IMPROVING WHEELS OF FORTUNE
HE’S already won five XGames gold medals but this professional BMX athlete has even bigger dreams.
And when he sets off on another trip to the US tomorrow to compete in the Nitro Circus competition in Utah and the X-Games in Minnesota, it won’t be just the win he’s thinking about.
For Kyle Baldock, 26, competing at a professional level is a chance for him to show other kids what they can do with their future.
“It’s not about the medals any more,” he said.
“I’m looking to make the sport more legit, to give kids structure and a way out.
“I want to make the sport into a more professional sport ... like in schools, kind of like skateboarding, higher class.”
While becoming a professional BMX rider came out of the blue for Mr Baldock in 2009 after a sponsor spotted him doing a ‘front fly out’ at the Coomera skate park, it’s another part of his life that has spurred him on to do better.
In 2011 his 16-year-old brother passed away in a motorbike accident.
Mr Baldock said while it wasn’t an easy period in his life, the incident motivated him to help other young people.
“It was kind of to show kids that they can start from nothing,” he said.
“I love what I do. They say if you have a job you love, you never work a day in your life.
“I’ve never worked, ever.”