Picture: JAMES MURPHY
THE Blue Lake BMX Club had a strong representation in the 2019 Australian BMX Nationals in Shepparton last week, with the highlight coming from 11-year-old Jasmine Morgan.
She came home with the number seven Australian plate in the 11 girls – one better than last year and also her fourth consecutive national plate.
Morgan was happy with her result and said she rode well throughout the event.
“I was riding pretty good,” she said.
“My final was the worst one, but I still got a plate.
“This is my fourth plate in a row.”
Riders are eligible for nationals from the age of eight and Morgan has competed in the event every year since.
She is the only rider in her age group to have made the final in all four appearances.
And the excitement does not stop there for the young rider, with another golden opportunity which has the potential to see her take to the international stage.
“Next week I am going to Mighty 11’s in Sydney,” she said.
“It is where all the 11-year-old’s get to race and the top four best times get to go and race in
New Zealand.”
From next week’s trial the top four 11-year-old boys and girls in Australia will be selected to compete against their New Zealand rivals later in the year as part of the Mighty 11’s Trans-Tasman cultural exchange.
It adds another feather in the cap of the Blue Lake BMX Club, after the pleasing results from last week’s event.
Several Blue Lake riders competed in nationals for their first time, including sprocket Jackson Jones, who had plenty of reasons to smile at the end of the event.
This year a pro spectacular sprocket buddy system was introduced at nationals, which saw each sprocket paired up with a pro rider.
If their pro rider made finals the buddy was
given the chance to ride a lap of the track with them.
Jones was paired with Queensland’s Matt Krasevkis, who finished second in his final, resulting in a once-in-a-lifetime moment for the young rider.
Lily Kradolfer rode in nationals for her first time as well and competed in the nine girls to make the semi-finals and finish in the top 16 in Australia.
Lilly Jones also made the semi-finals in the age group, while father and Blue Lake BMX Club coach Stephen Jones was on the pace in the 35-39 men to qualify third in the semis, but a crash saw him miss out on the final.
Brad and Jade Jennings and Riley Hill rounded out the first-time national riders for the club.
Club coaches Stephen Jones and Dave Wilke were “extremely proud” of every member who participated in the biggest race meeting of the year and credited the hard work put in by all who attended.
