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Junior Austin Thompson is an avid participant in bicycle motocross

When did you first started doing BMX?

I’d say I’ve been riding for about five years, so probably about 10 or 11 (years old).

Who first got you interested in BMX?

When I first got my bike for Christmas, I was really excited and started riding a lot. I had a couple friends who owned mountain bikes, and they got me really into it.

Who is your greatest inspiration?

Oh, too many. I like Kyle Baldock and Brett Banasiewicz, who is from Indiana.

Do you ever attend any BMX races or competitions?

I used to race, so I guess I would attend those, but I don’t any more. I haven’t seen a competition in forever, but I try whenever I can.

What kinds of styles of BMX are there?

Traditionally there is like freestyle BMX, that’s like people going to skate parks doing tricks. There is flatland, which is people riding on the flat land and doing wheelies and all this crazy stuff. And then there is dirt, which I like to do. I build big jumps in the woods.

What makes dirt BMX more fun for you?
Oh, adrenaline; it’s all about adrenaline.

How do you build your jumps for dirt riding?

Over at my friend’s house, in his yard we built a bunch of dirt jumps. We cut down a bunch of trees and used the (logs) to build dirt jumps. Just recently, we bought some plywood and built some kickers to send us even higher.

Have you ever gotten injured during BMX? What was the worst injury you have sustained?
Yes, quite frequently. Gee, I don’t know, probably my arm. I got stitches and needed to have surgery.

How often do you practice for BMX?

Lately its been cold in Indiana, so you really only ride in the summer and the spring. When it gets cold like this, we try to go to Raise, which is an indoor BMX facility. There is one in Cleveland and Milwaukee. (My friends from North Central and I) try to ride every weekend or in the summer every day if we can.

What has been your most proud moment thus far in BMX?

Probably the first time I landed a 360 I was pretty happy, pretty stoked. That was probably nine months ago in the spring, something like that.

What inspires you to continue riding?

Just the happiness that it gives me. I really want that good feeling.

By: Henry Jackson