3-y-o grabs spotlight at Stunt Fest

While even some adults have a hard time balancing on their own two feet, three-year-old Luca Onfroy is a future stunt rider in the making.

Luca had people mouths agape on Saturday while he performed tricks on his bicycle at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday where patrons had gathered to watch professionals perform at Stunt Fest.

His mother, Claudia Gruber, told THE STAR that Luca, who was not among the Stunt Fest performers, has been riding since he was 18 months old.

"We go to the skate park as much as we can during the week so he can exercise," Gruber said of her son who was spotted in the general area.

While admiring the basic but impressive tricks her toddler was able to pull out, Gruber told THE STAR her boy has always been fearless, climbing grilles before he could walk and even teaching himself how to ride.

"I bought him the bicycle when he was 18 months old, and at the time he couldn't reach the pedals yet. He had the training wheels and that's what he would use to climb up on the thing. But I never showed him how to ride the bicycle. He was always watching the Gleaner guy who sells the Gleaner on Sunday. He was always watching the Gleaner guy passing the gate on the bicycle and how he was putting his feet on the pedals, and that is how he actually learned how to ride the bicycle."

Gruber said she is not worried that her son, now known as the curly-haired bicycle baby of Freedom Skate Park, will hurt himself while having fun on his bike.

"I was never in fear of anything. I was never afraid of him dropping down or hurting himself. And like I said, it was so funny because when he was nine months old and couldn't walk yet, the neighbours were always shouting at him to come down (from the grilles)."

Gruber said it is important that children be allowed to have fun without being overly shielded by parents who are constantly telling them to stay inside and scaring them about the possibility of breaking a limb.