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In many ways, Samantha Bretheim is a typical 14 year old. The eighth grader at Chisago Lakes Middle school rides the bus to school, participates in school sports, listens to music on her Ipod and loves to spend time on the internet, “talking” to her friends.

Those friends are from across the nation. In her short life, she’s been on 368 flights that have taken her from Florida to California to Canada. In fact, she’s been to every state except Alaska. Does that sound like a typical eighth grader?

Much of this travel and these friends from all over are due to “Sassy Sam’s” success as a BMX racer. In fact, she’s become the American Bicycle Association National Amateur Champion racer. She won that title in Tulsa this fall.

Sam raced in three different classes during the last year. The classes are determined by age groupings, gender(s) and the size of the wheels on the bikes. She raced in “Class” (13 year old girls), “Cruiser (11-13 year old girls on 24” bikes) and “Mixed Open” (13-14 year old boys and girls).

She’s participated in 20 “Nationals” (racers from across the country) this year. At those races, she’s collected an impressive 42 titles. Among her list of titles are Class and Cruiser Champion at the District, State, Central Division Red Line and the Race of Champions. Sam is also the number one National Age Group Cruiser (age group girls cruisers in U.S. and Canada) and the number one National Girl Cruiser (girls of all ages in U.S. and Canada).

In addition to the many national crowns she wears, Sam is also the the winner of the “Top Gun” of BMX Award. To earn that, she won four Mixed Open races, four Class races (on 20” wheels) and has four Cruiser wins.

Although Sam spends a lot of time bike racing, she’s anything but a one dimensional performer. According to her dad, Chris, she’s on the A honor roll at CLMS, plays goalie, center and right wing on the CLHS JV Hockey team and is a brown belt in karate.

Her involvement in all of these activities requires significant sacrifice on her part. For the most part, she’s given up ice cream and other sweet treats.

Her typical day starts with 20 pull-ups. After her school day, she rides the bus to the high school where she spends an hour in the weight room with her hockey teammates. Two hours of hockey practice are followed by homework, dinner and chores. Her physical workout continues with 50 sit-ups, 50 push-ups, an hour of Tae-boe, an hour on rollers on her bike and 20 more pull-ups before bed.

Sam does all this in between hockey games, karate at Forte’s American Karate in Wyoming, Mn. and her indoor bike workouts at Rehbein’s Arena in Lino Lakes. Most of us get tired just reading about this much activity.

Chris Bretheim says his daughter has been sponsored by a factory team for the last three years. CMC has picked her up and she will be their number one factory rider for 2006.

Sam has already accomplished a great deal. She recognizes that she couldn’t have done this without a lot of support. Through the years, her teachers have always taken the extra time and effort to make sure that she’s had the opportunity to keep up with her school work. She appreciates their patience.

She’s travelled all over North America and made friends across the continent. She’s not done, yet! She’ll get her national championship in Reno, Nevada in January. Her goal for the next year is to, somehow, get to the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.

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