By David Nagel
Rhys Rogers has a thirst for pushing the limits that can only be quenched in one place – the Nitro Circus World Games to be held at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane on October 23-24 this year.
The 17-year-old scooter rider – who rides and practices at The Shed Skatepark in Cranbourne – recently lived out a lifelong dream when he qualified for the action sports equivalent of the Superbowl.
In action or extreme sports…it doesn’t get any bigger than this…with thousands set to flock to Suncorp to watch the world’s best FMX (Freestyle Motocross), BMX, skateboarders and scooter riders attempt to break world records and do tricks that push the limits of progression!
Athletes come from all backgrounds – with one common goal – to push their minds and bodies to the limit.
Rhys Rogers has emerged from his own challenging background and has been breaking world records since the age of six.
He started riding scooters and BMX at the age of three after being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the time.
“The experts said we should start medicating him, but I just thought let’s keep him active and get him involved in something that he loves, just to keep him busy and engaged,” said Rhys’s dad Trevor.
“We went walking one day and we ended up at the skate park and he loved just sitting there and watching the others do their thing. I bought him a scooter and BMX and things just took off from there.
“He’s grown out of it now (ADHD), but I think getting him involved in something he has a passion for – instead of medicating him – was the best thing we ever did.”
Rhys was a natural and became a star at a very young age, being the first six-year-old in the world to perform a backflip on a scooter, and the youngest on a BMX a year later.
He kept ahead of the world with a double-backflip at aged nine, and has won multiple state and national titles, along with representing Australia since the age of seven.
He has also represented his country at International Scooter Association (ISA) events in Barcelona.
But qualifying for the Nitro’s is his dream achievement in the sport.
“It’s crazy, I still can’t believe I’ve qualified because it’s been my dream since I started and it’s like the grand final of what we do,” Rhys said.
“I knew what I had to do in the qualifiers, and that was to win, and it was an unbelievable feeling to get first place and qualify.
“All the years of practice at the shed have really paid off and I’m just going to keep practicing hard so I’m ready to produce my best and put on the best show on the day.”
Not surprisingly, Rhys has a few tricks up his sleeve as he prepares to take on some of the best scooter trick riders from around the globe.
“I’ve been practicing a quad-backflip, which has never been done before in competition, and I’m getting pretty close to landing it,” Rhys said.
The qualifier for the Nitro World Games in Brisbane, scheduled for April this year, was delayed for a month due to a three-day lockdown, meaning Rhys got to spend some time with his idol, extreme sport megastar and fellow Australian Ryan Williams.
“When we were in Queensland I trained at a local club, and with Ryan Williams on the Sunshine Coast, he’s got an amazing set up with a 15-foot ramp and air-bags to land on,” Rhys said.
“Ryan is my hero in the sport and I also admire Dylan Morrison, he’s a superstar as well.”
Rhys said years and years of preparation has him well placed to handle the daunting prospect of thousands of people watching him at Suncorp in late October.
“As dad said, I’ve done hundreds of competitions and performed in front of big crowds before, so I know what to expect and just push the nerves aside and get on with it now. I just let dad do the talking and I do my thing,” Rhys said with a laugh.
His dad Trevor is as proud as punch of his son’s achievements.
“I’m super proud…they say you have to put in 10,000 hours to master something well I reckon he’s put in 30,000 hours and is still working hard to get better,” said Trevor, a local horse trainer.
“I took eight years off horse training, and we travelled around Australia together to different competitions, and it’s just great now to see him living out his dreams.
“He’s the ultimate showman, he claps his hands and gets the crowd involved, and I can’t wait to see how he performs at Suncorp in October.”
Whether he lands that quad-backflip or not…you can be sure we’re going to hear a lot more about the hair-raising deeds of Rhys Rogers in the future!
