// SPORTS
// SPORTS
Gates’s parents continue to support his bik- ing. “Tey’ve seen the XGames, Dew Tours and the pressure of national BMX races,” he said. “Tey understand how I am in love with the sport and how I am able to be successful.” Gates’s father, Matthew, is also a BMX
H Austin Gates performs a high-flying trick on the Decatur Square. “I seriously love to ride,” he said.
BMXtraordinary Sophomore ranks top in state
BY KELSEY MARTIN
kelseymartin@csdecatur.net
It’s a passion that he found just four years ago, and he lives this passion daily. BMX, which stands for Bicycle Motorcross, has been Gates’s favorite hobby for four years. “BMX helps me forget and look back at all of my past problems, and it’s really fun,” he said. Gates rides his bike every day whether it’s
A
to school or just with friends. He practices racing Tuesdays and Tursdays and practices BMX freestyle tricks every day. His favorite freestyle tricks is a 180 and a
Grizz Air. “A 180 is a trick when I’m on the back wheel [on a bike] moving in 180 degree angles,” Gates said. A Grizz Air is the next level up – in a Grizz Air, a rider takes one hand off the handle, straightens their legs off the pedals and puts the wheel on their shoulder. “I like it because it feels like that I’m pausing in the air,” Gates said. Gates, who does racing and tricks for
competitions, is Georgia’s current state champion, and he has won the regional competition three years in a row. In Octo- ber, Gates won his third state competition at Sandy Ridge Race Park in McDonough, Georgia. He was going against eight others in his age division. “I was definitely confi-
rush of exhilaration sweeps over sophomore Austin Gates as he rides his bike throughout Decatur.
dent,” he said. “It was my third time doing the competition, so I felt like I was going to do well.” Gates isn’t a sore winner though, he has found friends in the BMX world. “I knew of the other eight people competing, we’re buddies.” Tis past September, Gates gained a spon- sorship from Headhunta Action Sports, an Atlanta company specializing in skating and biking. His sponsorship will last a year, and he is currently a representative and endorses use in their BMX equipment. “When I got the sponsorship, it was really exciting,” Gates said. “But it put more pressure on me to work hard on tricks.” Gates re -
ceives free equipment from Headhunta be- cause of the sponsorship by doing shows and demos. BMX is expensive when it comes to equipment. “Bikes are about $500,” he said. “Getting the free equip- ment is really helpful, and it’s nice because I don’t have to use the same equipment to practice and compete.” Like any other sport, BMX comes with
rider. He is a one time state winner, and he finished in the top 15 in the last national competition. He is proud to share time with his son. “I enjoy riding with Austin, and we enjoy teaching each other new things,” Matthew said. “I am very excited for his ac- complishments in BMX.” Austin also likes the idea of his dad being a BMX rider, “It’s fun challenging each other and teaching new things that we’d learned to ride,” he said. Currently, there are issues with allowing BMXers into skate parks. Te City of De- catur’s Mckoy Park typically allows BMX riders, and the park is where Gates and his friends ride. Atlanta’s Forth Ward skate park is one of the parks that doesn’t. “I don’t think it’s right,” Gates said. “We love our sport just as much as skateboarders, and we want a location to spend our time.” One of Austin’s closest friends, senior
Jeremy Hüber, is also a BMX rider. “I like it because it shows who I am, and it has brought me into a great community,” Hüber said. Hüber also admires Gates’s dedication to BMX. “Austin is the most dedicated person I’ve ever known,” he said. “He will never stop trying until he has landed a trick.” Hüber and Gates also own a company
called Dead Bird BMX which is a crew that deals with anything BMX. “So far, we have a little over ten people [in the crew],” Hüber said. “Soon, I want to start making clothing then expand to a bike company that sells and makes BMX parts,” Gates said. “Right now, it’s just a crew of me and my friends riding, but soon we’ll start making t-shirts and other clothing.”
“I have been in plenty of accidents.” – Austin Gates, sophomore
Both Gates and Hüber want to have
challenges, such as accidents and injuries. “Every injury that’s out there to get, you could get with BMX,” he said. “I have been in plenty of accidents.” Even though the sport can be dangerous,
futures in BMX riding. “In ten years, I see Austin and I in Tampa, Florida riding some sweet spots,” Hüber said. “I want Dead Bird BMX in a building having its name on distributed products,” Gates said. For Gates, BMX is something that will always be special for him. “Every moment of riding my bike is the greatest memory of me biking,” he said. “I want to become professional by working hard and having fun with it.” n
DECEMBER 2011 • CARPE DIEM 9
Photo by Kelsey Martin
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56