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Moving to Colorado
My brother Wyatt and I were both born in Austin, TX-- myself in 1997, and my brother following two years later in 1999. In August of 2001, our family of four packed up and moved to Colorado Springs, CO. Although I was only four years old, I vividly remember pulling into our brand new house in the middle of the night. Before my brother and I were born, my parents had lived together in Colorado Springs, and thought it would be a wonderful place for them to raise us. -
Grace is born
On a snowy afternoon in the middle of April, my little sister Grace was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Despite the year nearing summer, a think layer of snow was blanketing the ground. I was 7 years old at the time, and I remember laying next to my mother in her hospital bed and holding my little sister for the first time. -
Started Racing BMX
Christmas Day in 2006 treated my brother well-- he had received a BMX racing bicycle from Santa. Myself, being interested in ballet at the time, didn't care much for the bike my brother was fascinated with. However, in that next April, I saw my brother riding around the local BMX track, and I knew it was worth abandoning ballet for. -
Moving to Arizona
A severe employment cut in March 2011 left my father without a job. Mere weeks prior to my father's unemployment, a family very close to us had moved to an area near Phoenix, Arizona. It only took slight convincing on their part to persuade us to pack up and join them. Before I knew it, I was sitting shotgun in a moving truck on my way to Phoenix, Arizona. Due to problems I was having in my 7th grade year, I was eager and excited for a chance to start over in a different area in a different scho -
Placing at 2011 Grand Nationals
Every year on Thanksgiving weekend, the BMX Grand Nationals are held in Tulsa Oklahoma. Every since 2007, attending the biggest national of the year was my family's Thanksgiving tradition. After years of hard work, training, and dedication, I placed in the main event--the top 8-- at the Grand Nationals in 2011. It was a landmark moment for me, considering I finally had results to show for all of my hard work. -
First Day of High School
In the first week of August 2012, I was staring down a long walkway leading to the doors on my local high school. Terrified and scared, I walked through the double doors and took high school head on. While I was nervous and scared of what was to come in the next four years, I knew I would be exposed to new people and new experiences in this new environment. -
My Best Friend Jordan Dies
On a Sunday morning in November, I woke up to a call that my best friend of 5 years, Jordan, had committed suicide. I had met him through BMX while I lived in Colorado, and he had shaped each and every aspect of my personality.Our families had been extremely close through the years, and I grew up alongside Jordan. I never quite got over the fact that there was nothing I could have done to save him, and if there was, the chance had passed. -
Stopped Racing BMX
I stopped racing BMX almost 2 years after Jordan's death. When my best friend died, so had my passion for the sport that reminded me all too much of him. After his death, I lost my motivation and desire to race and be successful, so I decided to stop. It was a hard decision for me-- to severe all ties with my childhood, but it was one that had to be made. I knew it was my time to stop racing after a grand and magnificent 7 years. -
Withdrew from Verrado High School
Nearing the end of the first semester of my junior year, I suffered from a variety of different problems that led to me being withdrawn from public school. Myself, along with several other people, decided it would be best for me to take a break from traditional school for at least a little bit. I enrolled in Primavera for the remainder of my junior year, and started my new school in January. -
Recovery
Now, at age 17, I am slowly recovering. Part of that recovery is realizing that I have a vast and practically limitless future. I am now in the process of looking into possible options for my future, and how I want to get there. Just weeks ago, I applied to NYU's Precollege program. This upcoming week, I am submitting an application for a writing workshop in Portland, Oregon this summer. A letter I received this past Monday revealed that I scored a 33 on my ACT. I'm realizing I have a future.
