EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) — Students all across the country are adjusting to life at home without friends and their normal activities. But one local teen is making the most of his time at home.
The freshman from Memorial High School wanted to continue his love of mountain biking during the pandemic, so he decided to build his own course at home.
“The adrenaline rush just to do something risky and its fun,” said Sam Anderson. “Sam has been into biking forever, he has raced BMX, mountain bike, now he races downhill,” said Mark Anderson, Sam’s dad.
But during the pandemic Sam is jumping into some new territory, by biking in his back yard. But first, he had to get to work doing some manual labor. “It was a lot of dirt bright in,” Mark said. “My arms were pretty sore after a while,” Sam added. “Sam did everything by hand, shovels and tampers and rakes and everything has been hand built,” Mark said.
Sam spent weeks creating the perfect path that stretches one thousand feet through their yard. “So he started building jumps in the yard and it just transpired to more jumps and more jumps and bigger jumps,” Mark added.
After a few weeks of work, it was time to ride. “I’ve been riding Pinehurst in Eau Claire and they have big jumps and they inspired me to make these,” Sam said.
The path starts at the house and weaves through the woods, all leading to one big jump at the end. Then he walks back to start all over again and again. “I never wonder where he is at, I know where he is at, he is right here,” Mark said.
Sam gets in lots of practice and is able to jump over any obstacles that come his way. “It’s what I always wanted for the jumps I have wanted so it’s my happy place pretty much,” Sam said.
