Matt Lindenmuth, a 20-year-old professional in-line skater with close cropped blond hair and a big grin, says he's not an extreme athlete.

"We never consider ourselves that," Lindenmuth said in an interview at Lake Compounce Friday, where he stopped to hype the upcoming X Trials. "We don't put on our skates saying, I'm extreme."

Rather than "extreme sports," Lindenmuth said he likes the term "action sports" to describe the skateboarding, bike stunts and aggressive skating that will be showcased at the nation's oldest amusement park over Father's Day weekend.

He likes roller coasters, too.

"We love that rush. We love that adrenaline. Anything that gives us that high is going to be a thrill to us," Lindenmuth said.

The son of two educators who grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Lindenmuth turned pro at the tender age of 14.

"I spent most of my time growing up on the road," said Lindenmuth. He said he spent his youth as a hardcore straightedge kid -- one who doesn't touch drugs or alcohol.

"I don't have the motivation to do that," Lindenmuth said. "That's not my style."

His parents, he said, "had a lot of trust in me."

Lindenmuth and 22-year-old pro biker Matt Wilhelm, who gave a stunning demonstration of his tricks in front of a crowd of almost 300 at the lakefront stage before signing autographs, both said there is a misconception about kids who skate, bike or skateboard.

"We've always been the rebels," Lindenmuth said. "You can be a rebel with a good cause."

Skating, Lindenmuth said, kept him off the street, out of trouble and away from the wrong crowds.

"I just graduated from college last weekend," Wilhelm said. "People wouldn't expect that."

Wilhelm, who attended Millikin University in Decatur, Ill., got his degree in marketing, he said, and minored in music.

"I got good grades," Wilhelm said. "I never got a C in my life. I stuck with bike riding, stayed away from drugs and alcohol."

Wilhelm plays saxophone -- he likes jazz -- and turned pro just two years ago.

Wilhelm said he practices hissport -- flatland bicycle stunt -- for many hours every day.

"It takes a lot of balance, a lot of grace," Wilhelm said. And, he said, "It's fun, it's creative and it's great exercise."

While Wilhelm entertained the crowd with his tricks, Lindenmuth egged him on and exhorted the crowd to support both of them in the X Trials.

"Cheer your butts off," Lindenmuth told the exuberant kids.