Prior Lake Teen Wows His Older Peers In Snocross

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The best of the best sleders are showing off their skills all weekend long at Canterbury Park -- and when we say sled, we mean the 485-pound kind.

Snowmobile pros are in town this weekend for the Pirtek SnoCross National, but there is a rising star amongst the seasoned professionals -- a high schooler from Prior Lake.

"I try to get out as much as I can, but with school, I got to keep my grades up," said 15-year-old Ryley Bester.

Bester is balancing it all pretty well: school and a budding snocross career.

Bester is racing with men 10 years his senior Saturday at Canterbury Park. He is just one level below pro, impressing Carl Schubitzke, president of AMSOIL Championship Snocross.

"At a young age, his skill set, his eye-hand coordination is developing really quick, and you can just see it," Schubitzke said. "You just kind of know if a person has it or not, and he's definitely one to look out for."

Bester started riding at age 5. His father, Jeremy Bester, says he realized his son's potential for success by observing his failures.

"He just would hop right back on and the same jump he crashed on, he would hit harder or softer, whatever made him crash and he'd hit it perfect," Jeremy Bester said.

He has hit a lot of things right lately as part of a racing team. He appears to have hit his groove under the mentorship of Minnesotan champion rider Tucker Hibbert.

Bester says this sport is his favorite thing to do.

"Just like the big jumps, I love that," Bester said. "And then when you rhythm through it perfectly like some of these guys out here, just feeling like no other, I just love it."

His goal is to go pro, and he says he would be absolutely overjoyed if he could eventually compete in the X Games.

Bester finished 10th place in the final race after crashing. He was not injured.

Snocross goes through Sunday at Canterbury, and they do have heated indoor seating.