Homecoming for Nitro Circus star
Sunday’s Nitro Circus show at Shepparton Showgrounds was a bit of a homecoming for former Deniliquin motocross rider Jarryd McNeil.
The 25-year-old, who is a former Deniliquin High School student, is known to extreme sports fans around the world for his skills on the dirt bike, especially for his whips.
‘‘I made sure I threw down plenty of whips, turndowns and turn up whips,’’ McNeil said.
‘‘I also along performed a big selection of upright signature tricks and backflip tricks.’’
While an international performer now McNeil came from humble beginnings, starting out as just another country Victorian kid messing about on the family farm.
‘‘As a young kid my parents owned a dairy farm about 40 minutes from Kerang,’’ he said.
‘‘We were riding twowheel and four-wheel bikes, and being farm kids we got up to mischief.’’
His talents on the bike quickly developed into more than just a hobby, and as a teenager most weekends would be spent at a motocross track somewhere in Victoria, either practising or competing.
‘‘I went to the Goulburn Valley Motocross Track in Shepparton a lot. We’d go away as a family in our motorhome,’’ McNeil said.
By the time he was 15, McNeil seemed destined for a full-time career on the motocross circuit and already had a few state and national titles under his belt.
But despite his talents and speed, doing laps around a track was no longer enough.
Through watching videos from the United States, McNeil became more interested in ‘‘freestyle’’ motocross.
Instead of racing and speed, freestyle, or FMX, is all about tricks and techniques, with riders earning praise for originality with what they can do with their bikes.
‘‘The sport really devel- oped in the McNeil said.
‘‘It is really an individual sport. It is all up to you, it is you putting your own pressure on your shoulders.’’
In 2010 he took his interest in FMX to the next level and moved to the US to compete in the X-Games, the biggest showcase for extreme sports.
He quickly gained a following in the extreme sports community and was invited to join an Australian tour of the Crusty Demons, before joining the inaugural Nitro Circus tour in 2010.
‘‘For the last three years it has been getting busier and busier. We are pretty much doing shows every weekend,’’ McNeil said.
‘‘It is lots of travelling and living out of a suitcase.’’
Now based in California, whatever time McNeil has at home is spent on the bike perfecting the tricks that people want to see.
The Shepparton show was first time since 2008, when he performed with the Crusty Demons, that he had performed in front of his family and friends. late ’90s,’’
‘‘I had quite a big turn out with friends and family coming from around the Goulburn Valley and Riverina area,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve travelled every continent on this earth performing with Nitro Circus and the Shepparton show was by far one of my most memorable.
‘‘Being able to give back to the kids in my area feels great and I hope now they have someone they can look up to to go down the right path in life.
‘‘I had plenty of people who doubted me with my career path so to prove them wrong is great.
‘‘It always drove me to try hard and stick with it so I have to thank them for making me want to succeed really.
‘‘I wanted to show kids that I come from a remote place of Australia and any kid who wants to get ahead in action sports — or anything — you can do it.
‘‘Don’t let anyone put you down.’’