so you wanna be a monster truck driver? | toronto standard · one night only bss plays the summer...
TRANSCRIPT
Tiffy Thompson
Latest articles bycontributor
THE SPRAWL | Brainwashing
or Breakthroughs: World
Hypnotism Day
JANUARY 7TH, 2013
THE SPRAWL | Best of 2012:
What I've Learned
DECEMBER 27TH, 2012
THE SPRAWL | Ice Skating 101:
Tips for the Feeble
DECEMBER 19TH, 2012
THE SPRAWL | Christmasin'
Around at Lowe's Toronto
Christmas Market
DECEMBER 12TH, 2012
THE SPRAWL | Locked and
Loaded at the Motorcycle
Show
DECEMBER 10TH, 2012
JANUARY 10TH, 2013 COMMENTS
SPORTS
So You Wanna Be a Monster Truck Driver?"Nothing beats sitting in a real truck having 1500 horsepower strapped to your butt"
Cam McQueen (photos courtesy of Feld Motor Sports)
While many sports franchises seem to flippantly dismiss their audience, the Monster Jam circuit
has remained staunchly fan-centric. The caricaturish trucks are imbued with their own crowd-
pleasing personalities. The drivers interact with their fans, signing autographs at every show. The
success of the show is wholly dependent on the fans' response.
Monster Jam driver Cam McQueen has been steadily gaining loyal fans. His rise through the
Monster Jam Circuit has made him a bit of a underdog favorite, wresting titles away from the likes
of the wily GraveDigger®. He is the driver of the only distinctly Canadian truck - Northern
Nightmare℠ - in the circuit.
The 33-year-old Calgary native was the first to successfully backflip a monster truck in a scored
Related Most Commented Most Recent
JANUARY 14, 2013
SUBSCRIBE SEARCH
TweetTweet 11Like 16 Send
DAILY CABLE
Broken Social Scene Returns forOne Night OnlyBSS plays the summer super-shownot to be missed — More
Surprise Wins at the GoldenGlobesCanada wins and an unexpectedPresident gets a standing ovation— More
Anonymous Hacks MIT Websitewith an Aaron Swartz TributeInfamous hackers Anonymoushacked MIT.edu last night, callingfor justice for the recentlydeceased… — More
Sanctuary Claims the IKEAMonkey was Abused by OwnersDarwin allegedly strangled and hitwith a wooden spoon — More
Best of the Standard Newsletter| January 13, 2013Monster Trucks, Plagiarists &Quentin Tarantino — More
Do Make Say Think: What We'reDoing This Weekend (January 11-13)Scratch your Hedwig and theAngry Inch itch or bask in Keanu'sglory — More
▲ PREV
NHL Lockout's Battle Lines Extend
as Joffery Lupul is Locked Out of
Real Sports
This insanity must end!
THE SPRAWL CULTURE STYLE BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SPORTS FOREIGN DESK VIDEO
competition. He back-flipped and front-flipped Northern Nightmare at the Advance Auto Parts
Monster Jam World Finals XIII in Las Vegas. The show culminated in a a gleeful series of donuts
before the transmission exploded into flame. McQueen emerged, triumphant, before an hysterical
crowd. He claimed Canada’s first-ever Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Championship title.
A typical Monster Jam circuit runs from
January to March, touring extensively across
North America. The apex of the circuit is the
world finals in Las Vegas, a deafening, two-day
orgy of twisted metal and screaming fans. The
show draws massive crowds that the drivers
actively engage with.
"I am literally living out a childhood dream,"
said McQueen. He knew he wanted to be a
monster truck driver when he was five years old. When a naysaying high school teacher told him it
wasn't a "real career," he totally proved him wrong.
"I did have a chance to run into him," said McQueen of his old teacher. "He said; 'what are you doing
these days?' I had a bit of a smirk on my face and I told him, “Well, I’ve been a stunt man and you
know, now I’m driving monster trucks.” You could tell he was a little bit taken aback and couldn’t
really tell if I was joking or not and he said “Really?” and I said “Yep. That’s right," laughs McQueen.
"He really didn’t know what to say, or whether he should be proud or what."
The husband and father is a seasoned stuntman who has raced, jumped and crashed countless
vehicles. He got his opportunity to drive a monster truck while he was volunteering to help out at a
show. Another driver got injured and he stepped in. If you want to drive a monster truck,
volunteering at shows is a good way to get started. He also recommends playing video games (Path
of Destruction, in particular), driving remote control trucks and driving anything you can get your
hands on.
"Obviously nothing beats sitting in a real truck, you know, having 1500 horsepower strapped to your
butt," but it will give you an edge.
He improvises his way through each course, responding to the ever-shifting variables. It is
impossible to practice beforehand, as the trucks are so expensive to repair and the courses
impossible to replicate. It is solely a performance sport. He has a few pre-show talismans, including
the application of Monkey Butt Powder and wearing mismatched socks. The truck is affixed with a
'lucky' hockey puck, given to him by one of his mechanics.
Are there rivalries with the other drivers? For the most part, they look out for each other. "If I go out
for a competition and I break my truck, whether its from rolling over or a mechanical malfunction,
instantly when I get back to the pit I’ll see three or four other teams – my competition – that are
diving in there to help out and make sure this truck gets fixed so it can get back out there and
More Sports
SPORTS | Despite Playoff Futility,Burke's Departure WasPremature
SPORTS | Dickey's Acquisition WillLeave Jays Fans Utterly Inspired
R.A. Dickey is a Blue Jay
Start planning the parade
Why Bargnani Has Got to Go and
Take Colangelo With Him
Forward Andrea Bargnani and GM
Bryan Colangelo need to go if the…
WATCH: Raptors Get Some Help
Blocking Shots... From the Ref
Kris Humphries free throw attempt
stifled by official who probably just
felt…
It was Fun, But it's Time for the
NFL and Toronto to Divorce
A permanent NFL team in Toronto
would all but give the Canadian…
The Voice of the Blue Jays Receives
Baseball's Highest Honour
The late Tom Cheek was awarded 2013
Ford C. Frick award for…
Despite Playoff Futility,
Burke's Departure Was
Premature
Why I Can't Stay Mad at the
NHL
Dickey's Acquisition Will Leave
Jays Fans Utterly Inspired
compete. Having said that, once the light goes green, it’s every man for himself. When the gloves
drop, it's go time."
What do monster truck drivers talk to each other about? "Monster trucks." McQueen likes to mix it
up, though. In the off-season he occupies himself with a lot of stunt work, film production and
building muscle cars.
His favorite monster truck 'trick' is the one he debuted in Jacksonville, the backflip. He learned the
tricky maneuver on a motorcycle, which is easier to throw your weight around on. "In a truck, you’re
strapped in solid to that seat and basically the only thing you can move are your hands and legs. In a
10 000 pound truck, that’s not going to help your inertia any."
Every monster truck has its own nuances and demands. The trucks are custom built to suit each
driver, and safety is the foremost concern. "As far as a 10 000 pound, 15-horsepower truck is, I guess
they’re as comfortable as they can be." Despite their improved safety features, they still can jostle a
driver around. He's experienced so many injuries he stopped keeping count because it was "too
depressing." He will continue to push himself, and his truck, to the limit. "I love it and I’ll do it as
long as they let me.”
The best part of his job is when he gets to meet with the little kids who had the same dream he did.
While many decried it as a childish dream, his parents always encouraged him. He wants to do the
same for kids, "whether it's with monster trucks or whether it's being an airplane pilot or a movie
star."
"It seems that in today’s day in age, a lot of times dreams get crushed. You know, the kids have these
childhood dreams and they grow up. Once they become adults, the world and their peers tell them
that that’s all those are - they’re just childish dreams. And you gotta get a real job. I really try and
portray the message to the kids that that’s not necessarily the case. If you have a dream, and you
follow that dream and you work hard enough for it - then you can achieve it. It's something that
transfers into everyday life as well, it's something that I try and live by."
You can catch Cam McQueen driving Northern Nightmare in next week's Maple Leaf Monster Jam
Tour at the Rogers Centre, January 19 - 20.
____
Tiffy Thompson is a writer and illustrator for the Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter
at @tiffyjthompson.
For more, follow us on Twitter at @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.
____
Related Posts
TweetTweet 11Like 16 Send
0 comments
Leave a message...
DiscussionDiscussion CommunityCommunity ##ShareShare
No one has commented yet.
Comment feedr Subscribe via emailm
0★
THE SPRAWL CULTURE STYLE BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SPORTS FOREIGN DESK VIDEO
Most Read Most Commented RecommendedToronto Standard on
Toronto Standard on
Contact
ABOUT
ADVERTISE
CONTRIBUTE
JOBS
TIPS
Social
FLICKR
YOUTUBE
VIMEO
RSS FEED
More
NEWSLETTER
ARCHIVES
AWARDS ANDRECOGNITION
TERMS OFSERVICE
1 In Defense of Paulina Gretzky’s Flare …
2 How Black Does Quentin Tarantino Think H…
3 IKEA Monkey is Back in 'IKEA Monkey the …
4 Shania Twain Centre to Close and be Repl…
The Blackberry EditionDownload our
Blackberry app
today.
COPYRIGHT © 2013 TORONTO STANDARD MEDIA COMPANY LIMITED
TORONTO STANDARDFEATURES ADAPTIVE DESIGN