By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Pro BMX bike rider Kevin Robinson performs a trick on the vert ramp. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

Professional BMX freestyle rider Ryan Nyquist could win a zillion street contests, double his 14-medal collection from the X Games and Gravity Games and earn a lifetime's worth of prize money by the time he's 30. His mother, Jo Nyquist, would still wish he'd been an engineer.

Nyquist, one of the world's best BMX freestylers, is the marquee athlete at the Mobile Skatepark Series at Sawyer Point.

The Los Gatos, Calif., native is a reigning X Games gold medalist, Vans Triple Crown Dirt Jumping Champion and BMX street, dirt and mini-ramp World Champion.

Crowds cheered 24-year-old Nyquist as he warmed up in Sunday's Freestyle BMX Street Demo, but he and the pros had to sit indoors during an ensuing two-hour rain delay. The Freestyle BMX Street and Vert Best Trick Contests have been postponed until today. Action starts at 11:30 a.m.

Still, Nyquist wasn't complaining. When he turned pro as a high school junior, he couldn't imagine a better career - even if it meant upsetting Mom.

"She was pretty bummed out. I guess it's every parent's dream for their kid to be successful," Nyquist said. "But I think she saw how important this was to me."

Mrs. Nyquist had an inkling that Ryan was serious about biking when he began trying tricks as an 11-year-old. There are some things she never wanted to find out - like the times Ryan strapped his feet onto pedals and flipped his bike backwards off a ramp into a lake. Two friends always waited in the water to pull him up.

But Ryan was always a well-liked, good student and a star on the high school soccer team.

The middle son of Ian and Jo Nyquist and brother to graphic designer Ian Jr. and competitive biker Shea, Ryan was the kind of kid who was smart and driven enough to go places.

"I figured once he got his driver's license, he'd get off the bike. Instead, he put the bike in the car and drove away," Mrs. Nyquist said.

Nyquist travels 20-30 weeks a year and has attracted a laundry list of sponsors: Haro Bikes, Split Clothing, Adidas, Butterfinger, TSG Helmets and Jiffy Mart of Los Gatos.

During his Cincinnati stay, Nyquist has dined with Mayor Charlie Luken at the Maisonette, auditioned amateur athletes for the Butterfinger "Break Out Challenge" (showcasing their best BMX, Skateboarding or Motocross tricks), strolled through Taste of Cincinnati and thrown out the first pitch in Saturday's Reds game.

While college isn't in Ryan's immediate future, Mrs. Nyquist and her son have learned to meet halfway. She goes to as many competitions as she cans and "prays that no one gets hurt."

"Yes, engineering would've been nice, but I'm very impressed with (Ryan). He's traveled and seen places that most people don't see in a lifetime," Mrs. Nyquist said. "It's been good for him."