Mat Hoffman

1972-

American BMX rider

Mat Hoffman, five years old, stood at the top of a home-made ramp in the family's backyard, perched on his BMX bike with only an older brother's grip to keep him from falling over the edge. He pleaded with his brother to hold on tight so, as older brothers will, he dropped him. Hoffman flew down the ramp, and took the jump while keeping his balance. After yelling at his brother for the breach in confidence, Hoffman demanded they do it again. And with that, an extreme athlete was born.

The World's Most Extreme Athlete

BMX's Vert competitions might be the most extreme of extreme sports. The events show off incredible but dangerous bike stunts, crafted by some of the most daring, and some would say deranged, athletes in recent memory. The point is to get as high in the air with your bike as possible so you can come down with the most tricks possible; all while riding within the confines of a

twelve-foot high and sixty foot wide half-pipe. But if BMX is the most extreme sport, then that would make Hoffman the most extreme athlete. Hoffman, considered the greatest Vert rider of all time, pioneered the sport, changing it from a hobby of a select few to a huge community of exceptional athletes and millions of fans.

Hoffman was born January 9th, 1972 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He displayed his trademark eagerness for danger early on. At five, he leapt from two stories high with an open umbrella in his hands, inspired by television's The Flying Nun. Once he showed an interest in BMX bikes his father supported him by building bike ramps in the backyard. At first his mother, Joni, couldn't even watch him practice. But after Hoffman went amateur in the Bicycle Freestyle circuit at the age of thirteen, she knew he was good. She also knew he was hooked and when he got hooked there was no talking him out of it. Eventually, she became such a fan that she started bringing cameras to the competitions. Hoffman quickly climbed to the top of his amateur class and eventually became a pro at sixteen—his first record of many more to come.

He quickly established himself as an athlete unlike any other in his sport. He set record after record as he created new tricks on a weekly basis that captured the imagination of everyone who saw him perform. He believes his unique tricks may end up being his legacy "I just love creating new tricks," he told Ram Ganesan of New Straits Times. "It's all about using your imagination, being part of a constant building process. I believe in challenging myself, in seeing whether I can master a certain move." He holds the world record for "highest air," floating five stories high over a sold out auditorium. One of his biggest stunts got him a lot of media attention when he rode off a 3,800-foot cliff. With a parachute, of course.

Pioneer on a Bicycle

While America's youth abandoned BMX in droves in the 1980s and early '90s Hoffman stuck with it and displayed an athleticism that drew millions of kids back into the fold. Primarily known for his incredible jumps and innovative stunts, Hoffman, also known as 'Condor,' likes to make a point that BMX isn't simply a sport, it's a lifestyle. His successful forays into promotion, design, manufacturing, and licensing back him up; his name has been on everything from an autobiography (The Ride of My Life ) to best-selling video games (BMX Pro 1 and 2) to his own Hoffman-branded merchandise, like a recent action-figure lineup that sold 1.7 million figures.

But the notoriety came with a lot of pain. After fourteen operations, fifty broken bones and a three day coma, Hoffman's love for BMX has taken its toll on him. "I actually flat-lined once," he told ESPN's Dan Patrick. In 1993, after a stunt for MTV went bad, Hoffman's spleen burst. The doctors thought Hoffman had around twenty minutes to live due to excessive internal bleeding. They removed his spleen as a last-ditch effort and it ended up saving his life. "You can say I've challenged medical science on several occasions," he told Patrick. His attitude toward such risk? He told Sophia Hollander of the New York Times, "In order to experience all the pleasures and successes in life, you have to be willing to take all the pain and failures."

Chronology

He founded Hoffman Promotions in 1991, a company designed to promote Hoffman's skyrocketing fame and, consequently, BMX in general. That same year he began to design and manufacture bikes under the Hoffman brand. Though he started small (the industry was in a serious slump) his company now churns out around 30,000 bikes a year. But his greatest contribution to the sport may be the Hoffman Sports Association (HSA), responsible for producing ESPN's successful X Games. The X-Games, a competition designed for extreme sports like BMX and skateboarding, has become a phenomenon after only a few short years. Cities around the world vie to host the games since they're reported to net tens of millions of dollars for local economies. HSA also developed the Crazy Freakin' Bikers Series (CFB), a competition that provides stunt bikers a forum to compete in. Over the years it has become a major stepping-stone to the Bicycle Stunt (BS) Series. In a true testament to his well-deserved pioneer reputation, Hoffman has earned Vert series titles for the CFB, the BS Series, and has been world champion ten times.

Athlete and Entrepreneur

Hoffman was injured so often that he got used to waking up from a bad stunt with no idea who he was. He would need someone there to remind him and fill him in on why he was hospitalized. But after surviving a frightening accident during big-ramp racing (where a motorcycle drags the bike full throttle to the top of the ramp and then releases it) his wife held their newborn baby up and played with her to remind him of what he'd miss if he kept going. He agreed to retire from the riskier stunts, but swears he'll keep going until he can't go any more. "When the day comes that I choose to not ride anymore it won't be because of injury," he wrote in his ESPN online journal. "It will be because the challenge of injury will have become more than what my will and determination can overcome." In the meantime, Hoffman continues to build his legacy by performing in select competitions and even appearing in movies. His most recent appearances include XXX and Jackass: The Movie ; as well as an IMAX film called Ultimate X: The Movie.

Because of Hoffman's tireless dedication to his sport, BMX and many other "extreme sports" have become commercially viable and respected, especially among the world's young people. He lives in the same town he grew up in, Oklahoma City, with his wife, Jaci, and their daughter, Giavanna.

Awards and Accomplishments

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Mat Hoffman, Hoffman Bikes, 4307 N Walnut Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Periodicals

Ganesan, Ram. "Promise of the Flying Condor." News Straits Times—Management Times (January 10, 2003).

Hollander, Sophia. "Taking Life to the Edge, And Spins and Jumps, Too." New York Times (October 8, 2002): D2.

Other

Patrick, Dan. "Outtakes with Mat Hoffman." ESPN.com.http://espn.go.com/talent/danpatrick/s/2001/0808/1236775.html (December 6, 2001).

Sketch by Ben Zackheim