Cassap Australian BMX Freestyle Scholarship
Beginning in 2022, The Cassap Australian BMX Freestyle Scholarship will be offered to support the next generation of up and coming Australian BMX Freestylers. The scholarship is the brainchild of one of Australia’s first Freestyle BMX Superstars and Hall Of Fame Inductee - Steve Cassap. In 2021 the iconic Cassap BMX brand was relaunched with a range of select re-issue and new product offerings, with a single goal in mind: to support Australian Freestyle BMX Development. Profits from the sale of Cassap BMX products sold (via www.cassapbmx.com.au) will go towards supporting this initiative.
About:
The scholarship will be awarded annually at the Australian BMX Hall Of Fame Awards, and be offered to one male and one female rider, chosen by a panel of experts. To be eligible, athletes must be aged between 12-17, and be an Australian Citizen.
Scholarship winners will receive a cash prize, along with Cassap promotional material and merchandise to become Cassap Scholarship ambassadors for a 12 month period. The scholarship prize is intended to support travel and training expenses for each athlete. In addition to direct financial support, each athlete will receive Freestyle BMX products from Australia’s oldest and most respected BMX Wholesale Distributor - BMX International. Successful Scholarship recipients will also be invited to attend special AusCycling training sessions (that fall within the scholarship period) with the Australian Freestyle Team and be invited to attend the Annual Australian BMX Hall Of Fame Awards night.
Expectations of the winners:
Successful Scholarship winners will become Cassap BMX Scholarship ambassadors for the period following the Australian BMX Hall OF Fame Awards until the next Hall Of Fame Awards are held. Regular social media progress updates and promotional opportunities will be made available throughout the period and each scholarship holder will provide regular updates on their achievements and progress through their own social media channels with cross promotion availability through Cassap BMX, BMX International, AusCycling and the Australian BMX Hall Of Fame.
It is an exciting time for Freestyle BMX in Australia with Logan Martin being crowned the 2021 Santini AusCycling Cyclist of the Year aka as the “Oppy Medal” on the back of his Gold Medal wins at the Olympics and World Championships and with Natalya Diehm claiming an Olympic Bronze Medal in Paris, Freestyle has a bright future. The Cassap Australian BMX Freestyle Scholarship hopes to support our next superstars to achieve their goals.
Tell us about yourself:
If you believe you deserve a scholarship then we encourage you to contact us and tell us how and why a scholarship would assist in your Freestyle BMX journey. Applicants should email cassapbmx@gmail.com and provide as much information as possible including links to your social media
Supported By
2022 - Sarah Nicki, Roman Depiazzi
The first ever recipients of the Cassap Australian Freestyle Scholarship were Sarah Nicki (ACT) and Roman Depiazzi (WA). Both of these talented riders were identified and chosen at the National Championships held at Rampfest in Melbourne that year. Both were awarded their scholarships in front of a huge crowd at the Nationals. Sarah and Roman used their scholarships to assist in funding their training activities, and both received generous bike component packages from BMX International. As a result of the scholarships, both riders secured additional sponsors, with Romans family making the huge decision to relocate to the Gold Coast.
2023 - Charli Guy & Koby Carroll
In 2023, in front of a sold out audience Charli Guy and Koby Carroll were announced as the latest Cassap Australian Freestyle Scholarship recipients. Both received generous cash scholarships, bike component packages from BMX International as well as Cassap BMX Merchandise and the Scholarship trophies. Charli was also named as one of the Sam Willoughby Medallist nominees meaning she is excelling in both Race and Freestyle BMX disciplines.
2024 - Alirah Norris, Mitchell Brown
The 2024 Gala Awards night audience were thrilled to meet rising stars Alirah Norris and Mitchell Brown who were named as the new Cassap Australian Freestyle Scholarship winners. Both athletes described how this valuable support will assist them in the coming 12 months to further their training and competition opportunities.