The Great, all mighty Flipwhip.
“Ever since I started riding BMX (which was because of a local skatepark opening up by me), I fell in love. I have ALWAYS envied the backflip tail whip maneuver. It’s completely frightening when you think about it and break it down in your head, but visually, I’m just so amazed by it. It’s just been a trick that I’ve always watched others do, but never once thought of pushing myself to learn it because it just seemed like an out of my league trick that would never be in my bag. Also, I’m just terrified of the thought of trying one. I’ve pushed myself a bunch of times, hard at some points, too, for certain tricks and learns. Just never ventured into the backflip tail whip territory.
Thanks to my good friend Ben Wallace. He never seems to skip a beat when it comes to pushing me out, WAY out of my comfort zone. Flairs, fufanus, opposite tricks, and finally working me into some flip whips. We go to Woodward West often because we’re fortunate enough to only live about 2.5 hours away. Ben and myself ride together very often so typically we would make the trip to Woodward together. The past, most recent 3 trips we’ve taken, I’ve tried to work on flip whips in the foam pit, trying to figure them out. Fix this, try that, do this, less of that, etc.
Needless to say it gotten a little overwhelming sometimes, I’d change one thing trying to fix something, then something else gets tweaks and bothered. Super confusing and hard to understand the movement all the way through. I was immediately turned once I went of the lip every time, even though to me, I felt completely straight. Ultimately, thanks to Ben for literally walking me through each and ever issue/question that would arise, I DID MY FIRST FLIPWHIP!
Woodward had also just redid the resi as well. Which made it harder than normal, so that was another little something that was in my head. My first attempt I over rotated, but not bad, I just jumped off the back end when I saw a safe point of my rotation. However, something on the bike nailed my left forearm, instantly got a golf ball size lump on my arm.
Dusted that attempt off and went back up for another go. The second attempt is where I landed my first Backflip Tailwhip. I was so happy and couldn’t even process that I had just done that. Excited beyond belief. I went up for another go again at it, pretty much did everything good, but my feet didn’t go to a very good area on my bike. Straight to crank arms, which typically is pretty safe, but my right foot was so far tucked into the crank arm and bike frame. My foot was under my bottom tube of my bike but on the crack arm. Then my back foot goes onto the back pedal, resulting in my front foot about to get pinch/pried backwards. Thats exactly what happened, I landed my second ever flip whip, but not very good. I pretty much could not walk very good at all, right away. It had me more scared than maybe I should have been, but I wached a slow mo video of it, and my ring toe on my right foot just got pried backwards so violently. I didn’t leave that trip on a very good note as far as my well being, but for the day, a big eventful trick I’ve always wanted, I was up in the clouds with excitement. So happy and excited that this day has happen and made its way into my life!”
-Jared Eberwein
