Collin Schmidt

A young man from Columbia is making competitors eat his dust in the world of BMX racing.

Collin Schmidt, who will graduate this month from Columbia High School, brought home first place honors in the USABMX National Race Series held last month at Dothan, Ala.

He races in the 17-18 expert class.

Schmidt has been involved in BMX since age 11, racing locally and across the Midwest.

He began racing nationally and in Canada at age 13 and has maintained a National Age Group number ever since. The NAG encompasses the top 20 racers nationally for that particular age group, across both the U.S. and Canada, for that year.

Columbia High School senior Collin Schmidt competes in the USABMX National Race Series last month in Dothan, Ala.

Schmidt’s sponsor, FreeAgent, also serves as the sponsor for Olympic medalist Maris Stromberg.

Schmidt travels all across the country and has competed numerous times in British Columbia, Canada.

BMX racing is in Schmidt’s blood. His father and uncle both raced locally when they were young. His cousin, Bodie Schmidt, also from Columbia, encouraged Collin to get into the sport.

At the time, he only played soccer and baseball.

“It is an independent sport in that you and you alone account for your success or failure,” said his mother, Mary Schmidt.

He is a National Honor Society member, is active at St. Paul Lutheran Church and is also a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Schmidt will attend the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in the mechanical engineering program this fall.

Collin plans to continue BMX racing while in college, perhaps traveling less during the school year.