Screaming Around Corners

SCREAMING AROUND CORNERS and flying down steep straightaways at 45 mph sounds like a good event for a car—or perhaps a bicycle. But racing that fast standing on a skateboard sounds insane. At the 2001 Gravity Games, Dane van Bommel proved otherwise as his carefully crafted runs led to two gold medals in the two-man and four-man downhill skateboarding events.

In the two-man event, van Bommel used his quick starts and perfect lines to cruise to an uneventful victory. Gary Hardwick—who holds the standing skateboarding speed world record at 62.55 mph—settled for second.

The four-man event—where riders attacked College Hill four at a time—featured more thrills and spills. Almost every heat saw riders eat pavement (fortunately they all wore a full-length protective bodysuit and a helmet). The second heat was especially wild as Eli Smouse went down and sent John “Dread” Gwiazdowski catapulting into the hay bales and Dave Bryant sliding face-first down the road. When the carnage finally cleared, van Bommel won the finals in a tight race over Alex Wenk. Lee Dansie finished third.

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POINT When Dane van Bommel won two Gravity golds in 2000, many felt it was a fluke. He returned in 2001 and received everything he could have hoped for as he won two more golds . . . and brought home $20,000.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we can also receive everything we hope for. God isn’t a candy dispenser who gives us whatever we want, but the Bible says that when we ask for things that line up with his will, we can be confident he hears us and will give us what we ask for. That might not make us a four-time gold medal winner in the Gravity Games, but it can give us the assurance that God hears our prayer requests and does what’s best for us.

GOAL! What is God’s will for your life? If you’re not sure, pray, read the Bible, and ask God to reveal his plan to you. Thank God that he hears and answers your prayers.