Forum
Contact us at:
sicchicsofbmx@yahoo.com.au
Shannon Jobson
Tell
us a bit about yourself
Shannon
Jobson, I’m 17, I’m from Blue mountains club in NSW, I’m still at
school, year 12 this year, and I enjoy coaching younger BMX riders.
What type of bike do you ride?
Crupi
Expert XL 20”
Elf Expert 24”
Who
are your sponsors?
Blackman
Bicycles, Euro, Velocity, Shimano. Mum and Dad!
How
did you get involved in BMX and how long have you been racing?
How long do you think you will keep racing for?
My
younger brother started racing, so dad built me a bike. That was just over
10 years ago.
What
major results and achievements have you had?
2001
-3A, 1 NSW
2002 –4A, 1 NSW
2003 – 5A, 7W, 1 NSW
2004 – 4A, 1 NSW
2005 – Raced elite women at nationals – 5th in Semi.
What
have been your most memorable moments in BMX?
Racing
the worlds in the Netherlands last year.
What
has been your biggest disappointment in BMX?
I
don’t think I have had any big disappointments, I just try to enjoy
racing. Although crashing in
the second race of UCI at the ACT’s this year and only being able to
roll around the track on the Sunday was pretty disappointing.
What would you say has been your worst crash?
Have you ever had any bad injuries?
If so, how did you overcome your injuries quickly?
I
have never really had a bad crash, never broken any bones.
Who would you say is/has been your toughest competitor?
Me,
I put too much pressure on myself.
What
are your future goals/ambitions? Is
there anything that you haven’t achieved yet, but would like to?
My
future goal would have to be to make the 2008 Olympic team, but I also
want to get into Uni, and study human movement, or nutrition.
What do you like most about BMX?
I’ve
met so many great people in BMX. I really enjoy coaching, especially the
girls only clinics Laura Jones and myself have been running lately.
What do you least like about BMX?
Parents
putting too much pressure on their kids.
Sprockets wearing clips and crashing because they nose dive over
jumps!
What states have you raced in Australia?
All
of them.
Have you ever raced overseas?
Yes,
Netherlands.
You attended the 2004 World Titles. Tell
us a bit about your experiences at that race meeting.
Are you planning on racing the 2005 World Titles next year?
I
would love to race the worlds again next year, the experience is awesome
and I will be the older age in junior elite this year, but with school, I
can’t afford the time off. The whole trip to Europe was great.
The world titles were amazing, there was so many riders and
spectators. The track was
really fast and hard and all the berms were bitumen, but there was heaps
of really bad crashes, the first aid would drag the people on to stretches
and take them to a room over behind the finish line, a few times racing
had to be stopped to let ambulances take heaps of riders away due to the
room being full.
What is your favourite race meeting to attend and why?
Probably
Nationals and States coz you get to see people you haven’t seen in a
year - it's more exciting because it’s a higher level of racing then
just opens and regional meets, plus you get to meet new people who have
come into the sport.
You have recently established the Extreme Chicks Coaching Clinics.
Tell us a bit about these clinics.
Laura
Jones and myself finished our coaching accreditation and wanted to have
coaching just for girls. The
number of female BMX’ers is pretty low so we thought if there was girls
only coaching held regularly we might be able to get more girls into the
sport. The first clinic was on the 20th November ’04 at
Macarthur track, it turned out to be pretty successful, so this year we
have had a coaching clinic at Southlake and Manly tracks, on the day
before the NSW southern regional meets.
We are hoping to keep the clinics going for all the regional
meetings this year.
How do you think more females could be encouraged to start racing BMX?
How do you think the females that are already involved in BMX could
be encouraged to stay in the sport?
I
think the sport needs to be recognised more as a sport for males and
females, rather than just a guys sport.
What do you think of the ruling in Australia where you can choose to
either race elite or challenge at the nationals?
Do you think both classes should be offered for females or should
there only be one class?
I
think there should be two classes, to give people the option of racing
elite or age, but people have to make up their mind and not stay in age
just coz its easy to win. New
riders to the sport may not want to have to race with Australia’s best,
so having an age class gives every one a go at getting an Aust #1.
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?
When
I was younger probably Andrew Checuti and Brendan Arnold . Now I guess
Warwick Stevenson is a big inspiration, and Andrew Checuti still helps me
out.
What do you do for training?
Sprints,
weights, gate starts, club days.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of BMX?
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Volley
ball, running, and riding with my brother and his mates at the local
jumps.
What is your favourite music to listen to?
What
ever is on the radio.
Do you have a favourite TV show?
Simpson’s,
Home and Away, Rove [Live], Osbournes.
Do you have any words of wisdom for the younger riders?
Don’t
back off, try new things because you want to, not coz people are telling
you to and enjoy the sport – winning isn’t everything.
It’s nice to win, but you can always learn more when you have to
ride really hard alongside other riders, even if you finish mid-pack. HAVE
FUN!
This is the thank you part, so fire away.
Thanks
to Graham Douglas from Blackman Bicycles for everything over the past four
years, coz you have helped me out so much.
Mum and Dad for always taking me to training, and where ever BMX
was on at, my younger brother, Michael for teaching me to jump, and not to
give up on things because they are hard!
and Leonie for the interview.