BMX riders top national podium

A pair of Airdrie BMX riders capped off their season by bringing home some of the sport’s top awards.

Chase Kelln topped the podium for the fourth consecutive year, but for Spencer Rosko, this year’s Nationals, which were held Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 in Abbotsford, B.C., were unchartered territory. The 17-year-old won his first national title. His only other placing at Nationals was seventh in 2010, when Airdrie hosted the competition. He missed the 2009 and 2011 races in Kingston, Ont., and St. Augustine, Que., due to a broken shoulder.

“It’s only my fourth year of BMX,” Rosko said. “The first year I decided to join and have some fun. I got hooked onto it and started training a little bit more. I trained my butt off basically won Provincials and Nationals. It was awesome.

“I didn’t know what to expect going into it. It was a bit overwhelming, but I did what I needed to do and came away with a win.”

It’s a situation he’s grown used to, but bringing home his fourth national title was still a delight for 15-year-old Kelln.

“It’s awesome and I’m super excited,” he said.

“The competition was a lot different this year and I was probably the hardest race I’ve ever done. The Quebec kids were really fast and for the B.C. kids, it was their home track, so they knew what to do.”

With the summer season over, Kelln and Rosko are set to spend the winter training at an indoor facility in Olds.

The two also recently partnered up with Barney Brown, who helped both Kelln and Rosko to their national wins.

“We’re going to train (in Olds) all winter and be ready for next season,” Kelln said. “Worlds are in New Zealand next year and that would be a good experience. We need to keep up with our training and work really hard.”

Airdrie BMX also sent a rider to the 2012 Worlds competition this summer. Daina Tuchscherer of Chestermere rode in her third international competition where she made it to the semis.

A few months between Worlds and the final two events of the summer gave Tuchscherer time to heal and she was able to rebound and place first at the Calgary Grands and Provincial Championships, which were held Sept. 8 and 9, and Nationals.

The National title was special for Tuchscherer. She missed the 2011 race, as it was held only a week after the Worlds race in Denmark.

“It was a huge relief (to win Nationals),” she said.

“I didn’t want to be stuck with an AB1 (provincial) plate, and it was awesome because I was able to beat somewhere I’ve never beat before.

“I got to show everyone what I’ve learned and I use it as a way to show my parents how much I’ve improved.”