On the bike, his electrifying riding style has wowed audiences for more than two decades — as a three-time X Games medalist, a two-time national BMX champion, a Guinness World Record holder and a semi-finalist on "America's Got Talent. Wilhelm says that he didn't set out to be a motivational speaker, but found his BMX shows "morphing" in this direction.
My goal was to speak at about 10 or 20 schools per year, but I completely underestimated the need for a program like this. Wilhelm works to keep his bookings close to home, so he doesn't have to be away from his family for extended periods. And the stories he shares with students include his own experiences with bullying.
However another student, who also happened to ride BMX, included me in his group of friends, and then bullies stopped picking on me. I went on to become a national champion thanks in part to this one small act of kindness.
He was my Batman. This "positive approach to bullying prevention" is one of Wilhelm's main messages to kids. Another is encouraging them to embrace what makes them different. They all specifically used the word 'different. Embracing your difference can also mean overcoming life's obstacles. Wilhelm's signature riding style resulted from just such an obstacle. I grew up in Oak Lawn, a suburb of Chicago. The summers were great for riding, but during the winter I had to retreat to riding in small basements and garages.
The style at the time was to do long rolling tricks that took up a lot of space. This was not a problem for the guys in California, as they could ride outside all year.
He was eliminated in the Semifinals. The ride to the top wasn't easy for Matt Wilhelm. In fact, he never even thought to try tricks on a bike until a bully refused to let him race at the local track.
Since switching from racing to BMX flatland, he has never looked back. Matt has won three X Games medals, two national championships, and a silver medal from the World Championships.
However the road to victory was full of crashes, spills, and adversity for Matt. After eight years of practice he finally qualified for the X Games only to finish a disappointing last place.
Refusing to give up, Matt trained even harder, which molded him into the person he is today. Remarkably, Matt won many of these competitions while attending college on a music scholarship. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Millikin University he now devotes himself fully to his craft, traveling to far away places such as Korea, Portugal, Brazil, and Japan just to name a few.
During the off-season of Matt thought it might be fun to give back to the community and share his tricks and experiences with school children. Each year the program has grown to include more schools, and last year Matt performed at over different schools. His message of perseverance resonates with both kids and educators alike.
He also speaks extensively about bullying and has a powerful personal story to share with students.
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