Flatland BMX Freestyle champion at Cal State

IECN28_Layout 1 10/3/12 11:22 AM Page 1
Page A28 • October 4, 2012 • Inland Empire Community Newspapers
Flatland BMX Freestyle champion at Cal State
T
By Harvey M. Kahn
he unassuming 29-yearold man performing tricks
on his BMX bike in front
of the Pfau Library at Cal State
San Bernardino last week happened to be one of the top action
athletic competitors in the world.
Terry Adams made a stop at Cal
State as part of his "Back to School
Tour" that lists 20 appearances in
14 days on college campuses
throughout Southern California.
While on the Cal State University
San Bernardino campus he spoke
to Dr. Mo Bahk's media communications history class. Adams was
just returning from Kyoto, Japan
where he entered the Super Bowl
of Flatland BMX riding known as
the Red Bull Circle of Balance
Tour.
Adams has a number of sponsorships, with Red Bull his most high
profiled. Adams joins the stable of
Red Bull athletes like Reggie
Bush, Blake Griffin, Evan Longoria and a long list of Xtreme athletes. His biography includes a
Gold Medal from the 2005 ESPN
X Games; a gold at the 2008 Sydney BMX Games; a gold at the
2005 Asian X Games, and a two
time Rider of the Year Award
(NORA Cup) winner as voted by
his fellow BMX colleagues.
Adams has appeared on Glee and
the Ellen DeGeneres Show. His
signature line of Freegun underwear briefs sell by the thousands
internationally.
According to information pro-
IECN PHOTO COURTESY
RED BULL
Red Bull sponsored Flatland
BMX pro Terry Adams performed tricks like this at Cal
State SB as part of his "Back to
School Tour" last week.
vided by Red Bull , Adams spoke
to 50 students in Dr. Bahk's media
history class about the importance
of integrating the mass media into
a successful career as an athlete.
He told the class that the print
media is permanent, but blitzed
with the social media and you
tube, name recognition can be built
through repetition, good content
and photography. Adams told the
Cal State students that it is just important for an athlete to work with
the media as it is to perform. One
student in Dr. Bahk's class who
said they could speak only on the
condition of anonymity, said that
the class is comprised of athlete's
from the various CSUSB's sports
teams.
In a telephone interview, Adams
said he likes surprising college students with his 20-minute BMX
demonstrations, most who have
never seen it before. All of his
trick are performed on flatland
without rails or ramps. It is akin to
gymnastics. A little like unicycling, with the timing of a dancer
and the balance of a tightrope
walker. That combined with the
determination of a bull rider. See
Terry Adams/Youtube. His simple, but fully furnished home in
Hammond, Louisiana is also pictured on Youtube. His wife,
Vanessa is credited with its interior
design.
Neither Adams nor Red Bull representatives would reveal what his
annual gross earnings are, but with
all his ventures it could be near $1
million. He did say that "the sky is
the limit" as far as making money.
Adams said for those who are motivated, they can make money
without major corporate sponsors.
"You can support yourself by just
competing in contests. By traveling around, there are contests
nearly everyday somewhere." He
said that Flatland BMX riding is
"very flashy" and catches the eyes
of motion picture producers. That's
Adams peddling in the background
of many movies. He's been featured in Burger King, Nike, and
Disney commercials.
Adams says he never tires of
speaking to the media and with interested members of the public. He
understands his role of promoting
the sport of BMX flatland riding.
He says it doesn't matter what you
get good at; be persistent and keep
calling media outlets to help build
your name. "It doesn't matter if
you're good at spinning a yo-yo,
get out there and promote. It was
never an option for me not to make
it." He advises boys to watch out
when they turn 16. "I've seen kids
get pushed out at 16. I've known
many guys who were great athletes, but once they turned 16, they
got a car and a girlfriend and it was
over."
ARMC's Annual Health and
Safety Fair to offer free health
screenings, safety information
C
ome to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s
10th Annual Community
Health and Safety Fair, scheduled
for Saturday, October 13, from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. Five hundred free
flu shots will be provided (adults
only), in addition to free health
screenings, individual doctor consultations, free sharps roundup for
used syringes, safety information
and more. The fair is being held on
the ARMC campus, 400 North
Pepper Ave., in Colton. Registration for health screenings ends at
1:30 p.m.
With a focus on the obesity epidemic that continues to impact
children and adults throughout the
County of San Bernardino, the fair
provides screenings that will help
to assess health risk factors and
important information on nutrition.
The fair also provides fire and
trauma safety demonstrations and
tips that can help children and
adults stay safe and out of the
emergency room. Other features
include teddy bears for the first
300 kids to complete their health
screenings and new this year, a
Mercy Air Medevac helicopter, an
opportunity for kids to meet Officer Byrd with his great safety lessons, and a visit from cleaning
expert Cory Chalmers from
A&E’s TV show “Hoarders.” The
event will also include a bounce
house for the kids, raffle prizes,
and more. In addition, there will be
numerous vendors and exhibitors
with important resources for health
and safety.
As part of a continuing effort to
improve the health and safety of
the community, the health and
safety fair is open to all San
Bernardino County residents.
ARMC’s Health and Safety Fair
provides an opportunity for individuals to take care of their health,
learn something new, and to enjoy
all of the family activities.
For more information, please call
(909) 580-1000, or visit the web
site at www.arrowheadmedcenter.org.