Student achivement : Freestyle BMX Championships

Orlando on the podium in his first Nationals competition

Orlando Oakley of Year 11 was in great form at the recent Australian National Freestyle BMX Championships held at Rampfest Skatepark, Braybrook in mid-March.  

In Freestyle BMX competitions each rider gets two 1 minute runs to impress the judges, who score based on a range of criteria, including difficulty, originality, execution, style, variety of tricks, and height.  In the qualifying round, both runs are combined for an average score - so consistent riding is key.  But in the finals, it's 'Best Run Counts' - meaning all the really big tricks come out, and riders get two chances to nail their perfect run, with any stops or crashes heavily impacting the score.

In the qualifying round Orlando placed 6th in a group of 16 which set him up for the top 8 finals competition on the second day.  In the finals Orlando pulled off a great run to score well with the judges, and came 3rd overall putting him on the podium in the 15+ men’s amateur group, which was a fantastic result for his first Nationals competition.