Going for a spin in Baltimore

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - BMX Park rider Mike Spinner was born on April Fool’s Day.

That may explain why he loves performing tricks in front of huge crowds.

“The biggest thing for me is progression,” Spinner said. “I don’t like doing things that have been done, I want to do things that have never been seen before and that’s my motivation.”

That approach has worked for Spinner, who has made a name for himself by doing the impossible.

In 2006, he landed the first 720 tailwhip in competition by an amateur or professional. Last season, he pulled of the first successful 1080 — three consecutive 360-degree spins on his bike.

This year?

Spinner gets his first shot to make more history from Thursday through Sunday in the AST Dew Tour’s Panasonic Open at the Camden Yards Sports Complex, the first of five Dew Tour events across the country this summer.

“Pretty much I call them dream tricks,” Spinner said. “I wonder if it’s possible, I try it, try again, try again and then one day, it snaps and it works.”

The past two years, however, have seemed like a dream to the 20-year-old native of Oceanside, N.Y.

Spinner’s 720 tailwhip at a Free Flow Tour event in 2006 earned him a Wildcard to the ensuing Dew Tour event in Orlando, Fla., where he qualified first in the BMX Park prelims and did enough to receive an invitation to join the tour full time last season.

More history was made in February of 2007 when Spinner nailed a 1080 in the best trick competition at the Vodafone XAir event in Wellington, New Zealand. He used that momentum to carry over to the Dew Tour, where he finished the season second overall on the tour in BMX Park. Spinner even repeated the trick during one of the tour’s stops in Portland, Ore., where his 1080 earned him Trick of the Year honors.

“There’s five stops in BMX Park, so you don’t want to put your best trick out there the first thing,” Spinner said. “I ask myself ‘do I want to risk it and go for gold and first place, or do I want to be conservative and go for a top 5?’”

Spinner’s aggressive style has paid off for him so far, as he has earned sponsors ranging from Mirraco Bikes to Monster Energy Drink to Ball Park Franks. He is even slated to appear in an upcoming Nike commercial.

“I’ve got a feeling that the challenge from Mike Spinner and Ryan Guettler will be even more prominent this year,” Jamie Bestwick, Dew Tour BMX Vert three-time defending champion said. “Both of them have seemed to have taken their BMX riding to another level by hiring personal trainers so they can both get as fit as they can.”

But for Spinner, it will be hard to top the dream he is already living.

“I travel with the best bike riders in the world,” he said. “When I go home to my dad’s house in Florida, these guys are still on my wall, and I think about it everyday. It’s just crazy.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com