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The BMX Worlds in Cologne have always had a warm heart for all the ladies in the BMX game. Back in 2004 they were one of the first big comps to have a girl’s class for both Park and Flatland. And they’re are also one of the few to have a steady increase in the number of female riders competing every year.
2011/2012 saw a lot of female riders stepping up their game and landing tricks which some BMX guys and girls can only dream of. Plus some recently released edits show everyone that womens’s BMX is indeed getting bigger and better.
All in all expectations for the BMX Worlds were set pretty high as 20 Girls from all over the world (Russia, UK, Australia, China, USA and Europe) enlisted to compete in THE European BMX event of the year.
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And then there was rain…
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The rain came and went for the whole weekend. But on Sunday it stayed, messing up the whole competition schedule and forcing the organization to cancel the girl’s Street comp and the Pro Park for guys as well. It was such a heart breaker for the girls, especially since the same thing had happened at Fise only a few weeks ago. It does make one wonder why there is no plan B for an event as big as this. The women of flatland were a little more lucky and managed to squeeze in their contest, the three entrants battling it out for a guaranteed podium place. Monika Hinz took 1st place with Julia Preuss in 2nd and Aleks Neumüller in 3rd.
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Despite the rain, not all was lost and the weekend did have some bright moments. The day before the contest Heike Müller from
XsportSisters arranged a private BMX session for the girls in the local indoor BMX park called Kalk.
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After warming up and exploring the park the girls hit it off and were all smiles. During the session I noticed that the level of the girls was very diverse. But for them it didn’t matter a bit who was the best rider. Mini Park and Zandile Mkwanazi both agreed: “Riding BMX should be more about having fun and less about competition.”
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Back at the BMX Worlds we ran into renowned BMXer Cory Coffey who was to judge the girls competition on Sunday. She told us of the close relationship between women’s BMX and the BMX Worlds:
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”At the BMX Worlds they are really proud to be able to present the girl’s class. It is really one of my favorite contests because you feel very supported over here. In Germany they really love girls to see the girls ride. I’ve ridden a lot of competitions and sadly this is just not always the case. ”
We talked to Mini Park before and she told us that a lot of girls feel too shy to join competitions. But it’s the competitions that also make womens’ BMX visible to a bigger public and more interesting for sponsors. We wondered whether Cory thought it necessary for all BMX girls to go to competitions to make the female BMX scene grow?
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”You don’t have to go to competitions to show your riding skills. You can make edits, photos of yourself and put them online. These are things that motivate others to ride as well. And motivates other riders to get better. Like for example this amazing edit I saw the other day of Russian rider,
Katya Kruglova. Her style of riding is great.”
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It looks like the future for BMX ladies could be very bright if the number of girls in BMX keeps on growing as it is right now. As for the near future… let’s hope there will be a girls comp at the
Baltic Games this year so the girls can get their revenge.
Note: If you are are female BMX rider and want to share your skills with the world, join the
edit competition at Magnolia BMX.
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Text: Saskia Haex
Photos: Kelly Fober
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