By: SimonMike Spinner is quickly becoming one of the most popular action sports stars on the planet. As a rookie last year, this BMX star took the AST Dew Tour by storm with his signature 1080 trick. He rides for Dave Mirra's Bike Team and has infinite endorsement deals. What does the 20-year-old, Florida native have in store this year? Kidzworld caught up with Mike and found out!
Simon: You just got home from Australia, how was that?
Mike Spinner: We’re just there doing a bunch of things for Nike. It's Nike 6.0 - it's like a new division. It was just awesome. We’ve been traveling around, filming, getting stuff for online. That was my second time in Australia. I just found out from another sponsor that they wanted me to come back. This year I go to Australia three times, so I'm stoked for it. I get to travel the world.
Simon: You were the first to nail a 1080. Is that your best trick?
Mike Spinner: Yeah that’s my best. But you know what? Right now I'm working on some other stuff so I wouldn’t say its my best trick, but it’s the trick I've had the most fun doing. It's get up in the air, spin around three times, and every time I land it, I'll have the biggest smile you’ll see!
Simon: Do you have any tricks up your sleeve this year that you care to share?
Mike Spinner: Two years ago, I was the first person to pull a 720 tail whip. which is I rotate twice and the bike rotates once. There is one other person who can do that right now. But Im working on a 720 double tail whip and that is gnarly! Im still going to do a 1080 but Im hoping that new trick is going to be there. Like one of those, "if he pulls this off, he will win the contest."
Simon: So how did you get involved in BMX?
Mike Spinner: Pretty much, I was all into sports like hockey, basketball, never football but everything, team sports whatever. I always had a bunch of neighbors who rode their bikes. I was like 10 years old, jumping off curbs this and that. Went to the first skate park when I was about 12. Fell in love. Begging my dad take me take me and did it all the time.
My mom died when I was 15. She passed away from emphysema. I was like oh my god. I was freaking out. Pretty much, I didn’t know what to do for like a few months. So I was like, ‘you know what, I am just going to ride my bike everyday and finish school.' Education is the most important thing I know that for a fact. But I rode my bike, Im not even kidding seven hours a day, every single day. My goal still was to go to college. I graduated high school and I always wanted to go to the Woodword Camp. My goal was to just work there for a few months have a great time then go to college and have a real career. But I always had crazy tricks in my mind and it actually worked. I got to ride with the best pros in the world for three months straight and I entered an amateur contest. I won the amateur contest and pulled the first 720 tail whip. And from then on it was just, "Alright Mike, get sponsored by these guys and these guys." I have an agent now, it's insane (laughs)!
Simon: You are sponsored by companies like Nike and Monster Energy Drink. What is the coolest perk you have ever received?
Mike Spinner: Monster Energy sent me a fridge that I put in my room. Took me and a couple of friends to bring it upstairs. They sent me, Im not even kidding, like 15 cases of Monster every two months. Which is probably $1000. So every single time I get it, you got to see the biggest smile and laugh. I'm like, 'this is crazy!'
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