The Dirt, September 2016

THE

DIRT

SEPTEMBER 2016

What’s in a start?

Biomechanics meets BMX UCI SUPERCROSS WORLD CUP RETURNS at rock hill PLUS+ REEDY CREEK & THE CALENDAR - YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Cover pic by Jerry Landrum/BMXMania.com

2016 Calendar JANUARY

31st: Oceania BMX Championships, Continental Championships, Auckland (New Zealand) 6th - 7th: National Series Rounds 5 &6 | National Sign On Day

FEBRUARY 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 18th - 20th: Victorian State Titles

DECEMBER PAGE | 2

Contents From the CEO.....................................4 UCI BMX World Cup Returns..................................................6 COVER STORY - Biomechanics meets BMX...........................................8 National Series & the Calendar You’re questions answered.............................................14 Social media - The do’s and do not’s...............................................23

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From the CEO Changes underfoot, new tracks + more Having started in my role with BMX Australia in early July, the past few months have been a whirlwind of activity as I get to learn more about the sport, meet the people involved and get a feel for the challenges and opportunities that we currently face.

The BMXA office has gone through a number of staffing changes over the past twelve months but things are beginning to settle as we bed down a staffing structure that will help us to serve the members and help you to enjoy your BMX experience.

We have recently appointed Toni Hulme as our Operations and Participation Co-ordinator, and we are currently in the process of recruiting an Events Manager to manage our national level events.

While it has been a difficult few months I would like to thank Daniel Spence and Ciara Ferrao-Read who have held things together in the BMXA office and kept serving the members and clubs.

of Australia’s Olympians across all the sports but what should be noted is that every Australian Olympian goes to the Games and gives absolutely everything they have in their events.

The BMX Australia family are extremely proud of Caroline, Sam, Anthony, Lauren and Bodi, not only for their performances on the track but also for the way they carry themselves off the track. Great role models for any young BMX rider.

There was great news recently with the Gold Coast City Council agreeing to provide the funding necessary to develop a As August rolled around our attention BMX Centre of Excellence on the Gold turned to Rio for the Olympic Games Coast. This facility will be a wonderful adwhere we had five riders competing in the dition for the sport and give us a purpose BMX events. The results showed us what built home with a UCI standard track at a difficult and unforgiving sport BMX rac- which we can base our development and ing can be, where one small incident can high performance programs. With other have a large effect on results. Much has great facilities being developed in South been written and said about the results PAGE | 4

Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria it is pleasing to see local governments realising the benefit of providing high quality facilities for their local clubs and the BMX community.

Many of our members will have seen that we are undertaking a re-branding process to give the sport a feel and image of its own. Our current logo is an off shoot of the Cycling Australia logo, however, with our members feeling that we are a distinct sport from road and track cycling it was decided that a re-branding was appropriate to give our sport an image of its own. We look forward to providing you with more information as the process continues.

The recent news of Sam Willoughby’s training accident has been felt by everyone in the BMXA community. We know that all our members are sending Sam their best wishes and positive thoughts. BMXA will continue to work with Sam’s support network and family to assist in any way we can.

From top left, L-R: An artists impression of the new BMX Australia Centre of Excellence at Reedy Creek on the Gold Coast; The new start gate at the revamped Big Rivers BMX Club in the Northern Territory; The announcement of a feasibility study for a new track at O’Halloran Hill in Adelaide - the study has led to the approval of a new track to be built.

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Pic by Jerry Landrum/BMXMania.com

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World Cup Returns USA Beckons for elite riders The UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series kicks back into gear from the weekend beginning September 30 to October 1 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, beginning a whirlwind North American component to conclude the international BMX season.

Representing Australia in Rock Hill will be 13 riders, while entries at the time of writing for the round a week later in Sarasota, Florida from October 8-9 were yet to be confirmed. The North American stop will finish with the USA BMX Grand National and Race of Champions event in November.

Of all major international competitions in 2016, including the UCI BMX World Championships and Olympic Games, it is the world cup series where Australia has scored the best results at an elite level so far.

BMX superstar Caroline Buchanan began the season in fine style, winning the first two rounds in Santiago del Estero, Argentina and Manchester, Great Britain. At the third round in Papendal, Netherlands she finished second to local rider Laura Smulders.

However this time around Buchanan, nor any of her Olympic BMX teammates will be present in Rock Hill as they take a well-deserved break following an intense period of time in Rio, as will a number of their peers from other nations who also contested the Games.

Despite this, Australia will take a sturdy contingent to Rock Hill with the standouts being reigning Australian women’s champion Leanna Curtis as well as up-and-coming brother/sister duo Kai and Saya Sakakibara.

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Joining the show in the USA will be Australian junior men’s champion Andrew Hughes, who is still relatively new to the world cup scene and has age on his side, after celebrating his eighteenth birthday on the first day of world cup action for 2016, all the way back on March 25 in Argentina.

tional season.

While Hughes may have found the big show of the world cup difficult, he will go to Rock Hill buoyed by his silver medal in the junior elite men’s time trial at the world championships.

For the younger Sakakibara, a dominating Australian season, where she won every single race she contested, was brought to a halt at the world championships.

Having entered the event as the reigning 16-years world champion, she had hoped to add the junior elite title to her resume.

But her challenge came unstuck following a series of crashes.

Unfortunately for Curtis, her world cup challenge unravelled in Manchester when she broke her collarbone early on in the event. Despite returning for the world championships, Rock Hill looks to be her best chance at an improved result.

Meanwhile Kai Sakakibara will be hoping to go one step better than his performances at both the world cup rounds in Argentina and Manchester, where he made it out of the qualifying motos and Rock Hill will be the first time we see into the main race. However on both ocSakakibara competing at a world cup casions missed his chance at the quarter- event. finals.

Joining Curtis and the younger SakakibaIt was a similar story for another Aussie ra sibling in the women’s contest will be Tristyn Kronk in Papendal this year, where Rachel Jones and Tyler-Lea Thorley. a quarterfinal position went begging by the smallest of margins. He will come The UCI BMX Supercross event in Rock back to the competition hungry for more.

Hill takes places from September 30 to October 1. The Sarasota event follows the Joining the list of male athletes in Rock weekend after on October 8-9.

Hill will be Brandon Te Hiko, Joshua McLean, Shane Rosa, Tom Siinmaa, Kyle Green and Jye Hombsch, who was a strong performer at the world championships to race to world number six in the junior elite men’s contest.

Meanwhile it will be Curtis and Saya Sakakibara who headline the women’s competition, with the former hoping to find some stability in what has been something of a jilted 2016 campaign across domestic and international competitions.

The year could not have been a better start for Curtis after she romped to a trifecta of winning the BMX Australia women’s National Probikx Series, National Championship and Grands Challenge to signify her intentions ahead of the interna-

Photo by Grant Patterson

Pic by Jerry Landrum/BMXMania.com

SPLIT SECON Chasing the first three cranks When Biomechanics meets BMX

ND

It’s Friday August 10, 2012. A sun-baked crowd of more than 6,000 people, including football superstar David Beckham, are packed into the grandstands at the BMX track in the VeloPark within the Olympic Park in London. They eagerly await the women’s Olympic final.

Atop the start hill are eight of the world’s best female riders, all exuding nervous energy, excitement and trepidation in equal measure in anticipation of what is about to happen.

This is only the second women’s BMX final in the history of the Olympics. It’s a young sport, one that has a history more closely associated in freestyle riding, skate parks and the pop-culture hit film ’BMX Bandits’, than it does with iconic Olympic moments.

But the crowd doesn’t care about history. They’ve discovered a fast, furious and somewhat gladiatorial sport that pits eight riders against each other. It’s more a meeting of athleticism and survival of the fittest and they love it.

Among the athletes angling for gold is Australia’s Caroline Buchanan. At her first Olympics she has shown devastating speed, and has been fastest all the way to the final. This could be her moment to win gold, at the age of 21.

But she doesn’t.

Dr Eric Haakonssen, are specifically focusing on BMX supercross gate start research.

Grigg isn’t studying this out of a belief that our athletes haven’t been doing it ‘right’, or that our coaches have been teaching it wrong. Grigg is clear that her research is all about identifying the factors for making a good performance outcome, and ensuring that science has a two-way communication with the work being done by coaches.

“What we find is that coaches usually teach from their own experience and It isn’t all lab coates, bunsen burners and sterile en- generally, the human experience only vironments if you study sciences! Grigg has spent teaches us a certain amount,” explains time in the field working with Australia’s best riders Grigg. to advance her studies. It could change the future of the sport.

“Some of that is right, but there is also a small amount that will be irrelevant or From the moment the gate drops, the dream is over. In the years since that day, wrong. it has been well documented that Bu“This isn’t to say coaches aren’t accurate chanan missed her start and was unable enough in this area. It’s just there’s a lack to make up the lost ground. She’ll be the of scientific information around this, which first to tell you about it. She is as courageous as she is tenacious and will not shy is a characteristic of a young sport. BMX as a sport is deep and intricate in terms away from what happened. of sports science. There are elements that are as vast as oceans that are yet to be Four years later, BMX race starts are beexplored. ing put under the microscope like never before. It’s a scientific study happening “The role of a sports scientist is to use right here in Australia on the biomechanwhat a coach suggests and then see ics of the optimal start. if they are correct, or if what they are coaching doesn’t have an impact on perThis sort of academic research, that formance. It’s all about putting a number melds science and sport together, is common in more established sports such behind the research, creating information as athletics and swimming. In BMX its un- that coaches can use as a resource. Then it is up to them.” charted territory, and it has the potential to change the foundations of how riders are coached in their starting procedures. There is one question that stands out among the rest – why is the study only looking at race starts? In a sport where a According to Josie Grigg, a PhD canlap lasts 40 seconds, includes five cordidate at Bond University on the Gold ners, jumps and requires athletes to mix Coast, BMX is an incredibly under-respeed and bike control to be the quickest searched sport. Her academic studies, to the finish, it seems like a very narrow which are being supervised by Assoc. area to focus on.

Professor Dr Justin Keogh and Australian Institute of Sport Senior Physiologist PAGE | 10

However, Grigg is confident in her approach and explains with a considered demeanour that the existing history of race statistics tell us that this is the most crucial element of any race.

“Research has told us that a rider who lands the first jump in either position one, two or three is most likely to finish in position one, two or three. So this research specifically looks at the first three cranks from when the gate drops,” she says.

riders and using biomechanics to look at what they do to get the best times.”

In looking at the best, Grigg has spent time with Australia’s BMX High Performance Unit to gather information and data. Sessions with riders of this calibre allow her to put together tangible data that can be used later to define optimal technique. And already there are patterns being exposed.

“It is important to note that we won’t finish “That segment is the most critical part of a this study and have a definitive method. race, and is more often than not the differ- It will be a guideline to help coaches that ence between those that get on the podi- work with sprockets all the way up to um and those that want to get there. coaches that work with Olympians to get the most out of the athletes they have,” “I looked at a lot of coaching blogs prior Grigg effuses. to commencing this and many people have different coaching cues on where “A classic thing we have already identia rider needs to lift their body to get the fied is the ‘top and tail’. If a rider’s head best time. and hips are stable, they tend to be faster, which mechanically makes sense and “So we are trying to work out what is opti- promotes good torso rigidity. mal. To do that we are looking at the best

“What we look for is a stable hip line as a rider goes down the ramp. This will deliver a different level of efficiency to a rider who goes down the ramp with their bum moving about.

“It also means that a rider who has a straight head and keeps their chin lifted can use their shoulder muscles more effectively. As a bi-product they will also be able to see where their competition is.

“But that won’t work for all riders. Some athletes say this sort of head position doesn’t work for them because they are right or left-hand-side dominant. So while a straight head, lifted chin and inline and rigid torso might be a mechanical advantage, it isn’t always a tactical advantage for all riders.

“That’s the intersect of sport and science. It’s what I find exciting about BMX. There

Bodi Turner practices his starts at an Australian BMX HPU camp earlier in 2016

are environmental factors between the machine, person and environment. So we know from these variables alone, there won’t be one particular answer.”

Back on that hot day in London, as the crowd leapt in the air when the gate dropped, there was one rider in particular who displayed the rigidity and inline characteristics described by Grigg – the winner, and now two-time Olympic champion Mariana Pajon of Colombia.

“The head is key. If you look at someone like Mariana Pajon, she is an excellent example of a really stable headliner,” Grigg says.

“She draws her body into being the most efficient it can be.”

A lot has changed since London 2012. Coaching and rider technique have been refined, there has been another Olympic Games. What hasn’t changed, however, is the lack of available scientific data for coaches to use.

But that data isn’t far off. In four years time the start of a BMX race may be more refined, better coached and will almost certainly have a stronger base of science and biomechanics to help coaches get the best from their riders.

And the best thing for Buchanan and the rest of Australia’s elite riders is that the data is coming from within our own support system, giving our riders an even better chance for their own golden time in the sun…eight years on from that day in London.

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What’s in a start?

A gate start is as individual as a fingerprint, each on is unique and no two starts will be the same.

The Hub Trajectory Plot below shows this nicely.

This is the trajectory of the same rider performing five gate starts. The difference in kink time is 0.04s between the fastest and the slowest starts.

The shape of all of them is generally the same – but the height varies a bit – which is the fastest? (the black one) and the slowest? The (dark blue one).

As can be seen, the data is beginning to show us that the way a rider starts will generally be the same each time. However the speed can vary, due to a range of factors.

This research is will find the optimal start, the way it would be done in the ideal world each time. Once a rider gets that right, it’s all down to who deals with the conditions the best.

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Your

Questions

A new supercross track and ‘centre of excellence’ on the Gold Coast, the introduction of a national series to run parallel to the Probikx and Champbikx championship rounds, and plenty of discussion around where the sport of BMX is headed in Australia.

There have been a number of changes to the sport announced since late August, and it was only natural that our members and fans alike would have plenty to discuss.

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A

ANSWERED Positive or negative, all feedback was heard by the team at BMX Australia (BMXA).

So we sat down with BMXA President Barry Knight and asked him your questions, mostly the negative ones, about the new facility at Reedy Creek on the Gold Coast and the new calendar for the domestic season.

Topic #1 BMXA’s move to Reedy creek, Gold Coast In early September it was announced that BMX Australia had the intention of moving their head office to the Gold Coast. The new headquarters would be part of a multi-million-dollar facility that would include a supercross track and centre of excellence.

Question: Was it poor planning to build Sleeman (in Brisbane) just a few years ago and now be building another track just down the road on the Gold Coast?

Barry Knight: No. When Sleeman was built BMXA had a membership that was around 11,000 – 12,000 thousand, and now we are nearing 20,000. The new centre is geared towards accommodating this and the expected growth towards 25, 0000 – 30,000 members.

At the time it was built, Sleeman was a facility we needed and today it still has significant purpose. The Queensland state organisation work well with them, and they need a home too and the partnership there is working out well.

This is something that not many national sporting organisations (NSOs) have access to. We are one of the only ones in the country that will have our own dedicated facility and that is incredible.

Q. Why are we going to the Gold Coast? Some have suggested that it This new facility will be a centre of excel- is about time we did some significant lence that we can use to develop riders. It building in Far North Queensland. will be the head office of BMXA and it will Cairns in particular has high membe a track that we have full control of and bership, should it have been given to them? access to all the time.

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BK: We have high membership in a number of places, and on the coast Nerang is one club that also do very well.

But this was not a decision based on membership and where we have the most riders. This decision was made on building a facility that was central to riders, training of officials and coaches and the headquarters of the organisation.

we will have visitors from the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sport. We need to be in an environment that is convenient for them too.

Q. Adelaide is fairly central, why didn’t BMXA just contribute more money to the new Sam Willoughby BMX Track being built?

This isn’t about playing favourites; we need to do what is right for the national body and moving it forward.

BK: Firstly, there was no request to BMXA to partner with the council for this, other than provide technical support for the building of the facility.

Q: How do you decide what makes an ideal and central location?

We have provided that support as requested.

BK: There are a number of factors you have to consider when you are looking for a centralised location, including the climate, what we can offer riders in terms of lifestyle and equity of travel.

Q. Is BMX fronting up to pay for this new centre of excellence or are others involved?

Firstly, the climate is critical to why we are going to the Gold Coast. We needed to find a place that would have balanced conditions all year round. It gets too cold further south, and if we go to somewhere further north you start to suffer from things like increased rain and changeable weather. We need something that can be as stable as possible year-round.

Then we need to ensure riders using the facility can balance their life. Many of our riders still hold down jobs and there are strong part-time work opportunities on the Gold Coast, housing is affordable, as is temporary accommodation.

The city is growing and it is a good place for them to stay and live when they need to. The airport is also close by, which adds to the convenience.

Finally, it’s about equity of travel. There are direct flights from Australia’s major cities to the Gold Coast and vice versa.

It is a place that no-matter where you are, it is convenient to get to. We also need to consider that from time to time

BK: No, we have partnered with the Gold Coast Council to make this happen.

They have been open about wanting to attract NSOs to the region and this provided us the opportunity to create a track, centre of excellence and headquarters all in one.

An architectural impression of the new facility at Reedy Creek; Opposite page: What the facility could look like

They wanted this, and it makes sense for us to go there.

Q: You talked about developing riders, but some of our members seem to think that this is a track built for Olympians. They think it will benefit five riders only, is that true?

BK: I can understand how people think that, those riders are the ones that you read about the most. But that isn’t the case; this is a centre of excellence geared more towards being a home for our academy riders and to bolster our athlete development pathway.

Our Olympians will have the option of using it, but we expect they will spend very little time there due to their commitments PAGE | 18

overseas. What we want to do is increase the depth and quality of our own talent and make sure we have a strong development pathway.

Reedy Creek is going to open up a plethora of opportunities for our sport and how we go about things. There will be a particular focus on creating synergies with Bond University as part of our sport doing more work in biomechanics. We are hoping to have particular focus on aerials and other aspects that will help us develop the best riders in the world.

Q: Will we see a big event at this track?

BK: Nationals will be there, possibly every second year or between four-five times over a ten year period. But we

don’t expect that will begin until 2020.

The facility will need to be able to deal with the volume of people that travel for nationals, and currently we are waiting for the council to upgrade Old Coach Road first.

The national series will not have a round at Reedy Creek, we intend for Nerang to keep it – if it is still something they want to accommodate.

We may have an international event if the council wants to partner with us. However, that is not a given.

BK: Yes, to a certain degree.

Firstly, I want to assure our members that this will not be a new club. We are not here to compete with our established clubs and ruin the good work they have done. We are not about being counter-productive.

The track will be able to be hired via a simple booking process, which means the academy; state associations or clubs have the ability to book it when it is available.

We will also look to begin a program for Q: It’s been said that this will add $13m schools, and have a pump track. If peoto the economy annually, how? ple that aren’t members partake in these and enjoy the sport, we will direct them to BK: We have factored in that BMXA helps their nearest club. to contribute $3 million already with the national series at Nerang, but there will also be contributions in the way of athletes coming in to stay, having an office there and therefore staff and partners flying in and out of the region regularly too.

The centre of excellence will have seminar rooms, function rooms and the ability to hold a number of courses too. The numbers will add up quite quickly.

Q: Will it be open to the public?

Topic #2 The calendar: dates and locations In August the dates and locations of the Grands Assault and Probikx/Chambikx series’ were announced. While it answered a lot of questions for many, it is fair to say that there were equal amounts of disquiet, especially with members from Western Australia. Here’s how the calendar came about.

Q: Why are there no rounds in Western Australia?

Barry Knight: Every state and territory is offered the chance to host a round, Western Australia included. We want to see the Grands Assault particularly in WA, and the option is there if they would like to take it up.

The process of attaining rounds is something we have always been open about. We can discuss the costs of making it work, but essentially it is up to clubs and state associations to help make it all happen.

Q: So what is the process, especially for the UCI Probikx/Champbikx? Does BMXA just decide who gets it at their own free will?

BK: The calendar is decided via a bidding process. We put out an expression of interest (EOI) and therefore we must PAGE | 20

take the best bids and provide them with a round.

There was once a time that we would try and help everyone out and just give them a round, but it wasn’t the right thing to be doing for the development of the sport.

Using the EOI format, we see councils and state governments getting behind their BMX state associations and clubs financially as the councils see a benefit, a return on their investment. That helps the sport to grow.

Q: So it’s all about money?

BK: This is the whole point of EOI. It’s the fairest way to do it.

The purists won’t like this, but the sport cannot be run on sport alone. It needs to be run as a business. Sport is a competitive market, we are against other sports and we need to put in place a structure for the future.

The EOI process drives BMX forward. It creates a market that ensures different states are hungry to host a round of the BMX national series. Their investment is how you improve facilities and therefore improves what we can offer the membership.

If a council sees the benefit in BMX they will invest, improve facilities and we can have a national series round there – if they have a sound bid.

If the states knew that they would be given a round of the national series every two years regardless of external factors, there would be no incentive to invest in the sport and make it better, we would stagnate.

Q: Someone commented that BMXA have ‘rocks in their head’ and a true national series goes to every state and territory. Why isn’t it doing that this year?

BK: That is what we see in the future of the Grands Assault series, and every state has the option to host a round if they want it. To host a round there are a few criteria that includes, but is not exclusively limited to: • It must be at a good, sound club • The application must meet the criteria of the EOI • And be open to negotiation and have some flexibility about when a round fits into the calendar

Q: So how long until we are in every state and territory?

BK: We hope to be there by 2018. It’s up to the states and territories. The option is there.

Q: Obviously you can’t please everyone, with one person commenting they would not renew their membership based on the calendar. Is that a bit extreme?

BK: I don’t think extreme is the right word.

People can do what they like.

However, it would be disappointing. This is a sport that is going forward, but if there are members that aren’t interested anymore we can’t change that.

This would be more concerning if we were dramatically losing members, at which point we would change something.

But we have seen continued growth.

We try and do the best we can with the calendar, but we have a system in place that helps determine it and this is how it works out. As I said, everyone has the

option to host a round, and for the sake of our members that is our aim.

Q: Some people have announced with confidence that they could run this better than BMXA. Is it as simple as it seems on the surface?

BK: It never is and I invite any of the keyboard warriors out there to get involved and make a difference to the sport if they believe they can.

A decade ago this sport had very little net worth, now we have grown and turn over $1.5 million a year in profit. The business model works.

Anyone that wants to contribute to this is more than welcome and we have a lot of people who give up their time to contribute. For those that think they can do a better job, please go and volunteer at your local club or state association. That’s how you begin making a difference and that is how you give yourself a voice in the PAGE | 22

decision making process.

I will say this publicly. We don’t always make the right decision, but we always review and think about what we can do better. That is what any business does to move forward.

But for those that prefer to sit back and criticise, I welcome you to help out. The sport is waiting for you.

Q: Any last comments?

BK: I think the beautiful thing about BMX is that it can be a sport as cheap or dear as you want to make it. Anyone can go out and buy their $70.00 Kmart bike and join a club. Or you can go and buy your Redline race bike and aim for the top.

We cater for all of that, we’re a family sport and no decision is ever made to exclude people. It’s always done with the hope that it is something for everyone to enjoy.

SOCIAL MEDIA What’s acceptable & what isn’t More often than not social media is something that connects friends, fans with brands or unites people with common interests. More often than not social media is fun, engaging and exciting. More often than not, the line between what is and is not acceptable is a thinly drawn one in the sand.

From time to time we receive feedback on how social media is being used throughout the BMX Australia membership, how clubs and associations are using it, and of course how we use it as a National Sporting Organisation (NSO).

Generally the feedback is positive.

However from time to time there are negative comments, posts and sharing taking place. Whether it be on BMX Australia’s Facebook page, a club’s or on another rider, friend or official’s page, there is no place for content that is disparaging, inappropriate or defamatory in any manner.

BMX Australia has a social media policy, which you can view on our website. However for ease of reading, here are a few tips to use when using social media. It doesn’t matter if it’s Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram or any other form, these rules are a good guide to follow.

• Before you post something, take a moment to read, and reread what you’re writing. Be sure you want to post it.

• If you’re unsure whether you should post or send something, don’t. Your gut feeling is generally correct.

• Have you caused offence? It’s not up to you to decide if your actions offend somebody, it is how the other person feels upon receipt of your actions that dictates if offence has occurred.

• Act towards others, as you would wish to have others act towards you.

• Abuse, harassment or threats are NEVER acceptable • Obscene, offensive, insulting, provocative or hateful language is not acceptable (remember that on every page is someone that has to deal with these sorts of comments) • Don’t bring the sport, yourself or your club into disrepute.

• Have fun; it is there to be a positive tool. Negativity will only breed negativity.

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Background pic by Jerry Landrum/BMXMania.com

THE DIRT

SEPTEMBER 2016

From everyone that is a part of the BMX Australia family, our thoughts are with Sam Willoughby, his family and fiancee Alise Post as he recovers from a training accident.