6-Year-Old Biker and YouTube Star Reveals His Inspiration
6-year-old biker tells GMA: "I know you can believe in yourself."
June 6, 2011 -- Owen Kosevich of Minneapolis took more than a month to learn to ride his bike.
So when the 6-year-old finally conquered the rite-of-childhood feat, it prompted him to not just celebrate, but deliver an inspiring message, beyond his years.
"If you believe in yourself, you will know how to ride a bike," young Owen bellowed in a video captured by his father, Nick Kosevich, and shared on YouTube. "If you don't, you just keep practicing."
"It just came from my bike," Owen said today on "Good Morning America," describing the inspiration behind his own inspiring words.
Owen's parents, Kathryn Dangers and Nick Kosevich, said their son went through an "emotionally trying time" in moving from training wheels to bicycling on his own, so when he finally conquered the task, his pride after weeks of hard work shone through.
"He had a lot of energy around getting on the bike," Dangers told "GMA." "The moment he learned how to ride, he put all that energy on the bike, in a positive way."
"He was very excited."
After Owen got on the bike, a moment that occurred two months ago at Owen's grandparents' home in Faribault, Minn., his father, camera in hand, asked him if he had anything to say to other kids who are learning to ride their bikes.
With bike helmet still firmly on his head, his father's prompt was all Owen needed to let loose.
"Everybody," he yelled to the camera, "I know you can believe in yourself."
"He's got a great vocabulary," Nick said on "GMA." "So there are a lot of those moments around our house. It was nice to capture one on film for once."
Kosevich posted the video on You Tube, naming it "Thumbs Up for Rock and Roll!" after a signature, and particularly endearing, line at the end of Owen's speech.
The video quickly became a viral hit, garnering more than 1 million views on the video-sharing site.
While the passion and message in Owen's speech did not come as a complete surprise to his parents, the fact that their son is now a You Tube star surely did.
"I just took the video so I could share the moment with friends and family," a still-shocked Kosevich said on "GMA." "It got out of hand and, well, here we are today."
As for the inspiration behind signature line in the video's title?
"The "thumbs-up" and "rock and roll" comes from Shrek," Owen explained.