On my custom black Pantera BMX bike I sprint up the massive roll-in ramp for another jump. This time I know I want to go big because this is my last night at Woodward West. I am pumped up with adrenaline because everyone is going big. Max pulled a 720 and Sean Dorton almost pulled a 360 back flip.
As I am sitting on my bike on top of the roll-in in the Hangar 9 indoor skate park I decide that I want to try another back flip. My last attempt did not go so well, and just thinking about another attempt gets my heart racing. I tell everyone that I am going for it. Robby gives me some final words of advice while I am positioning my bike. "Get as much speed as you can”, he tells me. “And don’t hesitate or you might not be able to spin all the way around.”
I hear everyone cheering me on as I glance down the steep roll-in and than at the near vertical ramp. I put my left foot on my pedal and point the handlebars straight towards the ramp. My hands start to sweat and my heart begins to beat faster. I slowly put my right foot on the pedal and pedal forward. I pump down the roll in giving me lots of speed.
As I hit the smooth concrete floor everything seems to go quiet. I get in some final pedals to reach my top speed. I am completely focused on the ramp ahead of me, which I roll up onto faster than I thought I would. At the top of the large ramp I pull back as hard as I can on my handlebars with my sweaty palms, violently arc my neck backwards, and kick my feet out above my head as soon as my back tire leaves the ramp.
As I take off, my head is eight feet above the top of the ramp and almost 15 feet above the glossy cement floor. As I am soaring through the air upside down I feel confident that I will pull it this time. My body continues to rotate and I am able to spot my landing once I can see it.
As I land my hearing comes back to me. I hear all the cheers of my friends. I jump off my bike in celebration. All of my friends run over and tackle me in celebration. My body feels light and strong like I can accomplish anything.
