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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-23 Daily Xml
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Happy Valley BMX Club

Ms COOK (Fisher) (15:26): I rise today to speak about the Happy Valley BMX Club. It sits in the heart of Fisher. The sport of BMX racing is growing rapidly, with the age of participants ranging from three to well over 60. The Happy Valley BMX Club has 175 members, with their mix comprising of 144 males and 31 females. There are 47 riders under the age of eight years old, and they are adorable, there are 60 riders aged between eight and 15, and there are 68 senior riders.

BMXing is a worldwide sport and it is also an Olympic sport, having featured in both the 2008 and 2012 games. It is very family friendly and it attracts riders in these wide age groups, supporting them at different ability levels. The broad range of ages participating provides a natural leadership opportunity as well as mentoring opportunities for young people in the local area, as well as supporting access to healthy outdoor activities.

The Happy Valley BMX Club was formed in the 1980s and is still operating at the same location. The club is in a picturesque setting amongst gum trees which, while adding to the charm of the track, causes enormous challenges, with one tree known as the 'mattress tree'. I have a battle scar courtesy of this tree but also courtesy of my lack of skill on a BMX during my teenage years.

The club was privately owned and run before affiliating with the South Australian BMX Association in 1981. In the early 1990s, it obtained a grant which saw the track demolished and rebuilt to a standard of high regard. It has held one national championship but many state championships. It also hosted events at the 7th Australian Masters Games.

The track is an open facility. It has been upgraded and maintained by the BMX club to benefit all club riders and the wider community. In 2014, a pro straight was built, and track changes were implemented to increase its technical training. Continuing with development and to assist riders compete at national and world level, in October 2015 they received some funding from the state government and they were able to bitumise their berms. The berms are the angled or banked curves seen around the track. This upgrade will improve speed, safety and also capacity while reducing the ongoing expenses and man-hours required to maintain and repair the berms in order to maintain them at a standard required for high-calibre training and racing.

The awarded grant was $20,000, but there has been fundraising and in-kind support, which I have seen more than half a dozen times in the last few weeks as I have gone past the track or visited the club. In rain and shine the volunteers have been out there doing the physical labour, which has been incredible. The project has been well featured in the local print media as well this week and I congratulate them on that.

The club has produced many state and national champions as well as world champions over the years, with the current world champion and Olympic silver medallist Sam Willoughby home grown at the club. The young members get an enormous buzz out of seeing Sam Willoughby, their club hero, come back. He returns for a ride. He manages to keep them at bay with ease with his speed around the track.

The local riders need this track to practice on. They have to travel interstate to practice on appropriate tracks to keep their skills up. We also need a fenced local track which, unfortunately, is not really available in our local area because of limited space and close proximity to residential properties. With my support and also the support of the members for Mitchell and Bright, the Happy Valley club and The Cove BMX Club have joined forces and, with the support of the Office for Recreation and Sport, have won a grant for $60,000 to contribute towards a feasibility study into a new world-class facility.

The hope, at the end of this feasibility study, is that they will be in a position to apply for further funding, as well as support from their own fundraising and that of their peak body, to build a world-class event facility that will attract riders from all over the globe to come and compete in South Australia. It is interesting to note that at a world event in Shepparton, Victoria, $12 million was brought into the economy, and with South Australia being central we would also see the western state participate so it could be even more. Well done Happy Valley and well done BMX SA.

Time expired.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Could the member just enlighten the house. Is BMX now a permanent Olympic sport or is it only a demonstration one?

Ms COOK: I will come back to you with an answer on that.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I just thought I would throw that in. We are not sure but it would be good if the house could be informed.

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