SJM_1022_Ridenour - AllReg - FINAL_Dept 10 / 26 / 22 1 : 39 PM Page 1 here , ” she says . “ I went to do two dif - ferent world cups in 2019 - 2020 , but I didn’t make any finals . Then COVID hit , which was the best thing that could P E O P L E have happened for me in terms of mak - ing the Olympic team , because it gave me more time to prepare . I had a lot of P downtime , so I did so much training . ” When BMX events resumed after the pandemic pause , Ridenour as - cended the ranks , though the window of opportunity to earn a spot on Team USA was closing rapidly . She earned her spot in May 2021 at an event in Bogota , Colombia . “ After I qualified , I only had two months until I had to leave for Tokyo , and I trained with my coach up until then to prepare for the Games , ” she says . “ It was a really cool experience . My favorite part was seeing the Olympic Village and just being able to say you were in the Olympics . I hope to go back in 2024 . That’s my next big goal . ” It also explains her current residence . Pottstown will always be Ridenour’s hometown , but she and her family re - cently relocated to Tulsa , Oklahoma , home of the USA BMX complex , which includes Hardesty National BMX Sta - dium . “ Everything I need is here , ” she says . “ I’m going to make the most of it Take the Ride and use this opportunity to take it as far as I can . ” ayton Ridenour grew up with the same AS BMX PRO PAYTON She spends hours each day in train - dream most people have — “ to be the best RIDENOUR TRAINS ing , both on and off the track . Just about P I can be ” at something . Ridenour’s some - FOR ANOTHER SHOT the only time she spends away from thing is BMX ( bicycle motocross ) , a punishing her bike is when she’s sleeping . sport that requires of its participants a balance AT OLYMPIC GLORY , “ Everything I do revolves around of skill , strength , and focus , as well as ample SHE WANTS TO BE my bike , ” she adds . “ Even when I’m not stores of nerve and toughness . Her career as a REMEMBERED FOR training , I’m usually on my bike , just professional rider has taken her across the MORE THAN MAKING riding . I’m attached to my bike . ” country and around the world , including a 2021 Ridenour is grateful for her par - trip to Tokyo for the Olympic Games . MAGIC ON HER BIKE . ents — Karen and Keith Ridenour — and Already in an elite class of athletes , she believes her by Bill Donahue the sacrifices they have made to help best is yet to come . her chase her dream . During a recent Ridenour has devoted her young life to BMX . She phone interview , she also cited several started riding at an early age , having been introduced to the sport by her father . others who have shown her so much “ My dad used to race when he was younger , on an amateur level , ” says Ridenour . “ He love and support : Arielle Martin - Ver - took me to the BMX track when I was five ; it was always something my dad and I did haaren , her coach ; her “ crew from PA , ” together . We connect a lot [ through BMX ] , and we still ride together . ” Scott Mechler , Jay Bertles , and Evan Father and daughter even built a small track — roughly 700 feet — on their two - acre prop - Eisenhard ; and Rocket , her dog , an il - erty in Pottstown , Pennsylvania . They refined the track over the course of decade , sometimes lustrated version of whom stars on each spending five or six hours a day shaping it , making it better . page of the children’s book Ridenour “ With winters in Pennsylvania the way they are , everything closes down , so having the wrote , A to Z : BMX Style . track in my backyard allowed me to ride way longer , ” Ridenour says . “ Not a lot of people “ I really just want to be someone have a track in their backyard . It helped me be a better rider and work harder . ” people can look up to and be a good Ridenour and her bike — she rides for Mongoose — have traveled far and wide in pursuit role model for other people , ” she says . of her passion . Her trophy case abounds with awards from her junior and professional careers , “ I want to get results , and I also want to and she has visited more countries in her 20 years than most will see in a lifetime : Australia , MX be a pro that’s approachable if anyone Belgium , Colombia , Japan , the Netherlands , Portugal and Switzerland , among others . B SA asks a question or wants an autograph . She was six years old when BMX became an Olympic sport . The hazy dream of one day U of y Outside of racing , I try to be a charis - becoming an Olympian began to clarify in 2012 while watching the U.S . Olympic Trials . She rtes matic person and like to help people u then focused on making the Olympic team in 2020 , which she admits was “ a little far - co o out at the track . I just want to be a good t fetched ” considering her age . Pho person , a nice person . ” ? “ You’re not allowed to turn pro in the U.S . until you’re 19 , so I still had to race amateur SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 19 issue 7 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 59