Local BMX rider Charlie Hunt won two BMX championships over the Thanksgiving break in the 2012 USA Grand National competition.

The Grand National competition is the final race of the year and is a three-day event.

“I won the Grands over Thanksgiving break on both bikes in my age group,” said Hunt.

Normally, Hunt races a bike with 20-inch wheels in the expert division for ages 28 to 35. He also races a cruiser with 24-inch wheels against competitors ages 26 to 30.

Graduating from McEachern High School in 2002, Hunt is a 30-year-old Paulding County resident who attends New Seasons Church in Hiram and lives with his wife of more than three years, Jamie Hunt, and 11-year-old son, Preston Parra.

In 1997, at age 15, Hunt went into a bike shop to get his bike fixed and became interested in going to nationals. He watched the competition over that following weekend and went back to the shop with aspirations of competing the next year.

“I saw the sport and liked that it wasn’t a team sport. I don’t like to lose because of other people. This way if I lose, it was all me,” Hunt said.

Hunt began at the lowest level, novice, in 1997 and moved up to the pro level in 1998, where he raced between work and school, until 2010.

After suffering numerous injuries over a three-month span in 2010, Hunt decided to take a break from racing for a while.

Once he was healed and ready to get back on the track, Hunt said he decided to keep his BMX to a fun hobby.

“I decided not to travel, just race locals and have fun. I turned down some offers too,” said Hunt.

Eventually his wife talked him into getting back on the big scene and traveling, a fact Hunt said she sometimes regrets.

With all the practicing Hunt does and the four-day weekends he takes for racing, Hunt said he is away from home quite a bit.

Hunt currently rides for Morphine Industries, based out of Florida, and he said he can’t thank them enough for all they do. Hunt is also sponsored by Alienation, Cliq, DK Bicycles, Haro Bikes, Hawk Racing and Tioga Tires.