Marcus Schoepe, 19, lives in Morgan Hill and he's been hanging around Kali World Headquarters for longer than we can remember. Just like anyone who we see around the warehouse for any length of time, we put him to work. "Marcus is a great kid," said Brad Waldron, Kali Lead Engineer. "I love that I can just tell him to do something or point him in the direction of something that needs to done and it's taken care of."

For someone who would rather be riding the dirt jumps than just about anything else, we've found him to be surprisingly pleasant and hard working. As a matter of fact, we would say he optimizes what it means to be part of the Kali Krew. He cares and it shows in everything he does. "It's surprising, for such a big kid he's so graceful on the bike," said Waldron. "He just keeps getting better and better." 

His favorite 100 yards is not surprising to us. Our backyard is his second home, after all. At least five times a week, for about three hours a day, he's out there maintaining or shredding the jumps. Normally Marcus starts the day off picking up trash and keeping an eye out for anything that need touching up. The job entails some housekeeping, some detailed shovel work and a whole lot of babysitting of the local groms. 

He can see the entirety of his favorite line while standing atop Kali's tall tower. There is the quick ride down the ramp, giving him the speed he need to launch off the first wooden kicker over a gap to a smooth dirt landing, which sets him up for the next ramp. The second jump of the line is a favorite of Marcus' especially since it is currently riding exquisitely. It's about two Marcus' tall and he's not short. The gap is the biggest jump in the yard. He routinely hits it like it's nothing.

"I just try to stay focused on what I need to do," said Marcus. "I think about trying to complete the tricks I want in my line. To warm up, I normally just cruise for a little bit, ride the jumps and limit my tricks for a bit while I ease myself into doing them." 

Marcus has been riding pretty regularly for the last five years and the last three have been mostly here at Kali. He rides six times-a-week for at least a couple hours per session. He loves riding here and the only thing he would want to see different is more additional dirt jumps. Even though a majority of his riding is in the same spot he does like to get out and go other places and isn’t afraid to take his dirt jumper to the concrete at a skatepark. Typically he rides with Kali’s very own Zac West, but recently has been riding with a couple of other buddies.

"I love riding with them because they are highly skilled and it makes me want to push myself further." 

Follow Marcus on Instagram: @lilmarcussw