He hosts a games event inviting BMX riders from all over the country, with a normal half-pipe, and in the background looms this monstrous ramp with a ramshackle run-up made of plywood and just sketchy grass underfoot. Its ridiculous to think that someone would put themselves through that, and the other attendees at the event agree. Its notable that after Matt completes the jump, some 20 feet over a 20 feet ramp, nobody even considers trying to repeat it. He has breached some line between BMX'er and daredevil. Unsurprisingly he becomes a buddy with Evil Kinevil.
Over time he pushes his jumps further and further and destroys his body, hundreds of broken bones, comas, etc. He needs to carry his own suture kit as the hospital visits are just too regular. When he can't get enough speed he adds a motor to his bicycle. Why not just ride a motorbike? He seems to have a particular brand of insanity. But he backs it up with real talent. However, the talent seems to be capped by film cameras. As soon as someone is making a film he chokes. While jumping on his own ramp during an MTV visit he crashes and unbeknownst to him, he bursts his spleen. Not something he can sew up with his own suture kit. He stops jumping but its only when he later collapses that he is taken to hospital ... and even then, given the expense of the treatment, he tries to skip out.
When someone achieves a new height and it is recognised by Guiness, but is beneath Matt's unrecorded leaps, he is dragged back into the limelight. But with the cameras he struggles and his broken body just won't quite let him do it. He tries again and again with horrendous crash after crash. Its insane how the crashes become easy to discuss because he just gets up and carries on. But he has probably broken numerous bones just in the handful of highlights. Then he finally breaks it ... onlookers yell "Matt, Matt, wakeup Matt". Wheres the ambulance? But the accumulated injuries, and perhaps the inevitable passage of time, mean that he doesn't have it left. Several years later, massive ramps have become a major feature of recognised global, and Matt is back for one last jump. The contrast between his Oklahoma backyard and the packed, floodlit arena is striking. Excellent, of course, that he is recognised for what he brought to the sport, even through he probably never held a world record for it.
This is one of ESPN's brilliant 30 documentaries for 30 years. They have a real US flavour so much of the content isn't that familiar, but then that's all part of the fun. Many of them are available online, including this one, I would encourage you to have a look through the list because while the focus is obviously sport, there is a real "something for everyone" feel to it. My favourites to date are June 19th 1994 and the Two Escobars... but the Internet tells me they aren't the best. This one is great, and for an obsessive guy who just can't stop, he's more interesting than Jiro and his sushi.
7 / 10
