RESULTS

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST- BMX ‘08 BEIJING
3-TIME UCI 4-CROSS WORLD CHAMPION
2-TIME UCI WORLD CUP 4-CROSS CHAMPION
15 UCI WORLD CUP 4-CROSS WINS
5 UCI WORLD CUP DOWNHILL PODIUMS
5 -TIME QUEEN OF CRANKWORX
42 CRANKWORX GOLD MEDALS
61 CRANKWORX PODIUMS
22 ELITE USA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
19 SEA OTTER CLASSIC WINS
3- TIME US OPEN DH CHAMPION
2-TIME PUMPTRACK WORLD CHAMPION
11 - TIME CRANKWORX PUMPTRACK CHAMPION
BMX HALL OF FAME ‘12
CRANKWORX SPIRIT AWARD '18
HOMETOWN HERO- CITY OF KIRKLAND
GUEST APPEARANCE ON OPRAH '08

CRANKWORX RESULTS

2004-PRESENT

2004 Whistler Biker X – Gold

2005 Whistler Biker X – Gold

2006 Whistler Biker X – Gold

2009 Whistler Dual Slalom – Gold

2009 Whistler Air DH – Silver

2009 Giant Slalom Whistler – Gold

2010 Colorado Dual Slalom – Gold

2010 Colorado DH – Gold

2010 Whistler Pump Track Challenge – Gold

2011 Whistler Air DH – Silver

2011 Whistler Dual Slalom – Gold

2011 Whistler Giant Slalom – Gold

2011 Whistler Pump Track Challenge – Gold

2011 QUEEN OF GRAVITY

2012 Whistler Pump Track – Gold

2013 Whistler Pump Track  – Gold

2013 Whistler Giant Dual Slalom – Gold

2013 Whistler Air DH at Crankworx – Gold

2013 CRANKWORX QUEEN OF GRAVITY

2014 Whistler Pump Track – Silver

2014 Whistler Giant Dual Slalom – Gold

2014 Whistler Air DH  – Gold

2015 Rotorua Pump Track Challenge – Silver

2015 Giant Dual Slalom Whistler – Gold

2015 Whistler Pump Track Challenge – Gold

2015 Whistler Air DH – Gold

2016 Rotorua Dual Speed & Slalom – Gold

2016 Rotorua Pump Track Challenge – Gold

2016 Rotorua Downhill – Gold

2016 Les Gets Whip-Off Championship – Silver

2016 Les Gets Dual Slalom – Gold

2016 Les Gets Pump Track Challenge – Gold

2016 Whistler Air DH – Gold

2016 Whistler Pump Track Challenge – Gold

2016 Whistler Dual Slalom – Gold

History

THE OLYMPIC STORY...

From a young age, Jill spent most of her childhood playing soccer and riding bikes. She took well to competitive riding around the neighborhood with the boys, and when her older brother Paul started racing BMX, 8 year old Jill soon followed. Starting locally in Seattle at North Sea-Tac BMX, Jill won her first National race by age 10 in Sumner, WA. She turned Pro at age 14, thus taking her craft all the way to the elite level for many years.

In 2002 after earning the Pro Women's National BMX Title, Jill moved to the Bay Area for Design School, and discovered mountain biking. A tricky transition, it took time to adapt to the new scene and rugged terrain, but with relentless dedication, Jill acquired a collection of prestigious titles in a discipline called 4X, highlighted by 3 consecutive World Titles from '05-'07. It was in this time that she also met Aussie Downhiller Bryn Atkinson, who would become her best pal, teacher, teammate, and future husband:). 

After five years successfully racing mountain bikes, the Olympic Games were introduced to BMX, and Jill couldn't resist the opportunity to represent her country at the inaugural 2008 event in Beijing. Jill moved to the Olympic training center in Chula Vista, CA for the 2 years leading up to the event, absorbing the Olympic experience to the fullest through all the highs and lows.

With the qualifying points chase underway, Jill had an accident early on which ruptured her ACL and tore her medial meniscus. The games were less than a year away, so she elected to wear a brace and push through. Jill managed her injury and was able to lead the charge for American women most of the campaign. It wasn't until the final stretch, with only a couple rounds to go (18 rounds total), a training accident caused another set back. Jil re-injured her knee and surgery was needed immediately to fix a mangled meniscus (bucket handle tear).

With the resources available from Red Bull and the Olympic Training Center, Jill rehabbed her knee like crazy and was able to compete at the World Championships in Taiyuan, China 3 weeks post surgery! She battled through the motos, narrowly advancing, and would eventually squeak into the main event and finish 6th in the World. With that miraculous finish, she reclaimed the points lead by ONE point, and punched her ticket to the Olympic Games as the top American female.

At the same time, her good friend/ roommate/and training partner Arielle Martin had been in prime position, but a crash in an early round eliminated any chance of scoring points, as well as the opportunity for two US women to qualify. Mixed emotions overwhelmed that day as dreams were made and lost, but Jill went to Beijing and won an Olympic Bronze medal with no ACL, a lot of grit, and a rollercoaster of a ride to get there. 

The media wave took over after that with appearances on CBS sports, Fox News, The Oprah Winfrey show, etc. It was an experience unlike anything else. Jill did her best to make an impact within the sport as a spokesperson through the local BMX events, speaking appearances at schools, radio shows, media appearances, and charity dinners.

Team mates Mike Day (Silver) and Donny Robinson (Bronze) also medaled, making for a great journey and bold statement about American BMX. 

LIFE AFTER OLYMPICS.....

Shortly after the games, Jill had her knee reconstructed and spent 6 months steadily rehabbing. April 2009 Jill returned to 4x mountain-bike racing able to win World Cups, but felt uninspired after the surging Olympic experience. Wishing for a new challenge, she made the switch to Downhill racing and was mentored by Bryn, again, to stand on the World Cup podium in a new discipline. 

Jill currently races Downhill, slalom, pump track, and Enduro for Norco Bicycles and Red Bull, and lives in Bellingham, Wa. She strives for top level performance goals, is a certified guide instructor, happily married, and dedicates time to give back to the community through various charity efforts and coaching. Jill has mastered many skills and takes her championship drive into all pursuits. 

JILL HAD THIS TO SAY,,,

"The Olympic experience was by far the biggest accomplishment of my life. To leave my comfort zone and go back to a sport I left, to become one of the first in history to experience Olympic BMX was pretty amazing. There were a lot of life factors to overcome through injury, losing my dad, being away from bryn, living at the training center, relearning the sport, and the pressure. It was by far a team effort to get a medal, plus luck, so I want to thank everyone who was a part of the process.

Huge THANKS to; my Dad for endless support and 10,000hrs (RIP), my mom for giving us independence, peace, and happiness, Bryn for every day, BMX coach Greg Romero for bringing passion and experience to the table, Steve "MF" Bammel for tough love and laughs in the gym, USAC for stepping up, USOC for a winning environment, trainers for keeping us in one piece, Red Bull for going above and beyond, GT for custom bikes and full support, Arielle for the big picture, Mike King for a path to bmx, my brother for making me tough, Kintners for the love, Scott Sharples for teaching me lots, NBL for making good tracks, my rivals for teaching me to work hard, and everyone I ever met who was a part of this achievement. I hope I represented well, and gave a positive voice to inspire others to be healthy and love riding bikes as much as I do:)".