Family fast track: 9-year-old girl coached by great-grandfather eyes BMX championship

She’s driven. She’s strong. And she’s known as the “Pink and black attack.”

Her name is Ariel Kelly and together, with her great-grandfather, the 9-year-old BMX racer is training to represent Canada this spring at the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships.

She lives in Dana, Saskatchewan, a western province of Canada, and the family’s small town is made up of about 16 people, said her great-grandfather and BMX coach Lowell Ruda.

In order to qualify for the world championships this spring and represent Canada, Kelly had to do well in the national event, which was held last July in Quebec, Ruda said.

Ruda added that his daughter, Kelly’s grandmother, raced in the late 1980s and was the no. 1 girl in Canada at one point, he said.

Kelly, his current champion in the making, started racing in 2020. That’s when she first learned how to ride and then Ruda took her to a race.

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'Pink and black attack'

“I was mesmerized at first sight,” said Kelly on Wednesday afternoon, smiling and sporting streaks of pink hair. 

Her ride of choice is a pink and black bike made of carbon fiber to keep the weight down, her great-grandfather said. 

“Everything about her racing is pink and black,” he said. “Her bike is pink and black. Her outfit is pink and black. Her helmet is pink and black and they call her the ‘Pink and black attack.’”

Weather is major factor in training the 9-year-old BMX prodigy, great-grandfather says

When it comes to training, Kelly and her great-grandfather have quite the task on their hands, mostly because in Saskatchewan, winters can be rough. 

They generally get five to six feet of snow during the winter season, meaning she can’t ride her bike outside.

Kelly has rollers her bike sits on, making it stationary so she can build up strength and keep her legs moving in the winter, Ruda said. She rides the bike on rollers three times a week.

“It's not really a substitute for riding but it's the best we’ve got,” Ruda said.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, she does exercises to strengthen her core such as sit ups, stretches and squats.

Ruda said once a month, they travel to Edmonton, about six hours away, where they have an indoor training facility. There, she trains with an Olympic-level BMX racer from Canada.

When asked, the 9-year-old said she prefers racing outdoors.

“Sometimes I get really hot indoors,” she said. “It's very sunny, windy outside and cool.”

Kelly said she loves BMX racing because everyone’s so nice. 

In fact, one of her best friends, Jamie, is a BMX racer. Jamie lives in Edmonton and her family has hosted them when they made the trek from Saskatchewan to Edmonton to train and race.

“She's probably Ariel's biggest competition,” her great-grandfather told USA TODAY on Wednesday afternoon.

'It's just the two of us': The dynamic BMX duo

Ruda and Kelly spend lots of time traveling to train and race, they said. 

“It’s just the two of us,” Kelly said, later calling her great-grandfather “very kind.”

“He has an awesome personality” and he’s “cool,” she said.

He said his great-granddaughter is a good kid and she’s very positive. She loves making friends and learning, too.

“She’s just a real joy to be around,” said Ruda, who has four kids and nine grandkids.

Young BMXer is raising money to go to more races

Kelly and Ruda are currently raising money to fund her BMX career. She’s making bracelets, keychains and more to sell. They are also participating in a bottle donation drive.

The money will help her go to more races, travel and get better at what she does, Ruda said.

“Everything's far away from the middle of Saskatchewan,” he said.

Keep up with Kelly and her great-grandfather at www.tinyurl.com/409Racing.