Heritage Middle School had the pleasure to welcome and witness some amazing BMX bike skills from Matt Wilhelm this afternoon! I've known some friends from middle school and high school who thought, emphasis on the word thought right there, they knew how to ride a bike, but it was nothing compared to this guy! He has been on America's Got Talent, X games, and a whole bunch of other impressive stuff I can't even remember to list off. He also talks a whole bunch about anti-bullying, putting your best foot forward, and working hard (even if it takes YEARS) to reach your goals. This guy was the real deal. He came prepared with tricks and giveaway prizes, even letting students participate at one point in the show. It was, I repeat, super impressive and super fun. It's just what we all need right before kids start IAR testing later this week.
I can still remember watching him explain the different tricks he was able to do as he demonstrated the different steps piece by piece, and then suddenly he was doing all of the tricks together as one twisting the bike first left, then right, then flipping himself off it while the bike twirled under him; all while continuing to talk to the audience. At one point his entire body was parallel to the floor while he continued steering with his hands and riding around the room. I can't even imagine the amount of control and strength that takes! He kept asking, in a calm and joking manner, if we wanted an accident, and everyone cheered. However, every time he flipped that bike under him my breath caught a little and I felt my heart racing.
At the very end, he even brought two teachers up front telling the audience he was going to jump over them on his bike! I kept telling myself, he's probably done this a thousand times. He wouldn't bring TWO teachers up if he couldn't handle it, right? But then they laid down next to each other and I'll be honest, I panicked a bit. Matt rode once around the circle, hyping the audience up. He said he was going to do a practice round to see if he could make the jump...he did NOT make the jump. I repeat, he did NOT make the jump. The audience agreed with me on that one, I know most hands went up to say he did not make the jump. But again, I kept telling myself, he's done it before. He knows what he's doing. So, he goes to the very far corner of the gym, gets some real speed going, and jerks the bike up high at the last second clearing both teachers. The audience screams (I'm sure me included) and everyone starts clapping.
I know in my rational brain that he has done all of these tricks before and he wouldn't be doing them for an audience of students if he didn't think he could pull them off, but boy is he good at convincing us otherwise! I found myself sweating and nervous throughout half the show! Aside from keeping me nervous the whole time though, I loved his stories about growing up and persevering when things got tough. He spent years working on some of those tricks, falling off the bike and getting back up again. I think hearing that really makes a difference for some students and I love that he was able to share that with us today.
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