WCMX is a sport in which wheelchair athletes perform tricks adapted from skateboarding and BMX, usually performed at a skatepark. [1] It was invented by Aaron Fotheringham. [2]
WCMX is a sport in which wheelchair athletes perform tricks adapted from skateboarding and BMX, usually performed at a skatepark. [1] It was invented by Aaron Fotheringham. [2]
The sport has its own competitions and custom wheelchairs. [3]
The term WCMX, a mash-up of wheelchair and BMX, [3] was coined by Fotheringham. [4] Fotheringham landed the first wheelchair backflip and the first double backflip. [5]
For UK WCMX, visit www.wcmxgb.co.uk
Timothy Lachlan was the first Australian to land a wheelchair backflip. [6]
The UK now has its own WCMX organisation called WCMX GB www.wcmxgb.co.uk
Tomas Woods a British athlete, part of WCMX GB was crowned #1 in the world in December 2023!
Lily Rice was the first person in the UK to land a backflip. [7] She won her first world championship in September 2019. [8] [9]
The first WCMX meet-up in the UK was in early 2019. [10]
WCMX originated in the US. [2]
Riders use purpose-built wheelchairs called WCMX chairs to perform various tricks and stunts. Unlike standard daily use wheelchairs, WCMX chairs have a reinforced frame, grind bar, carbon fibre push wheels, skateboard or rollerblade wheels, suspension castors and a seatbelt. [11] The most commonly used safety gear is full-face helmets, elbow and knee pads and gloves. Full-face helmets are preferred as they offer greater protection against falls from any angle. For more dangerous tricks involving flips or mega ramps, riders should wear a neck brace and a chest/back protector to reduce the risk of injury to the spine. [12]
This isn't an exhaustive list, new tricks and variations are created each day.
Backflip, Double Backflip, Front Flip, 180, 360, Flair.
Handplant, Carving, Drop-In, Acid Drop, Bank Drop, One Wheel Drop-in, Layback, Blunt Stall, Fakie.
One wheel spin, Castor Spin, Layback, Duck Walk, Bunny Hop.
50-50 Grind, 5-0 Grind, Footplate/Nosegrind, Hand-rim slide.
Wheelie, One Wheel Wheelie, No-Handers.
Upside-Down Wheelie, Upside-Down One Wheel Spin. [13]
As with other skatepark sports, the risks involved in WCMX can be greatly reduced by wearing safety gear such as a full-face helmet and pads; and only trying tricks within the rider's skill level. WCMX chairs provide a wide base of support, making falls less likely unless the rider is trying tricks that involve shifting the centre of gravity, e.g. balance tricks such as one-wheel spins.
The WCMX community is a worldwide community. With riders from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds, with varying disabilities. The youngest known rider began WCMX at 18 months old, the oldest current rider is in their fifties. There is a growing number of LGBT riders emerging worldwide.
In 2016, an online campaign for a Lego wheelchair skate park was rejected. [14] However, WCMX is represented in the Lego City Skate Park (60290) set, released 2021. [15]
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
Longboarding is a variation of skateboarding typified by the use of longer boards ("decks") with longer wheelbases and softer wheels. While longboards vary widely in shape and size, compared to street skateboards longboards are designed to be more stable at speed and to have more traction due to larger wheel sizes and softer wheel durometers. While standard street skateboards may typically be between 28 to 34 inches long, longboards can range anywhere from 32 to 50 inches in length. Ride characteristics of longboards generally differ from that of street skateboards due to the use of specialized longboard trucks that have different properties than those typically used with skateboards; while street skateboards use "traditional kingpin" (TKP) trucks that are optimized for tight turning radii, ollie and flip tricks, slides, grinds, and transition skating, longboards are typically paired with "reverse kingpin" (RKP) trucks that are designed for increased stability at higher speeds, more "surfy" carving characteristics, and/or greater ride comfort for commuting over longer distances.
The bunny hop (mountain biking) or bunnyhop is a bicycle trick that allows the rider to launch their bike into the air as if jumping off a ramp. The pedals on the bicycle stick to the riders feet as the bike becomes airborne with the clipless pedals that have clips. The pedals on the bicycle seem to stick to the rider's feet as the bike becomes airborne, much like how a skateboard seems to stick to the feet of the skater performing an ollie. While the bunny hop can be quite challenging to learn, once mastered it gives riding opportunities for both BMX and mountain bike rider alike.
Freestyle BMX is bicycle motocross stunt riding on BMX bikes. It is an extreme sport descended from BMX racing that consists of five disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, and flatland. In June 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced that freestyle park was to be added as an Olympic event to the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Flatland is a freestyle BMX riding style performed on smooth flat surfaces that do not include any ramps, jumps, or grindrails. It is sometimes described as a form of artistic cycling with a blend of breakdancing.
Dirtsurfing is the sport of riding a Dirtsurfer brand inline board. This new Australian boardsport is correctly known as inline boarding because Dirtsurfer is a trademark protected brand name.
The Gravity Games was a multi-sport competition originating in Providence, Rhode Island that was broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations. The competition featured a variety of extreme sports such as aggressive inline skating, skateboarding, freestyle motocross, BMX freestyle and snowboarding.
A kick scooter is a human-powered street vehicle with a handlebar, deck, and wheels propelled by a rider pushing off the ground with their leg. Today the most common scooters are made of aluminum, titanium, and steel. Some kick scooters made for younger children have 3 to 4 wheels and are made of plastic and do not fold. High-performance kickbikes are also made. A company that had once made the Razor Scooters revitalized the design in the mid-nineties and early two-thousands. Three-wheel models where the frame forks into two decks are known as Y scooters or trikkes.
Freestyle motocross is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts.
A freestyle skateboarding trick is a trick performed with a skateboard while freestyle skateboarding. Some of these tricks are done in a stationary position, unlike many other skateboarding tricks. The keys to a good freestyle contest run are variety, difficulty, fluidity, and creativity. This is an incomplete list, which includes most notable tricks.
Aaron Fotheringham is an extreme wheelchair athlete who performs tricks adapted from skateboarding and BMX. He competes in the Vegas Am Jam series in skate park competitions, usually against BMX riders.
Streetbike freestyle is a motorsport which involves wheelie, stoppie, acrobatics, burnout and drifting. Motorcycles are modified to do multiple tricks
A caster board, vigorboard or waveboard is a two-wheeled, human-powered land vehicle. Other names are J-board and RipStik, both of which are derived from commercial brands.
Harrow Skate Park or Harrow Solid Surf is one of only two remaining 1970's shotcrete skateparks still operating in the United Kingdom. It is located next to Byron Park and Harrow Leisure Centre in Wealdstone in the London Borough of Harrow, England.
In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie, or wheelstand, is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to sufficient torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels, or rider motion relative to the vehicle. Wheelies are usually associated with bicycles and motorcycles, but can be done with other vehicles such as cars, especially in drag racing and tractor pulling.
Nitro Circus is an "action sport collective" led by Travis Pastrana, featuring his friends and him traveling around the world riding dirtbikes, BASE jumping, and performing stunts. Co-founded in 2003 by Pastrana, Nitro Circus has become a media company that produces television programming, documentaries and the Nitro Circus Live tour. In 2016, the company introduced the Nitro World Games, an action sports competition designed around pushing progression in core action sports disciplines like FMX, BMX, skate and scooter.
Street skateboarding is a skateboarding discipline which focuses on flat-ground tricks, grinds, slides and aerials within urban environments, and public spaces. Street skateboarders meet, skate, and hang out in and around urban areas referred to as "spots," which are commonly streets, plazas or industrial areas. To add variety and complexity to street skateboarding, obstacles such as handrails, stairs, walls, flower beds, bins, park benches, picnic tables, and other street furniture may be traversed as single tricks or as part of a series of consecutive tricks called a "line."
David Lebuser is German extreme wheelchair athlete. He was the first professional wheelchair skater in Germany. Apart from riding WCMX, which is adapted from skateboarding and BMX, he also hosts WCMX workshops for other wheelchair users in Germany. At the age of 21, he became paralysed from the waist down (L3) after he fell into a stairwell.
Charlotte Worthington is a British cyclist and Olympic gold medallist who competes internationally in Freestyle BMX.
Kieran Reilly is a British cyclist from Gateshead who competes in Freestyle BMX. In August 2023 he became the World Champion at the event.