By TERRY PUGH
Two youthful BMX riders from Warman are gearing up to compete on the world stage.
Nine-year-old Oscar Nutter and his 11-year-old sister Emerson Nutter, both members of the Atlas Racing Team, are heading to Copenhagen, Denmark in late July where they’ll take part in the ‘Challenge’ category at the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships.
The two young athletes qualified for the prestigious event based on their overall race results on the Saskatchewan BMX circuit last summer. They, along with their younger brother Felix (who also races but is too young to compete in the Worlds), mother Amanda and father Reed, are taking the opportunity to be part of the biggest BMX race event on the planet while also experiencing a slice of Europe. They’re travelling on their own dime to make it a vacation the whole family will always remember.
“At the end of last season, both Oscar and Emerson placed first in their respective categories in Saskatchewan, so they both qualified to compete at the Worlds,” said Amanda Nutter. “The top finishers in each province in Canada qualify. Another way to qualify is being among the top eight competitors at the Canadian national championship.”
With both youngsters eligible to compete on the world stage, Amanda said she and her husband started talking last fall about registering for the event.
“We decided it would be a cool, crazy adventure,” she said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids, and it’ll be an experience they’ll never forget. We’ve never been to Europe, and we thought we’d like to do something outside the box as a family.”
Amanda said while the competition is part of the package, winning isn’t high on the priority list.
“We’re encouraging the kids to do their very best, of course,” she said. “But above all, we want them to have fun. That’s what it’s really all about.”
She said they’ll arrive in Copenhagen a few days ahead of the competition, just in case they get separated from their luggage and BMX bikes; watch the professionals compete in the Championship event after their own races are over; and then stay a few days after the event to take in the castles, museums and other sights.
Among the destinations they’ve earmarked is Legoland in Billund, where in 1930, a Danish carpenter started making wooden building blocks to supplement his income. He called his company, LEGO®, a mix of the Danish words for ‘to play’ – ‘at lege’ and ‘good’ – ‘godt’.
“I’m very, very excited,” said Emerson, who’s looking forward to the World BMX tradition where competitors bring along an extra jersey and then trade with someone from another country so they both have keepsakes. “It’s going to be the best trip ever. And I’m excited to trade jerseys.”
Oscar is also keen on meeting kids from other countries.
“I’m excited to race a track outside of our country,” he said. “And give fist pumps at the end of the race to kids who speak a different language.”
And while Felix won’t be able to compete on the world stage yet, he’s keen on checking off an item on his bucket list: “Are we going to swim in the ocean?” he asked.
Emerson and Oscar will be among 83 athletes representing Canada at the event.
The two young riders from Warman both started riding pint-size ‘run bikes’ at age two, and they began racing in earnest about four years ago at the Diamond BMX Track at Prairie Oasis Park in Warman. Over the past several years, they’ve competed in local competitions in Warman and Saskatoon, as well as provincially.
Amanda said BMX racing is appealing because it’s a family-oriented sport that involves everyone.
“The race days always need lots of volunteers,” she said. “It’s very much community-run, and the parents are very involved. That’s the only way the races can happen.”
The UCI BMX Racing World Championships consist of three levels: Challenge, Masters and Championship.
Oscar and Emerson will be competing in the Challenge category, which consists of amateur riders from all over the world competing in their individual age group, ranging from 8 years and up. Oscar will compete in the 9-year-old male competition, while Emerson is entered in the 11-year-old female races.
The Masters category is designed for experienced riders aged 30 and above. The Championship level features 350 of the world’s best BMX riders from 35 countries competing for the world championship crown.
According to the UCI BMX Racing World Championships website, the BMX Racing discipline saw the light of day in the early 1970s in the United States, when children, to imitate their motocross idols, began racing their bikes on dirt tracks. This gave rise to the name “Bicycle MotoCross”, which later became the abbreviation BMX. Today, BMX Racing is an established international cycling sport discipline.
Oscar Nutter (above) and Emerson Nutter (below) bike along in full flight during a race at the Diamond BMX track in Warman. (Photos by BMX Racing Paparazzi)