 For a guy who was once given twenty minutes to live due to massive internal bleeding, a staph infection fever is like a splinter to the average person.
Unlike teammate Kevin Robinson, Hoffman's regular rehabilitation sessions usually involve large quantities of ice cream and coffee, and a fleeting interest in weights or whatever else the doctor recommended.
I am getting older and sometimes I think I can't take my body for granted. I want to go to the gym and sponge some health off of Kevin."
Whatever he's doing—or not doing—it seems to work. Hoffman's been riding demos with Tony Hawk longer than any other BBHJ athlete. Actually, he was part of the original "Boom Boom HoffJam" that his parents allowed in their 20-acre backyard in the mid 1980s. One of his brothers rode motocross, the other one skated, and Mat biked.
Halfpipes, dirt-bike tracks, and moto jumps littered the Hoffman yard. "It was constant rides to the hospital for my mom," says Mat.
By age 11 he was popping air, and by 16 he turned pro and began collecting World titles and injuries. Often called the "The Condor" due to his ability to startle flocks of birds when he blasts air, Mat has been innovating for longer than any other pedal pusher on a vert ramp. In 2002 he landed a no-handed 900 at the X Games, a trick he's been dreaming about for almost fifteen years.
Not only has he invented a laundry list of tricks, he's also always imaging new ways to get into those maneuvers. He was the first athlete to build a monster ramp, and back in 1991 he blasted a 20-foot air on a 21-foot-tall quarter-pipe. In 2004 he built a 24-foot tall ramp and soared 26.5 feet above the lip to score a world record.
Mat's been flying off of big ramps longer than any other skater or biker, which made him a popular guy when it came time to brainstorm about the Boom Boom Bigass Ramp.
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