Two of the top BMX riders in the country wowed students at Dorothea Lange Elementary School last Friday in a special performance on the school’s basketball courts.
Riders Cory Walters and Dustin McCarty performed high-flying aerial stunts like back-flips and jumping over each other as well as on-the-ground tricks like riding standing up with one foot on the handlebars and one foot on the seat.
“The kids absolutely went wild when Dustin McCarty jumped over Principal Jeff Madrigal and teachers Bill Ridge (second grade) and Sue Baca (fifth grade),” said Lisa Haslett, president of the Lange Parent-Teacher Organization.
Walters and McCarty are with BMX Skate Show, a Yorba Linda company that brings not only a crowd-pleasing show to Southern California schools but also safety tips mixed with anti-drug and anti-violence messages.
The company’s bicycle and skateboard riders also have performed at such places as Knott’s Berry Farm and UC Irvine.
Spread throughout their performance, the riders advise students to always wear their helmets, do a five-point safety check before riding a skateboard or bike, say “no” to bullying, peer pressure, violence and drugs and “Don’t let anything get in the way of your dreams. Always keep trying.”
“I think that the kids remember their message because they are also so amazed by their bike tricks that the message actually sticks,” Haslett said. “Well, that’s what we’re hoping.”
Haslett said the school contacted the company after it was recommended by a Lange student’s parent, a former teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School in San Luis Obispo, who saw one of the shows.
http://bmxskateshow.com
