Everyone likes to joke about missing warrant officers, but this time we caught a warrant officer doing some pretty extreme things in his spare time. Chief Warrant Officer Morgan Brady represents Team USA in his BMX races during the UCI BMX World Championships.
Teams from all over the world competed, and the competition began on May 12 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Brady, a nationally ranked athlete with a career spanning more than 23 years, has battled the elements and competed against women much younger than herself throughout much of the championship.
“It’s tough. The first day was really tough because I had two wrecks. My hands are a little confused right now,” Brady said. “So we’ve been using ice packs and Motrin and a lot of supplements to bring down the swelling. Just taking it in our stride.”
On Wednesday, Brady finished the event leading up to the championship. She placed 26th out of 65 in the 40+ Women’s Cruiser class and 20th out of 22 in the 30+ Women’s Masters class. While many of the other competitors have been competing most of their lives, Brady is still new to the BMX racing scene.
It all started when Brady’s son started riding bikes about five years ago. Her son became obsessed with her BMX racing truck and she soon followed suit.
“We took him to the track and he fell in love with the track. I mean, I was just a BMX mom, right? There was actually a pretty big group of female riders at the track. “I was there,” Brady said. “I think there were four or five of us at the time. We were doing a ladies’ night at the circuit, and they were like, ‘Come out and give it a try.’ So I thought, “Okay, maybe I can do this.” ”
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Brady isn’t afraid to dive headfirst into challenges. She is currently assigned as a senior geospatial intelligence advisor with the 116th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia. She was part of the team that founded the current unit.
She joined the Army in 2000 and moved to the warrant officer slot much later in her career than most warrant officers. She is deployed as part of Task Force Odin and is stationed in Germany and South Korea. She continues to balance her duties as a mother, as a national competitor in BMX racing, and as her CW3 giving advice to commanders.
“As a technical expert and subject matter advisor to the command, I still have to maintain my skill set and support the leadership,” Brady said. “So sometimes I go out for TDY and give advice, but at the same time I make sure I get home on time so I can spend time with my kids while training and support them in their activities. is also required.
Extreme sports and military recruitment
Brady’s husband encourages her to talk about her accomplishments because not many people know what BMX racing is and how it benefits soldiers. The Air Force and Army are increasingly recruiting from the extreme sports community because they share many characteristics with the military service.
Whether it’s skateboarding, BMX racing, or snowboarding, crashes are an important part of improving. If it crashes, dust it off and try again. Extreme sports athletes share the “never quit” attitude of many military personnel. Whether you break your femur in a BMX bike crash or break your femur in a failed parachute landing, people with this attitude will have the tenacity to keep going despite their injuries. have.
Many people enlisted because they thought they would have to give up sports, especially sports that are prone to injury. For Brady, her commanding officer fully supported her throughout her racing career and her injury, never once having any doubts as to whether she should continue racing. Brady encourages anyone interested to participate.
“There’s camaraderie there and just that little bit of extra stuff that allows you to go to the track at night,” Brady said. “We’ll talk a little bit about work, but at the end we’ll all be racing and having fun together.”
There is a small community of BMX racers in Ft. Eisenhower area, where she trains regularly. Brady recently became a certified USA BMX coach and serves on the board of local track Blanchard Woods BMX.
Brady said training and competitions have given her time to focus on life outside of work. After all, all her actions are for the sake of children.
“For me, competing in BMX is all about balance, and while it can be difficult at times, I want people to understand that anything is possible,” Brady said. “For example, if their mom can ride a bike and compete at a nationally ranked level, they can do the same or even better.”
