FREESTYLE BIKE SHOW MESSAGE: DRUG FREE WAY TO BE

EDGEWATER -- The bicyclist rode up the ramp, spun around on his BMX
bike and flew high into the air.

It was a gravity-defying stunt that made the young audience
gasp.

As he came down, deftly landing his bike on the platform, the children
cheered with an intensity usually reserved for rock stars.

Youngsters at Edgewater Public School didn't take their eyes off the
performers at the Wheels of Freestyle Bicycle Thrill Show who visited
their school Thursday morning.

Professional bicycle motorcross riders Jon Dowker, Rob Christianson
and Ricky Rogers enthralled youngsters with spins and twirls and
flatland tricks executed with precise timing and great
athleticism.

As children chanted their names, the riders performed stunts like
those seen on the Gravity Games and X Games. At one point, Rogers
jumped his bike across faculty members lying on the ground in the
school parking lot.

But there was a serious message behind the circus-like
entertainment.

"All of the riders you see here are drug free," Dowker told the
classes. "None of us smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or use drugs. We
think a drug-free lifestyle is worth promoting."

The program was part of Red Ribbon Week -- when youngsters learn the
dangers of chemical abuse -- sponsored by Chemical People for Drug
Free Youth. The Freestyle riders also visited Burns-Oak Hill
Elementary and New Smyrna Beach Middle School.

Fifth-grader Jason Hagen, 9, nodded enthusiastically when asked if he
had enjoyed the program. "I thought they were pretty good," Jason
said. "I liked them. They told us to stay drug free."

Caylie Lanigan, 10, said her brother sometimes tried bicycle stunts
similar to what the team performed.

"They were really neat," the fourth-grade girl added as she lined up
to get team members' autographs. "I liked the back flip most of all."

"All our riders are drug-free riders," Dowker told the youth. "They
wouldn't be here today if they'd ever gotten involved in negative
things like smoking or drinking or drugs."