Blaring music, bikes, ramps and three stunt riders are all that were needed on to instill a bit of excitement into a freezing Veishea night.

Ride and Glide, a BMX stunt team, ramped up the action Saturday night as part of Veishea’s alternative entertainment in the Molecular Biology Building parking lot.

Brent Sprute, owner of Ride and Glide, introduced the three riders as “Nate, ‘Tech-Tech’ Travis and AJ.” For approximately 30 minutes, they jumped, flipped, twisted and flew through the air, completing stunts which Sprute advised the audience “not to try at home.”

Ride and Glide has performed at Veishea in the past, but 2008 was the first show featuring the team’s new ramp.

While taking advantage of the crew’s new equipment, AJ Haines, who Sprute referred to as “the reason cell phone cameras were invented,” performed a number of jaw-dropping stunts, including 360-degree spins.

As Haines got the crowd’s adrenaline flowing, Nate Ward, fueled by the crowd’s excitement, got in on the action.

Sprute said Ward’s performance often depends on how loud the audience gets.

“The louder you guys get, the better he rides,” he said.

Sprute started Slide and Glide started ten years ago in Tacoma, Washington, as a hobby.

“It started off with just me and a bunch of buddies getting together and having a good time,” Sprute said. “Basically we wanted to spread a really positive message to our audience.”

Throughout the event, members of the audience were on the edges of their seats in anticipation of the stunts that the BMX riders performed. Although the temperature was below freezing, many came to watch.

While attending his first Veishea, Jarret Poetbaum watched as the riders flipped and twisted through the air. Because of the cold and the location, Poetbaum said the crowd was smaller than he expected it to be.

“I think it’s really cool, and if the weather was better, there would be way more people out here,” Poetbaum said. “This won’t get people out here – people don’t want to walk all the way out here.”

Mike Krapfl, ISU communications specialist, his wife Anne, and their sons, Will, 7, and Patrick, 5, watched the performance in amazement.

Will Krapfl smiled, nodded and said he hopes to someday try the stunts he was witnessing.

Both Mike and Anne Krapfl said their family attends Veishea every year to watch the stunt shows.

For Veishea-goers looking for an alternative to the high-octane performance by Ride and Glide, Scheer’s Lumberjack Show provided that opportunity.

Lumberjacks with Scheer’s Lumberjack Shows also performed for a crowd of approximately 200 people in the same parking lot on Saturday night. The professional ‘jacks competed in seven events ranging from log rolling to various chainsaw competitions.

2008 marked the second Veishea appearance for the Hayward, Wis.-based group, which has performed more than 5,000 shows all over the United States.

Dave Weatherhead, owner of Scheer’s Lumberjack Shows, said he might be hiring people to work and was enthused to hear that Iowa State has a Forestry Club that competes in similar events.

– Daily Staff Writers Dylan Boyle and Stefanie Buhrman contributed to this article.