“There’s always BMX talk going on in the house,” says Paige Markwell, whose four children - Wyatt (17), Logan (15), Trinity (13), and Zoe (11) - all compete in BMX Freestyle.
“There’s always something new they want for their bikes, new tricks they want to try, or competitions to watch on TV.”
It all started back in 2020, during Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdowns. Living in Bannockburn, near Geelong, they would go down to the local skatepark for something to do and the kids would ride around picking up basic tricks.
Logan in action.
“Both Wyatt and Logan really enjoyed it. When we saw there was a comp not far from us, we jumped on the opportunity to see what it was like - and they loved it,” Paige recalls.
“We started going to all the local comps near us, then attended Moomba the following year. After about two years of competing around Victoria, we convinced Trinity and Zoe to join in too. Since they had to come with us anyway we figured they might as well have fun and win some medals.”
Now, BMX Freestyle is a core part of the Markwell family’s life. The siblings train twice a week at RampFest Indoor Skate Park in Melbourne and spend almost every other moment at the skatepark.
Wyatt is part of the National Talent Academy.
They push each other to improve, help each other with new tricks, and provide motivation. Wyatt, who’s part of the National Talent Academy, often mentors his younger siblings - usually having already mastered the trick they’re working on.
“Everyone supports each other. They want to see each other excel, and it makes riding together so much more fun,” says Paige.
Weekends are often spent on the road, travelling to competitions from South Australia to Canberra and as far north as Queensland.
This weekend is no different - they’re all heading to the Gold Coast to compete in the UCI C1 BMX Freestyle event.
“It’s great that they have the same interest in the sport, it makes spending quality family time so much easier,” Paige said.
“Troy and I both love watching them ride and competing. Seeing the joy when they finally land that trick they've been trying for a while is very satisfying, knowing they've put the time and effort in and we've helped push them to it. We both rode BMX growing up and seeing our kids want to do the same and be even better is wonderful.”
Zoe (top) and Trinity, followed their older brothers into the sport and are now competing too.
But Paige admits it’s not always easy watching from the sidelines, especially as the tricks get bigger and riskier.
“When they started doing more advanced tricks it was scary and nerve-racking to watch but over the years it's not as bad, we're getting used to it but that also depends on the kid trying the trick. Logan still makes my heart skip a beat when he does candy-bar.”
While each of the siblings has big dreams: Wyatt has his sights set on the Olympics and the X-Games, Logan is chasing an X-Games appearance, Trinity hopes to represent Australia at the Olympics one day, and Zoe wants to compete internationally - for now, it’s all about the joy of riding.
“Wyatt loves the people he's met and ridden with, the joy of landing hard tricks and the thrill of the competition. Logan loves freaking out everyone with his tricks and the freedom he gets from riding. Trinity loves the freedom riding brings her. Zoe loves trying new tricks,” Paige says.
Main image: Trinity, Zoe, Logan and Wyatt Markwell (Supplied)