BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — One Ohio boy broke a world record before he even turned 7.
Huck Kurinsky started riding BMX bikes daily at the start of the pandemic and already has his eyes on the X Games and Olympics. Huck never stops, but if you ask him, he used to move even more.
“But usually, when I was a kid, I usually just kept going and going and going, but now I’m like what the heck, why am I so tired?" he said.
Huck just turned 7.
“My wife and I had no idea that 'huck' is a BMX term as far as when you throw a big jump, you huck it," said his dad, Keir Kurinsky.
At age 6, Huck became a world record holder. He is believed to be the youngest to do a backflip on a BMX bike.
“I cried," said Huck. "That’s how happy I was.”
His dad added, “He cried and I thought he hurt himself, but he was just so happy. He was so happy that he started crying. I started crying. It was a big thing.”
His dad couldn’t be more proud.
“I think parents look for that thing for their kids to find and thrive, whether it be soccer or football or whatever it is. And thank God we found it in biking for my son," said Kurinsky.
Huck landed the trick on Oct. 8th at Woodward West skatepark in California.
“It was fun," said Huck. "The scary part was I thought I was going to land upside down. But I landed it first try and it’s very scary.”
He was there for the USA BMX Freestyle Amateur National Championship.
His talent has taken him all over the country and allowed him to ride alongside the best of the best, including Olympians.
“I mean he has no idea who he is riding with, where he gets to ride, and it’s kind of cool," said Kurinsky. "It’s like the purity of the sport.”
A boy from Wisconsin, Brody Ervin, previously held the world record for the youngest to perform a backflip on a BMX bike. He too landed the trick at age 6 in 2018. The pair became fast friends through BMX and Brody inspired Huck to go for the backflip.
“I kept riding it and kept getting better and better and better," said Huck.
Huck has loved to ride bikes since he was 3, but he started taking BMX seriously last year when COVID-19 hit.
Ray’s Indoor Bike Park was one of the few places that was open and it became the family’s playground.
“I train here every year and month and day," said Huck.
Huck learned a lot about riding by watching Brant Moore’s YouTube videos. He’s a BMX professional.
“How to drop in. How to get big air. How to grind. How to... whatever. All the basics in BMX and Huck at 5 or 6 years old, he would watch those religiously," said Kurinsky.
“He’s riding as if he’s been riding for five years," said Moore. "He’s controlling the bike in ways that take years to learn how to do."
Now they’re buddies. Moore is from Wooster, Ohio and coaches Huck.
“Prodigy is a word for it," said Moore. "I don’t know if it’s the right word, but it’s a word you could use to describe it."
The Bay Village first grader is still learning, but already knows to never give up. He always gets back up after he falls.
Huck dreams of the X Games and the Olympics and mastering new tricks.
“360s. He wants to do a front flip," said Kurinsky.
His dad said at the end of the day, he’s still a kid just having fun.
“He loves it and we love that he loves it and it’s a fun sport," said Kurinsky.