“I always encourage teenagers to cherish their lives and do extreme sports, because practicing extreme sports is one of the best ways for them to improve their willpower and courage.”

   — Rui Gelie, who won championships at more than eight national bicycle motorcross (BMX) contests

    Lai Junyu, Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    AT age 35, Rui Gelie looks much younger and fresher than many men around that age, with a fit body and dark tan.

    Every day, he entertains visitors at Happy Valley in Nanshan District, introducing outstanding extreme sports performed by professional athletes from around the world.

    Not many people know that this cool, fun host is a star in China’s extreme sports circles.

    In only five years, Rui, who was born in 1978, won championships at more than eight national bicycle motorcross (BMX) contests. He’s also secretary-general of the Shenzhen Extreme Sport Association (SESA), the only Chinese entity recognized by the Korean Extreme Action Sports Federation.

    Furthermore, he designs skate parks for the Happy Valley amusement parks in Shenzhen and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and also took part in the Jackie Chan movie “New Police Story,” showing his outstanding skills.

    Hard practice

    Growing up in Shenzhen, Rui said he had a typical childhood and young adult life. He entered the law school of Shenzhen University in 1997 with hopes of becoming a lawyer.

    As a young, trendy university student, Rui enjoyed skateboarding in his spare time.

    “In 1997, I watched a movie, ‘Dead Sailor,’ and could not help falling in love with BMX immediately,” he said.

    Rui then borrowed 2,500 yuan (US$405) from his friends and got his first secondhand BMX bike.

    “The BMX seller introduced me to some very good BMX riders in the city, and I realized that if I did not practice hard and gain good skills, I would not have a chance to be accepted by these top BMX groups,” he said.

    So Rui began intense BMX training in an isolated area at the university, where nobody noticed his trials and errors.

    After one year of hard training, Rui participated in his first BMX contest in 1998. He soon became a rising star in Chinese BMX, taking third place in his first national contest.

    But Rui’s father did not agree to his efforts in BMX, so Rui left home to pursue his dream alone.

    The 19-year-old Rui had to work in a bar to earn his tuition, but he never stopped improving his skills.

    “I experienced a lot when I was 19,” he said with a smile.

    Every morning, he rode his bike to the university, and every night he swept the floor in a bar to make money.

    “I spent all my spare time practicing in a garage with my friends and only slept four hours a day,” he said.

    His hard work finally paid off in 2000, when Rui won his first national championship. The university offered him a 3,000-yuan scholarship after the victory.

    “This was the first time for a university to provide a scholarship for excellence in extreme sports. It was such a great encouragement to me,” he said.

    Climbing to the top

    After graduation, Rui became an intern at a law firm, but eventually decided not to be a lawyer.

    “I didn’t like that kind of life. I decided to do what I like and pursue my dream,” he said.

    Rui began working as a host at extreme sport performances at Happy Valley.

    “I’m not afraid to say that I spent the longest time in China being an extreme sports host — 13 years. Every day I hosted three shows. I only had one day off each week, but I worked even harder on weekends,” he said. “There was security everywhere in the city, so I only had limited places to practice BMX. During that period of time, I was like a robot day and night. I usually went back home at 2 in the morning.”

    Once he went to a competition right after being discharged from a hospital where he had been treated for injuries.

    “I could still feel the pain from my broken knee, but I had worked so hard for it and was very confident about winning the contest, so I chose not to miss the chance,” Rui said.

    Because Rui is fluent in English, he was able to make friends with extreme sport athletes from all around the world. They often practiced together and shared experiences to help each other improve.

    “I also read all of the Western extreme sport magazines and knew everything about extreme sports and its circles around the world. Many of my foreign friends thought I was a Chinese-American,” he said, laughing.

    Promoting extreme sports in China

    Rui retired from competition in 2006, but said he knew even before retirement that he wanted to do something special for extreme sports.

    In 2002, he founded Standing Up Again (SUA), the first extreme sport cultural communication organization in China, to promote extreme sports.

    SUA soon became very popular in China, where nearly evey extreme athlete knew about it. Many athletes were invited to design and build sets for Jackie Chan in “New Police Story.”

    However, due to a lack of financial support, the club had to close in 2005.

    “Extreme sports were not widely accepted by Chinese at that time, so it was not suitable to promote the sports through a profitable way,” he said.

    Learning from the failure, Rui established the SESA in 2008 with two friends. The Shenzhen association now has more than 300 members, from 13 to 48 years old.

    “We hold extreme sports contests to attract athletes and build our reputation. In 2012, we were invited to attend the Chuncheon World Leisure Cup International Action Sports Championship, and won the fourth and sixth prizes in the BMX program,” he said.

    Rui’s law degree hasn’t been wasted, either.

    “What I learned from the major, such as good writing skills and legal knowledge, can be used in many fields. In fact, I am the legal representative of the association and wrote all the legal documents to protect and regulate the association,” he said.

    Rui’s future plan is to expand his association so he can promote extreme sports culture on a higher level.

    “I always encourage teenagers to cherish their lives and do extreme sports, because practicing extreme sports is one of the best ways for them to improve their willpower and courage,”

    he said.