BRUCE CRISMAN’S X FACTOR
Bruce Crisman can’t sit still. When the X Games champion isn’t flying on his BMX bike, he’s grinding on his skateboard or touring with his band, Decoro. Meet one of the craziest, funniest, most extreme athletes in the world — and he’s on fire for Jesus Christ.

by David Sanford

Cameramen aim to catch and broadcast the latest action to overhead twin 20-foot JumboTrons. The 2001 X Games and 2003 Latin X Games champion is racing down the far northeastern corridor of the Rose Garden, home to the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers.

His bike hits the arena floor at top speed and zooms up a ramp. It doesn’t just fly into the air. Instead, it seems to launch into an orbit where gravity’s laws no longer apply.
Bruce Crisman climbs higher and higher, spinning as lights flash throughout the place. His Adidas shoes float four and a half feet above his head as he looks straight down.

As if on an intense amusement park ride without a safety belt, Bruce and his BMX bike continue spinning away from the earth. The band Hyper Static Union plays on center stage, guitars blaring, drums pounding.

Then, with the pinpoint focus of an Air Force jet heading toward the deck of an aircraft carrier, Bruce pulls his bike back under him, finishing a 360 with seconds to spare. He lands at full speed, only to hit a second ramp and launch back up into the air while 10,000 fans go wild.

Sixty seconds later, Bruce races back onto the arena floor, sans bike, and stands on top the first ramp with a microphone in hand. In the spotlights, the logo on his black T-shirt seems fluorescent in the half-lit, suddenly quieted arena.

“I have Jesus Christ as my personal Savior,” 25-year-old Bruce tells the youthful crowd. “I’m not a perfect person. But the Lord is my Savior and He knows my heart. If you don’t know Jesus Christ yet, I’m talking to you right now.”

Bruce talks about the NBA players, band members, and action sports stars performing that evening at Jammin’ Against the Darkness with evangelist Steve Jamison. “We have been gifted by God so we can tell you about Him,” he says.

He then shares from Galatians 5, where the Bible talks about the battle between God and the Devil. Don’t give in to darkness, Bruce urges his audience. Instead, choose God’s light.

Power of a Friend

In front of a crowd or one-on-one, you’ll quickly discover that Bruce Crisman is a bold and unapologetic witness for Christ. “My parents were awesome growing up. They were such good examples to me, and they always had me involved with our church,” Bruce says. “But, as you know, it doesn’t matter if a kid’s going to church; it’s what’s in your heart.”

Though Bruce grew up attending church, he didn’t become a Christian until a fellow skateboarder, Jud Heald, befriended him at camp. Up to that experience, Bruce admits, “If I would have had the power to keep God away from us, I would have.”

Instead, God used Jud to radically change Bruce’s heart and mind. “Through Jud’s example, I humbled myself deep in my heart, and it was like the Spirit was talking to me.” Bruce had known that God loved him and had sent Jesus Christ to die for his sins. But it wasn’t real to Bruce until then. In his heart, Bruce chose Jesus.
A year later, Jud and Bruce met again at camp.

After some small talk, Bruce asked Jud, “Do you go to church around here? Do you want to go sometime?” Jud had a funny look on his face, remembering the old Bruce he knew before. “You’re a Christian?” he asked. “Yeah, I am.” A few weeks later, Bruce told Jud how God used him to change Bruce’s life 51 weeks earlier.

Birth of a BMXer

Bruce remembers watching biking competitions on ESPN when he was 10 years old. He bought a BMX bicycling magazine, read all about freestyle biking, and then ordered his first BMX bike and some instructional videos.

“God really did prepare me at a young age for what I do now,” Bruce says. “Ever since I was 4 or 5, I couldn’t wait to ride a bike. One day my mom let go [of the bike], and I did it! I haven’t stopped since. As a kid, that’s all I did every day. I was hitting humps and bark dust piles — the biggest jumps we could find as kids. That’s what my passion was.”

At that young age, Bruce wasn’t dreaming of becoming a professional rider or being on videos. He was just into BMX bikes the way his father and uncle Randy were into motorcycles.

But in high school, Bruce started competing in BMX contests, kept improving his skills and picked up several small corporate sponsorships along the way. Those sponsorships allowed him to keep competing. Bruce soon realized, Wow, I can actually make a profession out of this.

He worked even harder and kept getting better. Still, no one was more surprised when Bruce won the X Games in 2001. “It was almost like going back to when I was a kid. It was God’s preparation. It was as if He said, ‘You have no idea this is coming, but here it is, take it.’ ”

Winning the X Games gave Bruce the opportunity to turn professional. “I take it seriously, but I’m quite aware that I’m still just a kid riding a bike. I keep it fun for sure.” One of Bruce’s secrets is always trying new styles and tricks “to keep it interesting.”

Big-Time Big Air

What worries Bruce the most?  No. 1, injuries. No. 2, knowing that young people are watching what he’s doing in the air.

“You can get seriously hurt if you land wrong,” Bruce warns. “Keep it simple and enjoyable. Learn control. Do curbs and street stuff. In other words, don’t do what you’re seeing on TV — not at all until you’ve been riding for about 10 years.”

If he had to do it all over, Bruce wouldn’t trade jobs. Sure, he’s big into wrestling, skateboarding and other sports, but nothing compares with biking. “I like the freedom — that’s why it’s called freestyle. I can go out and ride, and no one’s pushing me or training me. No one’s telling me, ‘Hit 20 push-ups’ or whatever. The great thing about riding is that you can jump on your bike and you can do whatever you want.”

Of course, competition is a different story. “The moment before my run, I have something planned out, and I have to keep focused. But I can still stay relaxed enough to talk to the other guys when I’m not getting ready for a run.”  Bruce credits his ability to switch gears quickly between social and hyperfocused to the multisensory disciplines he developed while studying classical piano as a boy with his mom.

True Purpose

If you spend time with Bruce, sooner or later he’ll talk about what life’s all about.

“I’m not perfect, but I try to remember that I’m being an example,” he says. “And when I do mess up, I thank God for the love of Jesus Christ and ask for His forgiveness. Most of the time, I also try to speak to a brother in the Lord. God’s wisdom is poured out in fellowship. If we didn’t have each other, what a wreck we’d be in.

“If there is one thing I can tell people, it’s that no matter where or who you are and how much status you have, you can’t run from God — no matter what. God is constantly pulling you toward himself. Whether it’s through the example of a person or His creation, God is constantly showing you how true He is and how true He can be in your life.

“If you haven’t received that, let me ask you to give it a chance. Today, reading this article, can be that one opportunity, that one time in your life for you to consider the Lord as your personal Savior. I pray that you will.”