KJ Gilman competes at USA Grand Nationals

MOSES LAKE — On Dec. 5 Kalem “KJ” Gilman returned home from the USA Grand Nationals BMX competition held in Tulsa, Okla. After placing top eight in the 13 intermediate group, he became one of the first riders from Moses Lake to advance to the finals.   

“I had a lot of good competition over there. I met a lot of friends and got to meet people in my races, and I felt like I did pretty decent,” KJ said.   

He finished seventh in the 13 intermediate group of the Race of Champions and finished sixth in the Grand National race. According to him, he got an invite to participate in the Race of Champions, since he was a top racer in Washington.   

KJ said he was happy with his performance. Other competitors were welcoming to him, and they exchanged fist bumps before lining up at the gates for their races. He felt confident he was going to perform well after a strong start out of the gate, he said.   

“The gate drops, and I got the whole shot going around the first corner, and then went around that finish line and I was like, ‘Man, I feel like, I'm going to get this,’” he said.   

KJ said he was nervous at first because he thought the other riders might outpace him. However, he kept pace with them for a while before pulling away later on.   

“I thought they were going to smoke me,” he said.   

He also noted the track had a layout he had never seen before. This track had more hilly spots and created unique challenges for hitting the corners during the race. He said it provided something new to learn.   

“It was something I had to (react to) on the fly. I didn't plan to go manually or pump it. It was just whatever happened, happened,” he said.   

KJ said he made the most of his experience in Oklahoma. He got to meet other professional riders like Cameron Bramer. He has worked to build up name recognition around Washington and now nationally as he aims to go pro one day.   

He said he ran into people whose kids recognized him from YouTube. Realizing his performance has a reach greater than Moses Lake was pleasantly surprising to him, he said.   

“It's really cool that I'm learning and making a name for myself in the BMX culture and around Washington state,” he said. “I've met a lot of people and they're like, ‘Oh yeah, my son, he watches your videos, and he's seen races, and I just wanted to say, good luck to you.’ It's cool to know that people actually know me and get to watch my races.”  

KJ said those encounters motivate him when he gets on the track. It also motivates him to keep improving as he works toward going pro and getting sponsored by a team. Though nothing is official yet, he noted that steam has begun to build toward a sponsorship. 

Larisa Gilman, KJ’s mom, said she gets emotional seeing him pursue his passions and being successful.   

“You want to see them thrive in something that they're really good at, and it does take a lot of time and dedication to be good, and he has not stopped. I can't get this boy off his bike, but it just makes us super happy that he found something and he wants to be a pro, and that's what it takes is the dedication, the drive, the want, and he has all of it,” Larisa said.   

Going forward, he is focused on training and doing more races. He has aspirations of reaching the Union Cycliste Internationale BMX Racing World Championships in Denmark, like his peer, Alli Kay Tatum, who went in July. He feels attending the Grand Nationals race in Oklahoma was an important step in the process.   

    KJ Gilman, right, and his dad Joe Ornelas, left, take a photo together at the USA Grand Nationals race in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gilman said he has aspirations of becoming a pro in BMX one day.
  

    KJ Gilman navigates a decline on the track at the USA Grand Nationals race in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gilman said he learned new things as a rider after attending the race.
  

    KJ Gilman (21) waits to line up at the starting gate for his race at the USA Grand Nationals. He said his friend Logan gave him the nickname “The Prodigy.”