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Meet Mia, the teenage roller-skating star who set an EPIC world record.
At the super-young age of 15, Mia Peterson of California, USA set the record for the most people barani flipped over from a quarter pipe on roller skates, which is... 12! 🤯
Contrary to what you might think, Mia didn’t start roller-skating until she was 11 years old. That year, her sister got a pair of skates for her birthday and they decided to go to the skating rink together.
Long story short, by the age of 13, Mia had fallen in love with the sport. 🛼
She became a regular at the skate park and made some good friends within the skating community.
Soon she started challenging herself with more complex skating tricks - one of the hardest ones is definitely the barani flip! It is a gymnastic manoeuvre comprising a front flip with a half twist...
Mia is one of Guinness World Records' Young Achievers and will feature in our 2024 book, which goes on sale VERY SOON. 👀
But how did she learn such a trick? Here's the full story...
“When I first attempted a flip on roller skates I tried it into a foam pit,” Mia explains. “I got really comfortable with them into a foam pit and then onto an airbag. When I was confident with my rotation and the flip, I would start attempting them on cement.
“I would take baby steps until I could land the flip. It is not easy at first though, I would take some tough falls here and there!"
[After falling] it took a lot of courage to try flips again. But then I remember that falling is just a part of skating and I get back up and try again.
When Mia had become confident enough in her skills, her good friend Jake suggested that she try to flip over him while he lay on the ground.
Imagine how much trust he had in her! 😮
She was very careful and, within a few days, she had become sooo good that she could flip over over 9 people in a row...
She even flipped over her mum, Sarah!
So, how much practise does it take to become a record-breaking skater?
Well, Mia used to spend hours practising every day. And now, as a busy 16-year-old, even though she has less free time, she still manages to skate a few times a week.
Mia competes on a regular basis, but she is not planning on making a career out of her passion!
As she told us, she doesn't want to skate for money: “I skate for the happiness it gives me. I will definitely continue to skate, even when I go to college and get a profession.”
After A LOT of practising, on 16 July 2022, Mia lined up 12 other skaters and flipped over them, gaining a world record title! 🥳
When we asked her what her source of inspiration was, she told us: “All the skaters around me really inspire me. [They] really pushed me. […] Watching them improve and work hard inspires me more than anything!”
Check out Mia’s attempt here:
💡Fun fact: Mia’s all-time favourite memory is from when she landed her first ever flip.
“From the time I started roller skating I always dreamed of being able to do a flip on skates. […] One day at the skate park I was determined to land a front flip. I told my friends that I wanted to try to front flip and they all gathered around the quarter pipe to watch me."
She was nervous at first, and didn't succeed on her first try, but once she did it, it was like a dream come true!
“I had the biggest smile on my face and I was so happy!”
Mia revealed that she is quite confident in her abilities - as she should be. 💪
However, she never tried anything unsafe:
“I was usually pretty confident in my attempts, but I always knew my limit. I would never try and push it and see if I could go farther than I knew I could.
“Because I am flipping over people and I can’t really bail out or have an unsuccessful attempt, because I could be endangering someone.”
When Mia received her record certificate, a childhood dream of hers came true. ❤️
“I was thrilled! I couldn’t believe it, it seemed very surreal. I used to always look up to the people in this book when I was younger and now to be in it, it feels like a dream.”
What is YOUR dream?
Because according to Mia, with hard work and dedication, you can make it come true!
Try to find a hobby or sport that you love! Do it because you enjoy it, and the happiness it brings you. If you work hard and put in the hours, you can do anything.
Finally, Mia told us that she might try to break another record in the future...
“I would probably try and attempt to get the highest flip now. Since I got the longest flip over people I think it would be awesome to attempt the highest flip too!”