Park City may just have another future Olympic star on their hands in 14-year-old BMX freestyle rider Samuel McKenzie. Samuel was named USA BMX’s national champion in the boys 11-14 age division for his riding this year, which included wins in all seven events in which he competed. Samuel capped off his season with a win at the organization’s finals event Oct. 11-12 at COR Park in South Jordan, which was completed this year as an Olympic training site. BMX freestyle was first added to the Summer Olympics in 2021 Tokyo. José Torres Gil of Argentina won the Paris gold medal on the men’s side, and Yawen Deng of China, the women’s. The U.S. had Perris Benegas of Nevada win silver on the women’s side. Samuel said he has plans to make it to the Olympic stage, possibly as soon as LA 2028. He’d also like to ride at the X Games and help inspire others to follow in his footsteps. Samuel is often found hard at work at Woodward Park City or at COR. “It’s really special to me,” Samuel said of his award. “I’ve been working for the last three years at Woodward Park City and other places that I’ve trained toward this moment, and I’ve always dreamt about being national champ for my age group.”Like many other BMX freestyle riders, Samuel is almost entirely self-taught. He first got into the sport seeing it on YouTube, and he still picks up tricks there and from other riders. He and his mom, Alisa, lauded his work ethic for getting him to this stage in the sport. Samuel McKenzie soars though the air to complete one of his tricks at the national finals event Oct. 11-12 at COR in South Jordon. Credit: Photo courtesy of Alisa McKenzieSamuel is grateful to live in an area where he has the resources to pursue his passions. He also has a lot of friends nearby in the BMX community that he often rides with. He said he feels his friend group in the sport all benefit from riding alongside each other and seeing their tricks. Samuel next faces a steep challenge, stepping up to the expert division with older riders. He described expert as the step in between his current age division and becoming a professional, which he hopes isn’t too far on the horizon. An organization called FISE runs many the sport’s professional events.“I think I still would have gotten into the sport, but it definitely helps being surrounded by so many athletes and people that are like-minded about everything that I do,” added Samuel about living in Park City. Samuel will be getting to work on preparing for the next level at Woodward and COR. He said the venue provides the unique benefits of an Olympic-style course and the ability to ride with older mentors. Samuel hopes to get access to a coach at COR in the future, which are withheld for Olympic-level, professional riders. “I am so proud of him and his all his hard work and dedication,” said Samuel’s mother, Alisa. “He really has a mind for training and even training himself. … It takes a lot of determination and the right mindset to get yourself out of bed every day and practice on your own.”Alisa knows Samuel feeds off the energy in town and at Woodward, even if he’s not around other BMX riders. She said the Olympic dream and mindset required to reach it are ever-present in town.The post Parkite McKenzie named BMX freestyle national champion appeared first on Park Record.