Project Launch:

With the arrival of the community games in 2010, the community of Caribe de Cariari, Costa Rica, was treated to something new and different from the usual friendly game of soccer. Saltos y Trucos or “Jumps and Tricks” Caribe 2010 was a project designed by several youth in the community of Caribe de Cariari who practice the sport of extreme biking, using a unique style of small bike to jump off ramps and perform tricks in the air, from twists and turns to complete backward flips. BMX, as it is called in Costa Rica, is a sport only recently practiced in Caribe. Kids from around the country brought the jumps and tricks practiced in their backyards, in the streets and at local parks to the competition, hoping to bring home first prize in Caribe’s inaugural BMX bike competition. A sport with little popularity three years ago, organizers aimed to increase its popularity among the youth of Caribe with this competition. Participants saw the project as validating a sport they are active in and it gave them an opportunity to compete against other communities.