For young kids, there’s always a draw to jumping on and off curbs and creating ramps in yards and driveways to jump with our bikes.
That draw is hitting full force in Armstrong as a couple of riders known as Trials Stars show off their talent at the 113th Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong.
While most of us moved on from the ramps and curbs, others like Steve Dickin and Jeff Anderson started thinking bigger.
The two riders attended the same high school and found some common ground.
“We met mountain biking at a camp, some other guys were doing this and we kind of followed suit,” said Dickin.
The two have been riding for 12 years and started doing their own shows six years ago.
The show features the two riders, hopping to and from boxes that are anywhere from four to eight feet high, balancing on skinny beams and even using their trailer as a prop.
“My favorite was when they jumped from the trailer to the skinny bar,” said an ecstatic five-year-old Rhiley Pawluski following the show.
Pawluski acknowledged he probably couldn’t do the tricks right now, but he, his brother and his cousins who were also in attendance, agreed that they might be able to do it in the future.
According to Thomas Johnson, they may already be on their way.
“I did a couple of jumps on the ramp that we made,” said the eight-year-old Johnson.
While the show is certainly a big draw for the kids, they’re not the only ones who are taking something from the show.
“It’s kids and then adult males who enjoy it, that’s our demographic,” said Anderson.
“It’s actually the dads who come up after the show and ask us all the technical questions.”
Putting on these shows definitely has its dangers, but the two riders have gone reasonably unscathed in their years of riding.
“We haven’t had anything really serious, mostly sprains and cuts on the shins, but no broken bones,” said Dickin.
Anderson and Dickin will be at the IPE putting on three shows a day – 1:30, 4 and 6:30 p.m. – for the duration of the fair.
For more information on events and shows at the IPE visit armstrongipe.com.
