Team USA Olympics BMX Racer Cam Wood on the 'adrenaline rush' of competing | The Excerpt
Summary
TLDRDana Taylor interviews Cam Wood, a 22-year-old BMX racer from Montana, about his journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Wood shares his passion for BMX, the support from his family, and the challenges he's faced, including a major injury. He reflects on the growth of BMX racing, the increasing competition from European athletes, and the extreme nature of the sport. Wood also offers advice to aspiring athletes and expresses his excitement for competing in Paris and representing the USA.
Takeaways
- 🏆 BMX racing is a high-speed, high-stakes sport featured at the Olympics, with athletes reaching nearly 40 mph.
- 🌟 Cam Wood, a 22-year-old from Montana, is America's top hopeful in BMX racing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- 🏅 Cam is a two-time World Cup champion and the current points leader for the US men's team.
- 🏞️ Cam's journey in BMX racing was significantly influenced by his family's move to Phoenix, which provided better racing conditions.
- 🔄 Despite being a traditionally strong BMX nation, the US has faced a transition period with European competitors rising in the sport.
- 💪 Cam emphasizes the importance of resilience and self-belief, especially coming from a small town and overcoming numerous losses.
- ⚠️ BMX racing is recognized as an extreme sport with inherent risks, including the potential for serious injury.
- 🤔 The script raises the question of whether the IOC's inclusion of extreme sports is driven by their risk and excitement factors.
- 🏥 Cam had a serious crash in May of the previous year, which sidelined him for 5-6 months and tested his resilience.
- 👨👩👧👦 Cam looks forward to sharing his Olympic experience with his family and those who have supported him throughout his journey.
- 🇺🇸 Wearing the USA jersey is a privilege and an honor for Cam, who sees representing his country at the Olympics as a lifelong dream.
Q & A
What is the significance of BMX racing being included in the Olympics?
-BMX racing was added to the Olympics in 2008 as part of a strategy to attract a younger audience. It has been successful, as evidenced by the addition of other action sports like climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.
Who is Cam Wood and what is his current status in BMX racing?
-Cam Wood is a 22-year-old BMX racer from Montana who is currently America's top hopeful for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is a two-time World Cup champion and the points leader for the US men's team.
What personal significance does the Olympics hold for Cam Wood?
-The Olympics represent the pinnacle of BMX racing for Cam Wood. It has been a lifelong dream since he was seven years old when he watched BMX racing debut in the Olympics.
Why did Cam Wood choose to pursue BMX racing over other sports?
-Cam Wood was drawn to BMX racing because of the adrenaline rush, the competitive nature of the sport, and the individual responsibility it entails, which he felt aligned well with his personality.
What was the critical decision that influenced Cam Wood's BMX racing career?
-The critical decision was his family's relocation to Phoenix, which provided a better environment for BMX racing and was largely done to support his racing aspirations.
How has the competitive landscape of BMX racing changed in recent years?
-In recent years, European athletes have become more competitive in BMX racing, possibly due to a transition period in the US where successful athletes were nearing the end of their careers.
What are Cam Wood's thoughts on the risks associated with BMX racing?
-Cam acknowledges the risks involved in BMX racing, such as high speeds and contact with other racers, but believes that the experience and comfort with the sport grow with time.
What safety measures does Cam Wood take to mitigate the risks of BMX racing?
-While the script does not detail specific safety measures, Cam mentions trusting his instincts and years of racing experience to adapt to new situations and manage risks.
How did Cam Wood's serious crash in May of the previous year affect his career?
-The crash resulted in a five to six-month absence from competition and was the biggest hurdle he faced in his professional career, teaching him patience and resilience.
What advice does Cam Wood have for aspiring BMX racers?
-Cam advises aspiring racers to maintain a strong belief in themselves, embrace resilience, face challenges head-on, and show up consistently, emphasizing the importance of learning from losses.
What is Cam Wood looking forward to the most about the Paris Olympics besides competing?
-Cam is excited about sharing the experience with his family and close ones who will be present in Paris, as well as the privilege and honor of wearing the USA jersey at his first Olympic Games.
Outlines
🚴♂️ BMX Racing at the Paris Olympics
Dana Taylor introduces the segment discussing BMX Racing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, emphasizing the high stakes and potential dangers of the sport. BMX Racing was introduced to the Olympics in 2008 to attract younger audiences, a strategy that has proven successful. The segment features an interview with Cam Wood, a top American BMX racer, discussing his journey and the significance of the upcoming games.
🏞️ Growing Up and Finding BMX
Cam Wood shares his background, growing up in Montana and his early exposure to BMX Racing. He recalls watching BMX in the Olympics as a child and being inspired by American medalists. Wood reflects on his journey, from playing various sports to discovering a passion for the adrenaline and individual challenges of BMX Racing.
🚚 Family Support and Relocation
Cam Wood discusses the pivotal moment when his family relocated to Phoenix to support his BMX aspirations. He explains how the move from Montana, a state with limited BMX facilities, was crucial for his development and success in the sport. Wood credits his family's sacrifices and support as instrumental in his career.
🇺🇸 U.S. BMX Racing and Competition
Wood comments on the transition period in U.S. BMX Racing, noting the increased competition from European athletes. He explains that the U.S. is now in a strong position with talented racers like himself and Cam Larsson. Wood is optimistic about their chances and is ready to compete at the highest level.
💪 Preparing for the Olympics
Discussing the upcoming Olympics, Wood emphasizes the importance of not underestimating any competitors. He acknowledges the high level of competition and expresses his excitement for the challenge. Wood is familiar with his rivals from previous races and is focused on performing his best.
⛑️ Safety and Risks in BMX Racing
Wood addresses the inherent risks of BMX Racing, including high speeds and close competition. He talks about trusting his instincts and years of experience to navigate the dangers. Despite the risks, Wood enjoys the sport's unique thrill and looks forward to showcasing it at the Olympics.
🌟 The Appeal of Extreme Sports
Wood believes the extreme nature of BMX Racing is part of its attraction, especially for younger audiences. He describes the excitement of racing down a steep hill at high speeds and the physical, contact nature of the sport. Wood finds the sport's unpredictability and intensity to be compelling for both participants and spectators.
🏥 Overcoming Injury
Wood recounts a significant crash in May last year that sidelined him for five months. The injury was a major challenge, testing his patience and resilience. Despite the setback, Wood views the experience as a growth opportunity, enhancing his perspective as both an athlete and a person.
🤕 Injury in Olympic Sports
Reflecting on the broader issue of injuries in Olympic sports, Wood acknowledges the inherent risks athletes face. He suggests that managing fears and overcoming adversity are essential parts of the athletic experience, making the rewards of success even more meaningful.
🌟 Inspiring the Next Generation
Wood offers advice to aspiring BMX racers, emphasizing the importance of belief in oneself and resilience in the face of challenges. He shares his own experiences of repeated losses before achieving success, encouraging young athletes to stay committed and persistent.
🇫🇷 Excitement for Paris
Looking forward to the Paris Olympics, Wood expresses excitement about sharing the experience with his family and supporters. He reflects on the honor of representing the USA and the significance of competing at his first Olympic Games, anticipating unforgettable moments.
🎬 Conclusion and Thanks
Dana Taylor wraps up the segment, thanking Cam Wood for his participation and highlighting the audience's anticipation for the upcoming Olympic Games. Wood expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to share his story, and the segment ends with Taylor signing off.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡BMX Racing
💡2024 Paris Olympics
💡World Cup Champion
💡Olympic Points Leader
💡Adrenaline Rush
💡Montana
💡Phoenix
💡Extreme Sports
💡Injury
💡Resilience
💡USA Jersey
Highlights
BMX Racers at the 2024 Paris Olympics will have more than just a medal on the line; the sport can be deadly.
BMX racing was added to the 2008 Beijing games as part of a strategy to attract a younger audience.
Cam Wood, a 22-year-old racer from Montana, is America's top hopeful for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Cam Wood is a two-time World Cup champion and the Olympics points leader for the US men's team.
Growing up in a small town in Montana, Cam Wood was inspired to pursue BMX racing after watching its Olympic debut in 2008.
Cam Wood's family relocated to Phoenix six years ago to support his racing aspirations.
BMX racing as a sport was once dominated by American athletes, but Europeans have become more competitive in recent years.
Cam Wood and Cam Larsson are the current top competitors for the US men's BMX team.
Cam Wood discusses the physical demands and risks of BMX racing, highlighting the high speeds and potential for crashes.
The International Olympic Committee has added extreme sports like BMX racing to the Summer Games to attract a younger audience.
Cam Wood experienced a serious crash in May of last year, sidelining him for five months and making him re-evaluate his racing career.
Cam Wood advises aspiring BMX racers to have resilience, face challenges head-on, and maintain a belief in themselves.
Cam Wood looks forward to sharing the Olympic experience with his family and wearing the USA jersey for the first time at the highest level of sport.
Cam Wood acknowledges the role of his family's support in his journey to the Olympics.
Cam Wood discusses the importance of managing risks and fears in BMX racing, emphasizing that overcoming adversity makes success more rewarding.
Transcripts
[Music]
hello and welcome to the excerpt I'm
Dana Taylor reaching speeds of nearly 40
mph BMX Racers at the 2024 Paris
Olympics will have more than just a
medal on the line the sport can be
deadly a relatively new competition in
the Olympics BMX racing was added to the
2008 Beijing games as part of a strategy
to attract a younger audience and based
on the recent addition of other Action
Sports to the gamees such as climbing
skateboarding and surfing that strategy
is working to talk about his journey and
what's at stake in the 20124 Olympic
Games in Paris we're joined Now by cam
wood a 22-year-old racer from Montana
who is currently America's top hopeful
cam thanks for joining me on the excerpt
thank you guys for having me I
appreciate it you're a two-time World
Cup champion and currently the Olympics
points leader for the US men's team what
are the stakes for you personally at the
games in Paris this summer yeah I mean
this has obviously uh been a dream of
mine for a really long time uh you know
growing up in a a small town in Montana
I actually vividly remember watching BMX
Racing's debut in the Olympics when I
was seven years old and two Americans
actually went home with medals uh from
that race and from that point on it's
just uh it's been a dream that stuck
with me and obviously as a BMX racer
this is the Pinnacle of our sport uh and
ALS sport in general right this is the
Olympics so just an incredible
opportunity uh that's nearing and I'm
just unbelievably excited for it you
mentioned growing up in Montana and I
know that you played many different
sports including basketball football
skiing golf and track and field what was
it about BMX racing that made you decide
that this was what you wanted to pursue
yeah I loved you every facet of
competition I just fell in love with it
and um I think BMX racing was just so
head The Head and the adrenaline the
adrenaline rush of just the anticipation
of the gate dropping and having only 30
35 seconds to cross the finish line
first and uh just felt like I was I was
very competitive and it was kind of the
best way for me to express myself as a
kid I love team sports but feeling a
little bit more weight on my shoulders
and uh just you know taking you know the
losses they kind of hurt a little bit
more and winning felt a little bit
better when it's kind of you know when
it's an individual sport so yeah just
for whatever reason felt like I could
express myself and in my personality
meshed really well with BMX racing and I
just continue to grow within the sport
and I love it more every time I get on
my bike cam your inspirational journey
to Paris really began six years ago with
your family's relocation to Phoenix tell
me about how that decision came about
and what it meant for your racing
aspirations yeah when I look back uh on
my whole journey I think that was such a
critical moment in my life you know you
grow up in Montana it's just such a
unique BMX environment and it's unheard
of in our sport you know everyone's from
warmer weather climates and having that
story of you know being from somewhere
where we had one ridable track in the
entire State it's just a really rare
background and my family sacrificed so
much uh you know they've been my biggest
support system my whole racing career
them you know moving across the country
largely in part for BMX you know I felt
that weight on my shoulders definitely
but I feel like I channeled it in a
really positive postive way and um
they've been my number one supporters
from the very beginning and I definitely
you know wouldn't be in this position
without their support BMX racing as a
sport was once dominated by American
athletes but recent years have shown
that Europeans in particular becoming
more competitive why do you think that
is is underinvestment by the US a factor
here we were in a transition period for
a little bit you know we had very
successful athletes that were kind of
nearing the end of their career you know
you're lucky in in BMX racing if you get
10 years and um I think that transition
kind of happened a few years ago but I
think right now we're in a really good
place and I think uh myself as along
with Cam Larsson our other male Olympian
I think you know we both proven that we
can compete at this level and we can win
races and yeah we're kind of going in
there with a little chip on our shoulder
and everyone feels really good about
where where we're at okay let's talk
more about your competition in Paris
which Racers and teams do you think will
be your biggest competitors who are you
watching yeah I mean this is the
Olympics right it's the highest level of
sport everyone is going to be at their
best and so I think uh you can't take
anyone lightly you can't take any team
lightly you know it's going to be a new
experience obviously this is my first
Olympic Games but we race all of these
people all the time multiple times a
year so um there's going to be some
familiarity there and uh yeah I'm just
looking forward to the challenge and
like I said this is the highest level of
competition it's going to be hard I
think it's best to expect it to be hard
and and show up and just compete to the
best of my ability I want to broaden the
conversation now to talk about BMX
racing more generally it's a sport
that's largely categorized as an extreme
sport with greater physical demands in
many ways and also big risk Connor
Fields suffered a head trauma that
forced him out of the competition at the
2021 games in Tokyo what will you be
doing to stay safe what are you most
concerned
about yeah I mean naturally there's a
lot of risk right you get on top of a
big starting Hill you're going 35 40
miles an hour you're bar toar with seven
other people which are uncontrolled
variables there's a lot that you can't
prepare for you know you have to kind of
trust your instincts and you know trust
all the years and years and years of
racing and having to adapt to new
situations so naturally there is risk
but I would say the more you do it the
more comfortable you get with it and you
know as soon as you cross the finish
line you want to do it all over again so
I think it's something we we're all
comfortable with at this level and it's
what makes our sport so unique uh it's
what makes it so fun to watch and um
yeah I'm looking forward to everyone you
know seeing the action that goes down in
a few weeks as I mentioned at the top
BMX racing is one of several extreme
sports the international Olympic
Committee has added to the summer games
to attract a younger audience is Extreme
risk part of the attraction for that
audience and is it part of what
attracted you to the sport I think it is
yeah I think it is it's something you
know when you see it in person or when
you when you get on a starting Hill and
you realize you know this this starting
Hill is three stories high and we're
going 40 miles an hour in less than
three seconds I think people are able
obviously they haven't been in that
situation but they can relate to what
that speed is like right and they can
kind of put their themselves in our
shoes and uh yeah it's definitely an
action Sport and it's a contact sport
it's physical you know really in BMX
there's not many rules as soon as that
gate drops right so um it's kind of fair
game and I think it it naturally is
interesting for you know for people on
the outside looking in well cam you had
a serious crash in May of last year that
took you out of competition for 5 months
did that injury make you re-evaluate
your racing career at
all yeah it was it was very challenging
for me that was definitely the biggest
hurdle I've faced in my professional
career you know I've been really
fortunate up until that point in terms
of injury felt bulletproof at times
young in my career uh you know you take
some crashes that's always part of what
we do but was able to get up for most
all of them and and kind of continue on
and this one had me sidelined for five
six months and yeah it was just really
hard you know for a period of time
you're in this mindset of every day you
know having these goals and feeling like
you're able to Chase something and it
gives you purpose in what you do and
sometimes an injury for whatever reason
you're just feel stuck right it's things
take time and uh having to go through
that and that was the ultimate lesson on
on patience in my career it's hard to
see it in that moment but I think it
benefited me a lot as a athlete and as a
person as well and I think it's it's
beautiful in a way right our Olympic
criteria started right after I had that
injury so it made my journey here really
hard and I think now you know when it's
all said and done you reflect on that
Journey more than anything as you know
three of the favorites for the US
women's gymnastics team were forced to
drop out either just before or during
the trials this year are Olympic
competitions getting to the point where
injury is almost inevitable and can or
should Sports leaders do anything to
stem the tide of injuries there's risk
in what we do being an athlete in any
discipline um it's a complete sacrifice
and we put our bodies on the line every
time we choose to to go out and and get
on the BMX track and like I said there's
risk in in every sport so I think it's
part of it and um I think as athletes
you know learning how to manage those
situations learning how to manage those
thoughts and those fears that's what
makes the good moments so rewarding so
you know without having to face that
adversity and face those fears the
successes they wouldn't feel as good as
they do as the top Contender on the
American team you are no doubt an inspir
ation for the next generation of BMX
Racers what's your advice to those
athletes who hope to emulate your
success I'm just always belief I've
always had a belief in myself and I
think you know coming from a small town
having the background that I do I can't
emphasize that enough you know not being
around a BMX environment and not feeling
you know like I was successful really
until late in my teenage years I lost so
much as a did and I feel like people I
can't emphasize that enough I lost over
and over and over and uh I didn't learn
how to win until I kept losing basically
so um just having that resilience um
taking obstacles head on facing
challenges and just continuing to show
up every day you know sometimes things
go your way sometimes they don't uh but
I feel like I've always had that steady
belief in myself and it drives
everything for me it's what gets me out
of bed in the morning and um I
absolutely love what I get to do I feel
blessed and grateful and uh I couldn't
imagine living my life any other way and
then finally you're heading to Paris
other than competing in the Olympics
what are you most looking forward
to uh there's a lot of things uh my
family a lot of my family and a lot of
people really close to me are going to
be there so I'm really excited to share
that moment with them obviously it takes
a team to get to this point and uh just
going to be a special moment for
everyone there everyone that's been a
part of the journey and I can't wait to
share that moment with them and
obviously anytime you get a throw on a
USA Jersey and wear the red white and
blue it's just a complete privilege and
honor um something I've always dreamed
about and to do it at my first Olympic
Games at the highest level of sport it's
going to be Unforgettable something I
remember for the rest of my life so uh
yeah I just couldn't be more excited we
will continue watching and following
your journey of course thanks so much
for being on the X Camp thank you guys
for having me I appreciate it thanks for
watching I'm Dana Taylor I'll see you
next time
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