At least nine riders will be performing in the FreestyleMX.com Tour at OPS tonight.
OXFORD – In freestyle motocross, even those who pass for wise, battle-tested veterans aren’t old enough to remember a life without cable television and video games. Then again, considering the manner in which they earn a paycheck, their words weigh a ton.
Wes Burr, a 21-year-old from Redlands, Calif., laughs about the advice he received from one of the “godfathers” of his sport, close friend and mentor Doug Parsons. In layman’s terms: Have no fear, but don’t be stupid.
“He says you’re not going to get any better if you’re always hurt,” said Burr, “so don’t ride over your head.”
Easier said than done by someone who makes a living hanging off the seat or handlebars of his motorcycle, sometimes higher than 25 feet off the ground.
Burr is one of at least nine riders, most of them aspiring to ESPN’s X-Games or NBC’s Gravity Games, who will lead the FreestyleMX.com Tour to Oxford Plains Speedway this evening for its annual appearance.
The exhibition, which includes an appearance by backflip specialist Jeff Fehr of British Columbia, begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for spectators ages 13-and-up and $7 for juniors.
Burr and Steve Elrod, also a 21-year-old California competitor, have been involved in freestyle for less than two years after racing bikes since their childhood.
“Anybody can do it,” said Elrod. “All you have to do is build yourself a ramp and a freestyle course in your backyard, which doesn’t take up much space. Soon after you’ve had enough spills and thrills, you’ll be on your way.”
Elrod aspires to join X-Games gold medalists Mike Metzger, Kenny Bartram, Tommy Clowers and Matt Buyten, each of whom once appeared at OPS.
There’s a physical price. Elrod recently returned to the tour after missing six weeks due to a broken leg sustained during a stunt in Montana.
“I pulled the cast off a little early, and here I am,” Elrod said. “It was my tibia. I’ve broken my collarbone, my wrist. You don’t think about that much while you’re on the bike. It’s all instinct once you’ve done it enough.”
Burr, who estimates that he has suffered 10 broken bones in bike accidents since childhood, said that only one of those accidents happened since he made the switch from racing to freestyle.
“Both sides of it have their pros and cons,” said Burr. “When you’re racing, you’re driving as hard as you can push it, so you’re going to crash more than you will in freestyle.”
In the course of the 2-hour show, the backflip by Fehr (pronounced, ironically enough, “fear”) is one of many stunts worthy of the “don’t try this at home” label.
The program is divided into four segments: heats, step-up, best trick and the finals. Strong performances in the heats give each rider a chance to return for the finals, where the top seven riders are given three minutes apiece to showcase their tricks.
“It’s friendly competition,” Elrod said. “There are a few bragging rights, but it’s all about having fun and putting on a good show for the people.”
One of Burr’s specialties is the step-up. A horizontal pole is raised at the top of the landing ramp, and riders attempt to launch themselves over the pole without disturbing it. As in a track-and-field high jump, the bar is raised after each successful round until only the winner remains.
In the best trick portion, each rider has two opportunities to perform his most outlandish stunt, with the winner determined by crowd applause.
Burr wouldn’t expect everyone to practice hard enough to pick up the sport in the short time frame that he and Elrod have experienced.
“You have to know how to ride a bike, obviously,” said Burr. “And you’ve to be able to get bumped and bruised and get back on the bike. Some people take one spill and it scares them away. You’ve got to learn to take the pain and the injuries.”
Elrod echoed those sentiments, noting that freestyle riders share a common mentality.
“While you’re up there, you really don’t think about it,” Elrod said. “If you do have a close call, once you’re back on the ground, that’s when you say, ‘OK, I won’t do that again.’ “
“Sometimes it doesn’t go right,” added Burr, “and you’re saying, ‘Oh, no.’ Or another word like that.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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