No Bull in Trumbull

Story By Jim Paiva (with some interjections from MC) Photos By Jim Paiva

A modern day “Ripped Vans Winkle” would be hard-pressed to find a better place than Trumbull BMX take his long nap. The track is an icon for the NBL and the Northeast. 23 years ago, in 1987, Trumbull was host to “War Of the Stars” X. If Ripped had awakened this past weekend to the latest installment to Trumbull’s Constitution Classic, he would have seen some familiar faces in the pits, with East Coast scenesters of yesteryear Ken Aman, Rich Farside, and Crit Plate mogul Mike Rodrigues. Sure there would be some beard scratching sights, like paved turns and clips, but Ripped would adapt.

In Trumbull, weather was an issue from the outset, with Friday’s practice and pre-race being pushed back due to rain. Saturday was a record-breaking scorcher, with temps in the tippy-top double-digits, and 94% relative humidity. You dripped sweat just sitting in the pits. Sunday was better with the max temp only hitting 79. The snack shack made a killing on 30lb bags of ice.

The track is a beaut. Longer than most, a slight downhill first straight starts off with a step-up into a steep tabletop that dumps you into another step into a 90-degree big right hand turn. The second straight features a large step-up that you need to hit smoothly as it sets you up for the two doubles heading into the second turn.

Hit the doubles smooth, and you were set up well for the rest of the race. Come up short, as many did, and they would stop you in your tracks. One of the main questions of the weekend was “Are you jumping the doubles?”

The third straight featured a rhythm section that set you up for the final long straight. Many races came down to the wire and “too close to call” being a common refrain from the tower.

With only one Elite Series race left (Prunedale, CA on August 14-15) before the Elite Finals in Louisville on September 4, Trumbull was a good opportunity to get some final scores in before 2010 is in the history books. As a result, the crowd saw some good pro action in all classes.

On Saturday, Elite Men and Women both had 10 riders. Elite men had household names like Nic Long, here for a rare NBL appearance, Barry Nobles, Tyler Faoro (who, we just learned, is going to be rockin the Profile Factory colors soon–maybe even as soon as the Grands), and Javi Columbo. Nic ended up with the win both days, with Danny C and Matt Kelty getting in for second and third for the Pro Spectacular round. On Sunday, Tyler got there for second, and Kelty repeated in the three slot.

Alaina Henderson was flying high over the doubles all weekend. In the day two Elite Women main, Alaina and Dominique Daniels were side-by-side down the second straight, with 3D on the inside (view photo). As expected, Alaina skied over them, as Dominique kept it on the ground. A situation tailor-made for Dom, really, as she got an extra pedal in and made the most of that muscled-up backside pump that she has the patent on. She led the rest of the way, with Alaina sticking in second, and Madison Pitts gettin in for third. Backing up for a sec, Dom also got the 1-1-1-1 on day one, it was Jamie Lilly for second and Ashley Lynch for the third.

Weston Pope scored twin wins for Dan’s Comp in Super-Ex. Jason Larev was there for second on day one and Allen Currier rounding out the podium. Day two saw Scott McMahon for the Standard Army on the left step, and Matt Beatty on the right.

Masters was pretty thin in Trumbull, with only five riders either day. Spidey Percy Owens seems to have scored a new ride, because he was rockin some fresh threads from the last time we saw him in Nashville. Good news to report back to the new sponsor: Percy grabbed a pair wins. Speaking of sponsors, there is some breaking news in the second slot, as Joey “Gunz” Albright took what will probably be his final laps in the GT uniform. Word is he’ll be replacing Tyler Faoro on the Madera squad, as Tyler moves next door in to the profile tent. Saturday saw Brian Strieby grab third. On Sunday Chris Keller improved by a place, and rounded out the podium.

With moto counts in the 90’s to match the temps, there was plenty of action. As mentioned earlier, Dominique Daniels (Grand Canyon University) was on, scoring perfects both days. 25 others were perfect on the weekend.

Luke Roarty (13-14 Cruiser)
Keith Newell, (30-34 Cruiser)
RC Colon (17-45+ Women Cruiser)
Isabel Diamond (9 Girls)
Kyly Milton (10 Girls)
Abby Mac Leod (11 Girls)
Rochelle Wooding (14 Girls)
Cheyenne Noud (15 Girls)
Angela Therriault (16 Girls)
Arefin Milton (7 Novice)
Ronnie Burwan (8 Novice)
Kenny Parow (14 Novice)
Derek Ellefsen (17-18 Novice)
Eric Yuhas (35-40 Novice)
Gabe Hatem (9 Expert)
Nichoas Cote’ (10 Expert)
Erik Meyer (11 Expert)
Anthony Catlow (12 Expert)
Justin Knapper (13 Expert)
Michael Schneider (16 Expert)
Michael Caldwell (19-25 Expert)
Shawn Di Prete (35-40 Expert)
Michael Schlesinger (11 Rookie)
Jeffrey Badendyck (41+ Novice)
Randy Bitinaitis (41+ Expert)

Nichoas Cote’ (10-11 Open) was more than perfect scoring 3 perfects over the weekend.

Other highlights included 6 Rookie Brady Valliere’s perfect on Sunday, as well as his performance behind the microphone during one of the breaks.

Bummer for NBL spokesmodel, Donna Snow. A crash in the first straight in Saturday’s main left her with a broken wrist and elbow. Less than 24 hours prior, she broke the top 10 in the Miss USA beauty pageant in Chicago. From a beauty pageant to staging…we love the dedication, and hope Donna heals up quick.

No one knows what the next 20 years will bring, but chances are, if you find yourself CT in July 2030, we’ll see you in Trumbull.
Check out the 2010 NBL Constitution Classic Photo Gallery

NBL Results Page

Rockford Race Report II – Ams Amp Up the Action!

On Wednesday, we brought you the low-down on the pro/elite classes. No question those races were as flat-out as you can get and still be in this dimension. We decided to spit the amateur details in a separate report, because the action over there was just as hoppin as their paid-in-full heroes.

The Jr. Devo gates held what is sure to be some of Team USA’s most promising talent for the 2016 games in…(as a Chicagoan, still pains me to say it)…Rio.

Felicia Stancil owned the weekend in the girls class, with a matched set of 1-1-1-1s The real action was in the second-third battle, as semi-local gal Samantha Brown (above, middle) and the pride of Stompin Stu’s stomping grounds, Norco, CA’s own Shay Glynn (above, right), did a spirited 2-3, 3-2 back & forth on Saturday (with Shay getting the third round deuce, and Kansan Adrian Sanders getting the tre). Shay took twos across the board on Sunday, until the main when “Sam Wow” came back to stalk Shay to the final inches and grab the left step on the podium. Sam’s performance was especially noteworthy, considering she seemed to have a bit of trouble in the gate, just before the cadence started.

Saturday’s Jr. Devo Boys saw Rock & Roll Cole Tesar sittin with a 3-2-2 going into the main, but SHAZAM! flopped an ace on the river with a textbook trip, and bested the field by a two-second margin. Dylan Cooley cruised in for second and Jordan McMullen worked the mojo for a third. That was pretty much how the race came off the first jump, and finished at the line. On Sunday, Cole was out with a seized up neck, and local hero Tyler Whitfield joined the fray, leaving his cruiser in the trailer. The main was a fence-grabber, as Cooley took the early lead into the first turn, but Tyler crazy-glued his tires to the inside line to make the swoop and stretched out an impressive lead by the stripe. Final order: Whitfield, Cooley, and Luke Roarty out of Maryland.

GIRLS

In 11 Girls, first-round transfers Paige “The Pest” Norton and Shelby Fuller-Larsen put down a 1-2, respectively, and second round transfers Ashley Cooley and Tarah Wagner hooked up a good lap to capture third and fourth on Saturday. Norton was back on the top step for Sunday, with Awesome Ashley stepping it up for a second, and Mallory Otto improving her Saturday seventh to a third on day two. The Jr. Devo pace seemed to bode well for Adrian Sanders, as she topped 13G both days. Hard to question that the heavy comp with the fastest ladies in the land brings out a better showing in class.

True, as well for 14G, as Shay Glynn (above) topped the class both days. In Saturday’s 14G main, Samantha Brown entered the first turn in second, but tangled with Hannah Tavenner and neither would see turn two, after a fairly-dramatic pull of the ejector lever into the infield. Day one was Shay, Heather Collman and Mikenna Koth. On day two, all stayed on two wheels, and Shay put down a great lap, protecting her flank, against a hard-charging Brown. Koth was positioned well in third for most of the race, but ended up getting passed by Heather Collman for the third. Shay and Sam battled heavy to the stripe, but in the end, Glynn got her Profile jersey into the proverbial endzone ahead of the Young Guns-mounted Brown.

15G saw Fly’n Felicia handily dispense with the pack on Saturday, with Kristin Bob and Courtney Purcell rounding out the podium. Sunday saw a changeup, as Stancil and Bob battled down the first straight. Felicia was on the inside, and had a knobby on Bob, but the two got together midway down the first straight, and Felicia’s Phantom-OnTrac went off-track and took her out of the race (depriving Felicia of a “Double Triple” for the weekend). Kristen came unclipped in the clash, as Courtney Purcell took the lead, but Bob got back in the pedals and made it from fourth in the first turn to second at the stripe. Megan “The Major” Pritchard hooked up the third.

In other Girls-class highlights, Dani George and Victoria Hopperdietzel did a turnabout, with “The Grasshopper” Hopperdietzel getting the high-hardware on Saturday and George grabbing it on Sunday. 17-27G had Samantha Bretheim leveling a Napa Valley Crush on the class both days.

CRUISER

The cruiser clash was in full effect as early as the first gate-drop with the 8-Under main on Saturday, as the Smooth E, Corbin Essman took the lead. Local hotshoe “Super” Cooper Sheldon went into the first turn in fourth, and put on a clinic to work his way into the two slot by the exit of the second turn on Saturday. Final order on day one was Essman, Sheldon and Nathan Davids. Sunday’s main was the Smooth-show all over again with Essman grabbing the wire to wire win. Sheldon had the second from gate-to-stripe and it was Andres Papajohn in the three slot.

Action-wise, 12 Cruiser had not much in the way of high drama or back-n-forth battles. What IS significant is the substantial service visited upon the class by local zoomer, Justin Richmond. The Juice won every rack all weekend long, and went wholly unchallenged in both cruiser mains. Now that we’re talking about it, he scored a coveted “double-triple” at the Rock, taking home the top spot in 11-12 Open, 12C, and 12x both days. We saw Justin goofin in the pits on Saturday, not long after a first round transfer in three classes. Just another day at the office…next case!

The hometown Snap Factory team locked up 14,15,16 cruiser on Saturday, with wins by Brandon Ceslok, Tyler Whitfield and Alan Struna (above). As noted earlier, Tyler left the big bike parked for Sunday and raced Jr. Devo instead, but his aforementioned mates carried on the tradition, and took 14C and the combined 15-16C on day two.

36-40 Cruiser is always one to watch, and the Rockford installment was no different. Last we saw Rusty Dial, he was suited up all different like. At the Rock, he was decked in Free Agent threads head to toe, and goin WAY fast. Saturday’s main had him leading…well…pretty much from the “llll” in “watch the lights.” Still, MCS-mounted Raul Gomez was not giving him an easy time of it—until an apparent wardrobe malfunction/unclippage sent him into an abrupt and unfortunate (for Tae Thomas) left turn, taking out both himself and Thomas. Doran Bradshaw kept Rusty honest, and kept the Morphine flowing fast, right to the stripe for a Saturday second. Sunday shuffled the deck, with Gomez gettin gone from the get-go for a win (top). Robert Riofrio had a good hold on second… so the Three-abreast battle down the last straight was for third, between Dial (who came unclipped in turn two), Bradshaw (who battled back from seventh in the first turn) and Hoosier Billy Knies. Come to think of it, that’s how it ended up.

Todd Parry is a one-man “Monster of the Midway.” He’s rockin’ the true-blue SE factory duds, and keepin TL very happy, with double cruiser wins in Roseville and now bringing that stuff over to Rockford for a double-double (and not the kind you get at In-N-Out Burger, which we don’t have in Illinois anyway). George Goodall kept the Redline colors flying fast and in the front, with an early lead in both mains, but TP got the smooth inside line (turn one on Saturday, turn two on Sunday) and snatched the lead from the Gorgeous one. Parry and Goodall with the 1-2 both days. On Saturday, a down-to-the-wire throwdown for third between Randy Bitinaitis and John “CornFed” Noerenberg. It was Noerenberg upon review. In Sunday’s main, Noerenberg had the third by a margin, and the battle was for fourth between Bitinaitis and Hector Mendez (Randy got it).

14-16 Girl Cruiser came out with Felicia Stancil scoring the win both days. On Saturday, it was a battle to the stripe between Victoria Hopperdietzel and Crankin Carly Dyar. The grasshopper got it on Saturday, and Carly made tracks on Sunday for the deuce.

Always great to see mid-schooler, Melanie Cline doin her thing in the 31-35GC class. She served it up cold to a couple twentysomethings on Saturday for a win, but Sunday would see Megan “High Maintenance” Hughes switching places with Melanie. On the weekend, it was Cline and Hughes for the 1-2, 2-1 respectively.

Pro Cruiser was stuck in Xerox mode, with Barry Nobles, Danny C and Jason Carne$ racking up identical scores both days (in that order). You say there is not much excitement in Pro Cruiser? Wait til the grands. I think these guys are going to race for Pink Slips or something. In addition to that black number 1 plate, that is. Word round the campfire is that we may see Nic Long suit up for some big bike bar bangin as part of his Haro deal (though unconfirmed).

CLASS

Even the puniest of pedal pushers were puttin down the ponies in RFD. Saturday’s 6X main saw a hefty holeshot by Aiden “A Bomb” Leaks, which lasted him to the last turn when, after making up a ton of real estate in the rhythm, Ethan “The Bull” Moore gave Aiden the horns and stampeded by with a last straight pass to take the win. Not so bueno for “el Toro” on day two, as a tangle in the early part of the first straight put him out of the action. Leaks grabbed the Sunday win with Alex Thrasher in second.

7X gives us a precious chance to do some braggin. BMXNEWS Test Force Ace, Gavin “The G-Man” Freewalt had a supreme weekend with a pair of “three second lead,” wire-to-wire main wins. The first round of Sunday’s 7-8 Open was also a “News Pride” moment, as the G-Man put the melt on “Ice Trey” Maeker’s lead in the first turn and grabbed a moto win from the eventual 8x winner. Great job Gav! Those “News” colors look mighty fine up front! Back to 7X for a moment, it was Willie “Maze” Hayes and Kegan Perlberg for the second and third, respectively both days.

10X had some ooh and ah to it in Rockford, with a hearty tussle between Tyshawn Carr, Colin Whittington and John Jilbert. In Saturday’s main, Jilbert did the top tube tango in the first straight, and ended up fourth at the stripe. Carr handled all comp with poise and apparent ease. Kyle Rittenhouse with a second and Whittington for the third. On Sunday, it was Whittington with the holeshot, but Jilbert jammed on it and by the end of the first turn had it in the bag. Final order: Jilbert, Whittington and Daylen Pendley.

Walker Finch owned 13x, with an impressive pair of laps which were good enough that, even as long-winded as we tend to be, leave no further reason for comment. Props to his #2, Alden Volle for a 2-2 punch and Zachary Tossett for a 3-3.

We were, as-always, glad to see Justin and Momma Posey at the Rock. 16X is a hot class, with plenty of guys looking for the lead. Jon Jon Rapp is off Syndicate, and just built up a new Intense to rock along with his new Young Guns Jersey. Alan “The Big Kahuna” Struna who, as we reported earlier, took home a pair of cruiser wins at his home track, was also a major factor in the “salty 16″ class. These dudes are gunfighter serious and many have the Olympic rings screenprinted on their bedroom ceilings–and will long after the next Gold medal is awarded. This weekend the top step did the Saturday/Sunday swap between Posey and Struna, respectively, with each getting the respective second. Damian Cherepko got the Saturday third, and Dan Birmingham took the tre on Sunday.

To attempt a narrative on how thoroughly Connor Fields cleaned up in 17-18 Expert, we would need to invent new-improved words for massive, colossal and/or titanic. Guys like Austin Loebe and Jacob Sherbno are double-F-Fast, no doubt. But the ConMan (now “Bugsy??”) had a whole ‘nother gear this weekend and plucked a pair of plum wins from the ABA trophy tree (saver stamps probably, but it did’t flow as well). Saturday, it was Loebe for the second and Sherbno for the third, while Sunday saw Colby Landin out of AZ with the second, and Sherbno repeat in third. Sunday’s main is definitely worth watching on Go211, as the cameraman was having a tough time keeping Connor and Colby in the same shot.

Per usual, 19-27x was one of the biggest classes of the weekend, with 39 riders on Saturday and 35 on Sunday. That meant quarterfinals, and at least two additional opportunities to get squeezed off the track, or detonate in some remote stretch of the rhythm section.
Come main time, it was Josh Study with the pop, and a good lead into the first turn. Unsure if Josh’s front wheel broke loose as he railed through bermzilla, but the bottom line was that his bottom was on the ground in turn one. That got Olijuwan Davis a little off-kilter, and he made it back into the clips in time to avoid a major ball up just before turn two. In the end, it was always-on-the-radar Rennen/Intense flier Max Egdorf with the win on Saturday, with Ben Kubalak in second and OD in third. On Sunday, Study got the better of Bermzilla and escaped clean. Davis grabbed the second and Brandon Elmore scored an impressive third.

In the final race of the weekend, we already talked about how TP brought home a double-double for SE with a win in 41-45 Cruiser, and 41-Over Expert. But the main had some exciting moments both days. In the Saturday Main, Parry and Goodall got to it quick with the 1-2 lead. In the third slot, we had local oldschool hero, Frank Nuccio and an even higher-wattage star in the fourth spot, in the person of Hall of Famer, Eddy King. That was in turn two. It stayed that way until the last turn, where something must have popped King Edward’s bubble, as he ended up with a snowman. Final order on day one was Parry, Goodall, Nuccio and Bitinaitis. Same for Sunday, but a switcheroo in the 3-4.

Within 90 minutes of TP crossing the line, Searls Park was getting back to looking like a nature preserve again, rather than the BMX Woodstock it turns into during the Midwest nationals (meant in the most positive and affectionate way). BMXNEWS was back at the Rock the following morning at 8:30 for a photo shoot and, while you could still hear the faint echo of gate drops and Jim Riley’s PA horseplay, the circus had, most certainly, cleared out of town. A thousand clipped zip ties were scattered about, the droppings of what was, 24-hours before, a bustling vendor row. An abandoned EZ-up stood twisted in the distance, contorted in such a way that it could have easily been passed off as lawn sculpture. Track Operator Jake Karau motored around the grounds with purpose, working to get his baby back to its normal pristine condition. But still, as over as Rockford 2010 now was…it was an easy peck at the iPhone to set up the countdown for Rockford 2011. 357 days, and counting!

—Mike Carruth
June 25, 2010

If you have not checked out the full
Sunday Photo Gallery yet, go do that now.

Rockford Race Report, Part I: Power to the Pros

“The Rock,” as it is lovingly called, is one of those must-attend races each year. A geographically-desirable location (relatively close to both Chicago and Milwaukee’s airports), as well as a masterfully-groomed facility which is constantly, and meticulously maintained by Track Operators Jake and Candy Karau, plus the 60-acre park that the track sits in, are all ingredients in making the annual Midwest Nationals a deliciously-spicy BMX soup.

Jumping right in to the meat & potatoes, Elite Men/AA Pro was about as stacked as it gets, with 28 of the biggest names in the sport winging on into RFD from places as far-flung as South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and even Ohio. South African, Sifiso Nhlapo, was truckin both days, with wins in two of three motos both days, as well as a main event slot that did not quite come up roses (a fifth and a seventh)…still nothing to sneeze at.

Rockford 2010 served as the coming out party for Nic Long riding his new Haro hardware. Hard to tell them boys apart, as they are both way-fast and are equally decked out in TLD threads (Nic is the one with the white bike). No main spot for Nic on his first outing in the new duds, but Sunday would be different.

AA Pro main on Saturday had Strombergs coming out of lane 8, and immediately challenging Marc Willers and Denzel Stein for the lead. Willers got the first call from the tower, but Stein had been going fast all day, and got right to it. By the backside of the first set of doubles (formerly, the dropoff), Stein had the lead. Into the first turn, Strombergs held an impossibly high and tight line and railed the razor-thin real estate between glory and “goombye” to zoom past Denzel into the second straight. Denzel’s front wheel got as close to the lead as Maris’ bottom bracket in the last straight, but the results were written on this one as soon as they entered the second straight. Final order, Strombergs, Stein and Willers. And yes, Maris did pump his fist into the air, for those of you keeping score at home.

On Sunday, the deck was shuffled a bit, as Nic Long, Khalen Young and Jason Rogers took the place of David Herman, Denzel Stein and Randy Stumpfhauser in the Main. Stumpy had strong showings in the motos, with two second places and a first, but a sixth in the semi sat Stumpy on the sidelines for the big lap. Herman also made it to Sunday’s semi, after a third, a first and a fifth in the motos, but got sealed out of the main with a seventh in the semi. Denzel also made it happen in the motos, with a 2-1-2 on the sheets, but a snowman in the semi marked an end to the story for this go-round.

Sunday’s Main had Long and KY coming out of gate 1 and 2. The pack balled up early, and took out Marino and Rogers who were in lanes 3 and 4. Willoughby was out in six, and vectored out of the carnage in a hurry. Into the first turn, Willoughby had about a half a wheel on WIllers, but also had that cool and crisp inside line. Nic Long went into turn one a half a wheel behind Strombergs, who was in third…and lookd, for a nanosecond, like he might light the afterburners and swoop the whole pack. He came out of the turn in third, and Strombergs gave chase. Pretty much the end of the story where that main is concerned, except for KY running off the track out of turn two while battling with Nhlapo. The podium would go Willoughby, Willers and Long.

The Women.

On Saturday, the Jr. Elite Women class made, with five riders, including reigning National Numero Uno, Dominique Daniels. Not much to report that we could not copy and past from any number of other race reports where the Jr. Class was made…Dom won it handily. Alaina Henderson, Keely Kortman and Crystal Kalogris made up the balance of the main.

Elite Women…now that’s a different box of chocolates altogether. Oh sure, you had all the familiar faces of Post, Geving, Tomei and Lilly, but toss in Kiwi cutie and reigning world champ, Sarah Walker, into the mix, and you know it’s a gonna get good. Sara said that her and her Team New Zealand mates are here in the Nifty Fifty for some training at the OTC in advance of the worlds next month. “It’s miserable, cold and raining at home right now, so tough to train” she said in a pre-podium chat on Sunday (sounds way better with the accent, trust me).

On Saturday, Alise and Sarah were in the same moto for first round, and Sara got the win. She would ace the remaining two laps as well, as would Alise. So the stage was set for a showdown in the main, and the dames did not disappoint. From the gate to the first turn, Post and Walker were as close as peas & carrots. Alise had the inside, and glided into the turn, picking up a bike length on Sarah. She quickly made that up, and was back to buzzing the Redline decal off Alise’s chainstay by the middle of the second straight. All held their breath as the second turn unfolded. That turn can be tricky, as “a little high/low” often turns into a little “high-and-bye” as the high gal propels over it. Not to be this time, thankfully, as Sarah rails the outside and is back to near-even with Alise down the third straight. Nothing of note in the last turn, but Alise starts to stretch out a bit of a lead in the last straight, and hits the stripe a good bike and a half in front of Sarah. Courtney Tomei scooted her Supercross 20-year retro jersey in for the third.

The Jr. Women class did not make on Sunday, with the absence of Dom Daniels, so the rider count in Elite Women got a bump from 12 to 15 for day two. Four of the six sistahs in Saturday’s main made a second appearance on Sunday. We swapped out Kim Hayashi and Baylie Kortman for Aussie Redliner Ziggy Callan and Baylie’s little sis Keely (who got second behind Dom in Jr. the day before).

In a bit of “groundhog day” charm, Alise and Sarah were bar bangin and hard chargin for the lead. This time, it was Sarah on the inside, coming from gate three. Alise was in lane four, and busted out an impressive muscle move on the world champion at the mid-point in the first straight. That move made Sarah ride the white line for 10 feet or so, just long enough for Alise to settle in to the top spot coming into turn one. Amanda Geving gets some ups at this point for getting to turn one in third, from the way outside.
Alise lead the race down the third straight. But Sarah did on Sunday what she did not do on Saturday, which is set herself up early and often in the third straight for a last turn attack. As if there was a crew chief saying “get to the inside” Sarah zips to the inside, and immediately challenges Alise for the lead at the midpoint in the third straight. Sarah had the primo inside line going into the last turn, and that was the proverbial ballgame, as she scooped it low and deep and glided right into the lead. Alise put the ponies down to try and make up the lost ground, but she ran out of track. Final order: Walker, Post, Geving.

Jr. Men

Whoa…this class has quickly become one that you come to the fence to see. Every lap, it’s a battle royale between the Con Man and Corben. Either guy can win at any time, and these guys are so fast that you’d have to be on a controlled substance not to put them both squarely at the top of the US talent pool for London 2012. Both guys raced two classes (for Connor it was Jr. Men and 17-18x, for Corben, A Pro and Jr. Men). A Pro runs as the first main, and Jr. Men runs seventh. About an eight-minute recovery time from a wicked fast lap to prep for a hyperdrive lap. How DO they do it?

Saturday’s six-man main blasted off like a rocket sled on rails. Corben had a paper thin lead over the first jump, and into the first turn. Connor had the outside, so making the move for the lead might be a tough do. The race stayed Sharrah-Fields into the last turn, but Connor punched the nitrous button in the last straight, and came within a valve stem of the lead over the last table. A the stripe, it was Corben, Connor and Tommy Zula.

On Sunday, the class dropped four riders and it was down to seven, with a six-man main. This time, Connor had the inside gate, coming out of four (which, at Rockford, is preferable for most to either one or two, due to the dogleg to the outside in the first straight). Corben was way out in lane seven. All that really didn’t matter, because by the first obstacle, they were bar end to bar end and raging up the middle. Corben almost got a taste of the tar on turn one, as Austin Loebe came into the turn high and hard and almost took Colby Landon on a trip over “bermzilla.” No paint was traded though and Austin slid in to the third slot. Connor laid down about as perfect a lap as we had seen that day, and parlayed all that inertia into a two second lead (using the “one-one-thousand” method, not Swiss Timing) by the stripe. The podium mugs were Fields, Sharrah and Loebe.

—Mike Carruth

BMXNEWS will bring you highlights from the Amateur side on Thursday morning, so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, occupy the time by browsing our 200+ photo gallery from Sunday’s race.

Breaking News: Nic Long Released From Intense.

Nic Long has been on a bit of a tear on the track lately. USAC National Champion a couple months back, a strong showing in New Mexico, with a win and a second in Elite Men. Won the Friday night “Pro Open” class in Roseville, and made the main both days of the National.

When you’re winning races, the eyes of prospective sponsors and the world are upon you. When you have some setbacks or drama go down, it seems the eyes of CURRENT sponsors are on you most of all.

Just got this breaking news exclusive in to the BMXNEWS “Scoop” email account.

In light of recent events, Intense BMX has decided to let Nic Long out of his current contract with us to pursue other opportunities. Nic has been part of the Intense family for over 5 years, and we have enjoyed watching his riding and his career blossom while he was running our unique products.

It was a tough decision to let him go, as his contract with us ran through 2010, but we feel this is the best course of action for both our programs, and to let Nic pursue the opportunities and funding he now needs to get to the races he wants to attend.

We wish him the best of luck for the balance of the 2010 season and beyond.

Toby Henderson, CEO VSI Products/Intense BMX

No confirmation (but a heaping helping of speculation, which we are not currently at liberty to report) on what kind of uniform Nic will be wearing, come next week’s ABA Midwest Nationals in Rockford, IL. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

UPDATE 6/8/10 11:10PM CDT: On the VintageBMX thread on the topic, Haro Bicycles marketing man Derek Betcher had the following to say: “Allan Cooke and I are proud to welcome Nic Long to the Haro family.”

It’s Dennison on Day One in Dothan!

The first running of the ABA Wiregrass Nationals saw attendance from as far west as California, as far North as Minnesota, and even Florida, where the NBL State Championships were happening, in a parallel BMX universe.

It was not at all uncommon to hear “12, 14, 16 hours” as the answer to the “How long it take you?” question.

The southern hospitality was dialed up to “high” by the track crew, led by Track Operator, Mr. Wellington Cannon, as well as by unoffical Grand Marshals and ambassadors of goodwill to the festivities, Stuart Harrison and Richard Bunt.

Action stepped off on cue, at 11:30, with 92 motos in-and-through the chutes.

The A Pro Class had two racks, with 13 riders total. Dennison “Black Daddy” Smith and Logan Collins had a firm hold on the class all day, with Brandon “Butterman” Hopkins and Jason LaRev (fresh back from Copenhagen). And, wouldn’t you know…it finished just that way in the main.

A spectacular loop-out digger in the first round brought 7x contenda, Andres Papajohn to the canvas (see photo of the moment before the loopout…would have been a great shot, had he landed it). Props go to his mom for being a well-trained ABA BMX parent and, though she was standing only a dozen feet away, did not run on to the track as the ABA officials were tending to him (until called over).

DK’s Spencer “Coletrain” Cole trucked on home to win the 8x main, after a battle with Trey Maeker turned ugly (for Trey) going in the first turn.

Fortunes turned in 14x, as Cody Dziak ceded control of the main to Brandon Ceslok, a win that helped the Snap Factory Team score their first teamsheet win by two points over Sun Brü

Always good to see Shan Hatfield up top of the pack (in the 20th or 21st century). First in 36-40x.

Bummer for Jon Jon Rapp, who went down hard on the first lap of JDP during the Pre-Race, and bought himself the attention of some pretty nurses at the local patchup parlor…looks like a few weeks off, minimum. while the kid’s kidneys kick it.

BMXNEWS is going to be producing a special Web Zine PDF from the Wiregrass nationals, which will be available mid-next week. Inside, we’ll have more from the Wiregrass, as well as some interviews and a couple “head to toe” features. Be sure to check it out.

Meanwhile, check out the Photo Gallery From Saturday’s Race

Results, on ABABMX.COM

NBL Recognizes Veterans with Free Memberships

The NBL announced this week that, beginning at the Freedom Nationals in Woodbridge, VA this weekend, a new program would provide free NBL memberships to Veterans of the US Military.

A press release said “To receive the free membership, veterans need only complete a membership application, [and provide] proof of veteran status.” While the offer fittingly begins at the Freedom Nationals, it will be available league-wide at nationals and local tracks alike, forward of May 8. It is open to 20″ and cruiser memberships, and Veterans racing both are welcomed to avail themselves of both memberships, compliments of the guys in Gahanna.

Notice that, throughout the piece, we have said “Veterans,” quite specifically. The offer is open to Veterans only, meaning non-active-duty personnel. When asked by a reader, why this innovative promotion would not be extended to Active Duty personnel, NBL Chairman James Bagwell commented on VintageBMX.com “there are more things to come as relates to “active” military. Stay tuned.” Stick with BMXNEWS for more details on this and other breaking news items.

BMXNEWS.COM wishes to take this opportunity to acknowledge, and thank, our brave Veterans and active-duty servicemen and women for their unwavering commitment to the freedom of our nation. The NBL definitely deserves our gratitude as well, for bringing more of these brave men and women to our sport, and recognizing the prior commitment of those already in staging.

Editorial: Is it Time For a Parental Code of Conduct in BMX Racing?

The concept for this editorial, the first in BMXNEWS history, has been percolating for a couple months now. Thus, it is not in direct response to any incident which may or may not have happened in the past 48 hours.

By and large, BMX Racing is a sport for kids. Sure, we may joke about “overgrown kids” grunting their way through a 41-over main event, but the general intent is to give our little ones a different flavor of fun from traditional stick and ball sports-—the proverbial Rocky Road, in a world of Vanilla and Chocolate. And it works. Boy does it work. One reason those 41-over types are giving it their all out there is because BMX Racing is such a profoundly positive and rewarding experience that decades can pass, and the compulsion to race remains.

The object lessons of competitive sport is that it helps mold character—for youth in particular. It helps keep them away from the smoking, and the drinking and the fighting that they encounter on the mean streets of Anytown USA. It shows them how to win with grace, lose with dignity, and work to be better next time, whatever the outcome. At least that is what is SUPPOSED to happen.

Like anything in life, we bring our own personal quirks to the party. Maybe I am an overanalyzer, who counts the teeth on my son’s cogs, just to make sure there are as many as advertised in the stamped metal before me. Maybe I am a “devil-may-care” type who doesn’t look at the bike for weeks, then grabs it and puts Junior on the gate (with a flat tire). Dip the ladle in anyone’s everyday life, and you’ll probably find their BMX life pretty well mirrors their M/O on the Monday mornings and Wednesday evenings between last week’s main and next week’s first round.

But if my propensity is to solve conflict “like men,” with fists of fury, or to viciously belittle the efforts of my five year old when he just isn’t performing like the Little Einstein I was promised by those videos we purchased when he was born, then a BMX track may prove an unfortunate outlet, both for the participant, and all those playing witness to such behavior.

I think we forget sometimes that, though they may be world-class competitors, performing at a level far above their peers (both athletically and socially), the bottom line is that BMXers are kids–little people soaking up experiences and modeling behaviors of those they admire, for better or worse.

It’s tough to address this without sounding like I’m lecturing people on how to act—I’m not (though even playing it in my head, it kind of sounds that way). BMX Racing is not charm school, I get that. But it is the opinion of this writer that a “Parental Code Of Conduct” be drafted and enacted in addition to, and separate from, the “conduct” provisions in each sanction’s rulebook. This should not be a “hidden way in the fine print” thing; it should be shouted from every starting hill and announcers tower in the land. This document would resemble a “contract” (not in a legal sense, but in a “we expect you to read and follow this” kind of way), which all parents would sign as part of the membership process each year. The document would set forth how each governing body expects its participants and their parents to act (and it might not hurt to have it issued to local tracks as a poster, and hung near the registration window, as a reminder).

In making such a statement, I am lobbying for a few specific behaviors to be addressed. These are:

* Leave the smokes at home. A BMX Track is an athletic facility, surely the same as a velodrome or soccer pitch. True, most tracks are outside, and some are on public lands (and as such, people often take up a “I pays my taxes, so I can come on out here and take a piss on it if I want to” posture), but people seem to forget that BMX racers are ATHLETES, many breathing heavily after vigorous competition, and require fresh air to do their thing. I’m not a smoker, so I guess I could be painted as biased, but to see parents smoking in staging, adjacent to the finish line and, yes, even in the infield at a recent national, had me dumbfounded, and hopping mad. Some people speak out, as one dad did in the finish line example just stated. He was met with a single-finger-salute and instructions on where to take his advice (more on that behavior later). Look, you may roll all the windows up with your baby strapped in her car seat and smoke up a couple packs of Marlboro Reds, that’s between you and child services. But please, leave the cancer sticks on the kitchen counter when you’re coming to the track, and advise your posse (aunts, uncles, neighbors coming to cheer on little Cindy) to do the same. And if you don’t, then try not to get all torqued off when someone courteously asks you to refrain while standing on the starting hill. Take a two-minute walk in a straight line in any direction and light em up, if you must.

* Never scream at another person’s kid. No matter how right you think you are, you have no place coaching, much less screaming, your riding tips, admonitions and down right insults, at someone else’s kid. Think of racers like rockstars…you need to talk to their “agent” if you want anything out of them. Johnny Nagrider cuts over on your little Billy DeAngelino and causes him to grab a handful of brake? Fine…walk off your frustration, then re-focus yourself on why you’re here (the kids…positive influences…breathe…say it with me now… the kids…positive influences…). “You’ll” get ‘em next time, champ. If you require a sit down with another dad due to repetitive stress, cool, do that thing. But if you know you’re a hot head, who is likely to melt down and go Chernobyl on the guy, then maybe an intermediary is in order. Have the TO or a race official do the talking, lest your reputation, and that of your rider, become radioactive for the next 45,000 years.

* Race day anger don’t last, but Google’s forever. Maybe you’re a “pen’s mightier than the sword” type, who decides to posit a pointed post to punctuate your position, post haste, post-race. And so you take to the forums and get it out of your system. Problem is that once it’s OUT of your system, it’s IN someone else’s (computer) system. Your online persona can easily leak into your real-world business, such as when a prospective employer does a Google search on you. Think before you write (LOL…maybe I should have acted on that advice this morning at 5AM when I started writing this).

* It’s the pit area, not “The Octagon.” There once was a time, when citizens of Illinois and Missouri disagreed, they met on “Bloody island” — a towhead in the Mississippi River to “settle it like gentlemen,” in a classic duel. The YouTube-age equivilent is to ask a “second” to hide behind that SUV with a video camera while you go find the guy who crossed over from lane 8 to lane six on your little Jimmy (notice how I said “the guy,” meaning this is surely a duel among adults, and not the riders, themselves). How it goes from “something has to be done about this” to “Your honor, the defendant enters a plea of ‘No Contest’ in this matter” is anyone’s guess. Is it one too many slugs of “Gator & Goose?” Or just that frontier spirit that never evolved beyond the “let’s take this outside” school of diplomacy? No matter. Fighting, of any kind, should not be a part of your race day experience. People need to feel safe at BMX Races. If there is a chance that the dad of the second place rider in the 12 novice class is going to go find the winner’s dad and start “throwin them thangs” in the parking lot, how long will people want to come back?

* What kind of “coach” are you…Tony Robbins or Bobby Knight? The factors at play in national BMX Racing are a volatile mix. You have the financial cost involved in being there, the time off work, family sacrifices, adrenaline, testosterone, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat and maybe, for some, a little bit of “If I couldn’t get there, I’m going to make sure S/HE will.” In Reno this year, a younger class had just finished on the track (I’m not going to say which one), and the dad of the fourth place rider (they were taking three) basically ripped the little tyke off his bike and hurried him out of the arena and into the parking lot. There, the already-hysterical kid got ten minutes of the most vulgar mix of four letter words, insults, put downs, degradations and hostile treatment I have ever seen. He was pushed to the ground, his $2000 bike hurled 20 feet into a fence, his helmet skipped over the asphalt in the parking lot like a stone on a pond. I can’t imagine what kind of life this little guy has to endure at home, but I gotta tell you honestly that it nearly made me cry thinking about it. Is it my place to jump in? I don’t think so, lest the lesson above regarding duels be introduced into the situation. “Who else wants some?” is definitely this dad’s tack.

The organizers of our sport put their hearts and souls in to making the sport what it is today. They have made countless sacrifices, spent every holiday away from family and (non-BMX) friends…and in some cases literally put their life’s work into making BMX Racing a better sport. How are you honoring their commitment? And with our national titles and Olympic Dreams, all participants and their families need to reflect on what this is all about: offering your children a safe, spirited venue for competition, fun and family time.

As BMX parents, we need to ask ourselves: Is it time for a Parental Code Of Conduct in the sport of BMX Racing? Both sanctions have rules governing “conduct” in their rulebooks. But I’m talking about much more than “Riders may be penalized and may be suspended from the track or may have their license suspended for their own failure or for the failure of those in their company to meet these standards or for engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct” and “A rider may be disqualified or suspended for his/her actions or the actions of his/her parent(s), or accompanying party.” I mean an honest-to-goodness “here’s how BMXers and their parents are expected to behave” Code Of Conduct.

Take, for instance, the Little League Code of Conduct. It states, for example, “I will never ridicule or yell at my child or other participants for making a mistake or losing a competition.” and “I will demand a sports environment for my child that is free from drugs, tobacco, and alcohol and I will refrain from their use at all sports events.” As passionate and delighted I am about my son’s involvement in BMX racing, I have to give a tip of the visor to that kind of culture-making.

Naturally, the term “Little League Parent” did not materialize out of thin air—a collection of incidents brought it about. And the league responded in-kind with the above-mentioned document, in order to preserve the future of Little League Baseball and set up a “culture” document to which future generations would be expected to adhere. I feel we are at this place in BMX racing today.

Even if some BMX families scoff at it for the first year or so, the very existence of such a document, and the parent’s signature on same makes it a “you gave us your word” kind of thing (for riders over the age of 18, they would be required to sign it on their own behalf). As demonstrated, this is a group that is all about honor. OK, so let’s formalize it, then.

—Mike Carruth, May 3, 2010

Speed Gets Traction With ABA Rollout!

Back on March 1, BMX News reported on the newest brand to come out of the secret labs at Toby Henderson’s VSI Products (home of other marquis names such as Intense BMX, T.H.E., Sinz* Products, ITS and Vigor helmets). This week, Speed Bicycles announced they were ready for the starter to hit the cadence button and get the race started: building a brand new BMX brand from scratch.

A release said:

The Speed “M Series” frames are constructed from custom-drawn, 6061 alloy, triple-butted, hydroformed tubes, with integrated head tubes. Lightweight and strong, Speed frames offer the perfect blend of engineering and design for BMX racing.

The Speed M Series Frames will be offered in 7 sizes –Mini XL, Junior XL, Expert XL, Pro, Pro XL, Pro XXL, and Pro 24”. MSRP is $399.99 and each frame includes a headset.

Bikes will begin shipping within the next few weeks, and the web site should be up & running by the time you read this (or very soon thereafter)

As part of the rollout (to continue with our starting gate analogy), Speed is kicking its promotional machine into hyperdrive by joining as an ABA National Series Sponsor. Quoting, again, from the press release:

“As it has been for over 30 years, the American Bicycle Association is the leader in BMX Racing.” said Toby Henderson, CEO of VSI. He continued: “When we decided to launch Speed Bicycles, of course our first contact was with the ABA. They have been a key partner in marketing VSI brands for many years now, and we are very happy the relationship focuses on the growth of BMX Racing. This Team effort makes us, again, proud to be an official sponsor of the ABA with the new Speed line of bicycles.”

We assume the debut of the Speed/ABA partnership will be at this weekend’s US Nationals in Bakersfield, CA.

Check out the line of Speed Bicycles at speed-bicycles.com

*You did know, of course, that Sinz is properly pronounced like “Signs,” not as in “acts forbidden by God.”

Rockstar spotted on a rockstar

A BMXNEWS.COM tipster from the Inland Empire left a tidbit in our inbox today telling tale of a certain Free Agent superstar spotted in practice at Lake Perris last, night rockin the tell-tale Rockstar Energy Drink helmet. Generally, those are exclusive to sponsored athletes, so we started lighting up the switchboards of sources in the Free Agent camp to find out if a marriage between Rockstar and some our our sport’s biggest…well..rockstars was imminent. No return on those queries yet, but with the NBL Fresno Pro Spectacular race a mere 48 hours off, it should not be long before we find out if that particular rider was telegraphing a scoop, or just forgot his regular brain bucket, and borrowed a buddy’s. Keep your eyes glued to BMXNEWS for any whiff of confirmation.

Team Monster Gobbles Up Wins in Desoto

Jeff Glynn brought Monster Energy Drink on board and put together a “Dream Team” of sorts with hand-picked riders (who are able to keep their current sponsors as well) running the Monster helmet, and getting gobs of support from the Green & Black Can (or, Low-Carb Blue, if you please).

In the “Better Late Than Never” file for this week, is a release we have been meaning to get posted from the USAC National Championships/ABA Super Nationals in Desoto. Thanks to Jeff for sending this on, and keep an eye out there for the Monster helmet on some of the top riders in the sport.

The Monster Energy BMX Race Team made its debut in Desoto, Texas for the USA Cycling BMX National Championships. The team roster includes the following riders:
Nic Long (Elite Men) riding for Intense/Phantom/Ontrac
Brooke Crain (Junior Women) riding for Clayborn Bicycles
Jordan Miranda (16 expert) riding for Clayborn Bicycles
Rusty Nesvig (16 expert) Riding for Intense/Phantom/Ontrac
Shay Glynn (15 girl) riding for Profile Racing
Cole Tesar (14 expert) riding for Intense/Phantom/Ontrac

The weekend’s racing included two ABA Nationals as well as the USAC National Championships. Racing kicked off on Friday with the first of two ABA Nationals. This served as a good warm up for the riders competing on Saturday for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey awarded to the USAC National Champions.

Nic Long started off the dominance by winning the Gold Medal in Elite Men. Seeing him win the first Stars and Stripes Jersey gave the other Monster Energy Team riders something strive for.

In the 16 expert class, Rusty Nesvig and Jordan Miranda squared off. When the gate dropped Rusty tangled up with a couple other riders and went down while team mate, Jordan Miranda when on to take the Gold Medal.

The 14 expert class was over when the gate dropped; Cole Tesar was long gone and dominated the class.
Cole and Jordan both came back later in the day to pick up another Gold Medal in their respective cruiser classes.

Shay Glynn was the only Monster Energy rider for the girls this weekend. She brought home a Bronze Medal in a very competitive race. Brooke Crain decided not to race this weekend. She stayed back training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista for the upcoming UCI Supercross Race in Madrid, Spain.

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