ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis Bike Park is holding its annual fund raiser this Saturday. The non-profit organization is raising money for its insurance.
The park is known for BMX riding, but it has become something more for Zack Warden. The course just off of the Gravois Greenway is special to him.
“This place means a lot to me,” he told 5 On Your Side.
It is the place where he learned to be fearless.
“It teaches you how to face your fears. It does take a level of courage and bravery,” he said.
He would go to the St. Louis Bike Park to get away from childhood stress.
“Kind of had a little bit of a rough childhood. When I’d get out of school I’d come here and just kind of like drown out all my problems,” Warden explained.
Those riding sessions were more than therapeutic. The consistent riding helped him become a professional.
“Helped take me to these places I never thought I’d go to,” he said.
Warden has been competing in the X Games for 14 years. He has won six medals at the games. While he didn’t always win, the lessons he learned at the park kept pushing him to do better.
“You have to be able to accept your failures to get your success. And a lot of people don’t realize that,” he said.
Warden realized what determination could do for his career.
“It makes you dig deep inside. If there’s a will, there’s a way, and I just try to embody that throughout everything I do,” he said.
He believes the trait is something kids throughout our area can also gain by riding at the park.
“I really just want to give kids a place to have some innocence and to learn how to grow as a person and how to face your fears and know that pretty much anything is possible,” he explained.
Warden discovered the possibilities at the park and now he is living his dream.
“Perform and get to represent St. Louis is just mind blowing to me,” he said.
If you want to learn more about Saturday’s event, click here or reach out to them via email at stlouisbikepark@gmail.com.