A Taste of my Book

Jumping bikes takes nerves of steel and a mild amount of insanity. The ramp consists of an old door propped on a knotty alder log, about four feet in front of a barbed wire fence covered by blackberries. The gravel driveway entering the High School FFA field behind our house would be my launchpad.

The challenge of this jump is not just the poor planning; but, also with the harsh crowd gathered to watch my impending wipeout.  Doors are meant for walking through, not biking on.  The alder is thick with knotty bumps that keep the door from laying flat. The audience was a mix of longtime friends, Junior High elite, a neighbor girl I dreamed to one day call my girlfriend, my older cousin - Gary; and Poochie - my dog and most loyal friend.

The red mono-shock bike I straddled was a huge step up from the early 70's era banana seat I was peddling last summer.  My dad must have spent all of Christmas Eve getting this beauty put together.  It was the first time my friends had seen an off-road bike first hand, and this one went even further by placing a single shock absorber in the center of the crossbar traveling between the seat and handlebars.  Of course, having a bike like this meant that I had to prove I was worthy to operate a cutting edge piece of machinery.

The run to the ramp was 30 yards downhill, veering to the right (away from the gate). The bend off the driveway through the grass to the jump is going to make hitting the ramp square challenging. Going up the middle of the door is the only way to keep from tilting off the alder and avoiding an embarrassing/painful tour through the blackberry bushes covering the fence.

I want to build my way up to this level by practicing with small jumps first, but my cousin Gary had recently seen Evil Kneivel jump, and billed me as Eatonville’s Evil.  Gary added to the pressure by reminding me that I would be going to the Junior High soon and this jump would save me from numerous "swirlies".  I know Evil Kneivel practiced his jumps in a variety of ways, has a top notch launching/landing system, and engineering/safety personnel to take care of all his needs.

I was about to jump using an untested ramp, fly into/over the blackberry bushes, and land/crash in the back pasture.  The fear of having my head shoved in a toilet had significantly diminished as I stared down the approach to the rickety ramp.  I knew I would attempt this jump; not for Angie my wanna-be girlfriend; not to avoid junior high “swirlies”; not even for my close friends; but I knew I would attempt this wild stunt in order to gain the smallest amount of admiration from Gary.

Gary was going into High School soon and he had given me guidance, protection, and few headaches during my years in elementary school. I was the oldest of four, three boys and the youngest my sister. I believe my Uncle Phillip dispatched Gary out to torment me after hearing how I tormented my siblings. I especially admired Gary because he was a popular athlete, and all the girls liked him.  A few bruises or scrapes from the jump was a small price to pay for some of what Gary had.

I knew the most important part of the jump would be speed. I needed to have enough extra speed to be able to clear the blackberries, even if the door should tilt off the alder. Washington is covered by blackberry bushes that grow in clusters up to seven feet high.  Each branch bends outwards with dozens of half inch swords to protect the fruit from predators.  Most parents see these bushes as weeds given life by the nine months of steady rain and the acidic, evergreen fertilized, soil.

I had procrastinated as long as I could, I must go soon.  A couple of my friends had started to whisper my name in the form of a chant- "Jay...Jay...Jay". Panic began to run through me as I began to wonder how the next few moments will shape my future. The fear had little to do with the slashing I would take as I landed in the blackberries or even the broken bones I might endure if I make it over the bushes. My greatest fear was failure, especially in front of this boisterous crowd.  I somehow knew that if I made this jump that my future would be different; and I would gain credibility, and Gary's admiration.