Luke Roarty is a world traveler at age 12. The Lime Kiln Middle School student returned from China recently after competing in the 2008 Union Cycliste Internationale BMX World Championships.

Upon returning from Taiyuan, China -- southwest of Beijing -- he had time to do a few loads of laundry and rest up before heading for a regional competition in West Virginia, which he won, despite crashing in the qualifying round.

Last Wednesday, he set off for a national competition in Pittsburgh. This summer he'll also compete in events in New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and ahh, finally, Maryland, his father, Dave Roarty, said with audible relief.

"There's absolutely no time to do anything outside of bicycling," Dave Roarty said.

But that's fine by Luke, who can't get enough of bicycle motocross, a sport which originated in the late 1960s.

"It's fun, I wish more kids would do it," Luke said. "I love the competition."

Luke had a rough go in the 20-inch tire competition at the World Championships, but made up for it in the 24-inch tire "cruiser" class, finishing third in the world.

"I was very happy, I was excited, it was definitely my best race there," said Luke, who added that the two riders who finished ahead of him were also from the United States.

Dave Roarty was a BMXer in the 1980s, during the sport's initial boom. He saw some kids tooling around in the neighborhood on their bikes when Luke was 4 years old and he asked his young son if he'd like to try it.

"He was hooked (immediately)," said Dave Roarty, who races occasionally, but is recovering from back surgery that took place last year.

Roarty constructed a practice track for Luke on a friend's property in Laurel.

Some may remember BMX as a fad of the '80s, but the sport has actually swelled to new heights of popularity in recent years. In fact, BMX will make its Olympic debut this summer in Beijing.

Dave Roarty balks at the notion that he and Luke have already set their sights on the 2016 Summer Games, but he isn't ruling anything out.

"He's 12. If he does this for another four years, I'll be happy. If he changes sports next year, that's fine too," Dave Roarty said. "I don't want his life to rotate around a bicycle."

Luke does have other interests, such as ice hockey, which he says he is just as good at as he is at BMX, although he probably won't be traveling to China to play ice hockey any time soon.

"I'm happy that (BMX) is an Olympic sport," said Luke. While in China, the Roartys visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

While Luke has a summer full of competition lined up, he is already looking forward to the 2009 UCI World Championships in Australia.

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