Tell us about your family.
Mark: Cheryl and I were married in 1980. Jeremy is our oldest child; Nick came 3 years later, and Alise was 8 years after that. We were sort of surprised with Alise, selling off all the baby stuff at a garage sale not knowing Cheryl was pregnant with Alise. I would say we are a close family unit involved in each other’s lives, even as adults. Nick married Kim Evavold in 2005 and now has 3 girls, Kaya, Kali and Khloe. Alise brought the young Australian boy Sam Willoughby into our lives in 2008. He needed a place to live in the U.S. to explore his BMX dreams, that’s all. Sam and Alise married in 2017. Cheryl never got to meet Khloe, it was devastating to lose Cheryl to cancer in 2014, the same year Khloe was born. Cheryl was the leader of our family and lived life in a very positive and giving way. Her loss is felt deeply by all every day. She left a great legacy and an example of how to live life to the fullest for all of us.
Alise: I feel very lucky to have a family that will always be there for me. They test my patience at times for sure, but I love our chaos and wouldn’t change it – We are the full spectrum of personalities! While we definitely have our differences, we ultimately enjoy the same simple things in life. Nothing flashy but we show up for each other, and I think that’s the most important thing you can have in this life.
How does it feel to compete in the Olympics?
Alise: It’s an incredible honor to represent your country on the global stage. There’s honestly nothing like it! For me, BMX racing has taken me further than I ever could’ve dreamed as a little girl from small town MN, competing in a male dominant sport that was not part of the Olympics, or even a professional career option for women at the time. So, it’s pretty crazy to think how far my journey and the entire sport has come since that first day when I was scared to ride down the starting hill at the track 27 years ago.
How does it feel to have a daughter compete in the Olympics?
Mark: Very proud and always ready to brag her up! It is such a compliment to be known in the BMX community as Alise’s Dad. To have accomplished making the Olympic BMX team once is huge, to have done it 4 times is unbelievable. It speaks to her perseverance through injuries and dedication to her training.
What has the experience of watching your daughter compete in the Olympics been like?
Mark: Nerve racking. I know she put the work in and deserves the result, but it is not a given. Everyone competing at that level has worked hard to get there and they all have their own stories.
Favorite memories growing up?
Mark: Fishing with my dad on Clearwater Lake, we slaughtered the crappies. Also, going to the cabin for a week in the summer with the family.
How has your family contributed to the person you are?
Mark: I was the youngest of 5 growing up. My Mom and Dad had 40 hour a week jobs and money was not always available for everything us kids wanted to do. Being the youngest, I was a little more spoiled. I had a lot of freedom thanks to my brothers and sisters “breaking in” my parents. I was the only one that got involved in athletics, spending all my spare time playing with the neighborhood kids and eventually school sports. That created friendships that shaped who I am.
Favorite moments as a parent?
Mark: Seeing my kids and grandkids succeed.
Favorite memories of your children when they were young?
Mark: All of it.
Favorite memories growing up?
Alise: Piling in the minivan with my mom and older brother and his friends to the track.
What advice do you have for someone with Olympic aspirations?
Mark: It doesn’t happen without a plan and a willingness to sacrifice to get there. You must enjoy the journey.
When did you realize Alise was at the level to compete in the Olympics and going to the Olympics was a reasonable goal for your daughter?
Mark: After she turned pro at 15 years old and won the USA title. The first time BMX was in the Olympics was in 2008 and Alise was 17 years old and you had to be 19 years old to compete
.
What advice do you have about goals?
Mark: Write them down, long term and steps to get there. Evaluate and reset as necessary.
What does it take to raise your level of performance?
Mark: Attention to every detail.
What is most important to you?
Mark: Being happy and sharing it with everyone I meet.
What advice do you have for people facing adversity?
Mark: Deal with it the best you can. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The sun will come up tomorrow.
How does your family inspire you?
Mark: Since Cheryl passed, they are my inspiration.
Advice for children with a vision for greatness?
Mark: Hopefully visions of greatness are in all children. Some are lucky enough to have it come to them, others go and get it. I think more often it is taken by those who go after it.
What type of work is involved to make it to the Olympics?
Mark: For me, having a daughter and son-in-law do the work and I just have to get a flight and a ticket to the event.
What encouragement do you have for parents?
Mark: Support your children in whatever activities they decide to partake in, they are always looking for your approval.
What is the greatest hope for your children?
Mark: To be successful and happy in their lives.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and/or your advice for parents?
Mark: Always drown people with kindness, no matter how they are acting toward you. (Cheryl Post)
Favorite moments as a grandparent?
Mark: Receiving all the “I love you” notes and pictures from the Grand kids.
Funniest grand kid story?
Mark: When Kali was learning how to do BMX gate starts and would not take advice from Alise, but chose to learn from her 7-year-old friend. Alise was baffled and frustrated.
What have you learned from your family?
Alise: Everything, really! I’ve learned how important it is to support those who support you and that your time is the greatest gift you can give to others. Times are definitely not always smooth sailing, but just being there for each other throughout the good and tough times is the most important thing. Life is fleeting and you have to show up for those you care about.
What advice do you have for someone with Olympic aspirations?
Alise: Believe in yourself and your own path, whatever that may be. Everyone’s is different, and the beauty is that you get to write your own story.
Favorite childhood stories?
Alise: So many of them revolve around spending time at the BMX track volunteering or playing with the other kids while the parents had meetings and things. I’ll always have a scar from stitches on my leg to remind me of the time I fell doing gymnastics in the lawn of the vandalized city park that ultimately became Pineview Park BMX.
Fun childhood memory?
Alise: Love going to the cabin in the summer with my family. Minnesota lake life is hard to beat!
How has your family contributed to the person you are?
Alise: I wouldn’t be doing the things I am today as an adult without their influence on my development all along. They taught me to commit to things whole heartedly, and lead by example.
How has your family helped you on your journey?
Alise: They’ve made my journey possible. I would’ve never tried BMX if it weren’t for my brother and the support from my family to start a track in our hometown helped my journey immensely. They dedicated their lives to the BMX community which really opened doors and made the BMX track a second home for me. Without that commitment on their end, I know I would’ve never taken this ride as far as I have been able to.
What do you hope for your family?
Alise: We all miss my mom dearly, but she left her mark on how important it is to be there for each other and I hope that we can all enjoy full, happy, healthy, long lives together.
What advice do you have for being a good sibling?
Alise: Show up, listen, & support as much as you pester them. 🙂
What advice do you have for being a good daughter?
Alise: Ask questions about their lives, learn from them and spend time making memories. With families spreading out more and more, don’t forget to pick up the phone and call your parents to check in. Nothing more important in life than your family and the ones who raised you, and it means more than you know to them. Same goes for your grandparents!
When did you realize you were at the level to compete in the Olympics?
Alise: I think when I was competing at the professional level successfully at age 15 alongside the women contending for the Beijing ‘08 Olympic spots. I know then that I had a lot of potential to make it in this sport.
When did you realize going to the Olympics was a reasonable goal?
Alise: I think as soon as I heard BMX was going to join the Olympics in 2008. I knew I was too young for Beijing but I set my sights on London and was never limited by myself or those around me to ever think that that was unachievable.
What advice do you have about goals?
Alise: Don’t be afraid to set ambitious goals and create a plan to tackle them! Carrying out that plan being the most important part.
What does it take to raise your level of performance?
Alise: Planning and Consistency, especially on the days when you’re not as motivated.
What is most important to you?
Alise: Relationships with my family and close friends.
What advice do you have for people facing adversity?
Alise: Figure out you ‘why’ and it will give you the strength to face it and grit to endure the hard parts.
How does your family inspire you?
Alise: They inspire me with their willingness to help and give back to others; especially my parents with the amount of volunteer hours they put in at the track outside of their full time jobs for 25+ years.
How do you encourage your family?
Alise: I try to be there for them in whatever capacity I can be and share any advice or support I can offer. And I am always honest with them, even when it’s hard.
Advice for children with a vision for greatness?
Alise: Be ambitious and willing to try, especially when it scares you.
What type of work is involved to make it to the Olympics?
Alise: Obviously there is a ton of physical training. There is also a huge mental component and skill in learning to compete and excel in those environments. You also have to learn to navigate business partnerships and being an advocate for yourself if you want to make a living doing a sport. But, I think it’s just important to realize that there are many more hours spent working behind the scenes towards a goal with no guaranteed outcomes and no one watching, than there are competing in the spotlight and doing the glitz and glam side most people share about.
How has your family contributed to the person you are today?
Alise: I am the youngest, so I have learned from my parents and both of my brothers all along. They led by example and I was always trying to keep up which probably added to my drive to achieve. Having always been supported (as long as I gave my all to something) really taught me to dig in and try many best at things. I am so much like my mom, yet I have some of my dad’s tendencies, and keeping up with my older brothers has made me a bit of a girly tomboy! I guess you could say I am a blend of them all and that’s what makes me, me.
How has your family been part of your story leading to competing four times in the Olympics?
Alise: My family has been an integral part of my entire journey. They laid the foundation of my character, built the framework to support my growth as a person and as an athlete, and have continued to be my rocks and support me every step of the way. I owe them a lot.
What do you love about BMX?
Mark: BMX is a family sport. Siblings of all ages and skill levels can compete at the same event, even a 6-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy. Traveling to the events as a family have been some of the most memorable times. First within the state to the State race competitions and then across the country to the Regional and National events. Eventually, around the world to the World Championships and Olympics.
Alise: I love the head to head competition and the simplicity of trying to cross the finish line first. I also love that there is a community around it that includes everyone from kids on balance bikes to grandma and grandpa.
Tell us about how your family got into BMX.
Mark: Nick was discouraged playing team sports, not getting much playing time because of his small size. He found BMX and took a liking to it and Cheryl started helping drive him and his friends to races in Brainerd and St. Michael. As I was coming up the stairs one day, Nick was asking Cheryl when I was going to come to a race. Golf league was on Tuesdays, the same day as races. The next week I golfed early for league and went to the race in Brainerd. We signed Alise up to race BMX that day. When it came time to race, Alise chickened out. I told Cheryl we should just let Alise do her gymnastics and dance and let Nick do BMX. Cheryl convinced me that she would do it next time and to leave her signed up. That’s how Alise got started in BMX. On a trip home from Brainerd, Nick asked why can’t we have a track in St. Cloud? It’s just a bunch of piles of dirt. That started Gil Umerski, Nick’s friend Brian Umerski’s dad, and Cheryl looking into it. Brian was the one that got Nick started in BMX. After a petition signed by all the BMXer’s in the state was presented to the City Council, the park director Larry Hawes got on board in helping find a location for a track in St. Cloud. This all was happening in 1997, Pineview Park BMX opened, taking over the under used park, in 1999. After many large State, Regional, and National events were held at the track, The City dedicated the park to the Post family. After 25 years I retired as Track Operator of the track and remain a member of the board. That is a very condensed history of how we were involved in BMX.
Tell us about how your family got into BMX.
Alise: The middle sibling in our family, my brother Nick, was always into riding his bike with his friends and so got introduced to the sport in 1997. Two weeks after he went out to the track with his friend, he was telling my mom other little girls were out there and I should try it. Fast forward 27 years and we’re still all involved in the BMX community. It really became our life after that first summer when my parents helped another family start Pineview Park BMX in St. Cloud.