Today we’d like to introduce you to Mykel Larrin.
Mykel, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Hello, my name is Mykel Larrin. I am a professional BMX athlete and public speaker. Originally from Racine, WI, I began riding BMX around the age of three and quickly became obsessed with action sports. When I was about nine or ten, the city of Racine funded and built a public skatepark near my house. It only took one visit and I was hooked. The skatepark became such a huge part of my life. The countless hours I spent there to lead me to discover that riding was a tool I could use to express myself among other things like music and art. Tried and true, I have an enormous amount of gratitude for how BMX changed my life for the better.
There was such a huge significance behind my local skatepark being built in ’98. Action sports had become very favorable in the public eye with the emergence of the X Games in ’95. Over the next few years, it would prove to have a home in the hearts of millions and stay. X Games quickly became the mark I wanted to hit as a kid. Being able to share the deck with the legends I admired and compete on that level was the driving force.
I remained in tune with riding BMX throughout all of my education up until my second year of college. I decided to drop out and take on BMX completely, chasing the dream to the fullest extent. I knew I didn’t want to look back and have regrets so I took a leap in faith. It took many years and a whole lot of adversity for it to stick but when it finally did, I began pouring that foundation with every ounce of my being. It’s been ten years competing professionally now and it feels like time has flown by. Having multiple medals under my belt from X Games feels unreal but it’s a dream come true. The amount of gratitude I have to still be doing what I love today is immeasurable.
The adversity I encountered along the way was exactly what I needed to grow my roots deeper in my faith, purpose and my riding. I was so humbled by the transformation that my story would come up from time to time with people here and there. Those opportunities to share started occurring more frequently and those talks slowly became motivational speeches. Over the last several years I’ve had the privilege of giving speeches to schools from an elementary level to the collegiate level, businesses, U.S. Special Forces and government agencies like NASA. It’s been humbling, to say the least being able to give back in this way.
In the same vein of giving back, I also have the privilege of being a part of an organization called Bikes Over Baghdad. Our team has been going overseas to the Middle East since ’09 to give back to the men and women that serve this country by performing BMX demonstrations. After sixteen tours, our main objective remains to boost morale and give our courageous service men and women a chance to unwind. That has been some of the most rewarding work I’ve gotten to do over the years.
I have so much gratitude being able to bundle all of these outlets and dream projects together as time allows. It truly rests well with my soul knowing I have the privilege of living my childhood dream in correlation with working hard to bring change and leave a positive impact in the world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Chasing your dream never promises for an easy road ahead. I can speak from personal experience that it’s probably one of the most challenging things someone could ever do in their lifetime but it’s worth the struggle. When I left college to chase my dream, I hit rock bottom and broke down on adversity avenue becoming homeless due to a few circumstances. I never thought something like that would ever happen but there I was, stuck, trying to reconfigure the pieces that had fallen apart. I thought, “Did I make the right decision?…should I go back?…what am I going to do?”
Feeling pressed, down and out I made the choice to stay the course and work even harder. The theme for that chapter of my life was “Being comfortable with being uncomfortable” It was fueled by the fear of regret. I know God will never give us anything we can’t handle and I reminded myself of that daily. Even as dark as my reality seemed at the time, I knew it wouldn’t last.
Among the adversity of being homeless, those years welcomed other challenges like injuries to the table. Inevitably, injuries are going to play a part in action sports. It’s never a matter of “if” it happens but rather, “when” it happens. I’ve had various injuries over the years ranging from concussions to broken bones to near death situations. Even now, I’m currently recovering from blunt force chest trauma I sustained a couple of weeks ago. Although this list may sound a bit grim, all of these injuries have made me a better person. These challenging experiences are where my character has been built time and time again and it has truly enhanced the way I see the world.
Obstacles add value to what we believe in and WHY we do what we do. I once heard a wise man say, “Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.” That has been engraved in my heart ever since I heard that saying years ago. I don’t see any reason to fight the hardships anymore. I simply welcome them and embrace the lesson on the back end of it. To be where I am now is nothing short of a blessing.
Please tell us about you work.
My platform is all about spreading positivity and helping others find the key to unlock their true potential. Our hardships and lessons learned can be blessings and saved pain for others. This is all rooted in the “Each one teaches one.” remedy. I still have a lot of work to do but I’m excited about the climb.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite memories from childhood was learning to ride without training wheels. I was always trying to keep up with my older brother. We were riding outside one day and I remember watching him lean into a corner on his bike. It looked like so much fun being able to carve like that. I attempted to imitate him and rapidly got pitched from the bike. That was a good laugh for us both. I asked him how he was leaning into the turns like that. The conversation that followed helped us to discover that my training wheels were prohibiting me from leaning correctly. So, we bent the arms the best we could to give more room for leaning. That was such a freeing experience. It made me feel like a superhero being able to control the bike in that way.
A few hours after bending the training wheels my mother came outside to call us in for dinner. She was quick to notice the bent arms on the bike. Naturally, she was upset at first until we explained why we did what we did. She smiled with a look of affirmation and said, “Well, I guess you don’t need those any longer do you?” That day unlocked the next level of learning for me and would provide priceless fun through the rest of that season.
I’ve always appreciated the little moments like this in life. Something as simple as bending some aluminum a few inches gifted ways to unimaginable fun for a young kid just looking to smile and laugh. I still have that same desire to just simply smile, laugh and enjoy the ride.
Contact Info:
- Email: mykellarrin@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/mykellarrin
- Facebook: facebook.com/mykellarrin
- Twitter: twitter.com/mykellarrin
Image Credit:
Keith Mulligan – Jeff Zielinski – Ian Cairney – Josh McElwee – Leigh Ramsdell
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