Dirt road anthem

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

The Colliers love BMX — competitive bicycle racing. Tyler, 15, younger brother Jack, 7, and twin sister Jordan, 7, have all caught the BMX fever.

And, they’re not just riding for fun.

Last weekend, all three placed in the Top 5 in the Florida series. Tyler finished at No. 5 for the series in the 15-year-old boys division. There are several hundred riders in Tyler’s division. Jack finished at No. 3 in the 7-year-old boys division, which features about 100 riders. And Jordan finished No. 2 in the 7-year-old girls division, which featured about 30 rideres.

Tyler and Jack were featured in a June 2011 story, “Hair and pedals: Palm Coast brothers love BMX.”

Well, the two brothers — and now their sister — have come a long way in the past 17 months.

“It’s a lot different — they are a lot more involved now,” said Michelle Collier, their mom.

Collier said they ride for practice at least three nights a week, and the three kids ride in events practically every weekend, beginning in March and ending around mid-December.

The Colliers travel to Orlando, Daytona, St. Augustine and Jacksonville for their BMX passion.

But Collier said she wouldn’t trade the hectic schedule for the world.

“It’s very intense and very demanding,” she said Thursday on her way home from work. Coincidentally, the three kids were in the car, but they weren’t headed for a BMX track. Instead, Jack needed to finish a book report so practice was a no-go.

Collier said it’s very important for her children to remember that school comes first. Always.

Because BMX is an Olympic sport, there are more college scholarships being offered, and Tyler hopes to be able to get one when he eventually finishes his high school career.

“The big thing is it’s a great family sport and it’s something that we can all go and travel together and compete against each other and at the finish line, everybody is friends,” Collier said.