29 January 2013
The Skinny Leap of Faith
After seeing the death defying feats of Luke Smith and Jed Mildon, Skinny made a leap of faith to have their backs in a
sponsorship deal through thick and thin!
And thick and thin it has been. Jed was the first person in the world to perform a BMX triple back flip and is rumoured
to be attempting a quadruple back flip this year. Luke has faced numerous accidents, but demonstrates sheer
determination both in the air and recovering from intensive care!
Jed is a BMX rider and Luke is a Freestyle Motocross rider, both local lads, both sponsored by Skinny and both
performing as part of the Nitro Circus Live 2013 New Zealand Tour.
Like a father living out his failed boyhood dreams vicariously through the pair, the Skinny team is proud as punch.
“Like most people, we spend money when we need to or if we see something truly worth backing, and Skinny based here in
New Zealand, creating great value for New Zealanders, is all about showcasing Kiwi talent,” says Skinny CEO Paul Taylor.
“So when we meet these two Kiwi-based lads, we jumped at the chance to get behind them.”
Luke Smith says, “My first accident meant I had to re-learn simple things most people take for granted, such as walking
and standing upright. I’m sure most people thought I’d never perform again, but I had faith that I’d be back riding
again and here I am, thanks to the support of Skinny.”
“We couldn’t be more proud to see the two of them riding alongside each other at the world's biggest action sports
spectacle Nitro Circus Live, and want to wish them all the best for their New Zealand tour,” says Taylor.
To keep up with the two Skinny riders, Jed and Luke, ‘like’ the Skinny Facebook page for exclusive behind the scenes
content and videos.
You might even want to take a leap of faith with Skinny – plans so ridiculously cheap, they’ll make you do back flips.
Just not like the ones Luke and Jed perform!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
After Luke’s first accident, he was unconscious for 25 minutes and was placed in an induced coma for eight days. He
spent four and a half months in hospital recovering from the injuries he sustained which included frontal lobe damage
and swelling on the left hand side of his brain. As a result, his sense of balanced was affected he suffered short-term
memory loss and had to learn basic motor skills all over again.
When Skinny met Luke early 2012 he had just gotten back on the bike, knowing how much of a legend Luke was before his
accident, Skinny believed in him and supported him in picking up where he left off, allowing him to ride again.
A few months down the track, after training hard, Luke received a phone call from Nitro Circus asking him to join the
live shows.
While training for Nitro, Luke was involved in another accident and broke his jaw and six teeth and shattered his heel
in 15 places. Skinny continued supporting Luke through that recovering and hopes that Luke stays in one piece this time
round!
Dates of the Nitro Circus Live New Zealand Tour 2013 are as follows:
Sunday, Jan 27th - AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Saturday, Feb 2nd - North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
Saturday, Feb 9th - Westpac Stadium, Wellington
ENDS