Amanda Carr was a jack of all trades while growing up in Punta Gorda. She is known as one of the greatest athletes to ever attend Charlotte High School. While with the Tarpons, Carr earned a record-breaking 17 varsity letters. She played pretty much every sport offered from soccer, to track, to golf, to softball, and many more.
"It was just time management," Carr said. “My number one focus was being involved.”
Carr played six different sports in just her senior year in order to break the record. She then went on to play Division I soccer at NC State and ran track at Florida State.
“I remember thinking, 'I wonder what my life is going to be like when I’m inducted into the hall of fame,'" she said.
That dream became a reality this past Fall when Amanda was inducted into the Charlotte High School Hall of Fame 15 years after graduating. However, being a hall of famer is just one bullet point on Amanda Carr's lengthy resume.
After Hurricane Charley devastated her hometown of Punta Gorda in 2004, the only TV channel Carr had access to was NBC2. At that time, the Athens Olympics were taking place. Amanda remembers vividly watching the games and dreaming of competing on the world's biggest stage.
So Carr turned to her first love – BMX.
“My dad brought me here," Carr said while looking out at Charlotte BMX. "I stood on the fence line and I said, 'Dad we have to get my bike now.'”
Amanda got her first bike at five years old. By the time she was 16, Carr had already won two amateur world championships. Then when she was 19 and at Florida State, she garnered the attention of USA Cycling.
“'Hi Amanda we’d like you to join the Olympic long team with an opportunity to make the Olympic short team for Team USA,'” she recalled from a letter she received from Team USA.
Carr trained with Team USA for a couple of years, saying it was extremely challenging and made her better. Carr attempted to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. She was ranked top-10 in the world, but based on country allocations, she didn't make the US team.
Amanda didn't give up on her dream, though. She kept training and joined the Thailand national team, which is where her mother is originally from. Carr won gold at the 2014 Asian Games, which she says vaulted her into Michael Phelps stardom in Thailand.
Carr carried that momentum into the 2016 Rio Olympics. While she only finished in 12th, she says the experience was about more than just the final result.
“The pride that I saw in my mom and my family because they’re very poor peasant rice farmers," Carr said. "They were like, 'We made it!' I’m like, 'Yeah, we made it!'”
After the 2016 games, Amanda decided to stop riding, but she couldn't step away from the sport completely. So, Carr came back to her hometown and is now giving back to the next generation of riders as the President of Charlotte BMX.
“This place has always been special to me," Carr said.
Amanda is following in her father's footsteps. He was also the president of the track back when she was just learning the sport. The position is completely volunteer, but it's important to Carr that the young riders see her as inspiration for what they could achieve.
“When they look at me they realize it’s possible," Carr said. "It’s not some guy on YouTube. I’m a real human and it is truly achievable.”