BMXer D Searle Hopes For 2012
geneb
Mission Viejo, CA ( High School ) -- 05/07/2009
Mission�s BMX Star, Devan Searle, Hopes for Olympic Glory in 2012
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7308/05072009a.jpg
Unknown to many students, we have a possible fu�ture Olympic
athlete walking among us. Her name is Devan Searle, a name
which just might become as famous as that of Michelle Kwan or
Michael Phelps.
Devan, a junior, is a BMX rider. BMX, which stands for bicycle-
mo�tocross, is actually bicycle racing on a 1500 foot track with a
series of jumps, rollers, and turns. Devan has a remarkable list
of achievements, including both regional and state titles.
She is sixth in her national age group, won fourth at Grands
(the biggest BMX race of the year), won her first nationals this
year. This impressive record is only the beginning of her career,
an illustrious path that could possibly lead to the 2012 Olympics.
Devan has been racing for seven years. She began mainly because
of her dad who �raced when he was little, and my brother began
when he was five.� Her interest in this sport is difficult to balance
with her school-life, a fact not made any easier as she is in both
honors and AP classes.
In order to squeeze in both homework and practice, Devan stated
that, �I work very hard to get all my work done for school and then
set aside time to train, go to local tracks, and race at nation�als.�
A typical practice session on the weekdays usually lasts about one
hour. No matter how strenuous these sessions are, her competitions
are much more grueling. A typical competi�tion for Devan starts on
Friday after her practice, then, �on Saturday and Sunday, there are
separate nationals. There are motos, which are two rounds, quarters,
semis and mains, which are the finals.�
The kind of twists and turns that Devan performs are truly impressive.
No doubt these kinds of stunts will inevitably lead to injuries.
When asked what the worst injury she has received was, she
replied, �I have a bro�ken collarbone right now and I may have
to have surgery on it soon.�
She was indeed wearing a sling around her arm, but looking healthy
nonetheless. Other than the frequent injuries, Devan declares �one
thing I don�t like about BMX riding is how often I am away from home
and school.� She competes regionally in tracks in Orange and Bellflower.
Perhaps the farthest competition she has had to attend would be in
Taiyuan, China. She arrived in China in May of last year to attend
world championships, which also happens to be one of her favorite
memories of this sport. Of her experience there, she said, �the track
and the people were unlike anything in the U.S.�
With such an amazing resume of awards and experience in this
sport, Devan plans to �turn pro for the 2012 season�I have a
chance to go to London in 2012 since BMX riding is now an
Olympic sport as of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.�
She is recognized as a top rider for this season and has both the
determination and the talent to back it up. Perhaps what she enjoys
most about it would be the people;
�I know people all over the country and the world since I travel so
much. The BMX community is like a big family to me.� Devan plans
to attend UC Santa Barbara or UCLA. She would like to major in
nursing and will most likely have another job beside BMX riding,
since unfortunately, girls do not get paid as much money as the boys.
But because of her true enjoyment and love for the sport, Devan is
not only setting sky-high goals, but achieving them one race at a time.
Perhaps in the future, this Mission Viejo student will be representing
America in international competitions all over the world.
Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
All Things Northwest in BMX!
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