All photos courtesy of Buratt Sports Photography.

At EVS, we continue to design and develop products to protect action sports athletes so they can stay healthy and participate in the sports they love. In the latest installment of our Why Wear series, we share the story of aspiring BMX racer Trent Hoyem and his family and why EVS Knee and Elbow Guards are an integral part of his protective equipment lineup each time he lines up at the starting gate.

For Trent Hoyem and his parents, BMX Racing has become a family affair. Trent was introduced to BMX by his dad, Shaun, who was born and raised in Orange County and went to college at Humboldt State. Shaun raced races at legendary BMX tracks such as the Orange-Y and Coal Canyon BMX for fun and as training for MTB dual slalom. It wasn't until the Hoyems moved to Mississippi that Shaun introduced Trent to the sport of BMX racing by taking him to a local race where he joined the BMX Racing League.

After that, Trent was hooked, and he and his dad began racing side-by-side, with Shaun drawing from his past experience as an expert dual slalom mountain bike racer to teach his son bike-handling skills. Trent's mom Amber—a former Division One volleyball player in college—decided she couldn't let the boys have all the fun and began racing in the Women's Cruiser class herself.

The family enjoys traveling the south for BMX Nationals and Regional races, so much so that they purchased a toy hauler to camp at the tracks. As if that weren't enough, Brooke, the family dog, also loves to go to the races and even has her own Facebook Fan page, BMX Brooke. Indeed, BMX racing for the Hoyems is a family affair.

Since he started racing three and a half years ago, Trent went to the Grand Nationals and won the Race of Champions in his first year as a Novice. He turned Intermediate for his second year and placed 3rd in the Gold Cup Championship. Then followed that up with a 2nd at the Grand Nationals in Intermediate in his third year. In only his fourth year of racing, Trent has progressed to leading all boys/men in the state of Mississippi in points. Dad Shaun is 6th in the 41-45 Expert class after some recent crashes, and mom Amber currently sits 3rd in the Women's Cruiser Class.

Crashes are an inevitable part of racing, and since joining Team EVS, Trent has been wearing EVS Hex Pro Knee Guards and Flex Lite Elbow Pads. Although he's had several crashes this year—one where he even got knocked out—thanks in part to his EVS knee and elbow pads, he's been quickly able to get back on track within a week or two. His dad Shaun also uses the same EVS pads and recently added a T5 Helmet after hitting his head a few weekends back.

More recently, the Hoyem Racing Family went to Cargill BMX in Shreveport, Louisiana, for the State and Gold Cup Qualifiers. In the main event on Sunday, Trent got off to a bad start and, while trying to play catch up, ran into the back of another rider and went down hard. With the entire second straight filled with gravel, he tore up his pants and jersey but came away without a scratch. "Later on, when I was changing out of my torn-up gear, little pebbles kept falling out," explained Trent. "If it wasn't for my EVS protective pads, I could have gotten hurt worse. Thanks, EVS, for making comfortable and protective products!"

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Instagram: @hoyemracing
Facebook: Hoyem-Family-Racing