“Are you okay, man?” a concerned bystander asked, as junior Graham Young stood up and wobbled around on the dusty BMX track for a few seconds. On Sunday, July 27, 2019, Young was practicing for his usual three races when all of a sudden, he found himself on the ground. 

“There was a 30-foot jump that I haven’t really done before, and I didn’t have enough speed. I landed on the front wheel and flipped over the bars,” Young said. “I don’t remember much after that, but someone said I landed on my face, and I hit my head really hard.” 

Young spent his summer racing BMX, a demanding sport which involves nothing but a bike, a little bit of danger and a passionate rider. Although crashing isn’t ideal, Young isn’t afraid of the pain, well aware that it’s a huge part of the intense sport, and he has had his fair share of crashes throughout his BMX career.

BMX has always been in Young’s life one way or another. “I always watched it when I was little, and I thought it would be enjoyable, and I’d be good at it, turns out I am,” Young said. 

Although he’s only been involved in Lincoln’s Star City BMX for two years, he has earned some pretty notable rewards. “I won a nationals [tournament] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two nationals in Raytown, Missouri, and a couple first place wins in Nebraska,” Young said. 

The most exciting part about BMX racing, according to Young, is beating people better than him and surprisingly, crashing – for the adrenaline of it all. Although beating opponents is exciting and rewarding, it is also one of the harder aspects of racing, along with overcoming the fear of jumps. 

BMX is scored by points, and the rider with the most amount of points wins. Based on total points, Young is the No. 1 16-year-old in the state, according to the USA BMX website.