Alice Rika

Alice Rika first tried BMX riding down the road from her grandparents' house when she was five years old. Now, slightly older, she has competed at the BMX World Championships in Holland, is ranked in the top five in the world for her age group in the Women’s Cruiser class and Junior Elite Woman. To cap it all off, Alice was named 2004 BMX New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year.

As part of her Sportswoman of the Year prize, Alice was offered the opportunity to attend a 21-day Outward Bound programme. For Alice, the timing couldn’t have been better. Fresh from the World Championships, Alice was about to finish high school as Head Girl at Rosehill College.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Alice of her future.

From being unsure of where to go next, Alice said she came out of the Outward Bound programme with a new appreciation for her own strengths and confidence in her decisions.
“It has affected every part of my life. The pressure of competing doesn’t get to me anymore. I go hard, give it 110%, but if I don’t have a perfect race I don’t beat myself up about it,” said Alice.