She hurtles along a dirt track with a look of sheer determination on his face.
He has a small but avid audience watching his every move as he endeavours to perform a new trick.
Time stands still and cameras flash as the amazing manoeuvre is attempted.
He succeeds and triumphantly skids to an impressive end, looking back at the small but vocal crowd applauding the courage, determination and skill they've just witnessed.
This was the scene at the weekend as we (my partner and I) watched our 4-year-old son ride along a dirt track on his red bicycle (without training wheels!) performing his latest trick.
His relatively tame tricks such as doing a wheelie 5cm off the ground, or lifting his rear end off the seat while going over a little bump, are a world away from the amazing contortions 22-year-old Levi Sherwood managed to pull off in spectacular fashion at the X-Fighter World Tour freestyle motocross series in Japan.
But who knows what the future holds for our son?
Maybe, like Levi, he will transition from performing to an audience of two, on two man-powered wheels, to using a revving machine as a platform for doing somersaults and human contortions in front of a pulsating crowd. Anything is possible.
One thing is for sure: the adrenaline rush and sense of accomplishment felt by both, irrespective of their age and skill level, must be comparable.
Sherwood is the poster boy when it comes to freestyle motocross and international accomplishments.
The city of Palmerston North is relieved to see one of its products reflecting positively on its image for once.
And what an image and story Levi has.
He was a child prodigy, and as soon as he could balance on a motorbike he was following in the footsteps of his father, Dave Sherwood, a professional speedway racer.
Levi started in motocross racing but found his niche in the international FMX scene.
Some traditionalists still struggle to see how freestyle and extreme events like the Summer X Games qualify as sport, but there will always be sports that are determined objectively (fastest, strongest, most goals scored) and those that are assessed subjectively (where technical skill, level of difficulty, and artistic flair are measured, based on expert opinion).
Some would even argue that in sports we deem to be objective, there is still an element of subjectivity, especially when it comes to officiating.
We, as in anyone who is not a member of Generation X, Y or Z, don't have to necessarily ''get'' the attraction of the X Games.
The evidence speaks for itself.
There is an audience that gets it, sponsors that get it, and individuals like Levi Sherwood who are willing to argue that what they do is a worthy and valid sport.
In fact, the act of riding a bike and doing tricks is probably closer to the essence of where sport should be than where it currently sits in the professionalised context.
Nothing is more pure than the act of play, and when a person (child or adult) is in the zone and utterly absorbed in some moment because they enjoy it and want to master it, that is the essence of play.
In an ideal world, play should be at the core of why we ''play'' sport.
Maybe then, some of these issues around corruption in sport would diminish.
It is, however, naive to ignore the fact sport is now more than play.
It is a livelihood, it is social and economic capital, it is big business.
If athletes can hold on to that feeling they had when they first picked up a bat, threw or kicked a ball, ran for the sake of running, or gathered at the local park to play with their mates, it might just be enough to deter them from going down the many unethical paths that they come across in modern sport.
If play remains their raison d'etre, many of the issues that plague modern sport will diminish and the pure joy of playing will take centre stage.
This is a rather simplistic way of trying to eradicate sports problems, but watching my son and Levi learning as they go, and seeing them finally nail that trick they've been attempting for so long, reminds me of why sport and play are an important part of life.
