Forum
Contact us at:
sicchicsofbmx@yahoo.com.au
Sarah Walker
Tell us a bit about yourself
Name:
Sarah Walker
Age:
18
From:
Kawerau, New Zealand
Club:
Rotorua
Occupation:
BMX Rider
What
type of bike do you ride?
Specialized
S-Works but going onto an ABD after Brazil Worlds
Who
are your sponsors?
SPARC,
BikeNZ, BMXNZ, Peter Snell Institute of Sport (NZ Acadamy of Sport), Fox,
Sheppards Industries, Specialized, ABD, Shimano, Tangent
How
did you get involved in BMX and how long have you been racing?
How long do you think you will keep racing?
My
brother got a BMX bike for Christmas and I watched him race for a couple
of months then I got asked if I’d like a go. Two months later I was in
my first nationals. I will
keep racing for the next two Olympics then see where I am after that.
What
major results and achievements have you had?
World
#2 (x3) – 20” (2003, 2004, 2005)
World #4, #3, #6 – 24” (2003, 2004, 2005)
Ranked UCI World #1 – Jnr Elite Women (2005)
NZ #1 (x7) – 20” (1999 – 2005)
NZ #3, #1 – 24” (2004, 2005)
Sportswomen of the Year
Special Achievement Award
What
has been your most memorable moment/s in BMX?
Getting
onto the New Zealand High Performance Team. Going to the World
Champs in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
What
has been your biggest disappointment in BMX?
Breaking
my foot two sleeps before my 8th Nationals.
What
do you like most about BMX?
Jumping,
travelling and socialising.
What
are your future goals/ambitions? Is
there anything that you haven’t achieved yet, but would like to?
World
#1
Olympic Champion
What
other countries have you raced in?
Australia, Holland, France. Soon to be Brazil, China, Japan
What
is your favourite race meeting to attend and why?
All
of them because I get to catch up with all my BMX mates.
You
are looked up to by many BMX’ers. What does this feel like?
I guess it’s cool
because if it gets more girls to jump and want to become the best BMX
rider they can then I can only be happy.
Did
you look up to anybody when you were younger?
If so, who and why? Is
there anybody these days that you look up to and admire?
I
have always looked up to my younger brother – he taught me how to ride
my bike in the beginning and has some awesome skills that I hope to have
one day.
You
are a really good jumper. At
what age did you start jumping? Who
taught you how to jump and can you do any tricks?
I
started jumping at my second club night – my brother bet me $5 I
couldn’t do a jump so I proved him wrong and it started from there
moving on to bigger and better jumps.
I can’t do any tricks but I would like to learn some.
What
do you do for training and how often do you train?
Six
days a week.
You
spend a lot of time racing and training in Australia.
Is this part of being on the New Zealand High Performance BMX Team?
It is mostly because the weather is more reliable for training and the tracks over here are world class.
How
does racing for girls differ between Australia and New Zealand?
The racing in New Zealand is really good for the younger girls – we have some world class riders in the younger age groups but as we move up through the age classes, we lose female riders and the competition isn’t as intense. Racing in Australia is always a challenge and I love it.
What
is your favourite type of music?
Music
is my best friend so pretty much anything.
Do
you play any other sports or have any other hobbies besides BMX?
Because
I’m over seas so much I don’t get time to play any team sports but I
used to play volley ball and hockey but I still love to go snow skiing. I
also like to go shooting, go-carting and ten-pin bowling.
What
do you do in your spare time?
Recover from training.
Is
there anybody you would like to thank or anything else you would like to
add?
Thanks
to Mum and Dad, my Brother, Grant White, my Sponsors, the Westwood’s,
the Booker’s and everyone at the Rotorua and Lake Macquarie club.
Also to everyone that has ever helped me on my way to my BMX
career.