Harry Bink still remembers the moment his motorcycle dream became a mission to prove people wrong.
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So flying more than 20 metres into the air and hanging upside down at Canberra Stadium in March will be the perfect chance to reflect on the high school task that motivated a rise to international stardom.
"It was year six at Gold Creek High School and everyone had to fill out a form. The first question was: what do you want to do when you grow up?," Bink said.
"I said I wanted to be a professional motorbike rider. The next question was: what do you think you'll be doing in 10 years?
"I said I wanted to be in America, riding dirt bikes professionally. All of the teachers said: 'come on mate, you've got to have realistic goals'.
"Everyone sort of put [my goals] down. It was weird, from right then my thoughts were: 'I'm going to show you'. For some reason I just always believed."
Bink made a brief trip back to Canberra on Monday to spend Christmas with his family and will return again as part of the Nitro Circus world tour on March 10.
The 22-year-old is relatively unknown in his hometown even though he became the first person in the world to land a rock solid front flip at the Nitro world games earlier this year.
But motocross legend Travis Pastrana described Bink's efforts as the hardest trick attempted in the event's history, and he's starting to forge a reputation as a world leader.
So while most Canberra children grow up dreaming of playing for the Canberra Raiders or ACT Brumbies, Bink set his sights on a different path.
He started on homemade dirt ramps and is now performing in front of thousands of fans, as well as beating the Raiders and Brumbies to their home turf as the first event at Canberra Stadium of 2018.
His front flip won him the Nitro Circus best trick award, but he also nailed a double backflip and worked with Pastrana on a project at his house in the US.
He impressed Pastrana so much he was given his own section in a new movie, which will be released next year.
"The first time you do a new trick is like going bungee jumping or sky diving for the first time, you get addicted to it and that's what makes you want to keep doing it," Bink said.
"Sometimes it's the scariest thing ever and you feel like vomiting before you do it. But the more scared you are, the bigger reward. There's no feeling like it, and until you do it you never know how awesome that feeling is.
"I feel sorry for people who will never get that chance. Because it is honestly the greatest feeling, nothing compares to it. I feel like I've conquered all of my goals this year."
Bink started racing when he was 12 years old and decided to turn his attention to stunts and tricks when he was 17.
He started a carpenter's apprenticeship to make sure he had a fallback plan, but he quickly shot to fame and has no relocated to the Gold Coast and has a base in the United States.
It hasn't always been easy. Bink, who has previously performed at the Royal Canberra Show, broke his leg and crushed his heel in 2013 and needed 24 screws, a metal plate and four months off his bike to recover.
"I made sure I wasn't just relying on my bike when I started, that's the last thing you want to do. That's why I started the carpentry apprenticeship," Bink said.
"It does really just take one injury and then you're screwed. You'd be sitting around scratching your head wondering what you're going to do.
"But I definitely never stopped believing, and believing in yourself is the biggest thing to doing anything like what we do.
"It's a mental sport. I believe it's 80 per cent mental, if you've done it enough times in your head, actually doing it is the easy part. If you get too comfortable you'll come unstuck."
Bink travelled the world this year, competing in Spain, New Zealand and across the US. So what does he have planned for a chance to impress his family and friends in Canberra?
"The ramps are basically triple the size of what we usually use ... you definitely don't want to crash over them," Bink said.
"Almost every rider in the show is going to be doing double backflips because the ramps are so big. I don't want to give away to much, but it's going to be way bigger and better.
"To come back to Canberra and show off what I've learnt, it feels like a massive reward. Competing in front of thousands of people is one thing, but with your family is completely different."
March 10: Nitro Circus Next Level tour at Canberra Stadium. Gates open at 3pm, show starts at 4pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
