The Big Air Bash will take place at MetraPark on Saturday, and this year all proceeds from the event's auction will go directly to helping pay for a local hero's medical bills.
Big Air Bash is an annual extreme sports event that is organized by Tyler Johnson, the owner of Octane Addictions located in Billings. Johnson is also a longtime friend of Travis Salter, who just recently was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer.
Salter is a local celebrity in Billings. He was a star defensive player for the Billings Outlaws in the 2000s, including during the 2006 championship season. In October, he rescued three high school girls out of an irrigation ditch near Rose Park when they had crashed their car into it.
But if you ask those who know Salter, like Johnson, his heroics aren't surprising.
"Trav is like Superman," Johnson said Tuesday morning. "He hurdles a fence and jumps into a big ditch and saves three girls from drowning to death. I mean, that's just him."
And Salter, who was watching his son's football game when the vehicle crashed into the ditch, said that helping people in times of need is just who he is.
"I just think when it comes to the world we live in and seeing opportunities to where you can help, I mean that's just one route I've always tried to go to," Salter said.
But now, Salter is the one in need of help, and his longtime friend Johnson was first in line.
"We're going to help out a buddy who needs help," Johnson said. "He's an icon to this community and I feel blessed that we can help out."
The Big Air Bash annually brings in some of the best riders in the world to Billings. Johnson said it always supports a bigger cause.
"It's really awesome to see the community come together for a common purpose," Johnson said. "I wouldn't be able to do this year in and year out without them, and it's just awesome to see some lives change."
For Salter, a quiet man who typically doesn't want to be the center of attention, the support has been amazing.
"Honestly, if there is kind of a silver lining to all of this, there's no doubt at how much I'm loved and cared about," Salter said. "It's life-altering how supportive it's been. To me, internally, there's a change inside of me moving forward. It's been absolutely incredible."
And for a man who has relied on his physical attributes his entire life, Salter said this new battle is a different type of test.
"Honestly, I'm learning that this is not a physical challenge," Salter said. "It's an emotional, psychological, and mental battle."
But if you ask those close to him, they're confident that his toughness will once again prevail.
"If I want to pick a fight with someone, Travis Salter is the one I want on my team," Johnson said. "So I know he's got this. He always has put himself last, and this time we get to put him first."
