Jenks East Intermediate - BMX, Big Ideas, and Why Failure Matters
Today, I had the opportunity to speak with a group of 5th and 6th graders at Jenks East about something that started in our own home—one simple idea that turned into something much bigger than we ever imagined.
It all began when my son asked a question: "Why don’t we have a BMX team at school?”
At the time, that didn’t exist. There were no school-based BMX teams. No model. No roadmap. Just a kid with an idea.
As parents, we’re faced with these moments all the time. Our kids bring us ideas that feel big, unrealistic, or even inconvenient. It would have been easy to say, “That’s not something schools do.” But instead, we leaned in.
We said yes to trying. That “yes” turned into one team… then another… and today, we have students from 14 schools participating in something that didn’t exist just a short time ago.
What That Means for You as a Parent
Supporting your child doesn’t mean you have to have all the answers. It means being willing to explore the question with them. Your child’s idea might not turn into a statewide program—but it might turn into confidence. It might turn into leadership. It might turn into the belief that they can create something instead of waiting for it.
Sometimes the most powerful thing we can say as parents is:
"Let’s see what happens."
Failure Isn’t the Opposite of Success—It’s the Path to It
We also talked a lot about failure today.
Not in a negative way—but in a real way.
In BMX, kids fall. A lot. They miss gates, lose races, struggle with skills, and sometimes feel frustrated. But that’s where growth happens.
I shared the story of Tony Hawk and his pursuit of the famous “900” trick.
He didn’t land it on the first try.
Or the hundredth.
Or the thousandth.
It took him over 10 years and more than 10,000 failed attempts before he finally landed it.
Think about that.
Ten years of trying something and not getting it right—and still showing up.
If he had decided early on, “I’m just not good at this,” we wouldn’t even know his name today.
What That Means for Your Child
Your child is going to struggle at things.
They’re going to try something new and not be good at it right away. They may even want to quit.
That’s the moment that matters most.
As parents, our role isn’t to remove failure—it’s to **reframe it**.
- “That didn’t work… what did you learn?”
- “You’re getting closer.”
- “Let’s try again.”
Because success doesn’t come before failure—it comes because of it.
And the kids who learn to stay in it, even when it’s hard, are the ones who build real confidence.
The Moment That Hit Home: A Simple Video with a Big Message
We also watched a short video together. Click here to Watch
Watch the full Ted Talk Here
In it, a dad is playing golf with his friends. His young child stands nearby, loudly critiquing him:
- “Stand up straight!”
- “You can’t play like that!”
- “Oh my gosh, I can’t even watch this!”
Eventually, the kid throws his hands up and walks off, clearly frustrated.
The kids laughed. But then we paused and talked about it.
Because while it’s funny to watch a child talk to a parent that way… it’s not so funny when we flip the roles.
What That Means for Us as Parents
If we’re standing on the sidelines saying:
- “You should’ve run faster!”
-“You needed to make that goal!”
-“Why didn’t you try harder?”
…it can feel exactly the same to our kids.
Even when our intention is to help, the impact can be very different.
Instead of building them up, we can unintentionally take the joy out of the experience.
And when the joy goes away, kids don’t want to keep showing up.
Keeping Sports What They’re Meant to Be
At its core, youth sports—including BMX—are about:
- Learning
- Growing
- Building confidence
- Having fun
Winning is great. Improvement is important. But those things should never come at the cost of a child’s love for the sport.
One of the most powerful things we can do as parents is shift our focus:
Instead of asking, “Did you win?”
Ask, “Did you have fun?”
Instead of saying, “You should’ve…”
Say, “I loved watching you out there.”
Those small changes create an environment where kids feel safe to try, to fail, and to keep going
The Bigger Picture
What started as one child’s idea has grown into something that is impacting hundreds of kids across multiple schools.
But the real success isn’t the number of teams.
It’s the number of kids who are learning:
- It’s okay to try something new
- It’s okay to not be perfect
- It’s okay to fail—and try again
And it’s the number of parents who are choosing to support that journey in a way that builds confidence instead of pressure.
Final Thought
Your child doesn’t need to be the best.
They don’t need to win every race.
They just need the opportunity to try—and the support to keep going.
Because sometimes, the biggest thing your child builds…
starts with one simple idea—and a parent willing to say yes.