THE DIRTmarch 2015

national seriesSA & ACT STATE TITLES

NO CARD, NO COACH

THE DIRT

bmxaustralia.com.au

Cover: Brandon Te Hiko leading the pack at Round 5 of the BMX Australia National Series in Westside, WA

IN THIS ISSUEROUNDS 5 & 6 WRAP UP

national championships

no card, no coach

#BMXANS WINNER

ROUNDS 7 & 8 PREVIEW

Do you have a great BMX story that needs to be told? Maybe it’s about a hero, or long serving individual around the club?

It could be an inspiring story or a tale of exceptional achievement.

Whatever it is we love hearing from our BMX family, and more than that we like to share your stories with everyone else.

If you think someone’s story deserves to be heard get in touch with us at news@bmx.com.au and it could feature in future editions of ‘The Dirt’ so get writing!!

we want your stories

we want your storiesE N T R I E S C L O S E

F R I D AY, 2 0 M A R C H !LATE ENTRIES CLOSE 4PM (ADST) , THURSDAY 26 MARCH

H A V E Y O U E N T E R E D ?

national series WESTSIDE WRAP UPFor the third year in a row the Westside BMX club played host to one of the biggest events on the domestic BMX calendar, when it hosted rounds five and six of the BMX Australia National Series recently.

With almost 200 riders from around the country as well as from the USA, Japan and New Zealand competing in each of the rounds, there was a plenty of absorbing racing across the weekend.

Bunbury Olympian Lauren Reynolds stamped her mark on the West Australian track when she came from the clouds to upset series leader Caroline Buchanan and take out round five of the elite women’s in her first victory of the season.

However not content with just one, Reynolds got the better of Buchanan again in round six in a thrilling final that could very easily have been a world championships final, such was the pace at the front of the field.

Buchanan still leads the women’s series with 1190 points from a fast closing Reynolds (1150) and round four winner Melinda McLeod (950).

Like Reynolds, Bodi Turner also made it two wins for the weekend, to make it four on the trot after his previous double in Shepparton. Turner was in ominous form all weekend and has now taken a commanding lead in the overall series to sit on 1145 points from Josh Callan (1040) and Corey Frieswyk (830).

In the men’s junior category Geelong’s Brandon Te Hiko made it a winning double for the weekend, most notably with an impressive round six victory over Shane Rosa and world number four Jye Hombsch. Te Hiko now leads the series by just 20 points to Rosa in second.

Mirroring Te Hiko’s winning double in the women’s junior event was New Zealander Zoe Fleming, who had a memorable round six tussle with Nerang’s Tyler-Lea Thorley and Bunbury’s Rachelle Smith before claiming the victory. Fleming is the clear leader in the overall series, and will be almost impossible to catch with a lead of 240 points.

Others to snare a winning double over the weekend included Japan’s Southlake / Illawarra based rider Saya Sakakibara who remains undefeated in the 16 girls, Tuggeranong’s Mikayla Rose (15 girls) and Castle Hills Ashlee Miller (14 girls).

Attention now turns to rounds seven and eight of the series to be held at the Cairns BMX Club over the Easter weekend, April 4 and 5.

national series WESTSIDE WRAP UP

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preview: rnd 7 & 8 - cairns

Next stop in the BMX Australia National Series will be the Cairns BMX Club, who will be hosting rounds seven and eight over the Easter weekend on April 4 and 5.

The event is set to attract plenty of domestic riders and their families, complimented by some international competitors as well, with the weekend set to have a distinct family vibe.

Elite men’s series leader and Olympic hopeful Bodi Turner will headline the riders in attendance, and will go into the weekend in good form having won the previous four rounds. Tuner will secure the title if he continues his recent success, as he also looks to fine tune his preparation for the upcoming UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series.

The Cairns BMX Club has undergone extensive infrastructure improvements in an effort to bring its facilities up to a world standard, starting with the rebuilding of the track’s retaining wall and sweeper section several years ago.

More recently the club has installed a five-metre start hill and roofing to cover the staging area, finish line and start hill, while plans are in place to upgrade the track’s lighting.

On the back of these fantastic upgrades the Cairns BMX Club will now host the event for the next three years, in what is a fantastic boost to sport in the region.

Those competitors traveling to the event are encouraged to spend time exploring Tropical North Queensland, and while they’re at it share their photos on Instagram using #exploreTNQ or tag @TropicalNorthQueensland.

In what is a fantastic addition to the series, and the sport, both rounds will once again be live streamed through Epicentre TV, and will be available on both the BMX Australia website and APP, allowing the BMX Australia family the chance to watch all the action both in Australia and internationally.

The live stream will commence at 12pm local time on Saturday, April 4 and 10am local time on Sunday, April 5.

national sign on dayThe BMX Australia National Sign On Day weekends for 2015 have been completed, with no less than 53 clubs providing their communities with the opportunity to join the BMX Australia family throughout February and March.

There were plenty of success stories to come out of the events nationwide, ranging from a huge turnout in Cairns to 18 new members joining in Maryborough.

The overall feedback from the events has been fantastic with many clubs speaking of how children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, ultimately shining a positive light on our family friendly sport.

The Byford BMX Club also held a successful event, with a promising number of attendances leading to new sign ups, with the club’s Vice President Megan Murray emphasising the current popularity of BMX in the region.

“We had an excellent day with 6 new sign ups, all the kids and parents enjoyed a free sausage sizzle and everyone had a great time,” Murray said.

“However even more encouragingly, we are now averaging five new sign ups a week.

“The club is growing in leaps and bounds.”

A small number of clubs in the Northern Territory are still yet to run their National Sign on Days, for more information on which clubs they are, and when they will be hosting their event, please visit www.bmxaustralia.com.au

Kids heading down the start hill at Byford BMX Club, WA

NSOD attendee being helped at the

Hawkesbury Hornets BMX Club

NSW

Have you got photos from your NSOD?

Make sure you send them through to BMXA!

national sign on day

Riders getting ready to hit the track

at Cairns BMX Club, QLD

no card,no coaCHBMX Australia has launched a campaign to communicate with the BMX Australia community about correct coaching accreditation, what it involves, and the risks associated if your coach isn’t properly accredited. The ‘No Card, No Coach’ campaign relates back to BMX Australia’s Coach Education Program, which aims to educate, assist and develop coaches at all levels, in all disciplines (racing and freestyle) so that they can fully and safely support the nurturing and development of their riders.

National coaching Director Anita Wells, stressed the significance of the initiative in educating members nation wide about the importance of correct coaching accreditation.

“If your coach does not have the right BMX Australia coaching accreditation card, then they are not recognised as a coach by BMX Australia and you don’t know if they are cleared to work with children or are qualified in first aid” Wells said.

“It is important that members request to see their coach’s BMX Australia accreditation, and it is up to the coach to ensure that their accreditation is always valid.”

Accredited coaches must abide by a coaches code of conduct and are only permitted to coach a maximum of eight riders at a time. If there are nine or more riders then another coach is required for every 8 riders.

Most importantly if your coach is not accredited, you are not covered by BMX Australia’s insurance, leaving you liable for any costs associated with injury.

So remember, No Card, No Coach!

If you wish to check which coaches are accredited or are interested in becoming an accredited coach head to the BMX Australia website www.bmxaustralia.com.au or email coaching@bmxaustralia.com.au

no card,no coaCH

#BMXANSWINNERWe recently selected our favourite three photos from the National series in Westside that were uploaded using the #BMXANS and let you, the BMXA community, decide which photo you liked the best.

An insane photo of Melinda McLeod crashing hard, while an airborne Kirsten Dellar pulls off arguably the move of the series to avoid her, was judged the winner.

McLeod will now receive free entry to one of the remaining three rounds of the National Series, either in Cairns or Brisbane.

Congratulations also to our two runners up Joshua Callan and Brayden Colledge, and thankyou for sharing your BMXA National series experiences.

A reminder that 10 photos will also go into the running at the end of the National series to win the ‘GREEN N Gold’ ticket - providing the winner with free entry to every round of the 2016 National series.

So remember to keep sharing your experiences using the #BMXANS throughout the National series for your chance to win.

act state titles recapA mixture of World and National Champions made their way to the Tuggeranong BMX club over the weekend for the 2015 ACT Championships.

Racing commenced on Saturday March 7, where an impressive Caroline Buchanan (Tuggeranong) showed she is ready to defend her crown in the upcoming UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series in April, with a dominant display in the 14+ Pro women’s division.

Unable to race on Sunday, Buchanan didn’t hold back, winning each race in emphatic style before travelling to the High Performance Unit training camp ahead of the international season.

“This year I want to have that textbook clean sweep in the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series and I’m always shooting to win back the world title,” Buchanan said.

“I got second in the time trial and crashed out in the racing and didn’t get to defend my world title.

“I aim to be consistent over the entire season again and to earn points to help qualify the country for Rio.”

On Sunday, riders put it all on the line for the highly sought after ACT plates, which in turn produced some thrilling racing. In the AA men BMX Australia development academy rider Kai Sakakibara (Southlake/Illawarra) and his development academy coach Luke Madill were both undefeated heading into the final, however were bested by Alex Cameron (Liverpool).

Cameron, a former Australian champion, seized on a first straight mistake by Luke Madill to take a lead he would never relinquish.

In the AA women, the absence of Buchanan meant the title was well and truly up for grabs, with reigning 16-year-old world champion Saya Sakakibara (Southlake/Illawarra) proving to strong for the rest of the field, taking out the title ahead of Clare McNamara (Terrigal) and Harriet Burbidge-Smith (Canberra). Reigning World number one and Australian Champion, Will Oliver (Bendigo), took out the title in the highly competitive nine years boys division after a race of high drama. Oliver slipped up on the first straight and fell to the back of the pack, however after carnage on the second turn took out most of the field, Oliver grabbed the lead and powered onto victory ahead of the two Lake Macquarie boys Nate Cox and Bailey Wrightson.

Mikayla Rose (Tuggeranong) built on her clean sweep of victories at the BMX Australia National Series at the Westside BMX Club recently, to produce another weekend of success.

Rose, 15, was then forced to race up an age group in the 16 girls due to numbers, but was unphased by the step up in class, taking out the final by 1.5 seconds over the Macarthur duo of Jessica McCormack and Ashlee Osborne.

act state titles recap

Rose then set her sights on, and managed to take out the A women division ahead of fellow Tuggeranong rider Felicia Thomas to complete an incredible run of form spanned over two weekends.

Overall the event ran very smoothly thanks in a large part to the work of the volunteers in helping to have the track ready after wild weather forced it to be rebuilt twice in the lead up to the event.

A strong turn out and nice weather added to the event’s success, and was ultimately a great indication to the strength of BMX in the region.

SA state titles recapA mixture of world and national champions made their way to the Gawler BMX club over the weekend for the 2015 South Australian State Championships.

It was the first time the club had hosted the event in 32 years, and they didn’t disappoint, with the fantastic track producing some great racing over the two days, and was testament to the increasing standard of BMX racing in South Australia.

From a racing standpoint, an impressive Matthew Willoughby (Happy Valley) was dominant all day as he defended his title in the blue ribbon event, the AA men, where he edged out James Smith (The Cove) and club mate Michael Fenwick (Happy Valley).

In the Pro Ladies class, Chelsea Key (Cross Keys) was unbeaten all day to claim the title in emphatic fashion, beating out Annaliese Rokov (The Cove) and Madie Guyers (Happy Valley).

Reigning world number one and Australian champion, Will Oliver (Bendigo), was made to work for the title in the highly competitive nine years boys division, after a great tussle with Joshua Jolly (Knox) who finished a close second and Trey Tuffin (Happy Valley) in third.

Ben McDonald (Gawler) used all of his home track experience to remain unbeaten all day and defend his title in the men’s retro class, while Paul Knox (BSX) was second and Phill Car (Cross Keys) finished third.

The weekend got off to a great start with the opening ceremony, before racing commenced with the ever popular Mini Wheelers (2-4yrs) and Sprocket (5-7yrs) divisions followed by the Cruiser classes (24 inch).

A full list of results can be found here at: http://www.bmxsa.com.au/en-us/eventsresults/statechampionships.aspx

Overall the whole weekend ran smoothly despite temperatures reaching an extraordinary 41 degrees, Event Manager Rachel Fox praised the riders and officials for delivering some thrilling racing, as well as the spectators who helped to create a fantastic atmosphere.

“It all went really well, the riders and officials coped well despite the heat, and the event ran very smoothly,” Fox said.

“It was particularly good to see all the inter state riders attending.

“It was a great turn out all weekend, particularly on Sunday, where the spectators were a few people deep on the barriers for the finals.”

Fox also emphasised the amount of work that had gone into ensuring the event succeeded and the fantastic standard that the event had set for other clubs moving forward.

“The Gawler BMX Club and Gawler Council have worked tirelessly for months to not only secure the event, but to also ensure it was a success,” she said.

“Without the help of all the board members and the volunteers who selflessly donated their time, the event just wouldn’t be possible.

“The State Championships have gone back to a rotation basis, with the aim of encouraging all clubs in the state to get their facilities up to speed and leave a great legacy for South Australian BMX.”

SA state titles recap

BMXA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CAMP

The BMX Australia Development Academy held its first ever camp in Perth recently, ahead of rounds five and six of the National Series at the Westside BMX Club.

The two day camp was overseen by Development Academy Coaches Luke Madill and Sharon Willoughby and was designed to test athletes on their power and fine tune their preparation ahead of the National Series, whilst also providing an opportunity for the coaches to be around the athletes when they weren’t racing.

“It was the team’s first access to testing as a whole, and we were able to obtain data on all the riders during testing conducted at the Edith Cowan University,” Madill said.

“From there we can identify their strengths and weaknesses and adjust their programs accordingly.

“Our next camp will follow Cairns and will be held at the Sleeman Sports Centre with a focus on the track itself and hopefully some more work around nutrition and the psychology of racing.”

Development Academy rider Mikayla Rose, seemed to particularly benefit from the camp, going on to claim back-to-back wins across the National Series weekend, before returning home to her home track at the Tuggeranong BMX Club, where she dominated at the ACT titles.

Rose acknowledges the amount of hard work that has gone into her recent success, and the important role the BMX Australia Development Academy has played.

“Our recent Development Academy camp in Perth was a great experience and it was different to anything I have done before,” Rose said.

“They helped me focus on my gate starts and first straight skills, and getting my leg strength stronger and my leg speed faster.

“My coach Luke Madill has changed up my sprints program for each track, which has been a huge benefit.

“The ongoing support from the academy definitely contributes to my success.”

Iesha Anderson and Sara Jones completing testing at WAIS Ethan Partridge’s vertical leap test at WAIS

FREESTYLE BMXCLINICS

clipsal 500bmx RAMPAGE

Twelve of the world’s top BMX dirt freestyle riders competed in the Milwaukee BMX RAMPage competition held during the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.

The event was one of the most exciting new attractions to debut at last year’s event and this year was no different, with the event boasting even more riders, bigger jumps and more prize money on offer.

Riders competed over three absorbing days for $17,000 in cash and prizes, and featured the most talented and progressive riders in the world, pushing their limits on a course designed and built by Cam White, the Australian Godfather of BMX.

Three time X Games champion, Kyle Baldock, returned for his second Milwaukee BMX RAMPage competition and was joined by a who’s who of Freestyle athletes including; Cam White, TJ Ellis, Ryan Guettler, Daniel Sandoval, Luke Parslow, Paul Langlands, Jason Watts, Thomas Bridges, Thomas Glew, Daniel Chiarelli and Luke Bridges.

Freestyle BMX Australia’s General Manager Mark Louis praised the event, before throwing his support behind future editions.

“The event was fantastic, congratulations must go to Dave Ellis for putting the event together, and also for the outstanding support received from the world class riders who loved the event,” Louis said. “We are so lucky to be able to work with such fantastic people at Clipsal 500, and to be given the opportunity to showcase our amazing sport to such a massive audience. “We hope to continue with the partnership at Clipsal 500 for many years to come.”

FREESTYLE BMXCLINICS

BMX Australia has recently introduced Freestyle BMX clinics to Toowoomba and its surrounding areas in response to a growing demand in the region, with the aim of teaching riders the fundamentals of the sport and educating them on correct safety.

Known as BMX Rampage clinics, the Toowoomba Freestyle BMX clinics are run by BMX Australia coaches Clint Bensley and Dale O’Brien, who are both experienced coaches and often travel the world competing in events. The clinics involve a range of activities including a safety talk and encourage the use of safety gear and a proper equipment check before teaching the kids the basics of freestyle. The sessions then conclude with an entertaining demo by the two coaches. Four clinics have been held so far, with the coaches visiting Wyreema and Westbrook last month, while this week they were in Pittsworth, Crows Nest and Millmerran. Each event has attracted plenty of interest from locals, with coach O’Brien saying the events had been a resounding success so far with all the kids thoroughly enjoying themselves. “We’ve had quite a good turn out so far, the kids were stoked for us to be out there and teaching them and they are learning plenty,” O’Brien said.

“It has been encouraging to see that the same kids keep showing up for the clinics which was great.” The Youth Development officer, Voeckler Sapolu, spoke of the high demand within the community for the clinics, whilst also stressing the importance of the events in helping the youth of Toowoomba and its surrounding areas to learn appropriate safety skills and correct fundamentals when it came to freestyle BMX. “The huge demand from within the community was the main reason why the council sought to offer these clinics,” Sapolu said.

“Young people identified Freestyle BMX as a sport that they liked to engage with, and we at the council saw this as an opportunity to help educate the community in the basics and safe practices.”

There are a further four Rampage Clinics to be run throughout March at the following locations, with a number of future clinics scheduled in for June and July.

A reminder that anyone is welcome, participants should bring their BMX and a helmet and are encouraged to share their experiences using #freestylebmxa and #mytoowoombaregion.

Upcoming Rampage Clinics

Date Time Address16 March 3.30pm – 5.30pm Oakey Skate Park, Campbell St, Oakey Qld 18 March 3.30pm – 5.30pm Yarraman Skate Park, New England Hwy, Yarraman Qld 19 March 3.30pm – 5.30pm Toowoomba Show Grounds, Glenvale Rd, Toowoomba Qld 23 March 3.30pm – 5.30pm Goombungee Skate Park, King St, Goombungee Qld

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BMX Australia Limitede: info@bmxaustralia.com.aup: (02) 9008 1300f: (02) 8338 1500a: PO Box 6402, Alexandria, NSW 2015