transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:02] Lemonada.

Speaker 2:
[00:07] Brains On! Universe.

Speaker 1:
[00:11] Hi, friends. It's me, Molly. We are hard at work making brand new episodes of Smash Boom Best, and we're going to be back in just a couple weeks. We're so excited. But until then, we're sharing some fan favorite episodes. And this week, we're sharing an oldie but a goodie. This is Skateboards vs. Bicycles. Enjoy.

Speaker 3:
[00:32] From the brains behind Brains On, it's Smash Boom Best.

Speaker 4:
[00:37] The show for people with big opinions.

Speaker 1:
[00:40] Hi, I'm Molly Bloom, and this is Smash Boom Best. The show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Put on your helmets and get ready to sweat, because we've got a super sporty showdown for you today. It's Bikes vs. Skateboards. Which set of wheels will win? Beautiful bikes or slammin skateboards? This is going to be a really tricky debate to judge. Lucky for us, we have Jared from Armonk, New York here to help us make a decision. Hi, Jared.

Speaker 4:
[01:12] Hi, how are you?

Speaker 1:
[01:13] Thank you for being here. So Jared, when I say bikes, what comes to mind?

Speaker 4:
[01:18] When you say bikes, triathlons come to mind, me falling in fifth grade and scraping my elbow comes to mind. So I have a little bit of a grudge against it, but I think I can get past that and be a good judge.

Speaker 1:
[01:29] What about skateboards?

Speaker 4:
[01:30] When I hear skateboards, I hear doing flips off of ramps and I hear some pretty scary injuries, but the fun is worth it.

Speaker 1:
[01:39] You're very safety minded. So do you bike or skate right now or have you been scared away from them?

Speaker 4:
[01:46] I'm more of a biker. I'm not going to lie, but I will try to keep that bias out of it.

Speaker 1:
[01:50] Excellent. Jared, do you like debating? Do you ever get into debates with your friends or family?

Speaker 4:
[01:56] I'm actually known in my family as someone who won't give up on a debate if I think I'm right, and I used to do mock trial in freshman and sophomore year. So I'm definitely a little bit of a debater.

Speaker 1:
[02:06] So did you learn any debate tips or tricks in mock trial that you would want to help our debaters do today?

Speaker 4:
[02:14] One thing that I learned, even though they're outlawed in mock trial, I learned that leading questions are very, very important. Since on Smash Boom Best, you don't have a rule against leading questions, that is definitely the best way to try to convince someone that you are correct.

Speaker 1:
[02:29] So what's an example of what a leading question is?

Speaker 4:
[02:32] So instead of saying, for example, do you like bikes? You would say, oh, you like bikes, right? Trying to lead them to the answer that you would like and tell something to their brain where they think, hmm, I should agree with them instead of just, they get to make their own decision.

Speaker 1:
[02:46] Very interesting. Do you have any other advice for our debaters today?

Speaker 4:
[02:50] I would say you guys really need to give me a lot of evidence. I'm a very evidence-based person, so just bring all you got. I know leading questions, so maybe you don't use them on me because I might turn them against you and good luck.

Speaker 1:
[03:04] Perfect. Well, let's meet our debaters. Here to defend Bodacious Bikes, its novelist, journalist, radio producer, and co-founder of the award-winning Spanish language podcast, Radio Ambulante, Daniel Alarcón. Hi, Daniel.

Speaker 5:
[03:18] Hi, Molly.

Speaker 1:
[03:19] So, Daniel, in a single sentence, why are bikes the Smash Boom Best?

Speaker 5:
[03:24] Bikes are incredibly fun, they're super useful, and they can help save the planet.

Speaker 1:
[03:29] It's hard to beat that. So here to represent Skateboards, it's the totally tubular writer, editor, and Brains On! star, Sanden Totten. Hi, Sanden.

Speaker 6:
[03:39] What's up, Molly, and all you righteous listeners?

Speaker 1:
[03:41] In one sentence, Sanden, why are skateboards cooler than bikes?

Speaker 6:
[03:46] Skateboards are super fun. They are really, really good for you in a lot of different ways, and they just look cool. When you're leaning up against the wall with a skateboard, nothing looks cooler.

Speaker 5:
[03:58] I think I said super fun. So can you, is that allowed? Is that just plagiarism already?

Speaker 6:
[04:03] Fun is in the public domain.

Speaker 1:
[04:06] Well, this is a very well-matched debate. I know it's going to be super tough. Let's review the rules of the game. Round one is the Declaration of Greatness. Using facts, logic, and top-notch storytelling, our debaters will present the most persuasive arguments for their side. After each declaration, the opposing team will have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statement. Then we've got the Micro Round, a creative challenge each side has prepared for in advance. Round three is the Sneak Attack, a surprise challenge debaters will respond to on the spot. And to top it all off, we've got the final six. In this round, each team will have six words to make a closing case for their side. Our judge, Jared, will award two points in the first round, one for the best declaration of greatness and one for the best rebuttal. After that, he'll have one point to award each round, but he'll keep his decisions top secret until the end of the debate. Listeners, we want you to judge too. This is a tough one, so mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org, and vote for whichever team you think won. Okay, is everybody ready?

Speaker 7:
[05:16] Yeah. Yes.

Speaker 4:
[05:17] I'm ready.

Speaker 1:
[05:18] Excellent. Then it's time for the...

Speaker 3:
[05:21] Declaration of Greatness.

Speaker 1:
[05:24] Our debaters will present the most fascinating facts and awesome arguments in favor of their side. We flipped a coin, and Daniel, you're up first. It's time for a declaration of greatness for those tremendous two-wheelers bikes.

Speaker 5:
[05:38] So when I was tasked with writing a declaration of greatness for the bicycle, I knew right away who I had to talk to.

Speaker 2:
[05:44] Yeah. Okay. Okay. So are you gonna tell me to introduce myself or should I just introduce myself?

Speaker 5:
[05:50] I guess I just wanted to see what I was up against. This is my nephew.

Speaker 2:
[05:53] My name is Marco. I'm 13 years old, and you're my uncle.

Speaker 5:
[05:58] See, skateboarding, it's basically all he talks about. Tell me what you like about skateboarding.

Speaker 2:
[06:03] Um, I like how creative it is, and I can just like get together with friends and learn new tricks and have fun.

Speaker 5:
[06:12] I'll grant him that. It is creative. It is fun, and everyone loves tricks, even if they do seem a little repetitive.

Speaker 2:
[06:19] A tray flip, a kick flip, a heel flip, a dolphin flip, a varial flip, a varial heel flip, a dragon flip.

Speaker 5:
[06:28] That's a lot of flips, but I get it. Skateboarding is pretty cool, and I like that my favorite nephew is into skateboards. All right, so what are you doing later?

Speaker 2:
[06:36] I think I'm going to go to the skate park.

Speaker 5:
[06:38] Oh, cool. And how are you going to get there?

Speaker 2:
[06:41] On my bike.

Speaker 7:
[06:42] Bicycle.

Speaker 5:
[06:47] It's cool. It's totally fine. You want to try out a dozen varieties of flips? Great. Knock yourself out. But at the end of the day, like billions of others, you'll always come back to the bicycle. The whole world is crazy for bikes and has been for 200 years. The first bikes had no pedals. You just ran with them underneath you, coasting. Kind of like those balance bikes your kid brother or sister rides, except for adults. And when they were invented in Germany, they were supposed to replace horses. Then we had those crazy contraptions you've probably seen, the ones with a teeny tiny back wheel and the absurdly large front wheel.

Speaker 8:
[07:22] Me? Oh my. The world looks so different from up here.

Speaker 5:
[07:27] So it took a few years, but even those early versions, people love them. And these days, more than half of all the people in the world know how to ride a bike. There are 2 billion bicycles on the road and a new one is sold every two seconds. Why is that? What is it about bicycles that are so great? Well, for hundreds of millions of people around the world, a bicycle is an essential tool. It's how we get to work, how we get to school, how we run our errands, a vital alternative to cars or buses or trains, helping make cities more livable and sustainable. Every trip we take on a bicycle is literally helping the planet. Denmark is widely considered the world's most bike-friendly country, and in the capital, Copenhagen, cyclists are keeping 90,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year. The more people ride, the more impact we can have. If people were to switch from driving cars to riding a bike for short trips, we could save 5 billion gallons of gas a year. And keep up to 45 million tons of harmful greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere. You can do all the varial, double, reverse, heel, dragon flips you want. But you aren't going to have that kind of impact against climate change with a skateboard. There's a reason my nephew rides his bike to the skate park. There's hardly a more practical way to get around for short trips. And it turns out all this peddling is not just good for the planet, it's good for us, in really tangible ways. Lower blood pressure, lower rates of obesity, significantly lower risk of developing certain types of cancers. Riding a bike can literally keep you young. A study in England showed that the average cyclist has a fitness of someone 10 years younger. So, it's good for the planet, and it's good for you. But let's forget all that. This is what's important to Smash Boom Best fans. It's fun. It's so fun. I mean, think about it. Put the four wheels of a skateboard flat on the ground and give it a push. It rolls. That's cool. But the two wheels of a bicycle, it just falls over. As kids, we literally have to be tricked into believing we can do it because it really doesn't seem like it would be possible.

Speaker 7:
[09:32] Don't let go, Dad.

Speaker 5:
[09:33] I won't, kiddo. I promise. Then Dad does let go, of course, and you wobble for a moment, and then like magic, you get it. You've discovered a superpower. You've probably heard people say that such and such is like riding a bike. It's a phrase we use to describe those actions which are so ingrained in us that they're impossible to forget. Something you learn that leaves an indelible mark, muscle memory. Well, this is why. By learning to ride a bike, you've defied gravity and common sense and acquired a skill that just moments before felt utterly impossible. It's magic, and you never forget your first magic trick.

Speaker 1:
[10:18] A very magical declaration of greatness, her bikes boosting the health of the planet and our bodies. Incredible. Jared, what did you think about Daniel's declaration of greatness?

Speaker 4:
[10:28] I mean, I really liked it. I thought he had a very interesting angle with the environmental piece. I think I'm a very big proponent of saving our environment, and that's what my science research project is about this summer. So he definitely struck a note there with me. And I also agree, biking is the more practical alternative, but we'll see, can the fun of skateboarding outweigh the practical nature of biking?

Speaker 1:
[10:52] Sanden, I know you have some things to say, so it's time for your rebuttal.

Speaker 6:
[10:57] I'm ready to triple kickflip all over this.

Speaker 1:
[11:00] Okay, Sanden, you've got 30 seconds to grind Daniel's gears, and your time starts now.

Speaker 6:
[11:06] Yeah, so biking is one way to get around, but so is skateboarding. There are all different kinds of ways to get around on skateboarding. Some people just like to use your traditional skateboard, but longboards are great for longer commutes to give you a really smooth ride. There's even electric skateboards if you really, really want to put some power into it. Also, if you want to talk about the freedom of biking, bikes are way more expensive than skateboards. Your average skateboard will be anywhere from 50 to 100 bucks, but bikes usually start at a couple hundred to up to several thousand. Also, another great thing about bikes-

Speaker 1:
[11:37] And time.

Speaker 6:
[11:38] That skateboard-

Speaker 1:
[11:41] Couldn't cram it all into 30 seconds?

Speaker 6:
[11:43] You never can. There's just too much I could have gone on and on about how much bikes just can't stand up next to skateboards, but I tried my best.

Speaker 5:
[11:50] Oh, stand up. I get that. Oh, nice.

Speaker 1:
[11:53] They literally can't. Well, Sanden, it's your turn now. We want to know why skateboards deserve to be crowned the Smash Boom Best.

Speaker 6:
[12:03] Instead of telling you why skateboards are awesome, I thought I would show you with a time machine. Come on in. First stop, my childhood basement. 15-year-old Sanden just got a skateboard. Yo, where did you come from, old man? The future. Don't worry about it. As you can hear, I was a raging ball of hormonal angst. Spiky hair, baggy pants, angry music. Pretty much nothing made me happy back then. Whatever. Just don't get up in my grill. I'm trying to land an ollie. Why is it so hard? Okay. The ollie is a crucial trick. It lets you and your board jump over things. First, you push down fast on the back of the board with one foot, so that it hits the ground and makes the front pop up like a seesaw. Then you jump up while delicately sliding your other foot across the board to level it out, bringing the whole thing into the air. For a moment, you and your deck are flying. I practiced for days, until...

Speaker 1:
[13:09] Whoa!

Speaker 9:
[13:10] Did you see?

Speaker 1:
[13:11] I totally did it!

Speaker 9:
[13:11] I did it!

Speaker 6:
[13:12] That was amazing! I did Nollie! Yeah, I would learn plenty of other tricks, but that first one... Wow! Totally boss, am I right, homeslice? You're such a dork. You'll think I'm cool in about 20 years. As if. All right, well, let's keep moving. They say you never forget how to ride a bike, but once you've got it, what else is there to learn? Skateboarding is the opposite. There's always another trick to master, a new move to invent. It's hard, frustrating. You'll fall and get up again and again. Researchers have a word for this kind of stick-to-it-iveness, grit. And studies show that kids who develop grit go on to do better at school and in their careers. Some think it might be even more important than intelligence. Skating teaches grit. Okay, here we are in Southern California in 1967. A crucial moment in skateboard history. There's an epic drought, so backyard pools are empty. A team of pioneering young skaters called the Z-Boys just started skating in those dry pools, riding up the curved walls and even flying above them. Dude, you caught epic air on that one. Before this, people mostly skated on flat surfaces, but this group changed that. Now we see people skating in concrete bowls or on half pipes all the time. In fact, it's become so popular, it just made its debut in the Summer Olympics. Even today, people are dreaming up new ways to skate. Looking fresh, my bros. Who invited the school principal? Who, me? No, no, no, I'm cool. I have a time machine. Let's bail. Probably should have worn normal clothes instead of this shiny silver time travel jumpsuit. Oh well. Speaking of threads, that's another awesome thing about skaters. They're fashion icons. Skaters help popularize loose-fitting jeans and shoes like vans and converse. Skaters even started major brands like Stussy and Supreme. Biker fashion? Not hot. No one's like, oh, I'm going to look so cool in my spandex onesie and my big padded bottom, which FYI, looks like a diaper. Just saying. Okay. Part of what drew young me to skating is the community. In fact, a study from the University of Southern California found that skate parks are great at bringing people together, because folks of all races, genders, and ages gather and bond over their shared love of shredding. That's why nonprofits are actually building parks in communities around the world, like Skatistan, a park in Afghanistan that teaches young girls to board and believe in themselves.

Speaker 9:
[16:09] All right.

Speaker 6:
[16:09] Last stop, the future. Which, whoa, it is surprisingly clean and beautiful here. Hey, hey, random future person, how did the world get so awesome?

Speaker 9:
[16:23] Well, after skateboards went against bikes on the show called Smash Boom Best, everyone started skating. We learned how to think outside the box and keep trying when we fail. That helped us solve problems like climate change and world hunger. Plus, we all bonded over boards, so we ended war.

Speaker 6:
[16:42] Wow, all because I won a debate?

Speaker 9:
[16:44] No, I'm pretty sure it was someone much cooler. See ya.

Speaker 6:
[16:49] Why does that keep happening? Anyway, the point is skating teaches grit, it inspires creative thinking, it brings us together, and it's just cool. Which is why I better ditch this time machine and get back on my board. Later, skaters.

Speaker 1:
[17:08] A bold declaration of greatness, skateboards saving the world. I love it. Jared, what stood out to you about Sanden's declaration of greatness?

Speaker 4:
[17:17] I think that time machine may have taken us back to before I was born, but nonetheless, I am a big fan of Vans and it's really hard to argue against world peace. So I'm excited to see how Daniel goes against that.

Speaker 5:
[17:32] Was that about skateboards or about Sanden's fear of not being cool?

Speaker 6:
[17:36] The two are delicately intertwined, but don't confuse the argument there.

Speaker 1:
[17:43] Daniel, let's hear your 30 second rebuttal.

Speaker 5:
[17:46] Just 30 seconds?

Speaker 1:
[17:47] I know it's tough. Tell us all the bumps you heard in team skateboard's argument and your time starts now.

Speaker 5:
[17:54] Well, if you want to be a skateboarder, I can save you some time. You take the drapes from your grandma's house and you sew a pair of pants and then you go to your elementary school and toss yourself like a trash test dummy down the stairs again and again until you break your arm. And you don't even need a board for that. So I don't know, I'm just not that impressed. Sanden said that bikes are expensive. My nephew breaks a board every month and a half and has to buy a new one. And I've had the same bike for more than a decade. So I think mile per mile, my bike beats skateboard.

Speaker 1:
[18:26] And time.

Speaker 6:
[18:27] I just want to say real quick, you mentioned that throwing yourself down some stairs is a great way to imitate skateboarding. But according to the research I found from one of the branches, the National Institutes of Health, this is a quote, despite the negative image among medical fraternity, skateboarding does not appear to be a dangerous sport with a low incidence and injuries encountered being not severe. Whereas University of Glasgow studied biking as a form of commuting and found that it had a 45 percent higher risk of admission to a hospital for an injury compared with other methods of commuting. It can be very dangerous, but people skate in skate parks where you're only dangerous gravity. If you're good, you can figure out a way around that eventually.

Speaker 5:
[19:04] I think Sanden just threatened my life.

Speaker 6:
[19:07] I think riding your bike is threatening your life, but you do what you want.

Speaker 1:
[19:12] Sanden did his opposition research today. All right, Jared, it's time to award your first two points. One for your favorite declaration of greatness, and another point for your favorite rebuttal. You get to decide what criteria you're using. Did one side make you laugh more? Did the other tell a better story? Make a decision, but don't tell us who is getting the points.

Speaker 4:
[19:36] All right. I've just written down my two point values, so we should get going.

Speaker 1:
[19:43] Excellent. All right, Sanden, Daniel, how are you feeling about this battle so far?

Speaker 5:
[19:48] I'm a little skateboard.

Speaker 7:
[19:50] Oh.

Speaker 6:
[19:53] Upon I bike it.

Speaker 1:
[19:55] That's great.

Speaker 5:
[19:55] Oh, let's see. No, I'm feeling good. I got the wind in my hair and I'm just ghosting. It's going great.

Speaker 3:
[20:04] Awesome.

Speaker 1:
[20:05] All right. It's time for a quick break.

Speaker 4:
[20:07] Adjust your helmet, stretch your legs, and we'll be right back with more Smash Boom Best.

Speaker 3:
[20:14] You're watching State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.

Speaker 10:
[20:20] Hi, Debate Heads. It's Todd.

Speaker 11:
[20:22] And Taylor.

Speaker 8:
[20:23] And Nancy. Nance for short. Although my mother called me Susan for a long time.

Speaker 11:
[20:29] Nancy? Uh, Nance? Uh, is our mail carrier.

Speaker 8:
[20:33] Yeah, I deliver mail. I should be doing that now, but I'm starving.

Speaker 10:
[20:37] Anyway, we're pretty sure Nance has some news about the Grandmaster Debate Cup.

Speaker 8:
[20:42] Yep. But first, I just need one bite of my big old juicy bread packet.

Speaker 11:
[20:46] What's a bread pocket?

Speaker 8:
[20:48] You know, it's got two slices of bread, ham, tomato, lettuce, and pickles. Yum.

Speaker 10:
[20:53] You mean a sandwich?

Speaker 8:
[20:55] It would be a sandwich if it had mustard, but alas, it's just a sad little bread pocket.

Speaker 11:
[20:59] Well, that's not true. Your bread pocket would be a sandwich with or without mustard.

Speaker 10:
[21:06] Yeah, Nance, you just used the no true Scotsman fallacy. That's when you say something isn't real or true unless it fits your specific standards.

Speaker 11:
[21:16] Yeah, like it's not truly soup if it's not hot, or they're not truly fries unless they're a crinkle cut.

Speaker 8:
[21:23] Or all grandma cookies are tasty. My grandma's cookies are terrible. Maybe she isn't a grandma. She definitely is. Anyway, that's really helpful. Okay.

Speaker 11:
[21:34] Now, can we have the mail, please?

Speaker 8:
[21:37] Oh, here you go.

Speaker 10:
[21:38] It's here.

Speaker 11:
[21:39] Oh my gosh.

Speaker 8:
[21:40] Wow. Drum roll, please.

Speaker 10:
[21:45] I didn't get in.

Speaker 11:
[21:46] I got in.

Speaker 8:
[21:48] No way. This is fantastic news. You're going to be famous. Do you have an Insta? I should call my mom. Can I take a picture with you?

Speaker 11:
[21:56] Of course.

Speaker 10:
[21:56] Actually, Taylor, we should finish the State of Debate episode.

Speaker 8:
[22:00] Oh, right.

Speaker 11:
[22:01] Sorry, Nance. Just give me a second.

Speaker 8:
[22:03] No worries. Mom, guess who I just met.

Speaker 10:
[22:06] Congrats, pal. Just don't forget about little old State of Debate when you're out there.

Speaker 11:
[22:10] I would never. You're the mustard to my sandwich.

Speaker 10:
[22:13] Oh, gee. Thanks.

Speaker 8:
[22:15] Taylor, will you take a picture with me? I want to send it to my mom.

Speaker 11:
[22:19] Sure. Sure, Nance.

Speaker 8:
[22:21] Oh, she's snacking up the leaf her eyes.

Speaker 10:
[22:24] Welp, that's all for today, debate heads. Taylor's headed to the cup. I guess it'll just be little old me next week on State of Debate.

Speaker 1:
[22:46] You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.

Speaker 4:
[22:50] And I'm your judge, Jared.

Speaker 1:
[22:51] One of my favorite things about this show is all the amazing debate ideas we get from listeners like you. Check out this awesome debate suggestion from Iggy in Ecuador.

Speaker 2:
[23:02] My debate idea is tennis versus golf.

Speaker 4:
[23:06] Sounds like quite the match.

Speaker 1:
[23:07] We'll check back with Iggy at the end of this episode to see which side he thinks should win.

Speaker 4:
[23:12] And now it's back to our debate of the day, bikes versus skateboards.

Speaker 1:
[23:16] That's right. And it's time for round two, the...

Speaker 3:
[23:21] Microwound.

Speaker 1:
[23:23] Today's Microwound is Sonnet Slam. Daniel and Sanden, we've asked you to write a sonnet showcasing your side's best qualities in the style of William Shakespeare. Sanden, you're up first. Let's hear your rad rhymes.

Speaker 6:
[23:39] If gymnastics and ballet make thou squeal when performed by experts in perfect time, wait till thou seest the same grace on wheels, tis going to verily blow thou mind. Soaring on half pipes, skaters will amaze. Down railings, off curbs, they dance through the air, always in motion, flowing like the waves of Tony Hawk's majestic golden hair. From all these fakies and cool kickflips to the impossible or varial, unto all skill levels, there are cool tricks, be thou Rod Mullins or Aunt Muriel. Those seats, they'll get you.

Speaker 5:
[24:27] Wow, he went there.

Speaker 6:
[24:28] The underwear went there, man.

Speaker 1:
[24:35] Okay, Daniel, it's time to peddle some poetry.

Speaker 5:
[24:38] Yeah, just a little bit of background. This is a sonnet I wrote about the 1951 Tour of Colombia. I spoke with a historian named Mauricio Silva, who specializes in bicycle history of Colombia. He told me how basically this famous tour, this bike race helped create a sense of national identity. Because before this, even the geography was foreign to a lot of the people living in different regions of Colombia. So I was so inspired by the story that I wrote this little sonnet.

Speaker 1:
[25:07] Very cool. Let's hear it.

Speaker 5:
[25:10] Colombia is a land of extremes. The Andes Mountains, a snow covered spine. Tropical beaches, a beautiful dream. Deserts and grasslands and jungles divine. But a country so vast, hardly seems real. Towns so remote, they're almost unmoored. Isolated, alone, no way to feel, till everything changed with a bicycle tour. 1951, a marvelous race brought cyclists to ride all over the land. Connecting the country, the people, the place. Citizens realized their nation was grand. Now cycling fills all Colombians with pride. United by joy, the thrill of the ride.

Speaker 1:
[26:12] Beautiful. Bringing a whole country together.

Speaker 6:
[26:16] I would say, Daniel, that was a cool bit of history I didn't know.

Speaker 5:
[26:18] Oh, thank you. Yeah, no, I didn't know it either. I learned it and was really moved.

Speaker 6:
[26:24] Yeah, you know, if you want to borrow my time machine later to check it out in person, you know, that can be arranged.

Speaker 5:
[26:30] Oh, thanks. I'll bike right over. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[26:33] All right. Jared, did anything stick out to you in particular about our debater's micro-round?

Speaker 4:
[26:38] Daniel, I'm not going to lie. You did a very good job of making Sanden seem like a pretty mean person. I mean, he leveled you with a diss track and you just came with a sentimental sonnet. So you really made him seem like the villain in this one. I'm not going to lie.

Speaker 6:
[26:54] Everybody loves a villain, you know. Darth Vader, Thanos.

Speaker 5:
[27:02] When they go low, we go high.

Speaker 1:
[27:04] Exactly. Well, Jared, it's time to award a point, but don't tell us who is getting the point for this round. Have you decided?

Speaker 4:
[27:12] Yes, I have.

Speaker 1:
[27:13] Excellent. Then it's time for our third round, the super stealthy.

Speaker 3:
[27:18] Sneak attack.

Speaker 1:
[27:20] Our sneak attack is secret handshake. Come up with a secret handshake for your team. Does it involve a shake, a wiggle, a smash boom bop? Tell us about it and listeners, see if you can figure it out at home too. We'll give you a few minutes to brainstorm while you work. Let's listen to some soothing hold music. All right, we're back and we're ready to try to enact these secret handshakes. Sanden went first in the last round, so Daniel, you're up first. Let's hear about your secret handshake for bikes.

Speaker 5:
[28:20] Okay, this is going to require a lot of imagination here, but stay with me. You have your arms outstretched in front of you as if you're going to give someone a double high five. You move your arms in parallel in a circular motion to mimic the shape of the bike wheels. And then when you're done, you go to the middle of the imaginary spoke, bam, double high five, and then grab imaginary handlebars and wiggle them two times and then you wink.

Speaker 6:
[28:50] Is the wink like the bell?

Speaker 1:
[28:51] I love it.

Speaker 5:
[28:52] The wink is like, let's go, let's go ride. That's what it is.

Speaker 6:
[28:56] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[28:56] I was acting that out as it was happening. The wink is a fun way to end. I like it.

Speaker 5:
[29:00] It is. I just improvised that.

Speaker 1:
[29:02] Love it. All right, Sanden, let's see if you can top that. Let's hear the secret handshake for skateboards.

Speaker 6:
[29:09] Okay, I had a lot of fun with this one. So you start facing your friend, okay? And you both do a little kick with your feet, like you're kicking a skateboard to get started.

Speaker 1:
[29:17] Pew, pew.

Speaker 6:
[29:18] And then you take your hands and you kind of both ride them up an invisible ramp until they're both up in the air facing each other. And the hands just hang there in the air for a second. Like they've just caught major air off of like a side of a pool and then they smack, hit each other. And then as they're coming down, you do a spin around, like you're doing like a little kind of flip on your way down and then you get back to the ground. And then one person holds their hand out and the other one makes two little fingers like it's a little person on a skateboard and they ride it across that hand and then you hold your hand out and they ride their little skateboard guy across your hand. And then you turn around and you do a foot five because skateboarding is about the feet. So you just hold up your vans or your Chuck Taylors or whatever you're wearing, DC or air walks. And then you go and you two hit each other foot to foot, little foot five at the end.

Speaker 1:
[30:01] That's a fun one too.

Speaker 5:
[30:02] Wow. That was intense.

Speaker 1:
[30:04] Oh my goodness. This is tough. Jared, I don't know how you're going to decide, but think about which team wowed you. The criteria again is up to you. Which one sounds more fun to do with your friends? Have you decided?

Speaker 4:
[30:16] I have.

Speaker 1:
[30:18] Okay. Excellent. Then it's time for our last round.

Speaker 3:
[30:23] The final six.

Speaker 1:
[30:25] Sanden, you're up. You've got just six words to make a final impression on Jared. Let's hear him.

Speaker 6:
[30:30] All right. Create, innovate, be great, ride, skate, boards.

Speaker 1:
[30:41] Almost a poem.

Speaker 5:
[30:44] I felt like the boards was in parentheses at the end. Is that right?

Speaker 6:
[30:47] It's just a dramatic pause. A Shatner pause, as we call it.

Speaker 1:
[30:52] Okay, Daniel, your turn. Let's hear your last six words.

Speaker 5:
[30:56] Good for the soul, body, planet.

Speaker 1:
[31:00] Very nice. All right, team bikes and team skateboards really took us for a ride today, but it's time to award your final point and crown one of these sporty activities, the Smash Boom Best. Jared, award that final point.

Speaker 4:
[31:15] It is done.

Speaker 1:
[31:17] Let us know when you've tallied up the points and are ready to announce the winner.

Speaker 4:
[31:20] All right, the points are tallied. The winner is chosen.

Speaker 6:
[31:23] My stomach is dropping like somebody dropping into a half pipe.

Speaker 1:
[31:27] All right. Drum roll, please. And the winner is Bikes.

Speaker 4:
[31:37] Wow.

Speaker 1:
[31:38] Jared, was there like a deciding moment in the debate that you knew is like, oh, this is Bikes.

Speaker 4:
[31:43] All right. So let's take Sanden's time machine back to the first round and I'll kind of run it through. So Sanden, you actually were awarded the first point in this game. So you kind of came out to an early lead. I don't know how Danielle came back from it. But your time machine analogy really stuck with me. I mean, I just used it myself. I think Danielle's rebuttal just really came at everything you stood for as a person, everything that skateboard stood for. So I had to give that round to him. Moving on to the second round, Danielle kind of made you look like the villain, Sanden. It was very well played. He used a bit of psychology there. And I think that was really what decided it. Sanden, you actually got the next round with your elaborate handshake, but Danielle really presented himself as the good guy in the story with his last six words, saving the planet.

Speaker 5:
[32:31] Wow.

Speaker 4:
[32:32] I thought it was a very, very, very good debate. The final score is actually 3-2, Danielle. So it was close and it came down to the last round.

Speaker 1:
[32:39] Very close.

Speaker 5:
[32:40] Thank you, Jared. That was very thoughtful. And I can't tell you how pleased I am to have won this for the planet.

Speaker 4:
[32:48] I hope your son is proud.

Speaker 5:
[32:49] Yeah, I was going to mention my son, Eliseo, who has been telling me all week that Sanden was really tough and he was right. Sanden, you were terrific and I feel like I really learned a lot about how cool the skateboards are.

Speaker 6:
[33:02] Yeah. Danielle, it was a pleasure to debate you. It was really fun. I've got no real beef against bikes. I own a skateboard and a bike. I think biking is a great way to get to your skate park.

Speaker 5:
[33:13] So I agree with you.

Speaker 6:
[33:14] Was it your nephew? Right on right there.

Speaker 5:
[33:17] Sanden, I shall say my 15-year-old self would have been skating next to your 15-year-old self.

Speaker 6:
[33:22] That's right. We would have been grumpy together. Not talking, scowling, listening to loud music.

Speaker 5:
[33:29] Absolutely. There are photos somewhere of me in the gigantic pants.

Speaker 6:
[33:34] Yeah. Exchanging tips for getting those really spiky ends of the hair.

Speaker 1:
[33:40] I hope we can dig up these photos, guys. This would be good. Well, that's it for today's debate battle. Jared Crowned bikes the Smash Boom Best, but what about you?

Speaker 4:
[33:49] Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think the winner is.

Speaker 1:
[33:52] Smash Boom Best is brought to you by Brains On! and American Public Media.

Speaker 5:
[33:57] It's produced by Rosie DuPont, Sanden Totten, Ruby Guthrie, and Molly Bloom.

Speaker 6:
[34:01] We had engineering help from Johnny Vance Evans and Louis Fisher.

Speaker 5:
[34:05] We had production help from Christina Lopez, Mark Sanchez, and Maynika Wilhelm.

Speaker 1:
[34:09] Rosie DuPont is the voice of our whole music and our announcer is Marlee Foyerworker Otto. We want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross, Taylor Kaufman, Kiara McMillan, and the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Sanden, is there anyone you want to thank today?

Speaker 6:
[34:22] Yeah, I want to thank my wife for putting up with me, practicing the skateboard in the garage, and also letting me put our little baby son Felix on the skateboard for picks opportunities. It was super cute. Yeah, that's it.

Speaker 1:
[34:37] Daniel, any special shout outs or thanks today?

Speaker 5:
[34:39] Yeah, I want to thank my nephew Marco. I want to thank Mauricio Silva, the Colombian historian who helped me out. I want to thank Leon and Eliseo, my two boys and my wife Carolina, and my dad Renato who taught me how to ride a bike.

Speaker 1:
[34:53] Awesome. Jared, do you want to give any special thanks today?

Speaker 4:
[34:55] Yeah, I would like to thank my family for being on the other side of all my debates, and my mock trial teacher Mr. Gilbert for teaching me how to judge.

Speaker 1:
[35:04] Excellent. Before we go, let's hear who Iggy thinks should win in his tennis versus golf debate.

Speaker 2:
[35:10] I think golf would win because in golf, you can visit new golf courses and it's out in nature, so you can see nature all around you. While in tennis, you're always in the same place.

Speaker 1:
[35:29] Do you have an idea for a knockdown dragout debate? Head to smashboom.org and tell us about it. We'll be back with a new debate battle next week.

Speaker 6:
[35:37] Later skaters, be excellent.

Speaker 5:
[35:39] Hasta luego.

Speaker 6:
[36:07] I just want to point out real quick, the foot five, the nice thing about it is you don't actually touch hands, so no germs spread that way.

Speaker 1:
[36:12] But you already had them skate across the other person's hand.

Speaker 6:
[36:14] Oh yeah.

Speaker 5:
[36:17] You can't take that back.

Speaker 6:
[36:18] I can.

Speaker 1:
[36:18] I won't.

Speaker 6:
[36:19] I love that part. It's so fun.