THE DIRT - March 2016

THE

DIRT MARCH 2016

WHO IS

lEANNA cURTIS? PLUS+ nATIONAL cHAMPS REVIEW uci bmx supercross world cup GET TO KNOW Deanna HAnby Josh CALLAN GETS OLYMPIC Pic: Grant Patterson

2016 Calendar

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JANUARY

31st: Oceania BMX Championships, Continental Championships, Auckland (New Zealand)

FEBRUARY 6th - 7th: National Series Rounds 5 &6 | National Sign On Day 13th - 14th: National Sign On Day 21st-22nd: National Sign On Day

MARCH 1st - 7th: National Championships 25th-26th: UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, Santiago del Estero (Argentina)

APRIL 9th - 10th: UCI BMX Supercorss World Cup: Manchester (Great Britain) 30th: Australian Capital Territory State Titles

MAY 7th - 8th: UCI BMX Supercross World Cup: Papendal (Netherlands) 25th - 29th: UCI BMX World Championships: Medellin (Colombia)

JUNE JULY AUGUST 5th - 21st: Games of the XXXI Olympiad: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

SEPTEMBER 19th - 25th: Queensland State Titles 24th - 25th: UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, Rock Hill (USA)

OCTOBER 1st-2nd: New South Wales State Titles 5th - 8th: Northern Territory State Titles 8th-9th: UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, Sarasota (USA)

NOVEMBER 12th - 16th: South Australian State Titles

DECEMBER

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Contents

From the President............................4 Ride around AUS................................6 Nationals Wrap up.............................7 Who is Leanna Curtis?......................8 UCI World Cup Preview....................9 Aussies at the world cup................10 Get to know Deanna Hanby..........12 Josh Callan talks Olympics.............14

From the President

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A successful NSOD amidst a challenging time The last month has probably been the most testing and challenging time in my tenure on the BMX Australia board and as the president of our great organisation.

The lead up to the National Championships saw us run a very successful National Sign on Day month off the back of some great social media marketing (a change from our previous TV promotions). We will have some more hard statistics on those sign on days in coming months but needless to say, there is a lot of interest in our sport from the community. I would like to personally thank all the clubs, coaches and volunteers who were part of this wonderful initiative for our sport.

Then I heard about the tragic spinal injury of one of our members, Bruce Moore, during a practice session in Bathurst. I have been in regular contact with Bruce and his partner since the incident and the BMX Australia board has voted unanimously to provide financial assistance to Bruce by way of a trust fund which will also be open to any member of the BMX family wishing to support Bruce. We wish Bruce well as he takes on his next challenge.

Another blow from a completely different angle followed when I was notified that all of our hard work over the past few years to become a single national sporting entity from mini-wheelers to Olympics had been halted with the news that our submission to manage the BMX HPP had been declined by the Australian Sports Commission. Since the London Olympics I have watched our elite athletes being managed by another sport, the coach employed by another sport and our input into the program removed piece by piece. At the same time the BMXA board have worked tirelessly to grow and restructure the organisation into a NSO with the capacity and capability to manage a high performance unit.

You may ask how that affects you. Well it does in many ways. The grass roots needs HP to provide athletes with a development pathway, for potential sponsors to have access to the ‘face’ of our sport, and for BMXA as a whole sport to obtain the correct level of participation funding.

BMXA has set up an online petition for all of our BMX family to have a say and support the sport to be united. I urge you all to head over to our website and click on the tab to save our sport.

The National Championships were the next item on the calendar, and despite some issues, there were also some truly shining moments and overall the event was deemed a success.

For the Bathurst Council and BMXA staff to prepare a track and national championships at a venue that didn’t exist before Christmas was an incredible feat and a testimony to the hard work of many people both behind the scenes and at the coalface.

One thing that I feel I need to do is personally apologise to all of the riders and families affected by the problems which caused the shortening of the program for Block 3 on the Friday of racing.

As President I am not generally involved in the running of an event (I leave that to the professionals!) however I have said it before and I say it again that participation is the most important part of BMX and I am committed to continuing to provide a premium event platform for this to continue.

Block 3...Was it the right or wrong decision? It depends on who you ask, but something that does need to be re-emphasised is that all decisions are made by an experienced group of officials taking into account all available factors but with the interests of safety paramount at all times. The BMXA board whole-heartedly support these dedicated officials and the difficult decisions they are charged with making.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and being an Olympic year, and a condensed calendar of international events, we decided to work closely with the HPP to ensure that all of the riders attending Nationals would have access to meet and watch their BMX idols in the lead up to them representing our nation in Rio. With the date set, we had no idea the turn of events that would lead to their HP General Manager permitting an exemption for the HP athletes, against the decision of the BMXA Board. I personally believe this had more of an impact on the event than can been seen but is just one of the examples of the issues we face having the decisions of our HPP made by another sport.

In saying that, there are still questions to be answered and information to be gathered, and so we have commissioned an independent review of this year’s event. The process of the review has already commenced and an experienced law firm, Hicksons Lawyers, will head up this review.

If the review finds BMXA have come up short in certain areas, we will wear that and make sure we address any recommendations so as to remedy the situation from happening again. I, nor anyone else, can control what has already happened, what we can do however is take control of what we do next.

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We have started that process by undertaking the review and we will continue to move forward afterwards.

Whilst this process is occurring and afterwards, I ask that the BMXA community also work together to movforward and learn from this situation. Some of the dialogue on social media platforms, both, during and after the nationals, were very constructive and others, less so. The personal attacks on volunteer officials, BMXA staff and our volunteer board members were very sad, and it was upsetting to see how the words of a few, with the aid of a social media audience, can affect so many. I apologise to those who were the victims of this behaviour and encourage all members to read the BMXA Social Media Policy.

One final thing about the National Championships that should not be lost on the BMXA family is the tireless efforts of our volunteer officials and the many wonderful performances on the track. To the fallen, I wish you a speedy recovery. To all of those who gave of their time to officiate, a hearty thankyou and to all competitors, particularly those that achieved their goals, no matter what they may have been, well done.

Back on the track and this weekend sees the first round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Santiago Del Estero in Argentina. We have a whole host of riders competing, including a number of those from our BMXA Development Academy who shone at the Nationals. Good luck to all!

Yours in the sport of BMX Barry Knight

BMXA President

Ride around AUS

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News from the states Northern Territory

There’s movement at Big Rivers BMX Club, formerly known as the Katherine BMX Club, located 300km south of Darwin as their new track reaches 75% completion with an eye for racing to return in May of this year.

It’s been a long road to the return for the club, which has been out of action since April 2006 when a major flood hit town and submerged almost everything, including the BMX track. Part of the original start hill was used to fill sandbags to hold back the swelling river at the time, leaving the track decimatedm more so than the damage caused just by the flood.

While the Katherine Town Council repaired the trackside canteen after the flood, momentum on the restoration of the track stalled and inevitably nature shrouded the track and its proud history.

Since 2013 a group of enthusiasts and their friends have been working on reigniting the BMX spark in the region and the preparation of a new track began.

Although there have been a few setbacks the project has seen the transformation of the facility from an overgrown area to one that is now almost ready for it’s first race in more than 10 years.

Big Rivers BMX club and the entire Northern Territory BMX community are most appreciative of the support from Alan King and Sons, Jack Ferrazzi, Katherine Town Council, Department of Sport and Recreation Racing, CBF Grant Program, Downs Graderways, Hire Power and Patow Tilt Tray Service.

Victoria Following a great set of results at the BMX Australia National Championships, BMX Victoria has now turned their attention to the upcoming Victorian Riders Cup (VRC) that is being held at the Wyndham Warriors BMX Club across the weekend of April 9-10.

The event will take on an extended multi-day format that will create a carnival atmosphere for the community, and hopefully encourage new and less experienced riders from the local area and across the state to get involved.

The host club have also developed a lead-up program known as the ‘Ride to Glory’, which introduces BMX to new faces and builds towards an event in the near future.

Western Australia BMX Western Australia has finished off the Australian domestic season in style, with more than 300 riders making the trip to the national championships in Bathurst at the beginning of March, capping off the effort of a number of riders that made it to each of the National Series rounds.

Highlights from nationals came with the WA championship team (Kirsten Dellar, Brad Game, Kyle green and Rachelle Smith) taking our first overall, while their challenge team place third. Meanwhile the Crackerjack and Dynamite teams put on some great racing, both finishing third overall.

In other news, WA will be hosting another beginner coaching course in the Northwest next month following a successful running of their first course for 2016, which has seen eight new coaches on their way to becoming accredited.

Looking ahead to upcoming events in the west, the first State Super Series round is approaching on April 10 to be held at the Wanneroo BMX Club, where more than 450 riders expected to be participating.

ACT Racing for ACT plates is just around the corner, with the 2016 ACT State Titles scheduled for April 29 to May 1 at the Canberra BMX Club, with all riders invited to participate on the recently upgraded Canberra track.

With entries due in soon (March 27), any riders hoping to participate need to get their entries in soon.

Entries can be completed online (www.actbmx.com. au).

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Nationals Wrap Up

Standout performances punctuate a challenging week on a tough track

More than 3000 entries from almost 100 clubs from every state and territory hit the challenging track for this year’s National Championships in Bathurst, almost all with one thing in mind – winning an ‘A’ plate or even the national champion’s sleeve.

There were countless stunning performances across all ages and events, courage, determination and skill the order of the weeklong extravaganza.

Curtis and Juster both won the Grands Challenge in the elite classes, whilst Jye Hombsch and Saya Sakakibara in the junior elite men’s and women’s, Nathaniel Rodway and Shelby Green in the 16-years boy’s and girl’s, Cooper Tye and Molly McGill in the 15-years boy’s and girl’s and Kai Angel and Des’Ree Barnes in the 14-years boy’s and girl’s events also won trips to the Grands.

In the state against state Crackerjack and Dynamite battle it was Queensland who came out on top, winning the Dynamite trophy with 1053 points from Victoria (958) and Western Australia (883). They also

A star on the rise and a veteran proving he still has all the skills were the stories of the elite finals that highlighted almost a week’s worth of racing.

Southlake / Illawarra BMX Club’s Leanna Curtis continued her stellar year that has also included the National Series crown, by taking out the women’s final in a photo finish from fellow Rio Olympic aspirant Melinda McLeod (Nerang BMX Club QLD).

In the men’s event, Liverpool City BMX Club’s Alex Cameron scored a popular win with a sensational final turn move to snatch the lead and his first national title since 2010. Cameron just beat home Wade Turner (Eastfield BMX Club VIC) and early leader Matt Juster (Jingili BMX Club NT).

Others to put in dominant displays included world champions Nat Rodway (Lake Macquarie BMX Club NSW) in the 16yrs boy’s, Des’Ree Barnes (Beenleigh BMX Club QLD) in the 14 yrs girls and Saya Sakakibara (Southlake / Illawarra BMX Club NSW) in the junior elite women, while Andrew Hughes (Lmx Bicycle Supercross NSW) was sensational in the junior elite men’s event, posting a time that would have won the elite men’s event.

In the age group events there were hundreds of impressive riders with standouts including siblings Bailey (8yrs boy’s) and Sacha (10yrs girl’s) Mills (Bayside BMX Club, QLD), 9yrs girl’s Portia Eden (Cairns BMX Club Inc, QLD), 13yr girl’s Jarrah Hecker (Geelong BMX Club VIC) and world champion Thomas Tucker (Pine Rivers BMX Club QLD) in the 11 years boy’s leading the way.

The cruiser events were hotly contested with plenty of different winners - of the 19 titles awarded, 13 went to different clubs with only Cairns BMX Club, Centenary Plains BMX Club and Mildura BMX Club claiming two national titles. One notable winner from the day was Beau Pratt (Bundaberg BMX Club QLD), who returned to the track after a winning national title earlier in the week, adding the cruiser national championship to his tally of wins.

Pic: Paul Goodall won the Crackerjack trophy by just four points – 788 to NSW’s 784, with Western Australia third on 576.

The Northern Territory performed above expectations, showing the continual improvement of riders since the Jingili track’s roof was built, with Jordan Sharpe taking out the Dynamite 12 years boy’s event.

Earlier in the week the Retro events took place with Ashton Scriha (Walkerston BMX Club QLD), James Lautier (Sunbury BMX Club VIC) and Darren James (Beenleigh BMX Club QLD) the standouts.

Pic: Grant Patterson

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Emerging force

She won everything at nationals, but who is Leanna Curtis?

Meet the athlete taking things to the next level Bedridden at the age of 21. It’s a situation that no normal person would foresee in their teens, nor cope with in their twenties, but for elite BMX competitor Leanna Curtis, such a situation was a reality that tested her character and turned her into the racer she is today.

You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about the Leanna Curtis story until just a few weeks ago when she stormed to a clean sweep of the Australian National Series, National Championships and Grands Challenge. Hailing from the Illawarra region, just over an hour drive south of Sydney, Curtis’ results have announced her as an Olympic contender at just the right time of year.

However before the 2016 script could be written, Curtis was faced with the prospect of returning to the sport after a lengthy stint on the sidelines due to a debilitating back injury, the most challenging point of her career so far.

“Following Aussies in 2014 I ended up off the bike for eight months and spent many of my days in bed. There was no way I could train or ride, I was at my lowest point,” Curtis said.

“There were plenty of times when I thought I would give up. The injury just got worse and worse, and if it wasn’t for people like my partner Frank who stayed positive throughout, it’s not unlikely that I would have thrown the towel in.”

While it is easy to dwell on the negatives of her time spent injured, Curtis has instead attributed a testing time in her life to being a period that improved her mental fortitude and shuffled her from midfield to the head of the pack. Her upturn in form is down to a strong training regime that has been combined with a healthy dose of confidence, which she says has helped the results table turn.

“My mindset has been much better, and this year especially I have had more confidence thanks to the work I have been doing with Luke Madill, he helps me to do the right training at the right time and the results are showing,” she said.

“Success hasn’t been a consistent outcome of my BMX career. I started when I was nine and just raced at club, didn’t go to nationals until I was 16 (2008) and managed to place third that year. However since then I have been in the mid-pack and not many people know who I am because of that.

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“I think the flipside of being at my lowest point was that there was always something telling me I could get back to being fast. It was slow progress when I returned both on the track and in the gym, and I really struggled with gates at first. It’s fair to say I have really rediscovered my speed this season.”

“I didn’t have expectations at my first world cups last season, I was just seeing what it was all about. Last year it was also just Frank and I, but this year I am going with Luke and the team. The support network will lift some of the weight off my shoulders and I can just focus on what I need to do.”

While the likes of Caroline Buchanan, Lauren Reynolds, Rachel Jones and Melinda McLeod have spent a more significant time overseas and all have clear goals for what they want to achieve in 2016, Curtis is still a relative newcomer on the international scene and has few expectations for the year, but knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.

Whether she claws her way into a place on the Australian Olympic team or not, there is no doubting that Leanna Curtis’s footprint on BMX is getting larger, and we will see more of her in the years to come.

“Up until my first world cup last year I don’t think my headspace was good enough to race overseas, it comes back to mentality and that is one of my most improved areas,” Curtis said.

“When you race in the mid-pack for so long you get taught how to fight for what you want. I have come in very fast as we near the end of the selection window for Rio, I knew I could get to the level the top girls are at and I knew it would be a tight window to do it.

“My recent success has obviously helped and it has been really good. Admittedly it has also been something I expected, I worked for it so I am not getting crazy excited, but I am very happy with my results.

“From now on I don’t have expectations per se, but in the immediate future it would be great to make a world cup final and at least be a regular semi-finalist.

Pic: Paul Goodall

UCI World Cup RND 1: Santiago del Estero, Argentina The BMX Supercross World Cup series is the next critical step in the Olympic dream of every BMX athlete, and to be in the running to book a ticket to Rio the fight begins in Santiago del Estero, Argentina on the last weekend in March.

At this point in time, Australia will take the maximum number of athletes to Rio with three men and two women eligible to be selected. However those numbers are contingent on how the nation performs collectively throughout the first few world cup rounds.

From Argentina to the Netherlands, there will be three world cup rounds prior to the May’s BMX Supercross World Championships in Colombia. Australia will be banking on their riders to earn as many UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) points as possible to help the national ranking, while those same cyclists will be competing to improve their individual ranking with those very same points.

Come the time for Olympic selection, the highest ranked Australians with the best finish at the world

championships will be highly considered for selection to the Olympic team*.

With Argentina the first cab off the rank, Curtis is confident that it’s a track she is well suited to, and is excited for the international season.

“I rode at Argentina in 2015 and enjoyed the track. It is fairly basic, and after the first jump which is fairly big it is just short and sharp,” Curtis said.

“A good start is critical at this track, that first jump is maybe one of the biggest we do, but after that it is flat and you can do it all confidently. I am really excited to get started, it was fun last year and then we will be on to Manchester soon after.”

The first round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup is from March 25-26 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. *There is scope for discretion within Australia’s Olympic selection policy.

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Aussies to follow at the BMX Supercross World Cup NAME Sam Willoughby DOB 15/08/1991 CLUB Happy Valley BMX Club, SA INSTAGRAM samwilloughby7

NAME Caroline Buchanan DOB 24/10/1990 CLUB Tuggeranong BMX Club, ACT INSTAGRAM cbuchanan68

NAME Anthony Dean DOB 22/04/1991 CLUB Cross Keys BMX Club, SA INSTAGRAM adean144

NAME Lauren Reynolds DOB 25/06/1991 CLUB Bunbury BMX Club, WA INSTAGRAM laurenreynolds

NAME Bodi Turner DOB 18/09/1994 CLUB Eastfield BMX Club, VIC INSTAGRAM boditurner747

NAME Melinda McLeod DOB 12/02/1993 CLUB Nerang BMX Club, QLD INSTAGRAM melindamcleod

NAME Corey Frieswyk DOB 26/01/1994 CLUB Wakerston BMX Club, QLD INSTAGRAM coreyfrieswyk551

NAME Leanna Curtis DOB 05/08/1993 CLUB Southlake/Illawarra BMX Club, NSW INSTAGRAM leannacurtis172

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Aussies to follow at the BMX Supercross World Cup NAME Josh Callan DOB 08/04/1991 CLUB Lilydale BMX Club, VIC INSTAGRAM joshcallan

NAME Jye Hombsch DOB 04/02/1998 CLUB Redlands BMX Club, QLD INSTAGRAM jyehombsch (Argentina only)

NAME Kai Sakakibara DOB 29/07/1996 CLUB Southlake/Illawarra BMX Club, NSW INSTAGRAM sakakibarakai

NAME Matthew Juster DOB 13/10/1990 CLUB Jingili BMX Club, NT INSTAGRAM juster661 (Argentina only)

NAME Andrew Hughes DOB 26/03/1998 CLUB LMX Bicycle Supercross, NSW INSTAGRAM andy__232

NAME David Habicht DOB 21/11/1990 CLUB Ballarat-Sebastopol C C BMX Club, VIC INSTAGRAM davehabicht (Argentina only)

NAME Hayden Fletcher DOB 25/11/1998 CLUB Mansfield Mt Buller BMX Club, VIC INSTAGRAM hayden49 (Argentina only)

said.

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“I had a substantial car accident and broke my jaw in three places, and then had a number of knee injuries that effectively ended my own athletic career. It’s those setbacks that help me understand our BMX athletes, I know how important it is to prevent injury and why it still hurts to see injury ruin the dreams of other athletes.

“It was hard to give up my own Olympic dream, but on the flipside to be now doing well with my coaching, albeit in a different sport, it’s pleasing. It’s also a little ironic that I won a coaching award in Bathurst, as I grew up just down the road in Lithgow.”

While disappointed, there was little time to dwell on the loss of an athletic dream, as Hanby went on to become a hockey coach and also a qualified electrical contractor. However soon after she found herself at another set of crossroads with a son that wanted to ride BMX, while she was committed to hockey.

“My son decided that he wanted to ride a bike, so we took him to our local track for a National Sign On Day and he just went around all day, he just wanted to be there,” she said.

“I was coaching hockey, my son wanted to do BMX and I simply couldn’t be a coach and mum and be in two places at once. So I left hockey and started my coaching endeavours again in BMX.

YOU NEED TO KNOW

Former hockey player turned BMX coach

A car accident, a broken jaw, numerous knee injuries, an aborted Olympic dream and a kid who wanted to ride BMX – it’s an unlikely combination of elements that brought the passionate Deanna Hanby to BMX, and the Queensland-based coach is now making waves in the sport.

Hanby has been rising through the BMX coaching ranks for the past few years and is now responsible for mentoring a range of athletes from sprockets to elites and special needs competitors, and it is this work that recently saw her named the female BMX coach of the year at the BMX Australia awards night in Bathurst.

However as much as she thrives in BMX these days, it wasn’t Hanby’s sport of choice. In a past life she was a promising hockey player who had her sights set on a place in the Hockeyroos squad and a chance to represent Australia at the Olympics, until the dream was cruelly taken away.

“The Olympics were where I wanted to go as an athlete, I had been one of the inaugural recipients of an award at Charles Sturt University to assist my athletic dream, but it didn’t work out,” Hanby

“Like when I was an athlete, you live and breath the sport you are involved in, and as most people know when I come along it is with gusto, and it’s a family affair.”

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In the time since she has come on board as a coach Hanby has quickly become a favourite among her riders for the way she understands her athletes and the needs of athletes at differing ages and abilities. At the focal point of her method is setting an athlete up for their future, not just what is happening in the immediacy of wherever their career may be at this point in time.

“I have always looked at the primary goals of my athletes, goal setting and preparation is a big thing, you need to know what your athletes want,” she said.

“However depending on who I am coaching, the way I approach the job will differ. I am generally tougher with my younger athletes, I want to make sure I can set them up to have ownership of what they do. At the end of a day if you want to own the trophy, you need to own the discipline. On the flipside it is a bit more relaxed with my elite athletes because they have that.

“Regardless of who I am coaching, what ability they might be, I get a kick out of seeing riders achieve their goals. While my dream as an athlete may have ended prematurely, I now have the chance to maybe one day help someone else to the Olympics, that is pretty cool. But before that happens I still have plenty more to learn and I have to thank everyone that has helped me get to where I am now, I am getting there and we have great support in BMX.”

The Olympics

What they mean to me

Josh Callan - Elite men’s rider, BMX Victoria state coach BMX is the sport that Josh Callan loves. He competes in it, he teaches it and he loves to talk about it.

He’s a true custodian of the sport, and it is that love for the sport that is driving him along the road to Rio. The Olympic Games are all about showing you can be the best of the best, the pinnacle. It’s the arena that people battle for; they overcome adversity to be a chance to even compete. Callan is in the fight and he’s relishing the chance to throw his hat in the ring among the world’s best.

Here’s what the Olympics mean to Josh Callan…

I’ve always had a passion for bikes…with or without motors. Everything I can remember from being a kid is that I wanted to be on my bike. That love and passion turned into an obsession, the backyard turned into a track and training sessions into racing sessions.

It would never work, but I wish you could race motorbikes at the Olympics too…When I’m not on my BMX, I spend time working on cars, motorbikes and fiddling in the shed. My dad and I have restored an old Ducati, which I would love to do some historic racing with. Unfortunately it will never be an Olympic sport, but it’s a good escape from the intensity of training, travelling and competing.

I don’t think there is anyone about my age who didn’t love Sydney 2000…I was around nine or 10 years old and this would have to be my first real recollection of the Olympics. It was the turning point, my introduction to the big show. I got right into all the sports, and loved learning about them all.

Not long after Sydney 2000 I heard rumours that BMX might be added to the Olympic program…A few years later, about the time I was beginning to get serious about the sport. It was about the time that the probikx/champbikx structure was being introduced by BMX Australia, and I was beginning that journey. I remember hearing the rumours, and then one day it was confirmed and that gave me direction and showed me where the sport could take me.

Funnily enough my most memorable Olympic moment didn’t happen during the Olympics…A few months prior to London 2012 I got to test the BMX track and I had a tour through the athletes village when it was close to completion, it was pretty remarkable. But in competition, during the Olympics, my favourite moment would have to be Anna Meares making a comeback from injuries to be in the medals in Beijing, 2008.

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Jared Graves and Sam Willoughby have undoubtedly produced my favourites Aussie BMX moments from the Olympics so far…I remember Jared making the final in Beijing and I thought he

best release and it breaks up the daily grind of my own training. There’s a fine line to overtraining and over-committing, but it also has to be treated as a full time job. I also have a good group of friends and a few hobbies to keep me distracted as well.

We have a good BMX community, and I hope to be a part of it for years to come…I definitely feel I have set myself up well in the community as a coach, and I would like to move forward with that when my own elite career comes to an end. Supporting other athletes to make their dreams is something I am interested in, and along with my other interest I am sure I will be fairly busy.

Callan rates Sam Willoughby’s Olympic silver medal as one of his favourite BMX moments had a really good shot at a medal. Then of course Sam managed to get silver in London (Australia’s only BMX Olympic medal to date). I’ve raced Sam for a long time, so to see him make a small mistake and then come back was great.

If I wasn’t aiming for an Olympic berth in BMX I would be chasing a dream in a non-Olympic sport…probably motorsport…But inside the Olympic sphere I have always had great admiration for Winter Olympic Sports. I am a big fan of the snowboarding cross and half pipe. When the Winter Games are on they appeal to me and are a definite highlight!

You can never be safe predicting BMX results…

So I am hesitant to predict what lies ahead for the Aussies in Rio. We have a very strong contingent and a good shot, but it is hard to say who will take it out.

I hope to be a member of that strong contingent in Rio…Everyone is aiming to be on the team. It’s going to be a tough year and whoever can dedicate their time to being perfect on track will be in good stead. There are four world cup events and everyone is on fire and improving at the moment. It would be amazing to make the Aussie Olympic team, I would realise a dream and it would be a career/life high point. To do that, I will need to do better than I have done previously at these events.

I escape from BMX and balance my life by being involved in BMX…That probably doesn’t make complete sense, but I find that coaching can be the

- Josh.

Josh Callan is among Australia’s top male BMX athletes and in 2016 he is aiming to qualify for his first Olympic Games. Australia has three positions available for male athletes, and Josh will be among a handful battling to add his name to the Australian Olympic Team.

Pic: Grant Patterson

ASK MADILL

Beginning from the next edition of ‘The Dirt’ we will have BMX Australia Development academy coach Luke Madill contributing his own column, and we are asking for your input into what he writes about!

Be it coaching tips, sponsorship advice, travel tips or general preparation for an event (or anything inbetween), Luke will have your answers and shed a bit more light on everything BMX! Email your questions to: news@bmxaustralia.com.au

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DIRT MARCH 2016