By Katherine Hoby No one can doubt Tauranga BMX rider Nick Fowlie's commitment to the cause. The 22-year-old was sweating in the hot Tauranga sun yesterday as he helped build jumps for this weekend's Freestyle Sports Open. The three-day event is the largest freestyle motocross pro level competition in Australasia and is beingheld in the Western Bay this year. But Fowlie's passion for the sport goes beyond his free time. "I pretty much quit my job and have just been in training for this event," he said. "I've spent six hours a day on the bike practising. You have to live and breathe BMX." Fowlie couldn't resist trying some of the jumps after he built them. While he would normally wear a helmet, on a hot day he sweats profusely, which could compromise his vision. The Hamilton-born rider expected competition to be tough. "All the best from around New Zealand are going to be here. There'll be guys who've been riding for 20 years," he said. "It's getting to be a really challenging sport these days." Fowlie raced motocross for 10 years before he broke his back. A doctor advised him to exercise and to try a BMX. "I've never looked back since," he said. Fowlie said people attending the family-focused events would see tricks, jumps and feats that would amaze them, including flips and superman seat grabs. "You'll see everything the pros are doing," he said. He hoped lots of families would attend. "I saw my first motocross race when I was three or four years old and I thought 'that's all I wanna do'." Event promoter Lawrence Perkins said 150 New Zealand and international athletes would compete in freestyle motocross, wakeboarding, BMX and skateboarding. "Everyone is welcome. And those here will see some of the craziest action in these extreme events," he said. In line with the family-friendly environment, Mr Perkins said there would be a drug ban and foul language or bad behaviour would not be tolerated. "People might perceive a bad image to these types of events. The difference here is there are high-profile international athletes who eat right, work hard and train. That's the message." The event opens on Friday with free events on The Strand from 5pm until late. Competition runs on Saturday and Sunday at Blake Park, from 1pm-10pm Saturday and 10am-5pm Sunday.
