From Rathdrum to the Olympics

RATHDRUM — Alyssa Foreman has big dreams of showing what a girl from small-town Idaho can achieve.

Since beginning her BMX racing career four months ago, Alyssa, 12, has quickly grown to the top, becoming an expert in her age bracket. Consistently placing first or second in every race she competes in, Alyssa aims to show her talents at the USA BMX Grand Nationals Race of Champions in November.

Her dad, Paul Foreman, said Alyssa has always been athletic, even participating in the Lakeland Junior Hawks tackle football program for the last few years. After picking up BMX biking with one of her friends, Alyssa began her journey at the Cherry Hill BMX Park in Coeur d'Alene before starting to compete.

"We expected her to do well, but never this quickly. She's going to the top, and it's amazing," Foreman said. "She began racing and won, and won, and won. Now it's all history as you would say."

When Alyssa realized her passion for BMX biking, she competed in at least two races a week. Shortly after, she left home to train with her coach, Jeff Upshaw of the Driven Cycling Academy in Nampa, where she would race three or more times weekly, Foreman said.

"I kept saying if you get first I'll take you to the next one, and I said if she placed top three at the Grand Cup race in Boise, I'd take her to nationals," he said. "She placed second. She's got a hill of trophies at least a mile high now. I'm going to have to build an extension on our house to fit them all."

Even Alyssa was surprised by her success. She said it isn't easy starting, and that she wasn't very good initially.

"I didn't understand how to move, do stuff, or how doing tricks could help you," she said. "I started on a regular bike and not a racing bike too, which is different because on race bikes, your frame is extended and gearing is bigger."

Since returning to Rathdrum, Alyssa rides her bike sometimes five times a day doing exercises or practicing with her little brother. Alyssa said she liked playing football and soccer when she was younger, but she now enjoys BMX for its independence.

"You're in your own game out there, not worrying about other people and just being you," she said. "You get to try your hardest, and you get to fly, do new tricks, and meet people."

This year Alyssa is homeschooled, leaving more time to practice her skills for the Race of Champions.

"It's a really hard sport considering all you have to go through to be good," she said. "Just to do well at a race, you have to train and eat well. I've been doing a lot of sprints, where you set up two cones and ride as fast as you can from one to another."

Race of Champion riders are invited to the competition based on their rankings determined by speed, age, and gender. Qualifications for Grand National participants are factored by a points system achieved through winning regional, state and Gold Cup races. Those points are tallied and evaluated before riders are invited to compete.

Although Alyssa's already proved she's skilled enough for nationals, her next challenge is affording the trip to Tulsa, Okla. Sending Alyssa and her coach to the Grand Nationals will cost the Foreman family upward of $5,000, Paul Foreman said. Unfortunately, both of Alyssa's parents will have to stay home to help finance the costs, but they promise to support her from afar.

"It'll take her two days to get there, and she'll stay for about five days and race for four. So it is the cost of traveling plus anything that breaks if she crashes," her dad said. "It adds up quickly. We are already about $12,000 into the sport just this year."

The Foremans have reached out to the Rathdrum community through a GoFundMe page to help her reach her goal. They have raised $620 as of Tuesday morning, leaving them far from their $5,000 goal.

By showing her skills at the Grand Nationals Race of Champions, Alyssa hopes to find a sponsor who will cover racing and equipment expenses.

"I want to get big sponsors so that one day I can race for the U.S. and represent Rathdrum," she said. "I want to show that a kid from a small town can go to the Olympics, and I want to show other kids from small towns that they can do this, too."