It was a record breaking end to a record breaking season.
The Cochrane BMX Association returned home after a weekend where 15 of their riders placed in the top three of their age division at the Grands and Provincial Championships in Red Deer, Sept. 10 to 11.
“It was a pretty successful weekend overall,” said Cochrane BMX president Brad Christensen. “We had 15 kids rank in the top three on Saturday at Grands, and then on Sunday you find the top eight kids in categories where they receive their Alberta Plates (AB Plates), which is one of the highest ones you can get.
“It was an amazing day and weekend for the kids.”
Riders from across the province, some 563, entered the Grands, and Cochrane put on a multitude of strong performances.
Haylee Laurell finished first in the Six Novice Female event and Solvay Semmens took home third in the Seven Novice Female competition.
Ashtynn Forsberg grabbed second place in the Eight Novice Female race, Tasha Stephens nabbed third in the 10 Novice Female category and Katie Scott managed to bag first in the 13 Expert Female competition.
One the male side of the spectrum, Jonathan Kettle grabbed first in the Six Novice Male event, with Nathan Vlahakis also taking first in the Seven Expert Male category.
Jaxson Ross took second in the Eight Intermediate Male group and Caleb Graham bagged third spot in the 10 Expert Male competition.
The association scored a one-two punch in the 11 Intermediate Male category with Riley Carey taking first and Luke Christensen nabbing second.
In the 12 Intermediate Male section, Reid Huff managed a second-place finish.
Joel Huff grabbed the second-place spot in the 15 Intermediate Male event, while Tyler Semmens managed the same position in the 30 to 39 Novice Male group.
Finally, Doug Murphy bagged first-place in the 40-place Male Novice section.
“It’s crazy all of the talent we have coming out of Cochrane right now,” Christensen said “We’ve got such amazing racers here that can race with the best kids in Alberta. It’s exciting to have watched these kids grow over the last couple years.”
Christensen believes some of the development programs the club offers on top of the dedication of the riders are key to the current success being experienced.
“We’ve got some good rider development programs on the go right now, with some elite riders coaching the kids for the last couple of years,” he said. “I think all the hard work the kids have put in is starting to come through now.
“It’s exciting to see.”
The club’s season is now over with the exception of a couple more local races (mother nature permitting).
