26 PEOPLE
UNEXPECTED RIDE
Quarantine leads Siner to discover new hobby BY AUBREY BANKS reporter Students were given an unprecedented amount of time at home in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This extended time at home led many students to discover new hobbies. One of these students, junior Mario Siner, discovered a love for BMX during this time. According to Siner, his friends led him to finding his passion for BMX. “I first started because my friend wanted to have a little fun at the skate park,” Siner said. “I was a little uneasy about going up there because I thought I’d be embarrassed. I started getting into it and it kind of clicked with me and I couldn’t stop at that point.” Siner explains how long it takes for him to learn a new trick, and how and why he makes changes to them. “Depending on if I dedicate a whole day to it, it takes maybe two or three days to learn it. After that, it kind of sinks in and I can start making variations to it if I want,” Siner said. Siner believes it is important to stay motivated for a practice intensive hobby like BMX, and says his friends’ progress inspires and motivates him to work at being a better BMX rider. “I actually look at my friends’ Instagrams. I see that they’re all having fun on their bikes and I want to be able to do the same things that they can,” Siner said. “They have about a year [more] worth of experience than I do and I’m trying
Junior Mario Siner practices his BMX tricks. Siner picked up the hobby from his friends, and picks up motivation from them when it comes to learning new tricks. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIO SINER
to catch up with them. With the help of my friends I’ve gotten pretty far with it.” Outside of BMX tricks, Siner took on the project of assembling his own customized BMX bike. “Initially, I had this really bad bike, and I was learning my tricks with it. My friends
that were down with the skate park with me that day gave me a brand new professional BMX [bike]. I thought that it needed to match my personality so I started taking off its parts and trying to make it to where I could ride it,” Siner said. Siner says that although the final pieces of the bike will be
here soon, he believes that it will be awhile before the final project is finished. “So I just ordered the last two pieces for it. One should be coming in about a week and the last part should be coming in about 2 - 3 weeks. The final project might take a while to get done,” Siner said.
