Redmond, Oregon -- 04/05/2008
National BMX event set to run in Redmond Friday through Sunday.
Photo - BMX racers compete at the Las Vegas Nationals last
year. Central Oregon will host its first-ever national BMX event,
the Great Northwest Nationals, in Redmond this weekend.
John David calls 2008 an odd year for BMX racing.
The best riders are currently vying to qualify for the Beijing Games,
where BMX (bicycle motocross) will make its Olympic debut in August.
It’s unknown territory for the sport, but the Olympic designation
seems to have triggered a surge of excitement about BMX through
out the United States, according to David, the director of the
American Bicycling Association (ABA) BMX.
That wave of enthusiasm also has swept over Central Oregon,
and the region will be a focal point for the sport this weekend
when the ABA BMX Great Northwest Nationals are staged in the
Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center tonight through Sunday.
The event marks the first national BMX event ever held in Central
Oregon, and the first indoor BMX nationals ever staged in the state.
David said he is hoping for at least 1,000 competitors, of all ages and
abilities, this weekend. Numerous ABA national events are staged each
year throughout the United States and Canada, and the Central Oregon
competition is one of 29 nationals on the ABA schedule for 2008.
The Great Northwest Nationals will feature many of the best amateur
BMX racers in the nation, and a few entry-level professionals, but not
the top pros, according to David. Higher-level pros hoping for Olympic
bids are currently competing in International Cycling Union events to
qualify for Beijing.
In BMX, racers pedal smaller, single-gear bikes with 20- or
24-inch wheels on dirt tracks that include steep-declining
start ramps, challenging jumps and banked curves.
Some competitors in Redmond this weekend are “national” riders,
competing in national races throughout the year to earn points toward
a national ranking. Other riders are just local BMXers who want to
compete in a national event in their backyard. Anybody can register
for the races as late as Saturday in the fairgrounds’ events center.
Parking and admission are free for spectators.
David said he expects riders from all over the
country and Canada, but mostly from the Northwest.
“There should be at least 25 states represented,” David said this
week. “We’ve got a pretty good spread. People are really chasing
that national series hard.”
One of those riders is Oregonian Bethany Price of Coburg, near
Eugene. A Team USA member who placed second in her class at
the BMX World Championships last year, Price plans to compete
again at this year’s World Championships in Beijing in May. First,
she’ll make a stop on the national circuit this weekend in nearby
Redmond.
“I think it’s great I only have to drive two hours, instead of, like,
10,” Price said this week. “I travel basically all over the West Coast
for nationals. You don’t have to hit every national event, because
they take your six best finishes (for national rankings). I’m trying
to stay in the area, it’s more cost-effective.”
Price is a two-time defending national
champion in her age group, 26-30 girls cruiser.
Price, 27, said she’s been racing BMX for 14 years, and that
this is only the third BMX nationals staged in Oregon in that time.
Officials with the ABA have been in Redmond most of this week,
bringing 4,000 cubic yards of dirt into the fairgrounds arena and
building the BMX track for this weekend.
David said he hopes to bring the national event to Redmond
each spring for the next few years, but he’s waiting to see
what the turnout is like this weekend.
“We’ll come out this year and see how things go,” David said.
“The venue is complementary. The only question is how the
participation goes. We hope to have at least 1,000 competitors.”
The Great Northwest Nationals were staged in Pasco, Wash.,
the last few years. Several groups were instrumental in bringing
the event to Central Oregon.
Smith Rock BMX of Redmond spearheaded the effort, helping to
form Team BMX Oregon, a collection of tracks throughout the state.
Team BMX Oregon worked with the Oregon Sports Authority, a
group whose mission is to bring national sports events to the state,
and ABA to bring the Great Northwest Nationals to the Deschutes
County Fair & Expo Center.
“This isn’t something that happened overnight,” said Tracy Stephens,
a volunteer for Smith Rock BMX. “This has been something that we
spent more than a year working with the community, ABA and others
to make happen. We’re excited that it’s finally here. The response
from the ABA and the community has been better than we ever
expected. There’s so much excitement.
“Let’s drop the gate.”
2008 ABA BMX Great Northwest Nationals
What:
Part of the ABA’s national circuit;
one of 29 national BMX races held throughout the year.
Who:
Mostly amateur riders and a few entry-level
pros from throughout the United States and Canada.
Where:
The Hooker Creek Events Center at the
Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Redmond.
When:
Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Contact:
http://www.ababmx.com for more event information.
Registration is now on-site only.
Spectators:
Parking and admission are free.
ACC - http://www.genesbmx.com/Northwest-Nationals.html
