Hi there, and welcome back to another blog for Sport Hawkes Bay and EIT. So, what has happened since I have last talked?

These last few months have been filled with heaps of ups and one major down. As we all know, motor sport/ dirt bike racing is a very demanding sport and to say the least a little bit dangerous, and it has finally taken a toll on my body.

Since my last blog my first race was in Woodhill Forest west of Auckland, a demanding mix of deep sand and tight pine trees. Well into this race, Iron Manning the 3-hour NXZC cross country series, I failed to see a stump, causing my foot to be caught and tearing my leg backwards off the bike (not the best way to come off a bike at speed, I know). Following this race, I was out for a few weeks in rehab trying to rebuild the strength in my hip before jumping back on the bike to race at the Taikorea 500. This race was all about redemption from last year. After a very long and sore two hours on the bike I took the win for the 2016 senior ladies class.

Upon finishing this race on this massive high from the win, I soon figured out that there was something not right with my hip, (along with some decent damage to my bike), so 10 weeks on from this accident up in Auckland, I am off the bike waiting on a specialist to find out what’s going on. This is a real setback as it means missing several races that accumulate series points throughout the spring and into early summer.

It is going to be a long road to get back to where I was before, but I would like to take this opportunity to say the biggest thank you to Sport Hawkes Bay and EIT for selecting me to receive their scholarship. Also to my amazing #312 family of sponsors – Functional 360 Fitness, Raiseys Original and ActiveWorx Health – for their ongoing support.

If anyone reading this blog is thinking about applying for the Sport Hawke’s Bay and EIT Sports Scholarship, I would definitely recommend it. The support that it has provided with my racing and studying for EIT’s Diploma of Sport and Recreation is incredible. So don’t just sit there, once you’ve finished reading all four other blogs written by my fellow amazing scholarship recipients, start applying so you too can have the chance of been part of the 2017 Sport Hawkes Bay and EIT Sport Scholarship cohort.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and go out there and achieve your goals.

Ellie Tilson