UCI Sniffing Around Skating, Freestyle

By Mike Carruth

In the 1940s, Teamsters chief Jimmy Hoffa famously said “If it has wheels, it’s under Teamster jurisdiction.” The UCI seems to be taking a cue from Jimmy in their latest pursuit: Bringing skateboarding into the Olympics. In a scramble to keep the Olympic Games relevant to a generation raised on the Dew Tour and X Games, the gambit makes good sense.

UCI President Pat McQuiad told BBC Sport in a March 25th article on the topic: “They’re all related to wheels, they’re all related to bikes as such, and from that point of view cycling is the sport that can bring those disciplines in.”

We have heard rumblings for more than a few years on the desire to bring BMX freestyle into the games, and that seems to go hand-in-hand with this skateboarding initiative. What has not been made clear is whether freestyle would JOIN it’s elder brother, BMX Racing, in the games, or REPLACE it.

This fact is naturally making some of us on the racing side of the sport a little uneasy–like when a pro athlete, who also happens to be a top male model, asks your girlfriend to go to Vegas with him for the weekend–but says “you can come along too, if you want.”

The entire sport of BMX Racing has shifted to accommodate “The Olympic Dream,” and thinking about where the sport goes, should it ever lose that spot, is too painful an exercise for most BMXers to tolerate. The sport’s present-day “soul” seems to be intertwined, in a very real way, with the Olympic rings.

The case for the other action sports is strong, to ride along with BMX racing. Both freestyle and skating have large followings, and track nicely with the “Youth Olympic movement.” But that is the “marketing side.” We would be curious to know how the athletes feel about all this. Afterall, most of these guys (and it IS overwhelmingly guys) are in the sport precisely for the fact that it is a nonconformist sport that is all about doing your own thing–your way. No sponsor jerseys, no stickers on the bikes, “party til 5, ride at 11,” and so on.

One has to pause for a moment and ask “are these guys REALLY ready for 24×7 stalking by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and can their roguish lifestyle stand up to the kind of scrutiny and discipline demanded by Olympic organizing/qualifying requirements.”

We remember, with a chuckle, the first few UCI races in 2009, and how UCI Commissaires wanted to impose monetary fines on podium pros for not wearing socks. We can’t help but think, again with a hearty chuckle, “wait til they get a load of these guys.”

Of course, skate and freestyle has artfully succeeded in selling itself without (necessarily) “selling out,” which is definitely cause for jealousy admiration from the racing side of the house.

The New York Times did a story on August 5, 2007, in which they interviewed Mat Hoffman and Gary Ream (Camp Woodward Founder). In that piece, the International Olympic Committee was to make a decision on BMX Freestyle within two years. These things take time, and we are anxious to see how the on-going discussions between UCI and IOC evolve.

Links

BBC Sport Article – March 25, 2011
New York Times – August 5, 2007

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Estrella To Bring SX to PHX

There have been a few rumors kickin around the forums and pit areas the past week, that we may be seeing another BMX Supercross track in the United States before long. Today, BMXNEWS confirmed that Estrella Mountain BMX in Goodyear (Phoenix), AZ is the place. In an exclusive interview with “News” today, Track Operator, Justin Hill said that they are “already moving dirt, and getting the straightaways in place. The [8-metre starting] ramp is in the process of getting its engineering drawings approved by the City of Goodyear, and we expect that to be done in the coming week.”

The track will be a “ride-along” track which will have two starting hills (Elite and Challenge), and will have parallel straightaways…basically a replica of the 2010 UCI Worlds track in South Africa (both tracks sharing a last straight). “We want riders to be able to train on the Worlds track so they have the best preparation possible” said Justin.

Justin’s clearly-stated goal is to offer an additional resource to the long-established SX track at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. “This track will be open to more riders, and will be a little more affordable to train on. We are working with local resources like the Comfort Suites here in town and the LA Fitness club nearby, so visiting teams can ‘plug in’ to a package deal we will set up for them. When they land, all they need to do is show up, and we’ll hand them their hotel keys and gym cards. We will even have an entertainment component set up at the local Dave & Busters so the riders can enjoy some down time.”

You may recall that Estrella (properly-pronounced “Ess-tray-ah,” for the Spanish word for “Star”), made headlines earlier in the year by resigning their NBL sanction and joining the hometown crowd of the ABA. Since the switch, local and state-race moto counts have gone through the roof.

A natural question, given the fact that his will be one of only a handful of permanent BMX Supercross facilities in the world, is “Will you be hosting a UCI World Cup event?” On that, Justin is, understandably, a bit guarded, simply saying “Naturally, we hope to attract that kind of event to Estrella, but nothing firm has been put in place yet. The ABA is a tremendous help in helping us make the right connections on that.”

Another begging question is “What happens after the 2010 worlds? Will you be changing the track to model the 2011 worlds?” Again, maybe more work is being done behind the scenes than can be spoken of publicly, as Justin says “We do plan to change the track in the fall. If the 2012 Olympic design is out by then, who knows?”

All this development is not some “way down the road” affair, for as we said at the top, dozers are moving dirt now, and the ramp is due to be built in the coming weeks. Justin says that they are shooting for an “early-to-Mid-June” opening.

BMX News will have first photos of the in-progress build, and we hope to have coverage from the first events and ribbon-cutting ceremony when the time comes.