Forum
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sicchicsofbmx@yahoo.com.au
Alesha Pollard
What are you up to these days?
These days I'm living with an ex BMX'er Peter Wade and were planning on getting married in October 2003. I'm a courier driver working 12+ hours a day 5 days a week. I get to travel all over the state which is good because I like travelling. I'm looking at doing an accountancy/book keeper course and maybe one day persuing that as my occupation.
How did you get started in racing and how old were you when you started?
I started racing when I was 4 years old. It all started one day when my neighbour (also an ex BMX'er) Mark Sturt decided to take myself and my sister Rachel down to our local track which was Lilydale. At first I was too scared to go down the start hill but when I finally did, I loved it.
What would you say was the most memorable moment in BMX for you?
There's been a few like winning the State, Aussies and Worlds in 1990, but the most memorable would probably be my final race at the 1998 Aussies at Knox. I believe it was probably the best race I've ever ridden.
What would you say was your biggest disappointment in BMX?
Wow, I've had a few disappointments in my career. Falling in the semi final of the worlds in Canada would be one of them, but my most biggest disappointment would be falling in the World Cup event at Lalor Park in 1998, and not being able to compete in the worlds in Melbourne. I was so upset.
What did you enjoy most during your racing career?
I enjoyed the excitement of racing, the adrenalin rush when your sitting on the gate for the final race, the thrill of winning and the chance to be able to work on all your mistakes. Other than the racing side of it, I really enjoyed the travelling that I did, and the friendships that I made. I have very good memories of racing, and although I have some bad ones, I wouldn't have changed a thing about it.
What did you least enjoy during your racing career?
The disappointing losses, when you know you should of won! That was most upsetting.
When was the last time you raced and why did you retire from BMX?
The last time I raced was at the aussies at Darwin in 2000. The reason I retired was at that aussies during practice, I got knocked off my bike by another rider and ended up braking my left ankle. It was in plaster for nearly 2 months then I had to get it operated on and was in plaster for another couple of months. I still to this day cannot do too much on it as it starts to hurt.
That and amongst the fact that prior to that, I had already broken my right ankle twice and my right wrist twice. I had a fall that nearly broke my hip and was put in a wheel chair for 2 weeks, and I've had 2 operations on my right elbow.
So as you can imagine my injuries weren't making things any easier and I decided to give up. I couldn't afford to hurt or even break anything anymore.
Have you thought about returning to BMX and why would you or wouldn't you return to BMX?
I've thought about returning plenty of times, and I'm certain that in the future I will think about it another dozen times, but as I explained above my injuries have really put a downer on my cycling career. Also it would be due to the fact that I'm a sub contractor which means time off work, which would result in me not being paid. Which is understandable.
Do you follow BMX much these days?
Yeah Pete and I occasionally look up on the Internet a bit, and if there is a race local, we may go down and watch it.
What do you think could be done to encourage girls to stay in BMX and what do you think could be done to encourage girls to start racing?
It's a bit of a catch 22, to get girls to start to race, you already need the girls there eg if your a new girl starting, the last thing you would want is to be put with the boys. But there's not enough girls to make a field at club level so it's hard. I would maybe combine the age groups for the girls like the old days, so there would be a class, and encourage every girl, not just the ones winning.
Finally, is there anybody you would like to thank that helped you out during your time in BMX?
There would be stacks, and I'm sure to miss people here but firstly Mum and Dad, without them I wouldn't have got anywhere, all my sponsors have been great, and all my supporters have also been really good, without supporters I also don't think I would have gotten so far. It's always good to know that people will support you whether you are winning or losing.