders Kye Whyte getting a silver medal at the European Championships the media was all over the Peckham BMX club.

Outside of BMX I am involved with work in the music entertainment, property and TV from the UK to America. These businesses are multi-million dollar companies and the network I am involved with are Chairman, Chief Executives, Directors and Trustees and they respect me because I’ve opened a lot of doors in the music industry back in the day and now I’m helping young people to achieve their dreams so they open doors for me because they know I’m doing it from my heart first before any financial gains; if there is any financial gains I will contribute a percentage back into the community to uplift the kids for the future.

It seems like the club and Peckham scene is going from strength to strength what kind of numbers are you getting at your weekly sessions?
Well, at one race event we had nearly 100 riders competing and on a weekly basis it is between 80 and 90 kids per training session. Half of the Elite guys on the British Cycling National Team come from Peckham.

What do you attribute that to?
Between myself and Nigel who is Kye Whyte’s Dad (Nigel is Daddy Whyte) and has been with me learning how to train kids in BMX for over 12 years. Nigel’s seen the formula and knows it works; especially with all three of his kids Daniel, Tre and Kye Whyte making it onto the Olympic program. The formula is: plan, focus, discipline and good things will start happening in your life and in BMX.

This is what I did when I was younger and racing BMX in the UK because I had to travel to many races around the country on my own and focus on hanging around with the best riders and parents in BMX who looked after me – to learn, to win, that is the same formula that I use now. I find out who is the best at giving advice and pass it onto the kids; the only thing is if the kid is prepared to listen to me they will get the right advice and possibly start winning races, this is where we always get a big pull when it comes to British cycling because I don’t expect anything less than the best and that is why British cycling is interested in getting the best, winning races and getting gold medals this will then attract funding to keep the cycling program going so they can fund more future champions in the future.

It’s great to see Kye, Tre and Quillian also involved with the club giving back and working with the grass roots of the sport on the regular. Do you feel it’s important for the guys to be giving back?
Yes big time, all of them know I could be doing something else and making myself millions of pounds, but I’ve chosen to give back to the young people over the last 14 years, it’s not something I told them about when I first met them but as they get older they realize that I’m involved in a much bigger Industry than just BMX, but I don’t really talk about it as it’s none of their business. They learn quickly the importance of doing their part and giving back.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to reach back after they’ve made it to help – to show younger people the way in life is to work hard to be the best they can be and the results may bring them success, and after success they give back because the more they contribute to giving back the more people will appreciate them.

If you could give any advice to any other clubs and local tracks around the world, what would it be?
My advice to other clubs would be to build a team around those that believe in your dream, and be very careful who you let onto your team, because they may have another agenda. Make sure you give them at least two years to witness their true character. Give people chances but if they’re not prepared to listen after a period of time then you just have to let them get on with their own journey; they will see in the long run that listening to somebody that has many years of experience will benefit them from not making mistakes along the way.

Lastly, keep it fun but when it’s time for training keep it serious, make kids and parents understand that it’s a whole package which includes: training, eating correctly and preparation. Also let parents know some kids are talented and some kids have to work harder to get good, the main thing is to be consistent and prepared to listen to people who can give you the right advice and you will be successful in BMX.

You always seem on-the-go alongside maintaining a positive outlook on social media – how do you do it? What’s the plan for the rest of the year?
Like I say in most of my quotes (understand the levels) from this interview.

Thank you BMXWeekly.com and if you want to know more about Peckham BMX check out our movie 1WayUp the story of Peckham BMX on iTunes and website peckhambmx.co.uk.

Any of the top riders from around the world are welcome to come and stay with me if they ever want to come to London and ride at Peckham BMX the U.K.’s premier BMX racing club. At Burgess Park, London SE5 0AN.

PC: @kennyhunterphotography kennethhunter.photoshelter.com