Athlete Profile: BMX Pro Nicholi Rogatkin

I met Nicholi Rogatkin after watching him in the 2009 NIKE 6.0 HB BMX PRO. I was astonished and amazed to see him at the age of 13 throwing out tricks with riders who had been riding for a lot longer. Nicholi is currently a freshman in high school in his hometown of Boston, Mass., whose extra-curriculars include competing professionally in BMX.

1. When is your season?

Nicholi: Year round with a little break in the winter

2. How do you get in shape?

Nicholi: I keep myself in shape year round doing all other sports (basketball, hockey, wake boarding, snowboarding...)

3. What do your practices consist of?

Nicholi: I like to learn new tricks, so I ride a lot my backyard ramps and Woodward Camp.

4. Do you do any other training?

Nicholi: Nothing special, but I love to do all sports in general.

5. What does your average week look like?

Nicholi: I go to a regular school, so a lot depends on school homework (I'm trying to stay in “A” range). I get 4-5 hours during the week plus 4-5 hours on weekend for sports, unless I have to travel for a contest or show.

6. What kinds of events/contests do you compete in?

Nicholi: I love to travel, so any time I get invited to events I jump on it. I've traveled through most of USA and Europe.

7. How do you prepare for an event?

Nicholi: I'm trying to spend more time doing what the event is going to be about (Dirt Jumping, Mini Ramp, Mega Ramp, Park). No special rituals.

8. What is your best or hardest trick? How long did it take you to nail it?

Nicholi: Backflip superman is cool. Double back flip is the scariest. Usually it doesn't take long time to learn a trick as long as I'm ready for it.

9. Are you working on any new ones?

Nicholi: I started to try more technical tricks - they are really fun.

10. When was your best competition?

Nicholi: I placed high in few Pro Contests, but no big wins yet.

11. How long have you been riding?

Nicholi: Since I was 5, so about 9 – 10 years now.

12. What has been your most favorite experience while riding for fun or in competition?

Nicholi: My next two events are my favorite. Masters of Dirt is an intense show in an arena with 10,000 spectators and FISE is an extreme sports festival in south of France with the best fans in the world.

13. Who is your favorite athlete?

Nicholi: I looked up to Jamie Bestwick since I was 7 years old. He's not only a good rider, but he has a great attitude towards the life in general.

14. What is your motto?

Nicholi: You can't accomplish something if you don't want it.

15. What is your goal (with BMX)?

Nicholi: I don't make big goals with BMX. I love to ride my bike, it takes me places and I really enjoy it for now.

16. Any advice?

Nicholi: Know what you have to do and do it, but you have to love it.

Nicholi Rogatkin will be competing in the 2011 Masters of Dirt in Vienna, Austria the second week on March, and in FISE 2011 in Montpellier, France at the end of May.

*Interview was conducted via Facebook

Bicycle Motocross (BMX Freestyle)

With winter passing and spring close to blossoming, we are getting our last few runs on the slopes in before the sun takes over as we switch gears from winter action sports such as snowboarding and freeski to focus on wake, surf, skate, and BMX.

Like most sports, BMX requires motivation, determination, courage and attention to detail. BMX riders are incredible to watch on TV and live. They manage to ride down/up an insanely high ramp, throw their bodies in the air with their bike, flip them and their bike, and hope the pull of gravity is not stronger that day as they have just seconds to turn right side up and land on their two wheels.

Every time I watch a rider compete, I wish I could go out, hop on my bike, and do those same tricks. Unfortunately for me, to be a BMX rider, you must be incredibly fit, daring, skillful and talented, and have the right protective gear and equipment. And Lord knows I am missing of few of those requirements and have the hospital visits to prove it.

Nevertheless, the question is, in competition, how do you determine the winner? Unlike most other sports, there is no finish line to tell you who came in first or who scored the most goals. Instead, BMX riders are awarded points based on the tricks they throw out on the course. The problem with this is that judging and the amount of points awarded is a matter of personal opinion. While there are some criteria, such as technical difficulty, style and execution, air, fluidity, consistency, combination and variety of tricks/maneuvers, and use of the course, the extent to which these create a consistent standard of judging is limited.

As this sport gains popularity, and as more amateur riders emerge, this topic is beginning to draw intense attention/controversy, putting pressure on those running events to set criteria and find ways to make it even more fair without setting prerequisites and judging criteria that limits the progression of the sport.