MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat is home to an up-and-coming motocross star.
Owen Rarick is eight years old and got into the sport because of his parents.
His father Cory Rarick was a 1984 Canadian National Champion in motocross, and is Owen’s main coach.
Owen got his first dirt bike at the age of three. His first race was in Taber at five, and he has been competing ever since.
“I got into motocross by my dad telling me stories of him racing at bedtime, and then I would go to sleep and think about racing. Then one Christmas Day dad got me a dirt bike and then I started racing on that,” Owen explained.
An event last month proved Owen’s skill, by getting invited to the Glendale Arizona Supercross.
Owen and his family had to apply for the race. The applications were judged based on rider skill, school grades, physical conditioning, and previous racing experience, and out of thousands of applications Owen was chosen.
His trip expenses were paid for, and he got brand-new gear from sponsors.
With the support of his family, the eight-year-old completed his first professional track in front of thousands of spectators.
Owen said, “my family’s given me lots of support, even when I crash and go down I always think that I can get back up and start racing again.”
His father emphasizes that the main goal of his coaching is to keep his son safe on the track. He also uses his professional experience to guide his coaching.
“Because of my extensive history with racing, it’s easy to sort of point him in the right direction, and let him develop as an athlete,” Cory said.
The previous national champion says he is proud of his son, but wants to let him choose his own pathway with motocross.
“Well again we’re not pushy parents so we tend to sort of let it fall into play if he chooses this and likes to continue to do this we’ll support him, like any other parent, and we’ll just do our best,” he stated.
For now, Owen seems to be enjoying competing and practicing multiple times a week at the Medicine Hat course.
“I’m hoping to keep competing till I’m like 36 or something and then I’ll buy some clubs,” said Owen Rarick.
Golfing is the backup once he’s done motocross.
Owen and his father plan to tour in the southern Alberta series and a couple of U.S. races during the summer.
