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Elette Fleming, proud mum to two of New Zealand鈥檚 exciting young BMX talents Zoe and Jayden Fleming, reflects on the importance of being a supportive parent and, above all, giving our kids life skills.

Elette remembers the day her life took a new course. 鈥淛ayden was at primary school and came home with this piece of paper. 鈥楥ome along to East City BMX,鈥� it said. 鈥楩irst night free鈥�.聽 The first night was free, Elette says, but the note failed to mention everything from that night on would change their family life forever!

When your children discover a sport they love - when they start doing really well and keep loving their sport and at a young age become internationally competitive high performance athletes - what is your role as a parent?聽 聽

Elette says she and husband Andrew are the support crew.

鈥淲e鈥檝e never pushed them. There鈥檚 been no bribery. No 鈥榠f you finish in the top eight we鈥檒l buy you a new bike.鈥櫬� Rather we鈥檝e said, 鈥榳hatever you want to do, dream it, make a plan and believe in yourself to achieve it. If there鈥檚 something you need, then ask and we will always be there鈥�.鈥�

For Elette and Andrew, being crew involves everything from travelling the world supporting Zoe and Jayden when they are competing, to being courier drivers collecting sponsors鈥� products. Above all, Elette says, it鈥檚 about giving them life skills.

鈥淛ayden was seriously injured last year, weeks out from the Grand Nationals, the USA鈥檚 biggest race meeting. His wrist required 17 pieces of metalware during a nine-hour operation and he was understandably devastated.鈥�

鈥溾�楾ime to make a new plan,鈥� we said, and he spent his recuperation at the gym, training hard to keep his legs going. He came out faster and better.鈥�

Being crew also includes helping Zoe and Jayden think about life after BMX, which is as important as helping them get reader to race.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a young person鈥檚 sport at the highest level,鈥� says Elette. 鈥淶oe鈥檚 currently in the USA on a full racing scholarship. Jayden鈥檚 been offered this too, but we talked about it and he decided he should finish Year 13 first.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 always their decision, but we鈥檙e there to help them think it through.鈥�

One of Elette鈥檚 messages to other parents is to utilise everything you鈥檙e offered.聽

鈥淭he 爆料社区 鈥楶athway to Podium鈥� programme is absolutely fantastic. For Zoe and Jayden, this helped them realise there are other kids out there just like them, doing all the training and nutrition and so on, and that they weren鈥檛 different after all.鈥�

鈥淎nd I鈥檝e learned so much from it too. Everything from the drug testing workshop to the sports psychology. Oh, and look after the sponsors!