USAC BMX Elite Portraits
January 28, 2012 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
During our trip to the US Olympic Training Center/Chula Vista earlier this month, we were privileged to shoot individual headshots of all the riders taking part in the Elite Camp. We thought you’d enjoy seeing some of your favorite riders suited up in their Team USA Jerseys.
We are saving the goof-around outtakes for a more opportune time 
Check Out The Photo Gallery Now
Chase BMX and Tioga Step Up For Jr. Devo
January 25, 2012 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
USA Cycling released a statement a week or so ago celebrating the signing of Chase BMX and Tioga as marquee sponsors of the USA Cycling BMX Jr. Development program for 2012 and 2013.
The program is entering its third year of organized camps, and has fostered some impressive talent in its time. The ABA (now USA BMX) gave a major boost to the program in July of 2009, when it added a dedicated series-within-a-series expressly for 15 and 16 year olds (using UCI Birthday criteria) to compete alongside the Elite classes in the national program.
As we look past London 2012, and on to Rio 2016, the Jr. Development program will take on added importance and prestige, with 1997 birth-year riders getting prepared to show what they have on the big track.
Pete Dylewski has been up close and personal with the Jr. Devo program since its inception. As the Marketing Manager for VSI products in 2009, it was his magic touch that brought Intense BMX to the table as a sponsor of the program in the early years. With Pete currently in a “strategic partner” capacity in Christophe Leveque’s BMX Racing Group, and as a marketing and team consultany to Tioga BMX, he has buddied up with USAC again, bringing Chase BMX and Tioga to the table as sponsors of the program for the next two years.
And while USAC’s press release on the subject (linked below) provides great surface detail on the partnership, BMX News is always interested in a deeper-dive on the backstory, and perspective of the movers, shakers and news makers behind the headlines (if you’ll allow the shameless plug on our own behalf).
In this, the 50th episode of BMX News “Announcers Tower,” Pete gives us some great insight into the history of the program, what happens when riders attend one of the four annual camps, and the longview on talent development. We also took this opportunity to get some scoop on how things are developing at BMX Racing Group, in general.
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USA Cycling Junior Development Page
Editors Note: Our side of the interview had some sound difficulties, due to a software update on our Skype application. Apologies for any “tin can” effect.
USAC Elite Camp Brings The Best to Chula V
January 24, 2012 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
A major contingent of Elite “Team USA” BMX Supercross talent flew in to the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA last week for the first Elite Development camp of 2012. BMXNEWS.COM was granted exclusive access to shoot some action during one of the training sessions.
We clipped the set down to the 49 best shots of the session, and are bringing them to you as soon as we got them dialed in. It was an amazing day for shooting in San Diego, and the riders were definitely in the zone.
The camp included 19 athletes in all, but Joey Bradford and David Herman had other commitments for the photo session timeframe. And Nic Long, Felicia Stancil and Tyler Brown posted early injuries and could not ride. We wish them a speedy recovery!
Other stars out of orbit this camp; Connor Fields and Alise Post were out of the country and Mike Day and Corben Sharrah were out of town on GT biz. We vowed to catch them on-course next time.
Click Here to View the Gallery
A big thanks to: Mike King, Andrea Smith and James Herrera at USA Cycling for letting us peek into their day. Team USA is readying some amazing talent for London, and this glimpse into their routine gives us a special kind of pride as Americans. Equal thanks goes to Amanda Carr, Amanda Geving, Arielle Martin, Barry Nobles, Brooke Crain, Dani George, Donny Robinson, Jared Garcia, Jason Rogers, Josh Meyers, Kory Cook, Tyler Faoro and Weston Pope for their style and willingness to “do that again!”
—Mike Carruth
Above: Barry Nobles gets it done on the second straight aboard his new DK scoot.
Felicia Stancil Out With Hand Injury
January 12, 2012 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
Bad news out of the OTC yesterday. Felicia Stancil, who was in Chula Vista attending a 10-day Elite training camp, suffered a fractured hand in a warmup accident on Tuesday.
Her right hand is in a cast, and it is expected that the healing time should be six to eight weeks. If all goes to plan, she will be back in the game just in time for the Chula Vista SX and National Championships at the end of March.
Felicia sent the following account of what happened to BMX News:
I’m at the OTC for an Elite camp, and we had a track practice Tuesday morning on the ABA track. While warming up, the girls riding the second and third straight. Everything was fine, but then i jumped the last jump on the third straight–when I landed, I slid out.
I wasn’t in that much pain at first, and was focused on getting off the track before the guys came along. When I sat down, my right hand was throbbing. I took my glove off and my hand seriously looked like a balloon.
Usually, the pain from a crash goes away in a couple minutes, but my hand kept getting worse, and thats when I knew there was something wrong. Some of us thought the bone was just popped out of place, but then Reiko (the sports med trainer at the OTC) told me it was too low for it to be that.
Within an hour of my crash, I was getting X-rays of my hand. Directly after the first image, the technician told me that I probably wasn’t going to be riding my bike for a while. They soon gave me the legit news that my hand is fractured. I had no response, except to cry.
After a while, my coach helped me settle down and helped me realize what’s done is done, that I should stop getting worked up about something I can’t control and to start looking at the things I can control.
That helped a lot, and now I’m just focusing on being 100% by the Chula Supercross. Last time I had a major injury, I came back better then ever.
This time, its just my hand so I can still do a lot of gym work. Its going to be a challenge but you’ll see me ripping it up soon.
–Felicia
The injury comes at a particularly inconvenient time, as the news of her sponsorship change to GT has not even been officially announced yet. Of course, there is plenty of 2012 season left when she comes back in March so, in the longview, this should not be more than a blip.
Felicia is one of our most promising athletes and a true champion. All our chips are on her to make a strong comeback. Still, words of encouragement from the fans are a huge help. Come on over to Vintage and give her your best…we know she’ll read them.
Podcast: USA Cycling Collegiate BMX Program
December 21, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
Since seeing the press release earlier this month, announcing that BMX Racing will be included in the USA Cycling Collegiate Cycling Program, we have been blitzed with interest from readers, parents, track operators and a sponsor or two, looking for more information on the topic, and just how deep this program will go.
Some people had NCAA concerns, such as “can a rider participate in the Collegiate BMX Program, and still race Pro-Am races, or accept endorsement deals?” (Yes, by the way, since Collegiate Cycling is not an NCAA-recognized sport). Other readers were curious about scholarship programs or the list of schools that might field BMX teams.
We set out to bring together a list of questions for the community, then sit down with the man who knows the most about the program within USA Cycling–Jeffrey Hansen, High School and Collegiate Program Manager.
Some of the finer details are still coming together, but in this Podcast, you’ll learn a lot about where the program is headed in 2012-2013, and how you can start a “BMX Club” at your school to get the ball rolling.
You don’t have to be Nostradameus to be able to see how this program could dramatically increase the size of the participation pool in BMX Racing, as well as the overall public profile of the sport, once fully realized.
Give it a listen, then come on over to the VintageBMX.com forum, where the discussion is underway, and your questions can be answered.
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Upcoming Story: USAC Adds Collegiate BMX Category
December 13, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
Last week, Dave Grigsby from Lindsey Wilson College shared a link on our Facebook page with news that USA Cycling has added a Collegiate BMX category for the first time at the 2012 National Championships in Chula Vista. BMX Racing will be the fifth collegiate cycling discipline, and it seems obvious that this fact may open up a new universe of possibilities for the sport.
A lot of the finer points are still being ironed out, but News thought this was cool enough news to give you a little teaser. We reached out to USA Cycling earlier this week, and are planning a more complete story on how this will work, and what it might mean to Joe College BMXer, later in the week.
Stay tuned to BMXNEWS.COM for more info on this topic.
Sweet 16 For Alise–Stronger Every Day
November 18, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
On July 24 of this year, BMX News reported that Factory Redline Elite Women ace, Alise Post would be sidelined for the balance of the 2011 season, due to an injury suffered during training for the UCI World Championships. One week later, Alise was in Vail, CO for knee surgery, and that would be the starting point by which her recovery would be measured.
Fast forward 16 weeks. Alise is well past the wheelchair, cleared the crutches, and is ambulating on her own two feet. She does a great job of keeping the fans up to date on her progress, and sent News the following update last night:
Today marks 16-weeks, post-op for my knee surgery. I am EXTREMELY excited about this, because 16 weeks is a very important point in the rehab process.
With a normal knee injury, say an ACL, or even if I had just torn my LCL, the rehab process would’ve progressed a lot more aggressively. However, due to my torn hamstring tendon having to be reattached on top of the LCL reconstruction graft, my rehab plan needed to be more conservative than others.
The combination of injuries is what made my case so rare to many of the people working with me. The fact that your hamstrings are so strong poses a problem in healing, once re-attached, because it is easy to rip-apart the work that was done in the surgery if a re-attached hamstring is engaged too soon. Needless to say, my therapists and I have had to be very creative on how to go about strengthening my leg and ligament without engaging too much of my hamstring. Today, this all changes!
16-weeks is a big corner to turn, in that now I can use my hamstring freely and starting lateral work on my ligament. These are key to my rehab process, because they allow me to actually start sport-specific rehab and put strength and agility back into my knee, which are obviously big stepping-stones back into regular training.
I am off to see the doctor in Vail again next week, the day before Thanksgiving. This will be the last visit, and hopefully I’ll get the “all clear” on everything I am writing about. My therapists and I have no doubts that Dr. LaPrade will be impressed with the stability and progression of my knee. Well, at least I sure hope so! It has been a long process, but we have all been on top of our game and doing absolutely everything possible to get me back healthy! I can’t thank everyone enough, because I truly believe I am exactly where I should be, if not ahead.
I also feel ready to start sharing a bit of more of my story. I know I haven’t been the best about video blogging or keeping everyone fully in the loop on my progress. The truth is, I needed to take some time for myself to be sure I was where I wanted to be. Now that I am happy with where I am at though, I feel I am ready to share some more of my internal thoughts and details about the process I have been going through. I will be doing this on my Redline Blog pretty regularly leading up to Grands next week. I have tickets, and will be there to support my friends, family, and Redline Squad for the “Greatest Race on Earth!!” Follow me on Twitter for daily updates @alisepost11
Thanks for reading and for your continued support. I cannot put into words how much it helps to know there are so many people backing me, through thick and thin. I hope you enjoy the blog updates…See ya’ll in Tulsa!
-Alise
A big BMX News congrats to Alise for making it swiftly and safely to this milestone. More with #11 from the fenceline at the 2011 ABA Grands next week.
Podcast: Arielle Martin on Chula Vista Win
October 12, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
A World Cup win has been a long time coming for Arielle Martin–and, indeed, the USA Women’s BMX effort, as a whole. In fact, one thing you’ll learn in listening to this interview is that the United States has never won a World Cup event on the women’s side. Until this month.
We spend some time chatting with Arielle Martin about her historic win, about her next 10 months leading up to the London Olympics (and qualifying for same), as well as life after August 2012.
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Click here if you missed yesterday’s interview with Chula Vista Mens winner, Connor Fields
This episode sponsored by BMXEDITS.COM
Podcast: Connor Fields on Chula and Comeback
October 11, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
Connor Fields wowed the crowd in Chula Vista with blistering times in the Time Trial, and then consistent frontrunning on Saturday. By the time the last gate of the day fell, Con-Man was alongside Maris Strombergs and Nic Long for the lead. He made a pass-move at precisely the right time, and came out of the first turn as, essentially the winner of the race.
But the lead-up to that moment was six months (seemed like way longer) of day-to-day uncertainty on whether or not he would ever ride a bike again, much less win a world cup main event. In part two of our three-episode Podcast Wrapup of the Chula Vista Supercross, Connor gives News the behind-the-scenes on his recovery from knee surgery earlier in the year, and where he’s at mentally as the Olympic year gets closer and close on the horizon.
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Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up our series with Elite Women winner, Arielle Martin.
Click here if you missed yesterday’s interview with Supercross rookie, Felicia Stancil
This episode sponsored by BMXEDITS.COM
Above photo by Cole Proctor for BMXNOW.COM
USA Cycling Announces London SX Crew
July 19, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
We were half-expecting this after the worlds next week, but with only two weeks between CPH and the London Olympics “Test Event,” Team USA has rostered a dozen riders to make the trip.
Men
1. Corben Sharrah (Tucson, AZ – GT Bicycles) SX ranked #2
2. Nic Long (Lakeside, CA. – Haro/Rockstar) SX ranked #12
3. David Herman (Wheat Ridge, CO – Intense BMX) SX ranked #14
4. Josh Meyers- (Treasure Island, FL – Ssquared/Answer)
5. Mike Day (San Diego, CA – GT/Red Bull)
6. Connor Fields (Henderson, NV – Chase BMX)
Women
1. Arielle Martin (Spanaway, WA – Intense BMX)- SX ranked #9
2. Amanda Carr (Punta Gorda, FL – Endeavor/Ripxx Racing) – SX ranked #15
3. Brooke Crain (Visalia, CA – Haro/Rockstar) – SX ranked #17
4. Alise Post (St. Cloud, MN – Redline Bicycles)
5. Amanda Geving (Largo, FL – MCS/Troy Lee Designs)
6. Dani George (Palmdale, CA – Supercross BMX)
Best of luck to Team USA at both the UCI BMX World Championships, and the London SX. With 386 days til the next Olympic BMX gate falls, it’s getting all-too-real for this pack of powerhouses.
