After years of training, one Tucsonan is taking his BMX riding talent to the Olympic stage.
At the beginning of August, 24-year-old Corben Sharrah will be heading to Rio de Janerio, Brazil after qualifying in the Olympic trials earlier in June. He is an Amphi High School graduate and he has been training for years at Pima County's Sports Park BMX near Interstate 10 and Ina Road.
With each jump and spin of a tire, Sharrah is riding one step closer to every athlete's dream.
"Being one of those guys, it's almost unreal," Sharrah said. "It's like, I grew up doing this as a hobby - just for fun; jumping off curbs, doing... things with my buddies. I mean, it's still a hobby to me."
A hobby that has earned him many prestigious titles over the years. But, in 2012, there was a small setback. He went to the Olympics, but as an alternate.
"London was a good run... I was able to be there and see what the hype was about," Sharrah explained. "See what the crowd, everything - having all these elite level athletes being there and what the pressures did to them."
But, watching from the sidelines made him want it even more.
"That kind of had a little fire burning in my tummy to actually make it this year and really push because that's the ultimate goal here in BMX is to race the games," Sharrah said.
That passion pushed him to work hard and have fun while doing it these last four years.
"Being able to represent the USA - the greatest country on Earth in the games on the biggest sports level, is just beyond me," Sharrah said. "It's hard to put it into words, really."
Good thing for Sharrah, he will not have to talk his way into the games. He'll just jump his way to the top.
This week, Sharrah is also going to be participating in Olympic Day at Pima County's Sports Park BMX at 6901 N. Casa Grande Highway.
The event starts at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21. It's free to the public and children can bring their own bike and helmet to ride the course.
