What would do some kids for a passion, or maybe just to look cool in front of their friends? take this guy for example: came all the way from New Hampshire without a shirt on his back to ride in Vancouver.

Snotty, this is the guy, was one of dozens of BMX bikers who paid $5 to compete at Swift Skate Park for titles including "highest bunnyhop" and "longest grind."

While most bikers kept their blood to themselves, they didn't seem afraid to share if need be. In one event, called "foot down," Dickinson, the event organizer, encouraged bikers to knock one other off their bikes by whatever means came to mind.

Brandon Place of Portland shrugged off the risk of biking after winning the bunnyhop event clearing a 38-inch bar without using a ramp. A 16-year veteran at age 26, Place wore neither a helmet nor visible scars.

If the most talented bikers showed no fear, plenty of others all boys and young men grouped at the edge of the park, trying to muster the machismo to compete. Place offered his encouragement. "It's a really mellow park," he said. "It's not really dangerous to ride here."