First time, I met Akinwunmi 'Kamikiinzo' John was at an album release party of a Nigerian music collective in my active days of working as a talent manager.
Unassuming, and soft-spoken, with a 'spring in feet' type of stance, Akinwunmi and I exchanged contact and kept in touch.
Next time I met him was at The Starhub 'Unbound' fest, this time not as an A&R, he was on a 'little child bike' running in circles.
I gave little thought to whatever it is, that I saw him do. But as time would do it's work, I began to immerse myself into the context of this man mode of expression.
Thankfully, I can put a name to it, it's called Extreme Sports.
Extreme Sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear.
After several back and forth, coupled with various network fluctuations, we finally were able to connect virtually in the closing hours of a rainy Monday to document this beautiful journey.
What it is like to be an extreme sport athlete in Nigeria, building a community with structure, how he is combating extremities with balance, what it means to wear his faith on his shin guides, and much more.
For The Baton first interview, I spoke with Akinwumni John on Clubhouse. This interview has been condensed for clarity purposes.
THE RADICAL MAN MINUS THE SYNERGY
Akinwunmi has always been a radical. As a young boy he had piqued interest in different sports, from golf to basketball and even athletics, all thanks to his Dad who built a culture around involvement in sports.
At the inquistive young age, even though he fared well at the aforementioned sports, his quest for being thrilled and his love for irregular forms of entertainment had matured. Expressions that were unique became dear to his heart. He wanted something that wasn't available in this part of the world, and where he could thrive in at the same time - extreme sports.
A decade and a half later, Akinwunmi's passion for extreme sports has skyrocketed.
B FOR BMX
Extreme sports being an umbrella word for bicycle motorcross, skateboarding, rollerblading, Parkour, rally cross, Formula 1 etc.
As an athlete in this area, he started out with skateboarding which was later dropped after repeated bruises, the intense sophistication and physics required to be a skateboarder.
After some years he ventured into rollerblading, but it wasn't giving him the fulfilment he had envisaged, coupled with the fact that he never got that sense of appreciation.
Akiwnumni then moved to bicycle motor cross (BMX) and like a shepherd who has spotted a greener pasture, he stayed there.
BMX background is rooted in constructive insatiability. This is for younger people who couldn't do motor cross which is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits, but still wanted the 'high' and sense of belonging.
Unperturbed by the feedback he got from people seeing him riding his bicycle and thinking it was for a child, Akinwunmi continued to source for structure to this passion of his.
RAD-SYNRGY
Having battled lack of structure and struggling to find a singular true purpose while facing discouragement spread his way under the rhetoric umbrella of "extreme sport is only achievable in the western world"
Gal 5;13-15 as a personal ethos alongside seeking counsel from God, changed his perspective and provided clarity.
RADSYNRGY are derivatives of two words 'Radical' and 'Synergy' and when picking the name, 'Radical' was the first word to come to him because he has always wanted to do things weirdly and in an unconventional manner.
'Synergy' came closely as it is a word that signifies the community that Christianity fosters.
Speaking on the naming " RadSynrgy was birthed to express what it means to be free, free of boundaries, free of fear, to not be bound by rules or some confinements"
Akinwunmi speaking further said "The lifestyle of an extreme sports athlete depicts freedom of expression, which taps into my personal philosophy of not wanting to be held back by anything or anyone. I want to define a new order, be able to live, breathe and most importantly express myself wholeheartedly"
RADSYNRGY is first a management firm with development and promotions as an added service, catering to the emerging extreme sports scene in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, with the goal of sustaining extreme sports presence and value.
By definition, RADSYRNGY is an unorthodox means of interaction, to put it simply, a home to the defiant ones, the unbounded lot, the free spirits.
BALANCE IN A WORLD FILLED WITH EXTREMES.
The extreme sport culture propagates hooliganism, being a menace. But RADSYRNGY isn't about that.
While the popular narrative hinges on pushing the limits and being outliers, Akinwunmi believes that RADSYRNGY can represent civility, being Christ-like and having coolness as the icing on the cake.
"The goal for every athlete under our umbrella is to have them representing Christ in an unorthodox way, they can come looking weirdly, but when you dig beyond the facade of their surface, you would find men and women who are fully grounded in Christ"
Akinwunmi is aware that his faith must be propagated even in his expressions and that the God factor must be a principle that guides all aspects of his life. For in a world filled with so many 'rights' it takes principles and being grounded not to go left.
The brand logo has a cross, and this is intended to push the 'Jesus agenda' but in a different way.
The arrow that directs left represents unorthodoxy while elevation is what the arrow that directs upwards typifies.
EXODUS AND ELEVATOR PITCH
The conceptualizationof RADSYRNGY began in 2015, the business was registered in 2018, and with each passing year, RADSYRNGY has offered initiative ways to push the agenda of extreme sports.
RADSYNRGY is growing because extreme sport is at infancy here in Nigeria, and it takes education to identify.
The goal is to secure structure for the BMX community and have it trickle down to other extensions of extreme sports.
In this period of pursuit; Akinwunmi as the secretary of the BMX Riders Association has spearheaded the first skate park project in Nigeria put together by RedBull in conjuction with LASPARK
Combating two problems; Knowledge gap and accessibility for athletes has become important for Akiwunmi through RADSYRNGY.
Access to top notch gears has been a major source of concern. RADSYRNGY intends to partner with established sport manufacturers and brands to come to the motherland and have their infrastructures set up here so that shipping is no longer a problem.
BMX racing made its debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. There were medal events for both men and women, but BMX freestyle was only admitted as an exhibition event. It was at the 2020 Tokyo games when BMX freestyle first became an Olympic medal event.
Speaking on the importance of representation; "Nigeria shouldn't be known for only football, basketball or any of these other sports. There are young people who are interested in extreme sports too, some want to drive formula 1 cars in the future"
Because of the lack of quality facilities, a lot of athletes have taken to the streets as their closest alternative for practice. And this has been falsely equated to lack of responsibility.
With RADSYNRGY, Akinwunmi intends to populate the country with multiple skateparks, starting with his mother's home town Sagamu, in Ogun state.
Work has already started in that regard as an acre of land has been allocated for execution, however funding is heavily required to put the desired structure in place.
THE WAY FORWARD
RADSYNRGY is not tailored to walk in isolation, but in collaboration. Pushing collectivism over individualism.
Genuine communication is a way to bridge the knowledge gap and declutter 'stigma' attached to extreme sport.
Akinwunmi strongly asserts that spreading the word is a vital show of support. And in fact, curiosity is rewarding.
SYNRR PLAYLIST
SYNRR Playlist is a compilation of songs giving a sense of sonic direction towards the forthcoming event named SYNRR FEST intended for sometime towards the end of the year (dates will be communicated in due time).
This event is designed as a concert, fusing the emerging extreme sports industry with the music industry. With this medium RADSYNRGY intends to carry out the following:
Create more awareness for extreme sports.
Educate athletes and enthusiasts on the importance and benefit of extreme sports whilst reminding them the importance of good citizenship.
Aid athletes with gear.
Sustain a healthy sense of livelihood for the youth.
With ideal target audience of;
Teenagers (13-19), and
Young Adults (20-30)
You can listen to their playlist on the following platforms:
• Apple Music:
• Spotify:
• YouTube Music:
TAP IN.
Join the RADSYRNGY Telegram community here:
Check out their Instagram as well, here:
It’s been profound for me to connect with RadSynrgy and we have discussed many of the fundamentals of this venture. My extreme sport that I have recently started is Parkour.
Very nice read and eye opening for someone like me with so little knowledge of extreme sports. Well done RadSynrgy!