From Haro’s rider Amelia Walsh:
2015 was a less than stellar year for myself with a lot more downs then ups. I knew I needed to step my game up for 2016 and I couldn’t do it alone. With a new coach and new sponsor I was ready to rock and roll.
Due to it being an Olympic year, the off-season was fairly short. I spent a few months in Canada working at the CSIO Centre in Milton, Ontario before making the move down to Chula Vista, California in January.
2016 kicked off in Phoenix, AZ at the USA BMX Winter Nationals. I was feeling confident and ready to battle it out in the heavy international field. Day 1 went pretty smooth making my way into the semi final. Leading up to the semi I was fully concentrated on getting a good gate, which is a no-no in sports psychology and I paid for later. I ended up hitting the gate, leaving me out the back of the pack. I managed to pick up a few positions down the last two straights but came across the line in 6th, therefore not moving onto the final. Luckily I still had another day.
Day 1 of racing rolled around, I was feeling good and ready to race. I transferred onto the semi final with third lane pick. Alise Post of out the USA chose lane 1 and Caroline Buchanan chose lane 3 leaving me with the choice of either lane 2 or 4-8. I took 2 thinking it would be a good idea, in which the cards played in my favor coming across the line in 3rd place, transferring onto the main event. I had 5th lane choice and for some reason I thought being on the outside would be a good idea. I definitely learned my lesson on that one. I didn’t get over the first jump well at all and found myself on the ground after the second jump from hitting another riders back wheel. After all the adrenaline went always I realized something was up with my hand/finger that left me unable to ride the following day, which was heartbreaking.
Overall I am happy with my performances over the last two weeks but like always there is room for improvement. I know the areas I need to work and will be hard at work with my team over the next month before heading off to World Cup #2 in Manchester, UK.
It’s only the beginning of a really long year and I couldn’t be more excited. Thank you to all my supporters and sponsors…Live to Play Sports, Haro Canada, IXS Sports, Joyride150, Clif Bar & Company, DC Tags, DOCOVA & Coach Brendan Arnold.
Day 2, I once again transferred into the semi, making the mental note not to focus on getting a good gate. I placed 3rd in the semi transferring onto my first main event of 2016. I didn’t get out as well as I hope in the main event but was still pleased with a 4th place finish for the day.
Three days later I was on a plane to Tampa Bay for the first round of the USA BMX North American Supercross Series in Oldsmar, Florida. I knew this race would attract a lot of international riders so I knew it would be a good test to see where I sat. The track was the same layout as the last time I raced there except they gave a nice face-lift to the 3rd straight, which was a nice challenge for everyone.
