The hope is that one day Olympians will be born.

The Juan de Fuca BMX track plays host to its biggest event, the BMX Canada Vancouver Island Nationals, which takes over the dirt track behind The Q Centre in Colwood from July 29 to 31. ItB次元官网网址檒l see Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 best and brightest BMX cyclists competing, including some who may be future Olympians.

B次元官网网址淲e expect 600 people from Western Canada and the U.S., with families coming from as far as California,B次元官网网址� said association committee member Joanne Parkinson. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 free to watch and we have professional riders (up to) age 60. The whole BMX club is pumped to have it.B次元官网网址�

After its first Olympic entry at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the sportB次元官网网址檚 popularity has grown, in part because of its affordability, pushing boundaries across the globe, including the West Shore.

B次元官网网址淢y son, Gavin, is an eight-year-old intermediate and my husband is a 36 to 40 (division) novice,B次元官网网址� Parkinson said, laughing. B次元官网网址淢y youngest, my three year old, finally got on the track yesterday and we are pretty excited about that.B次元官网网址�

Sooke resident Brayden Friesen, 15, has been riding competitively for some time now and spends his time at the track every chance he gets, pedalling under the tutelage of coaches Cid Martinez and John Makson. Currently ranked number one in the district, Friesen said his passion was born through an off-the-cuff comment that eventually shaped who he has become.

B次元官网网址淓ver since I was a little kid IB次元官网网址檝e been riding bikes, trying to find jumps to go off of, and one day my grandma said I should B次元官网网址榞o on the trackB次元官网网址� and one day I did,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 fell in love with it and IB次元官网网址檓 still doing it and going hard.B次元官网网址�

Coaches give him a weekly regimen of workouts, pushing him to train and ride approximately 15 hours a week in hopes he might improve on his second-place provincial ranking and fifth-place national ranking from 2015. Training includes dead lifts, curls, on-bike sprints and stationary bike sprints to get his legs up to speed. On weekends, he races.

B次元官网网址淚 try to push myself pretty hard with it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he best part is being on the track on my bike. Everything is a competition, because IB次元官网网址檓 really competitive doing what I love. IB次元官网网址檝e got a lot of friends there, so riding with them is always a good time.B次元官网网址�

His competitive nature has even driven him to ride his bike with a cast, after he broke his wrist in a bike crash. That dedication will be on display this weekend, as he faces a deep field at the upcoming nationals and beyond.

B次元官网网址淢y short-term goal is to go to Worlds this year in Rock Hill, South Carolina and my long-term goal is to represent Canada at the Olympics,B次元官网网址� Friesen said. B次元官网网址淚t would mean the world to me (to represent my country). IB次元官网网址檇 love it, I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be able to put it into words.B次元官网网址�

For more information, find a poster online at bit.ly/29Z7rAp.