FAB DAD Top: Kendyl Hart with his sons Wyatt, left, and Trystan, right (photo by Nikki Fredrikson)
Hes your biggest fan, hes the one who motivates you when youre down, he goes out of his way to see youre successful and, if youre really lucky, hell share his knowledge. Hes your dad. Not everyone has a great relationship with theirs, but if youre one of the four Hart children, youve probably learned a thing or two about dirt biking from him.
For Wyatt and Trystan Hart, they can both agree that their dad Kendyl Hart is their number one fan when it comes to them and their professional dirt biking careers.
He comes to all the races, does everything for us, pays for stuff, wrenches on our bikes makes sure everythings good, pits for us at all the races and makes sure everything runs smoothly, said Trystan.
The Hart kids grew up riding dirt bikes, with Kendyl teaching each one of his four children from the age of three how to ride. They all had the opportunity, three of them still kinda stick with it, Kendyl said. Trystan is one of the three.
I was three years old I started on a Honda 50 and I started racing when I was five years old, motocross, and then we did that for a couple years. Then I broke my leg and we took a step back from dirt biking, until we were 13 and then my dad, he had a background in bush racing or bush riding, which is riding through trees, cross country, hare scrambles so thats a safer alternative, no jumping so then we started getting into that, said Trystan.
Trystan and Wyatt now compete in three events: motocross, endurocross and cross country, which takes them to approximately 22 competitions a year in Canada and in the U.S. Going along to most of these events is their dad Kendyl.
We try to be together as much as possible. Thats the good thing about dirt biking, its kept us together for a long time. When the girls were young and the boys were racing, we always travelled together and camped. Basically, youre camping and racing together. Its been a great family sport, said Kendyl.
Kendyl is the president of the Windermere Valley Dirt Riders club and this past May, he and his sons and a team of 20 others from the community and Alberta put on the first Panorama Hare Scramble race event at Panorama Mountain Resort. The event drew 90 youth competitors and 272 adults, earning the event the Western Canada attendance record. The boys worked on building the course itself and Trystan was course marshall. Wyatt, when he wasnt competing, helped the younger competitors navigate the course. He also competed and won the events Pro Division.
It was a good race. It was super awesome to get the win in my hometown. It was the best feeling, knowing all the work you put in it paid off and that it was a good result and a good turnout for the club you couldnt ask for something better, said Wyatt.
Trystan was unable to compete in the Hare Scramble as he was recovering from an injury.
I didnt get to race because I tore my rotator cuff a year ago, which has been a nagging injury ever since. I got surgery in January and its starting to finally come around and, my dad, hes there to tell me if I need to start getting going again.
Hes also there to say you need to back it down and rest it, he keeps me in check, said Trystan.
To say the brothers are competitive would be an understatement. With Trystan getting back to competitions in the last few weeks, the sibling rivalry has already begun. Last weekend, Trystan and Wyatt competed against each other, with Trystan coming away with the win and Wyatt close behind with a second place finish.
Super competitive. They were very close and the rest of them werent to be seen. They led the whole way it was an awesome race, said Kendyl proudly.
Last year, Wyatt competed at his first X Games, placing 17th out of 26 competitors in an event with a highly technical track.
Its an amazing feeling to see them doing well, Kendyl said.
Watching his kids compete at such a high level has been exciting for Kendyl.
Hair straight back it is, theyre so fast. (Its) very exciting sometimes, nerve-racking, especially for my wife (Pam). Shes not as easy with it. Were at that level now, that pro level now, where things can go wrong and somehow they hold it together. Its very intense, he said.
Kendyl competed in off-road cross country when he was around 17 years old, starting with his friends when he was 12. For him, dirt biking is a passion that hes been able to pass on, along with his knowledge, to his kids. His daughters, Taylor and Quintynn, both compete in dance and soccer, but the youngest, Quintynn, is starting to compete again in dirt biking, and placed second in her division at the Panorama Hare Scramble.
You can find the Harts, when theyre not working or at a competition, working on their bikes and practising on one of three tracks on their property. The tracks are all customizable for the kids to practice all three styles of dirt biking. However, you wont find Kendyl riding those tracks with the boys.
Theyre at a different level than me, he said with a laugh.
But he will do fun rides on Tuesday nights with his sons and his friends they all go out together every week. So even dear old dad gets some time in on his bike.
From supporting his children on the soccer field, at the dance studio and by working on their bikes in his free time, Kendyl Hart is one dedicated father.
Hes my biggest supporter and sponsor, probably my number one fan as well, said Wyatt.
The next event Kendyl and his boys are preparing for is Red Bulls Rocks and Logs competition in Calgary on June 25th.
