Andy Close
Racing is in Carsen Rhoades’ blood, specifically BMX racing.
The 12-year old who goes to school in Franklin began picking up the sport four years ago and quickly fell in love with it.
“My cousin started BMX racing so I went to one of the local races with him and I really liked it so I wanted to get more serious into it,” Rhoades said. “That was four years ago.”
Since then, it’s been a whirlwind, as Rhoades has dived headfirst into the sport with a passion.
His 2021 season saw him finish 75th in Pennsylvania (PA04) district points out of over 450 racers.
“I did a lot of local races, which is what my main focus was,” Rhoades said. “I did go to the Gold Cup finals and a couple of Gold Cup qualifiers, but did not go to the state finals.”
Getting into the sport was something his father, Jerry, was very supportive of.
“I was all for it,” Jerry said. “It’s a good, healthy sport to be in. It teaches him discipline and he’s committed to it.”
And perhaps even more importantly, it’s something he loves.
“I really enjoy just riding my bike,” Carsen said. “I usually spend at least two hours a day riding or during the summertime my entire day. It’s a lot more fun to do it on the track, too.”
Carsen was supposed to get his season started in the first Gold Cup qualifier in Dayton, Ohio on March 13, but hit an unexpected snag when he had to have his appendix removed. After some complications, Carsen is home and doing better, and looks forward to getting his season started.
“This coming season I plan on doing Gold Cup qualifiers and qualifying for the Gold Cup final,” he said. “The goal is to get a top-three plate in the Gold cup final and also top three place in the state finals. I also plan on doing my regular local races. The state finals are usually in Pittsburgh and that’s my favorite track.”
Those local tracks include Drakewell in Titusville, Charlie’s in Ellery Center (NY), and Lakeshore in Erie.
“Learning the gates and pumping for the track, because it’s definitely a little scary at first,” Carsen said about what some of the early learning curves were to racing. “I was on a dirt jumping bike actually and I didn’t know anything about the sport.
“A BMX bike is a lot lighter than regular bikes and also it’s different sizing. They’re a lot smaller.”
And it’s something that his dad enjoyed watching so much, he decided to get into it himself.
“I really enjoy it, it’s exciting for me to see him out there on the track,” Jerry said. “So exciting, actually, that I ended up buying a bike myself as well.”
In addition to his BMX racing, Carsen stays busy with a whole host of other activities as well.
“I volunteer at my church,” he said. “My stepdad is in the fire department so I go in and help him every Monday.”
Added Jerry: “He enjoys helping out. He also volunteers at tracks, working on them. He’s coming up right. Between his mother, stepdad, and me he gets a lot of chances to volunteer. It’s something they’re passionate about and something I’m passionate about as well. He’s a hard worker, for sure, and that’s something I’m real proud of.”
And he does it all while being an excellent student, as well, which always comes first.
“I try and make sure I always have above a 3.5 GPA and keep good grades,” he said. “If I didn’t I know there wouldn’t be any racing.”
He also did the Polar Bear Plunge at Winterfest at Chapman State Park in January.
“It was really cold,” Carsen said with a laugh. “As soon as I hit the water, I couldn’t feel my legs.”
And above all, he’s had a chance to make a lot of new friendships and memories through racing.
“I’ve made a lot of new friends and met a lot of new people,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot of fun because you get to interact with a lot of people.”
