Bikes soar. Students roar. This, and so much more, is exactly what the No Hate Tour brings to the table during their performances at schools across the country. WA was one stop along the road for the No Hate Tour on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and the show completely brought down the house. After such a great performance, WA would benefit from making the No Hate Tour visit an annual tradition going forward.
The No Hate Tour is a bike show put on by former professional BMX bikers who perform jaw-dropping tricks in front of high school students. Amidst their phenomenal moves during the show, they discuss the importance of bullying prevention, and the best ways to overcome the struggles that come with bullying. With just a bike ramp, bikes, and a microphone, the show came right into WA and knocked it out of the park.
From the very beginning of the show, the No Hate Tour’s emcee kept WA’s audience entirely engaged. The bikers wasted no time pulling out some of their best moves, as they went straight into bike jumps off of the ramp, and various tricks on the gym floor. It was truly impressive, and really fun to watch. The whole gym was filled with the sound of cheers coming from the student body in support of the bikers, and it was easy to feel the positive vibes flowing in the Scollan.
Throughout the show, the bikers threw souvenirs, such as t-shirts, out into the crowd for the juniors and seniors to jump up and catch. This added element of excitement and competition further lured students into the show, and helped to keep everyone attentive and respectful. The $500 visa gift card being up for grabs with the simple scan of a QR code at the end was a great way to send the students off on a positive note, and maintain the fun nature of the show. The whole crowd was amped up during all stages of the performance, displaying the show’s ability to bring high quality entertainment to high schools.
The show did not only have its fun components, but provided a great blend between entertainment and motivational speaking, as well. The tactic of using bike tricks as a way to lure in the audience and gain control of their attention so that they could then drive home their powerful anti-bullying messages displayed their clearly well thought out presentation for a high school crowd.
Originally, I questioned how they would ever connect biking and bullying, but I was surprised to see that they meshed the two extremely well. In between the high-flying tricks, the emcee shared valuable stories of how he and the other bikers faced bullying when they were younger, but found a way to combat it in their own ways. These inspiring messages connected with the audience well, and helped everyone feel heard and self-empowered. It showed that the No Hate Tour is not only about the bike tricks, but truly lives up to its name.
The show ended with a slam dunk, as one of the bikers executed a perfect flip over Dean Bob Ware, who sat in a chair in the middle of the bike ramp with his arms raised up. Out of shock for the feat, the whole gym erupted in cheers, displaying how this event brought the junior and senior classes together.
While the bike show was a great success, there were some downfalls to the event. All of the tricks were done on the gym floor, meaning that black tire marks were left scattered around the floor that is used for basketball and volleyball games. Additionally, the No Hate Tour only visits towns surrounding a given city for one week at a time during their national tour. For example, the bikers stayed in the Boston area from Oct. 2-6, and then moved onto St. Louis for the following week. Therefore, it will be difficult to schedule the No Hate Tour to visit Westford Academy in the coming years simply based on the limited number of days that they are nearby.
That being said, the show was an exceptional event for the juniors and seniors, and a nice stress relief during our busy days. Prior to the show, I expected to find it entertaining, but the phenomenal performance totally exceeded my expectations. Clearly high schools are interested in bringing the No Hate Tour to town, as it has a completely filled schedule for shows around the whole country throughout the entire school year, and WA should make it a tradition of our own going forward.
