Young riders Rushing back to BMX

BALLARAT Sebastopol Rush BMX Club events have returned for riders under 18 at their Marty Busch Reserve track.

President, Rob Pompe said COVID-compliant training and practice sessions, coaching and start-gate experience are all currently accessible at varying times of the week.

“Not all family members can attend like they might want do, but training is almost normal again, and for under-18s it’s racing as usual,” he said.

“We have Monday night and Thursday night training sessions, and Wednesday nights we have a gates and practice session.

“Every second weekend, we try and run a Club event for the kids to race, and other clubs in regional Victoria have the same scenario.”

Children or teens attending training can expect to familiarise themselves with basic bike skills, BMX safety, cornering and how to approach the start-gate.

“It’s great exercise and education about how to go about racing, and do it the right, safe way. It lets the kids dip their toes in the water and see if they like the sport,” Mr Pompe said.

“We’ve switched over to AusCycling. They offer a four-week free trail, where people can make a decision on whether they want to continue and become a licenced member.”

BMX riders can access qualified coaches who have raced or are racing at a high level, and see top national athletes, who call Rush home, in action.

“Fourteen-year-old Josh Jolly is number one in Australia for his age, and Nathan Glab is our pro rider and qualified trainer.

“The riders can access education about a day-to-day, healthy lifestyle, learn the importance of stretching and nutrition,” Mr Pompe said.

“There’s a lot of knowledge for the young kids to pull from, and it’s good for them to see our top riders because it builds their confidence; they can do that too.”

Rush has about 110 members, and their Sebastopol track is open at all times for any rider to enjoy.

“Now the ‘Ring of Steel’ is down, that allows metro clubs to come up and enjoy racing with us as well.

“The next step is getting the adults back to race, turning our new lights on at the track, and hosting twilight racing events, which is exciting because we’ve never had those before,” Mr Pompe said.

To express interest in getting involved with Ballarat Rush contact [email protected].