BMX event at Okeeheelee Park brings out best on bikes
Championship is a family affair for riders, supporters
By Maria Herrera South Florida Sun-Sentinel Posted
May 13 2007
Tucker Rice put on his
red-and-white helmet and walked his bike to the starting gate. When the
metal gate came down, the 9-year-old rode onto the track at full speed,
thrusting his bike in the air after each earthen ramp.
A couple of sharp turns later, he crossed the finish line 20 feet ahead of the rest of his competitors.
LocalLinks
Tucker was one of more
than 800 riders between the ages of 3 and 63 who competed in this
year's Sunshine State BMX Championship Race Saturday at Okeeheelee
State Park west of West Palm Beach.
"It's a challenge," said Tucker, of Coconut Creek, who races for the
West Palm Beach-based Stage Battery Racing team. "Sometimes you race
kids you've never met."
The competition was the last of the Florida championship season. More
than 180 races took place during the daylong event, which attracted
more than 2,500 people.
"People travel from all over," said Joe Gross who traveled nearly three
hours from Sebastian with sons Jordan, 7, and Tyler, 13. "Also, lots of
local people come to see it and bring their friends."
BMX, or Bicycle Moto-cross, is a style of cycling that uses 20- and
24-inch wheels. The sport derived from motocross racing and uses
earthen single-lap tracks. Racers earn qualifying points and get to
wear the number they place during next year's string of competitions.
Tucker placed first in the expert class for his age group in the state
in Saturday's race. Despite the intense sense of competition, BMX takes
place in a family-friendly setting, often with more than one family
member competing and many others cheering them on.
"Everyone is involved," said Laura Pingol, spokeswoman for the Florida
chapter of the National Bicycle League. "It's been a blessing for our
family."
Pingol, 32, started racing with brother Gary Pringle at age 13. Both
raced Saturday. Pingol's parents volunteer at the event. Her husband,
whom she met at a race, also competed.
"We would have never spent this much time together if it wasn't for this sport," she said.
Though her brother lives in Lake Worth and she in Gainesville, the family travels together to racing events.
Tucker's family also races. His dad, Raul Gomez, and his 13-year-old brother, Raul Jr., also competed Saturday.
At the park, other families pitched canopies and tents along their
parked cars or RVs. Children rode their bikes around the park before
the competition and reunited with friends who live far from home.
Madison Pitts, 18, sums up why she likes BMX with two words: "Competition and friends."
Also on the SBR team, Pitts has been riding for 12 years and has made
friends such as Amanda Geving, 18, of St. Petersburg. The two girls
have known each other for nine years and raced side by side. They
finished the race Saturday within inches of each other.
Geving will be training to try to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. BMX was recently introduced in the Olympic cycling program.
"For the kids that are out here today, it's a next step," Pingol said
of BMX's presence at the Olympics. Competitors will meet again today at
Nova Southeastern University in Davie for an awards ceremony. But many
will be back to the Okeeheelee track.
"This is our home track," Tucker's mother, Page Rice, said. "Everyone loves to come and cheer the kids."
Maria Herrera can be reached at meherrera@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6544.
Online
To see photos from Saturday's BMX races, go to www.sun-sentinel.com/bmx
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