From Fear to Hype
That process of learning to ride a bike — the nerves, the hand on your back, the leap, and the thrilling, victorious freedom that follows — is reenacted every time Jaz and Sam hit the trail together. Sometimes, more than once. Every good trail ride includes something that scares a rider at least a bit. Certain features, like ramps and drops, are common culprits. But they’re no match for a good hype woman.
Individually, Jaz and Sam are inclined to approach these scary moments very differently. Jaz takes the bandage approach — rip it right away before your nerves get the best of you. Sam is a fan of the trial run, attempting and examining different speeds, angles, and approaches toward a feature until she feels she’s found “the right way” to go for it. What they both share in common is their approach to one another’s fear: that it can and will be obliterated by a bit of friendly hype. Hands at one another’s backs, their mutual determination to transform nerves into confidence is inspiring.
“This is one of our highlighting qualities as a best friend pair. When it comes to a feature that we're both scared of or one of us is scared of that the other has already done, we will do everything and anything in our power to hype each other up. It gets to a point where the hype woman is way more stoked than the person actually about to go to the feature.” – Sam
“I have a bit of PTSD from going off a drop and breaking my back. Patiently, she's helped me progress. It means a lot to have a friend who is able to push you like that and help you grow. When I go out with Sam, I definitely think in my head, I'm going to go do something really cool. Hit something really big that I didn't think I could.” – Jaz