Competitive Kids Learn Physics The Hard Way

Sometimes the best lessons come from the most painful mistakes.

We've all been there—that moment when our competitive spirit overrides our common sense. For me, that moment came on two wheels, traveling at full speed down a State Park road, with a lesson in physics I'll never forget.

The Setup

I was just a kid spending the weekend tent camping at Smith Lake Park and I took my bicycle. Nothing fancy—just a single-gear bike that represented freedom and adventure. Being an only child, I didn't have built-in racing partners, so my lungs and legs weren't conditioned for the kind of competitive cycling that other kids were used to. But here's the thing about competitive kids: we don't let little details like "being out of shape" stop us.

That's when I met him—another kid around my age, probably not even in double digits yet. We decided to race to the pool, and immediately, I realized I was outmatched. This kid was fast, and he knew it.

The Challenge

As we took off down the road, he left me in the dust. My competitive nature kicked into overdrive. I wasn't about to be outdone by anyone, especially not some kid who was making it look effortless.

"Hey man, wait!" I called out, pedaling as hard as I could. "Hold on, let me catch up with you!"

His response? "No, you ain't gonna catch up with me."

Wrong answer.

The Plan (That Wasn't Really a Plan)

That's when my competitive brain made a decision that my rational brain would later regret. I thought to myself, "Not only am I going to catch up, but you're going to pay when I do."

I powered through the burning in my legs, pushed past the lactic acid building up in my muscles, and somehow managed to catch up to him. But catching up wasn't enough for my competitive spirit. I wanted to win, and I wanted him to know he'd been beaten.

That's when I hatched what seemed like a brilliant plan at the time: I would ram my front tire into his back tire, flip him off his bike, and then he wouldn't be able to outrun me anymore.

The Physics Lesson

Here's where my childhood education in physics began, courtesy of Newton's laws of motion and the unforgiving nature of asphalt.

I pulled up right beside him, pedaling as hard as I could, and then I executed my master plan. I rammed my front tire directly into his back tire, expecting him to go flying while I maintained control.

What I didn't know—what no competitive kid thinks about in the heat of the moment—is that the back tire is the stable tire in this situation. When my front tire caught his back tire, basic physics took over. His bike remained stable while mine became a launching pad.

I flipped over the handlebars and began what I now call "eating asphalt"—a dining experience I don't recommend to anyone.

The Lesson That Stuck

Lying there on the pavement, scraped up and thoroughly humbled, I learned several valuable lessons that have stayed with me to this day:

Physics always wins. No matter how competitive you are, you can't argue with the laws of motion. Understanding how things work is more powerful than just wanting them to work in your favor.

Fair play matters. Trying to sabotage someone else's success rarely leads to your own victory. More often than not, it leads to your own downfall.

Consequences are real. Every action has a reaction, and sometimes that reaction involves a face-first meeting with the ground.

The Lasting Impact

Never—and I mean never—have I been tempted since that day to try to wreck somebody with a front tire of a bicycle. The lesson was immediate, painful, and permanent.

Looking back, I realize that this wasn't just a story about a bike race gone wrong. It was about learning that true competition isn't about bringing others down.

Story credit: Phillip

Watch the full story and more here: https://youtu.be/SF_RVjRBCqk