The spirit of Justin Gair is alive and well in these parts, as evident by the 50-plus riders — BMX mostly — from all over the Island and as far away as the mainland, that turned out down at Parksville Community Park last Sunday to tear it up in his honour.
“Just a bunch of guys out for a ride on the anniversary of his death,” Nathan Hines, 16, said easily from the lip of the concrete skate park, then shoved off for another sic trick.
This was the seventh annual Justin Gair Memorial Jam, better known as the GT Jam in keeping with Justin’s nickname, and as always, it ran all day.
Justin Michael Gair was 18 and in his graduating year at Kwalikum Secondary School when a car he was a passenger in crashed and he was killed. Alcohol was a factor.
The kids ranged in age from five -12, and there were a number of girls in the mix.
“More and more each year,” said Wallace. “Lots of enthusiasm, willing to learn and very typical of previous years. It’s always fun to go out there — it’s really good for our players to work with the younger kids, it’s a tremendous experience for them, and they enjoy it.”