I don't know any riders really that are like Matt. Except maybe for Terry Adams... Matt is just one of the coolest riders that you will ever meet. His ability to ride is unbelievable and he continuously rips things up when he is on his bike. What is even more amazing is that he doesn't seem to be phased by contests. He competes the same way that he practices- which is totally incredible. The first time I saw him ride was at the Woodward ESPN contest of last year- he won that one also. Between one of the craziest school schedules you can imagine he still puts in the time to pull off the big wins at ESPN contests for the amateur class. If there were people that were paying attention he would be riding for them. I think if he actually enterred the pro class and rode as well in the pro class as he does in the amateur class he would be heading to the X-Games and bringing home a check from every contest he enterred. If his skills didn't speak for themselves then his ability to just sit down and talk about life and riding and stuff in general would make him likeable. But he IS friendly and this may come from the fact that he underrates himself. Eventually he may realize that people aren't supposed to win EVERY contest. But right now he is batting 1000....
~P~ Okay, this is the second contest I've seen you ride in, it's the second contest you have won, and it's the second time you, and it's the second time I've heard you bitch, moan, and complain all day about how much you suck.
(background- KOJI) HE'S LIKE ME!
M. I DO suck!
~P~ You know if you win every contest for the whole year they're going to make you go pro.
What do you think of it all?
M. Man, I don't know… As long as you pay of the judges like I do.. (laughs)
~P~ Full name?
M. Mathew William Wilhelm
~P~ How old are you?
M. 20 Years Old
~P~ How long have you been riding?
M. Since I was in the eighth grade. So about 7 years.
~P~ Where are you from?
M. Chicago- Actually Oaklawn, a suburb of Chicago.
~P~ E-mail?
~P~ Who do you ride with?
M. Some guys from my town- Tom, Al- just some Chicago guys. Hiro… Koji.
(Koji in background laughs)
~P~ What's your favorite trick right now?
M. I think it varies. Right now I think it's the tomahawk… Just anything with a tomahawk. Spinning. Trying to keep it exciting. Cause flatland is pretty boring to watch and I'm a flatlander…
~P~ What kind of bike do you currently ride.
M. Rigid
~P~ WHY?
M. Cuz' it's REALLY good.
~P~ What do you think of Rigid not making frames anymore thing?
M. I don't think it's cool. It really sucks.
~P~ Do you go to many comps.
M. No… I went to one last year… This is the first one for this year. Before that it was 1996 ESPN Chicago contest. I'm actually undefeated at BS contests. I won the beginner class in 1994 and then expert in 1996, 98', and 99'.
~P~ When are you going pro?
M. NEVER (laughs) - I just ride for fun. If I'm good enough to go pro then I guess I'll do it. But right for right now I'm gonna stick in expert and have fun.
~P~ Where do you think flatland is heading?
M. I don't know… Just crazy stuff. You see Andrew Farris just doing stuff that looks like street riding- tailwhips.. bunnyhop crazy stuff. You know. Just crazy stuff that takes four months to learn. I just don't have the patience. That's probably why I won't ever be pro.
~P~ What do you do when and if flatland gets you down?
M. Yeah, it gets me down. I usually play my saxaphone, that's my other hobby. I'll play my sax for a week and then get back on my bike and feel like riding again.
~P~ Trevor or Chase?
M. CHASE
~P~ Coke or Pepsi.
M. Oh… Pepsi of course.
~P~ What do you think of the coverage on ESPN- specifically flatland?
M. They don't give it enough coverage at all and they don't cover the amateur class at all. Which I am disappointed in because there is some cool stuff going on in the amateur class. They need to show some more flatland I think, cause it's one of the hardest things in the whole ESPN thing. Harder than bungee jumping or any of that stuff.
~P~ What's the worst injury you've ever had?
M. I broke my index finger and my pinkie doing a backpacker. I don't know… I ALWAYS rack myself.
~P~ What do you have to say to any beginners out there?
M. Just keep riding. Get all your basic tricks down. From there you can do a lot of cooler stuff if you work on the basic tricks instead of going with the harder stuff right away. Just keep riding!
~P~ What kind of music do you like?
M. Anything from punk rock to hip-hop. I play saxafone in our college jazz band. I'm really into jazz a lot. I usually listen to punk rock or hip-hop when I ride though.
~P~ Well what's your favorite Jazz band?
M. I like John Cole Train, Joshua Redman.. nobody knows who they are. My favorite punk band is meloncolin or face-to-face and I really like the Deftones too.
~P~ Do you have a job.
M. No.
~P~ But you're in school. That's your job right?
M. Yeah- I've got this music scholarship. That I do a lot of stuff for. I consider that a job cause they give me like seven grand a year.
~P~ You're taking how many credits?
M. I'm taking 20 credits this semester… Probably more next semester. (which is a hell of a lot) I'm still able to get out and ride about an hour and a half every day.
~P~ What do you think of the weather up in Chicago?
M. Oh it sucks. Well… in the Summer it's really cool. The fall was nice this year.
~P~ Do your parents support you?
M. Oh yeah- My parents are really cool. Supportive and hooking me up when I need anything.
~P~ How much dedication and time do you think it takes to get to where you are today?
M. I started out riding like 8 hours a day for the first 3 or 4 years. Then I started slacking and only riding about two hours a day. I think though maybe the most important thing is starting out and learning all your basic stuff.
~P~ Any last words? People you want to thank?
M. I'd like to thank my parents most of all. They're always hooking me up and being real supportive. My town crew back home- Tom, Al, Rod, Hiro, Todd, Craig- just the whole crew and my roommates at school.
~P~ Awesome- I think that's it- Thanks.