BMX riders fly over teachers doing no-handed tricks on bikes, while others launch t-shirts and water bottles into the crowd. This was no X Games preview, it was an anti-bullying assembly in the BHS gym on Tuesday.
The No Hate Tour came to Barnstable High because National Honor Society adviser Kim Kolaczyk saw her old school post about the event on social media. She wondered what it was and researched further. As she looked deeper and found their message, she said she was inspired. The message, if you didn’t catch it in the all-school assembly, was to stop bullying and spread positivity. When she decided it would be a good idea, she presented it to former National Honors Society students. The NHS thought it would be amazing to bring to the school, said Kolaczyk.
In between their high-flying stunts, the BMX riders talked about ways to combat different kinds of bullying and even shared personal stories. Zach Newman, one of the riders, told the audience that he grew up poor but gained an interest in BMX during his freshman year. However, he wondered how he would be able to do that without the money.
His mother, sensing this was something he wanted to do, brought him down to the pawn shop and bought him a bike that was too big, leopard print knee pads, and a bright pink helmet.
Newman then said that older kids at the skate park where he would practice, bullied him for it. It brought him down and his mother noticed. She gave him a pep talk and told him to keep pursuing his dreams, no matter what other people thought of him.
The No Hate Tour started in the year 2000 as a more impactful way to discuss bullying. Their website nohatetour.com explains “Since 2000, ASA Entertainment has been bringing the top skateboarding and BMX pros from the X Games to perform on a state-of-the-art half-pipe ramp or jump box in an assembly program that uses the allure of action sports and the cool-factor of the top pros to communicate a peer-to-peer bullying prevention or anti-smoking message.”
The U.S. Marines were a main sponsor of this event. They had an information table in the front of the gym as well as a pull-up bar that several students tried out.
Rylie Johnson, a sophomore, said she felt very energetic and hyped as did several other students interviewed by Insight. The general vibe of the student body was positive. Multiple things could have allowed for that environment. Perhaps it is the message, maybe the tricks, or even the free stuff?
Ashlynn Varely, a ninth grader, said her favorite part was when the biker Zach Newman jumped over the staff member.
Mason Ritter, another of the four BMX riders, said “I do this to spread positivity!”
