Snowmobiles Aren’t

SNOWMOBILES AREN’T the only motorized vehicles that thunder across the frozen white stuff at the Winter X Games. The Moto X Big Air competition pits motorcycle’s best athletes riding, jumping, and sliding in the snow. Landing a knobby-wheeled motorcycle in the snow is hard enough, but at the 2003 X Games in Aspen, Colorado, warm temperatures forced the riders to compete in the slush.

The conditions made it difficult for Caleb Wyatt, Mike Metzger, and Nate Adams to pull their signature backflips on these powerful machines. Wyatt, the first rider ever to land a backflip, didn’t stick any of his three attempts in the finals but still ended up with the bronze medal. Metzger, however, made the backflip look as easy as getting sunburned at high altitude. His no-footer backflip off the steep 50-foot kicker in his second run locked up 93.33 points and the gold medal. One attempt later, Metzger threw a McFritz—a trick he created a week before competition—where he does a nac-nac, one-handed foot grab, whipped. The stunt may sound impressive, but when Metzger soared 50 feet over a clear, blue Rocky Mountain sky, it was jaw-dropping.

Dayne Kinnaird surprised everybody by finishing second without even trying a backflip. (Adams came up short on three tries and didn’t make the podium.) Kinnaird’s combination tricks brought high scores from the judges. In fact, his turntable—a one-handed barhop where both legs swing out like a double can, capped with a heel click—garnered 92 points and a solid second.

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POINT A bright sun and warm temperatures made things difficult during the Moto X Big Air competition at the 2003 X Games. But Mike Metzger overcame the melting snow to go home with gold.

While the most powerful celestial body in our solar system—the sun—can heat things up, nothing created can compare to God’s power. The prophet Micah wrote that when the Lord comes, the mountains—not just the snow—will melt away. His power is so great that rock turns to running water in his presence.

GOAL! Think about powerful motorcycles or the power of the sun. Now ponder God’s mind-boggling power and praise him for it. He’s awesome!