Lexi Wohlers, of Westfield and her trophies. The jacket and plate are from her National Championship win.
WESTFIELD – Six-year-old Westfield native, Lexi Wohlers bounces into her kitchen on a Saturday morning, choppy blonde hair falling well above her shoulders.
She is wearing a pink and blue kitten pajama shirt and pajama pants with green frogs on them. Her identical twin sister, Zoey, follows closely behind her, in a similarly non-matching getup.
Lexi is just like any other rambunctious little girl…except that she has a special skill.
At two and a half years old, Lexi was biking.
Since then, she has raced in over 10 states as a BMX biker, taking after her father, Joe Wohlers.
Her brother and sister also enjoy biking, but her father, a BMX national team coach called “Zero Tolerance” admits that Lexi was the most interested and aggressive about the sport.
In late October of 2013, after winning the Disney Cup Championship in Florida, Lexi had herself positioned as the leader in national points for her age group.
It was then that the Wohlers family made the decision to have Lexi participate in the BMX National Championship in the upcoming month.
Many local friends and family in Westfield helped fund their trip. They also had many generous sponsors, including SE Racing, Answer Racing, Stealth Hubs, Fly Racing, Ingenious Group, Full Circle Bike Shop, and Prolamina.
Over Thanksgiving weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lexi went against about 20 other young bikers from all around the country in the National Championship.
Lexi, with her custom made bike and fearless resolve, made it easily through each round.
Unsurprisingly to all who know how competitive and athletic the young girl is, she came in first place.
Lexi climbs up onto a chair, peering toward me with curious blue eyes.
When asked what she’s thinking about while racing, she admits with a coy grin that her focus is on not falling. Sometimes she does, though. What does she do then?
“Get up.”
The blonde spitfire leaves the room, apparently no longer interested in talking about her achievements. Her father, though, divulges just how meaningful Lexi’s victory was.
“She was the only person in the state of Massachusetts to win a title in 2013,” Wohlers declares proudly.
Great things really do come in small packages.
Lexi bounces back in, with lipstick messily smeared across her lips and green and blue eye shadow all over her face.
When asked about what it feels like being the number one ranked female BMX biker her age, Lexi’s competitive edge finally comes out:
“My trophy’s bigger than any of my brother’s trophies.”
Lexi’s next turn will take her to a Gold Cup competition in New York in April, then to a Canadian National in Kingston, Ontario.
