I’ve been making films and taking photos since I was very young and I just haven’t stopped. Through my teenage years I’ve discovered I have a real passion for photography, filmmaking and now also bikes. Towards the end of 2015 I made a decision that no matter what, I would somehow get to New Zealand for the first stop of the Crankworx series for 2016 in Rotorua.

And I did it! Me, a 17 year old from Melbourne ‘overseas’ all by himself with a media pass at the coolest MTB event in the world. I thought, “this is awesome, I’m really doing something with my life!” Then I heard about Connor Mahuika, a Rotorua lad who rides dirt jumps semi/full-time out of school with his mates. I heard people talking about how he entered the Pump Track Challenge and had qualified.

I was at qualifying and saw him go over the handlebars straight out of the start gate… twice! Even though he was surrounded by some serious top dogs of the MTB world, he didn’t let this get to him. He jumped up, laughed it off and gave it another crack.

When it came time for the finals, the buzz around Mahuika was unreal. Such an amazing, loyal fan-base cheering him on in his home town, as he competed against greats like Adrien Loron, Martin Soderstrom and Tomas Lemoine. After the dust had settled, a local 16 year old who had never ridden pump track before ended up placing 4th out of 30+ international professional mountain bike riders. Incredible.

This photo sums up the happiness and epicness of his achievement and also shows that if you start young and work hard, age won’t limit what you can do with your life.