Brothers, Toby and Rory, are like any other 8 and 10 year old boys except for one thing. Almost every afternoon they try to finish their homework at school, because they are off to the BMX track to practice BMX racing as soon as they get the chance. The lack of fresh air, often hot and humid weather conditions, lack of proper BMX training facilities and time pressures as full time students have never deterred these boys from pursuing their passion. They have given up birthday parties, playdates and many carefree, lazy weekends to perfect their sport. Both boys, permanent residents of Hong Kong, started riding at the tender young age of 2. 

Their hard work has paid off. Both boys hold a string of New Zealand and Hong Kong BMX titles (the latter as champions for the past 4 years in a row) and last year Rory won 3rd place at the UCI BMX World Championship in the Netherlands.

Despite their phenomenal success in elite sport at such a young age, the two brothers are surprisingly down to earth, polite and just plain sweet. Toby answers shyly whenever he is asked a question and Rory, who still has the last vestiges of baby fat in his impish cheeks, is rarely without a smile. They are a tightly knit family of 4 who lives life to the fullest, full of hopes, dreams, hard work and resilience.

This year, the two brothers hope to compete in the UCI BMX World Championships 2015 in Belgium from July 17-25. The financial pressure for a middle class Hong Kong family pursuing this expensive sport is huge. Father Steve is the boys' enthusiastic full time coach. His dedication to the sport and to his boys' training has been reflected in the fact that he built, by hand, a 3 hectare BMX/DJ park that he personally designed (he is the proud owner of a cement mixer) with only the help of a few good friends. This was due to the severe lack of adequate training tracks for the boys in Hong Kong. Steve's ties to BMX run deep - he is a former Hong Kong BMX downhill champion himself and he raced BMX as a child. 

The family is confident that friends and family will be enthusiastic supporters but they also hope to reach out to the public. The boys’ success story is an old fashioned story of hard work, inspiration and talent. With a bit of luck, the boys will come home to Hong Kong at the end of this summer with more titles!

UCI BMX World Championships 2015 in Belgium

The Boys' Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boy.meeks?fref=ts

Purpose of crowdfunding and how the funds will be used

$40,000 – return economy airfare from Hong Kong to Belgium for the family of 4

$20,000 – 2 week stay in a budget hotel for pre competition training and competition days

$20,000 x 2 – BMX bikes

$15,000 x 2 – safety equipment including safety helmets

TOTAL:  HK$130,000

(This amount does not include food and other incidentals.)

Through FringeBacker, we are hoping to raise HK$20,000 to at least help to defray some of the costs. Any further funding is welcome and it will ease the pressure on our shoulders. 

Execution Plan

1. Crowdfunding period – May 19 - July 12 
2. Flight date July 6 – depart for training in Belgium
3. Tournament dates – July 21 - July 25