<![CDATA[Nicole Wright - News]]>Tue, 16 Aug 2011 02:28:14 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Latest]]>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2011/03/latest.htmlThe beginning of this year sure has flown by. School has kept me very busy with assessments and assignments due regularly and with the time off for BMX it has been hard to keep up.
At the start of the month I travelled over to Canberra, Australia to race the ACT State Titles. This was a good experience for me as I went over by myself instead of with my family as I usually do. Had a mechanical breakdown the first days Probikx round, going from 3rd to 8th in the final which i wasn't too pleased about. On the Saturdays Probikx I was feeling a lot more confident on the track, which lead to a couple of first and second placings, followed by a third in the final which was much better compared to the previous day. Sunday was the actual ACT Championships, in which i was winning all day until I got stuck in a soft patch in the final and got overtaken, ending in second place which was not what I would havehoped for but overall not too bad. The competition over there is much better than here in New Zealand, so it is always fun to go over and race at their events.
The next weekend was the UCI Oceania Continental Championships held in Puni, Auckland. This event attracted people from all over New Zealand, Australia and even a few Americans made the journey across the ditch. Junior Women was amalgamated with the Elite Women class as as result of us Juniors losing a rider. This made for some tough racing but was such a good experience racing against the older girls. We were also made to jump the last straight pro section which was new for most of us but also pretty fun for a change. I managed to pull out a couple of 3rds in motos and got through to the final. I was the youngest to qualify for this final so I was happy I even managed to accomplish this. In the final I got a good gate but as I expected I got shut down on the first straight. Ended up 7th in this final which I was very stoked with, an amazing start to the weekend. On the Sunday our class was also amalgamated as we thought it would be. I got a pretty good moto draw and made it through to the final easily, once against the youngest of the girls in there. This time I got shut down even worse and just couldn't make up any ground on the other girls. Overall an amazing experience racing with them and a real eye opener to see the difference in skill level and speed between the two classes.
These past couple of weeks I have been crazy busy. I have been on two 3-day school PE camps, one to be taught skills such as high ropes, kayaking and archery; and the other camp I was leading a group of younger students and teaching them what to do. This was a good learning experience for me and was well worth doing. I have had a significant number of assessments due and I am now on top of it all, or atleast I hope so. Nationals are coming up quick so I'm looking forward to racing. North Harbours new gate and ramp is looking soooo goood and the track is looking smooth. Hopefully the weather stays good and it should be a good weekend. That's all until next time. (:
]]><![CDATA[New Year]]>Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2011/01/new-year.htmlIt is now a new year and time to start over again. I am now coming back from a break which I took in order to study for my exams at the end of last year. I have just now got my results back from those and I did even better than I expected I would do so I guess the break paid off.
Nationals are now not too far away so that will be one of my short term goals. There are not so many race meetings for me this year as i have now moved up into the Junior Women Class but I will still be attending most of the major meetings. I plan to start updating this alot more too as more will be happening at this time of the year.
Last weekend was my first real weekend back on the bike at the Camp Cools training camp held up in Whangarei. The weather could not have been any better and some good skills were learned. Overall a fun weekend back.
Start school again next week so should be good to go back and see everyone. Taking 2 PE classes this year and 2 sciences so Sports Science is an option for later on. Should be a good year.
That's all for now. Will keep you all posted.
]]><![CDATA[Worlds Report and Latest News]]>Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:39:41 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/09/worlds-report-and-latest-news.htmlThe World Champs in South Africa were quite successful. I ended up placing fifth in the 16 year girls (20" class) and third in the 15-16 ladies (cruiser class). Preparation for this years event was much better than it has been for the last couple of years, weather-wise and more training opportunities, which therefore lead to better results. I am pleased with how the trip turned out and now can't wait for next year in Copenhagen!
I have been home for a couple of months now and the BMX season has now commenced once again. Last weekend was the Pre-North Island Titles which were held in Rotorua. Saturday was the Central Region Championships and I raced in the 16+ women class which I placed first so it was a pretty good start to the weekend. Sunday was the New Zealand Mighty 11s and Test Team Trials and the first round of the New Zealand Superclass series. Mighty 11s and Test Team trials were very interesting to watch but it felt weird not racing. Congratulations to everyone who made it into the teams you all rode really well! I think the Aussies better watch out as we are going to be tough to beat this year!
I raced in the 14+ Ladies Superclass which there was two gates of riders. We had 3 motos then 3 finals, in which I placed 2nd, 1st, 2nd in the motos then a constant 2nd in each final behind Sarah Walker so was pretty happy with how the weekend turned out.
This week has been the first week of the school holidays so it has been much easier to fit in training. Went up to Whangarei to train with a decent sized group of riders so it was fun for a change and the weather was pretty good too seeing as it's supposed to be raining for the next couple of days so was good to get in some hard riding sessions before the bad weather kicks in.
Norths is coming up fast and everyone's starting to get excited, bring it on!]]><![CDATA[South Africa Day Five & Six]]>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:52:59 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/07/south-africa-day-five-six.html

Yesterday was a rest day so didn't get up to much. Went to the mall so that was pretty much the highlight of our day haha. There are heaps of South African riders staying at Wensleydale Guest Lodge with us so it's pretty cool. When we went out for a recovery ride there were about 15 of us so it made it interesting.
Today we had to wake up at 6:30am to be at the track early for a practice session which started at 9:00am. It was the coldest morning since we have been here so good riding weather as it's closer to New Zealand temperature. Got to the track and took forever to try and find a way in but finally found an entrance haha, then got our number plates and wrist/bike bands so sussed all that out. Got taken to the New Zealand house where we will be based for the week, which is probably in the most furtherest place away from the track haha. Was so excited to ride the track, went out fast on my first lap and nearly died on the second jump, took it slow from there haha. I can tell there are going to be quite a few deaths on it as it's pretty big and pretty much impossible to pump. Should make for some good racing. ot the gate and first jump sussed, and have the last two straights as best as I can get them, just need to work on the first two straights tomorrow and it should be good.

]]><![CDATA[South Africa Day Four]]>Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:24:30 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/07/south-africa-day-four.htmlJust wrote a massive update and had two powercuts so lost everything haha here we go again.
Got up super early this morning because of the most annoying birds, they make a noise that almost sounds like they are laughing at you, really loudly too.
Went to see the track this morning, it looks amazing! Looks so hard and fast, can't wait to ride it! Took some pics but for some reason its not letting me load them so theres some on facebook haha.
Got back to the lodge, had lunch, then went straight out to do some sprints. Didn't see any monkeys today but was still a good session. Had a quick ice bah after sprints and thought my legs were going to fall off, but feel so much better now.
In the afternoon we went to the zoo. They had so many different animals there it was crazy. I trained a llama to come when I called it so was stoking about that haha. Saw a chimp smoking and had another chimp throw rocks at us so was a very different experience to say the least.
On the way back from the zoo we drove through the Valley of a Thousand Hills. It was interesting to see how people still live out there, in little round shacks with animals roaming freely down the street. It makes me think about how much we take for granted as it was a real shock.
Rest day tomorrow so might not need to update. Thats all for now. ]]><![CDATA[South Africa Day Three]]>Sat, 24 Jul 2010 09:11:47 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/07/south-africa-day-three.htmlGot up at a pretty reasonable time this morning and went out and did some sprints on the road before it got too hot. We were about to do another sprint when we looked onto one of the fences of a house and there were 5 monkeys just chilling on the fence watching us haha. Can't say that's something you see everyday back home in New Zealand.
Went down to Liberty Midlands Mall for a few hours do get in some shopping. Everything over here is so cheap it's crazy, and to make it even better most of the shops were on sale so that was a bonus haha.
Got home and found a dead snake on the grass outside our room so put it in Trents bed so will be interesting to see how he reacts since he isn't exactly fond of animals especially dead ones haha.
Rest of the day we just chilled back at the rooms and went in the pool for an ice bath and nearly freeezed to death haha. More pics will come soon.]]><![CDATA[South Africa Day Two]]>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/07/south-africa-day-two.htmlToday was a very busy day. Getting used to the time now and only wake up about 7ish so it's not too bad.
In the morning we decided to go on a safari by ourselves in the middle of nowhere pretty much haha. We had only been walking for about 5-10minutes when we came across a few native Africans and Mark, the person we went with stopped and had a chat to them. Meanwhile in the background me and mum saw some monkeys just chilling in the trees so took some pics haha. Then walked further out through burnt down trees and long spikey grass(not a good idea in short shorts haha) and saw a zeal of zebras. You can pretty much walk straight up to them and they don't run away until you get right up close you can almost touch them. We walked past them and saw a giraffe in the distance so nearly ran to go and see it haha. When we were walking towards it we came across a massive herd of wildebeest that looked pretty dodgy so stayed away from them haha, didn't really want to get eaten since all we had was a stick to defend ourselves with. Stalked 3 giraffes in the end and one baby so it was pretty amazing. So tired at the end though after walking about 8km over not exactly flat, smooth ground but was well worth it.
After a few hours back chilling in our room we went to Crafty Duck Village so a look. Went around feeding the goats, llamas, ostrichs etc then got to hold a snake. Scariest thing in my life haha I thought I was going to die. It was a boa constricter I think so not the smallest of snakes either haha.
I think thats about all that happened. Will load some pics later because it takes way too long haha]]><![CDATA[South Africa Day One]]>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/07/south-africa-day-one.htmlFinally made it to South Africa, had a couple of stopovers on the way and stole some internet but can only get on for a few minutes at a time here in the lodge reception so will try my best to keep this updated.
I've decided airports hate me; someone tried to get into one of my bags even though it had a lock on it, and my yeti has a pretty decent dent on the bottom so not too happy about that. Didn't get too jetlagged from the flights though so that's a good thing I guess.
Arrived in Dubai wearing long skins, trackies and a hoodie, only to find that it was 38 degrees at 5 in the morning. Went on a quick shopping trip in the airport for shorts and a singlet so felt cooler after that haha. Also got a Mcfurry, I forgot how amazing they were.
Had an interesting trip from Durban to Pietermaritzburg with our driver Martin. They can drive 120 km/h on the freeways, but go about 140-150 without getting in trouble so it's pretty hectic haha. Gas stations are so amazing over here. You don't even have to get out of yur car because a worker will come out and do everything for you, all you have to do is give them the money at the end. They even offer to check if you have enough oil and water and ask if you want your windows washed. It's so much different to New Zealand haha.
Built my bikes up this morning so hope they don't fall apart on me haha. Went for a recovery ride tonight and met this little kid who gave us a race downhill. Also saw a truckload of workers going home, tried to count how many of them were standing/sitting on the back of the ute and got up to 17 then gave up. Everywhere you look there are fences with barbed wire and electric wires running around the top, and almost every house has a dog. We have been told not to go out by ourselves and not to walk anywhere. Feel so safe haha.
Might be heading to the Golden Horse Casino track tomorrow for a look so will update after that. Heres a few pics from the trip so far..
]]><![CDATA[A little bit of everything]]>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:16:06 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/07/a-little-bit-of-everything.htmlHeaps has been happening since my last post. Have been training hard for the World Championships which are being held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa at the end of July. Have barely had a life other than BMX these past couple of months, using every opportunity i can to get out on the track and it's starting to pay off.
Been having exams at school and I'm looking good to pass overall this year, even though I'll be missing about a month of school so that's good to know I'm still on the right track.
Had a photo shoot with Clinton Tudor a while back so will put some pics up from that, thanks heaps!
Got a new laptop for my birthday so can take it away with me to keep this updated. Not too sure if I have internet access over there so will just have to see how it goes.
One day back at school next term then leave Auckland on Tuesday 20th July, arrive in PZB 33 hours later so it's going to be a long couple of days. Been trying to fit bikes and all my gear into two golf bags which aren't exactly huge so it's been a mission to say the least haha but getting there.
Been up and down to Whangarei all holidays for Worlds Training Camps so have been getting some good track time in while it's sunny and theres no school. Getting my gates dialed in as this is the only opportunity I have to practice. Hoping to get a Pro-Gate one day when we can afford it to help improve my technique as it's never really been the greatest haha, would make me a much better rider.
I think that's about all for now, will hopefully update when I'm on the other side of the world so keep checking:)
]]><![CDATA[Nationals]]>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:12:30 -0800http://www.nicole-wright.com/1/post/2010/04/nationals.htmlIt's been a while since my last update, I was so busy preparing for the New Zealand National Championships that were held in Puni over Easter weekend.
Friday was official practice day and opening ceremony, along with the Mighty 11 Test Team trials. It was such a hot day and felt good to get some final laps in before racing the next day.
Saturday was the first day of racing. I had cruiser up first in the morning with all the younger kids so was good to get that out of the way. It was my first time ever racing my new Redman cruiser so I was just going to take it slow at first, then ended up getting a really good gate, and jumping second straight, then winning by a few bike lengths. I continued to win my other 3 moto's after this so I was pretty happy with that:)
At the completion of the AM session, practice for the PM session started so got a few good laps in. I was feeling really good for my first race after winning all day so just went out there and gave it heaps and managed to win. Finished the day with winning all 8 of my races on both cruiser and 20" so it was a good start to the weekend.
Sunday, finals day. The pressure started to build up and the crowds got larger. I won all four moto's, then transferred straight through to finals. Was good to watch the 1/4's and Semi's and rest up before my two finals. Cruiser final was up first. As we only had 7 riders in the 13-16 Ladies class it was points over, so this made me comfortable going into the final as I knew I had already won. I still raced my hardest and had fun, getting first once again so that was the end of cruiser racing.
20" final was next. We had 11 of us so that meant we had a deadman final. I had first lane pick and got lane 1, got a reasonably good gate and was leading into the first corner, went in low and was coming out down second straight then Holly came out of nowhere and hit me so I had to go down pro section and jump back onto amateur straight. I got back on in third then passed Cara on the second corner, kept gaining on Nicole but didn't quite get there. If only the track was another wheel length longer!
Overall I finished the weekend with a 1st in 13-16 Ladies Cruiser and a 2nd in 16 Girls. Can't wait to finally race Junior Elite next Nationals! Bring it on!

Photo thanks to Clinton Tudor
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