A half-pipe ramp was brought to the high school campus on Sept. 15 as part of an anti-bullying assembly presented by ASA Entertainment. Five BMX riders performed stunts and tricks for the students while also talking about the issues of bullying.
“It gives them an example because all of us went to high school and all of us dealt with bullies. One of the ways that I dealt with it was no matter what was going on in my life, my bike always made me happy to go ride it. It’s totally a self-supported kind of thing… you can do it the way you want to and no one can tell you how to do it better,” said Newman. “We’re not only promoting anti-bullying but we’re promoting fun and following your dreams and passions.”
The tour was designed to help prevent bullying in high schools across the United States, while also keeping students engaged and involved in the presentation. Professional BMX riders and skateboarders Zachary Newman, Coco Zurita, Alex Landeros, Paul-Luc Ronchetti, and Koji Kraft were all in attendance.
All of the riders that were at the assembly have made X Games appearances, with both Zurita and Ronchetti each having one bronze and one silver medal from the X Games. Zurita has also achieved things such as the the winner of the 2010 Rider of the Year Award, as well as being the first person to land the Triple Tail Whip. The professionals seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves while they were on the half-pipe.
“I have fun everyday. Everyone has their one thing that they love to do and mine’s bike riding, and I get to come here and share it with you guys,” said Newman. “Eight year-old me would be really happy right now.”