The BMX season generally begins in the spring and culminates at the Grand Canadian National BMX race weekend in Chilliwack every October.
Numerous Campbell River racers travel to Cumberland all year long to train and enjoy the sport of BMX racing. This year there were many local racers that earned top national results through the Coal Hills BMX track.
Eleven-year-old Austin Cornbill led the way with some amazing moves, earning him the national title in his age group, and a third place finish in the open category (which includes boys of all ages in Canada).
Younger brother Oliver, 7, also earned the national title and a ninth place finish in the open division, while youngest brother Noah, 6, earned fourth place in Canada in his age group.
Two other riders earned top five national placings: Macklin Johnson, 5th place in the 14-year-old division; and Dane “the Hurricane” Kerluck, who earned fourth in the 11-year-old division.
Tyson Popove had a crash on the last day, but still managed to earn seventh in the nine-year-old division.
There were three other Campbell River riders who competed at this high level BMX competition: Sam Johnson, Noah Kerluck, and Aleisha Popove.
Coal Hills President Corby Johnson was pleased with how the Campbell River racers did.
“I was extremely impressed by the hard work and determination that these athletes put in throughout the season. To see so many finish Nationally in the top 10 is simply amazing. This just speaks volumes about the type of program that we have at Coal Hills (Cumberland),” he said.
Coal Hills has a ridership of over 100 riders from Campbell River through Courteny and on to Royceton.
“We are a very welcoming track and we encourage people to ride the track on their own and/or with our group,” Johnson said. “The season will start up in the spring, and we will continue to build on our successes from this year.”
For more information about BMX racing, contact Rene Cornbill at renelarson1@gmail.com.
