CHANGE OF PACE JUST THE RIGHT MIX FOR LOCKWOOD
She may have jumped between sports for years but Nerang BMX gun Erin Lockwood is now at home
I AM sure there are many parents who have had children who have gone from one sport to the next.
It is always a hope that they will stick to one that they enjoy and are doing well in.
I have to giggle when I remember my two children going along to their first few training sessions of some form of taekwondo. I think they were five and seven and they never continued but it supplied their grandfather and myself with some of the best laughs we have ever had.
They went on to many other sports but eventually ended up in their lifetime sports of football (soccer) and showjumping.
It was a journey and along the way they were very competitive between themselves.
Erin Lockwood was involved in the 2015 girls’ rugby league program with the Gold Coast Academy of Sport.
A few years later Erin has changed sports and has made a name for herself in BMX.
As a four-year-old, she just wanted to do what her brother did – race fast and jump big.
Her journey took her through a number of other sports and back to BMX racing.
This year in March in Bunbury, Western Australia, Erin won the Elite Women’s national championship.
She was subsequently selected in the high-performance Australian team to travel to Azerbaijan for the world titles.
She would find herself competing alongside Lauren Reynolds, a dual Olympian, and Saya Sakakibara, a teenage biking sensation and the fivetime BMX world champion.
Erin finished 20th in a field of 40. She was the second Australian behind Saya who finished sixth.
“The opportunity to compete in Azerbaijan was an honour and to compete alongside the elite women I have looked up to was just incredible,” she said of her experience.
“I started with two crashes but made it through to the quarter-finals where I missed out by one place to advance to the semi-finals.
“I was proud of myself and it was a great learning curve for my next venture into international competition.”
Part of the Nerang BMX club, Erin conducts coaching sessions for girls.
She trains seven days a week on her bike with coach Justin Lamb.
To complement her bike sessions, she also does weight training and gym sessions four times a week around her multiple jobs.
Erin’s dedication to nurturing the next generation of female BMX riders is admirable in a sport dominated by male riders.
Chasing her brother, Erin found her calling in riding BMX and is now giving young female riders the opportunity to feel comfortable in the sport.
Next month Erin heads overseas to Europe to race the European circuit.
Congratulations Erin and continue to chase your dreams.
Has your child found their sport? It is so important to let them venture to try many and you never know, soon, your son or daughter might be the Gold Coast’s next national champion.