By Crystal Earl
While some students at the school spend their leisure time playing sports like soccer, basketball, and volleyball, freshman Ozzy Butler rides BMX.
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general on- or off-road recreation. It is not the usual around-the-block kind of biking. Instead, experienced bikers jump and ride over sand dunes and dirt mounds at fast speeds, often performing tricks in the air. Unlike other recreational sports, BMX biking requires a higher amount of experience and training in order to be performed.
Butler got into BMX when he was four years old. His first bike was a Fitbikeco. He thought that it looked really impressive to go over jumps at high speeds
“I thought it was really cool because I always liked going fast and BMX gave me that opportunity,” Butler said.
Mostly, he rides BMX for fun but he has competed in some amateur bike tournaments. One of his most memorable competitions was the Hot Wheels Jr. Cup in Stallion Springs, California at their Woodward West complex.
“Woodward West is a really big skate park where kids go to get better and learn new tricks. Woodward West has like every single ramp you would want for a bike, because there are dirt jumps and big things for you to ride bikes on,” Butler said.
Butler learned how to do tricks on his bike through his older friends that were really experienced and they would motivate him to keep up the hard work.
“My favorite trick is called the tail-whip, which takes place in mid air. You hop, then you spin the whole entire back of the bike around and catch it with your feet. It’s like a 360 degree spin. I’m best at the tail-whip,” Butler said.
Butler learned many of these tricks, like the tail-whip, from his friends.
“My friends constantly inspire me to get better. One of my friends is pro, and he’s really good; so I look up to him and he teaches me tricks,” Butler said.
Butler’s friend is Ethan Corrier, a professional BMX biker with over 56,000 followers on Instagram. Corrier is sponsored by Fitbikeco and S&M Bikes.
Not only has Butler been able to make friends through biking, he also has been able to enjoy himself whilst acquiring important life skills.
“BMX has given me lots of fun times meeting new people and learning to better myself in the sport. BMX has taught me to never give up on learning a new trick and go higher and higher every time I hit a jump,” said Butler.
Although Butler only participates in BMX for fun right now, he plans on continuing the sport and even would like to become a professional someday.
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