UtahBMX.com

So, the poll is showing that most people learn about BMX racing by some "other" means.

I'd like to hear what exactly this other way is. IS it the internet? Magazines? TV?

Tell me what are some of the other ways to hear about BMX for the first time.

There isn't a place to check the box for, "My parents took me to the track" so a lot of people checked "other". I'm willing to bet it's the parent option most people are searching for.

Just a Guess

JS

no, that's not it.

I got my start when Bryan Oblad took me out to watch him race. I told him I wanted to try so he built me my SE Floval Flyer hoping I was serious. Thanks Bryan, for sharing your love of BMX with me.

Greg, thanks for starting this thread! I too saw the "other" votes, and was very interested to know the reasons.

I thought this might be a good pole to give us a gauge where we should spend our time (and money?) advertising.

Please let us know your reason for selecting "other", I for one am very interested to know how people get started racing BMX.

For me, my mom used to work for Kawasaki back in the day (when they made bicycles) and bought me a bike (BX-100?). She heard about a track in Tustin, CA and took me there to race. I remember this race well only for the fact the bike had these two metal rods that extended past the back of the seat, and they made me hacksaw them off to race. That was in 1977.

After we moved, I used to drive up and down the freeway past the Orange Y track in CA, so I bought a new bike and started racing again. That was 1981. Back when they still used the manual gate

So let's hear how YOU got started!

greg wrote:no, that's not it.

Greg, I think you would be surprised how many it actually is. I too discovered racing because my dad had his old trophys in the garage; one day I asked him about it. My parents took me out to the track and asked me if I wanted to race BMX... I think you know the rest... that was 1994.

Bennett has the EXACT same story as Travis. He saw trophies and then begged for months to come out before I took him. So, maybe one of the answers is 'saw some trophies'?

As far as me? Its almost too long ago to remember. I think we had been building bikes for some time. I got a Mongoose and a few buddies did too. We heard about a motocross track that had a seperate track just for BMX. We then beggeed our parents to take us. I am really not sure how we heard about it, but it was either flyer or word of mouth. This was about '78.

Every year my LDS Stake would have a BMX race at Harper BMX. The Stake athletic coordinator would run it, and clear it through the TO back then.

Steve Oblad Sr. ( Mike and Brian's dad- Brooke and Brianna's grandpa) and my Dad are good buddies and have been since they were about 9 years old. They still talk about the old bike creations they would make. They did "mountain biking" and "downhill" biking until there coaster brakes would burn up! I guess City Creek canyon was their ol' stompin' grounds. Steve and my Dad decided to get their boys into racing. My older brother Ryan, Steve Jr. and Brian Oblad all raced back in 1979. In 1980 Steve and my dad threw together an old Cooks Brother's bike at the Provo Track. I raced 5 and under Beginner-total points. I crashed in the bonzai jump, got up, cried the whole way around the track, and immidiately stopped when they gave me a huge 3rd place trophy. I still have that trophy marked as "my first Trophy!". Brian says he still has that bike somewhere. I raced from 1980-1985. My last race was in the Beef building at the fairgrounds.

Two years later I got my dad to take me back to Riverview raceway to ride the track with some friends. I was 12 and thought I still had it. I tried to clear the double- the last obstacle on the last straight like I had done so many times as an 8, 9, and 10 expert. I thought it would be cake walk- Wrong! I came up short, tagged the landing, sending my back wheel over the top of me and cratering me into the back side of the jump. I was on a heavier street bike, and I had grown a great deal! I also hadn't riden my bike for a couple of years. Oh- the pain. I vividly remember that handle bar digging into my ribs, and having the wind knocked out of me from that wreck. My dad threw me, my totaled bike, and my buddies in the van and that was the last I saw a BMX track until Sept- 2001. After the towers fell, I joined the West Valley Symphony, and started racing BMX again. It was time to live again!

After searching and asking all the bike shops in the valley if they knew where a bmx track was, I finally got word from some mechanic that they had racing at "Rad Canyon". I got the address and went searching. I showed up after a race as everyone was packing up, and ran into Ian Elliot, and Jason Melton. They invited me to attend a "grass roots" clinic that Saturday. I went to the dad's garage and pulled out the Mongoose and put it together for the clinic. I wore my old helmet, and brought two of my thug students from my 5th period English class. Heather Allred and Jason Melton took turns holding my back tire so I could balance in the gate!! That clinic was a blast!

The next week, I built up an old mountain bike, stole my mom's 24 inch wheels, welded a peice of metal on the frame to hold the brake- and raced cruiser.

Started racing class in 2003.

This month marks the 5th year that I've been back into this sport.

Ok- I just read this and it was boring!! Sorry!

JS

I have to agree, it was Dave and I that got our boys racing. Dallas wanted to race motrcross, I wasn't thrilled about that. Dave remembered once seeing Battle Bay down by the lake. We took Dallas there, let him ride and the rest is history!!

OK, my last post was a lame attempt at some dry humor. Sounded funnier in my head of course then I'm sure it does to all of you.

The parent and trophy thing is exactly how my son Spencer got into racing. I too has raced back in '79-'82, and had a stack of trophies boxed up from back in the day. I guess I had bragged about them enough that Spencer finally wanted to see them, so we pulled the box out and he was hooked from then on. I cant remember exactly how I knew of the local tracks, but it must have been from a bike shop. Spencer started off during the winter, so it was indoor racing, and he loved it from the first race.

I spent the next 2 years watching from the sidelines, and just couldn't take it anymore. Against my wifes advice, I decided to give it a shot again. My first race back was on the indoor track in Lindon. I lined up on the gate with my newly purchased Mosh cruiser, it was the first moto. I shot out of the gate like a freight train pulling a hundred loaded box cars behind me. I lift up to get my front wheel over the enormously small roller on the first straight, clip it badly, and I'm suddenly flying through the air. I lay there with the wind knocked out of me, sucking air, and who's face appears? Jason Melton. I don't know if I had tunnel vision or what, but it seemed like his whole face was inside my helmet with me. He kept repeating, "breath, breath,breath." It was a love affair from then on!

What I am getting out of this is, if we want to attract some new riders, a good way to market BMX would be to contact ex-racers from back in the day and let them know that it still exists.

We may be onto something here.

greg wrote:who's face appears? Jason Melton. I don't know if I had tunnel vision or what, but it seemed like his whole face was inside my helmet with me.

Eeek! You hit the ground and then you get a Melton face in helmet!

I think you are on to something. We should market not just to old-schoolers though, but the entire cycling community. There are a ton of parent-cyclists out there that would probably like to get thier kids doing something like BMX.

It was a love affair from that point on?

Greg I really didnt know you felt that way............................ But I am a a married man! Sorry!!!!!!!!

My brother had a race bike and I rode it almost every day becuase I didn't have a bike. Well I did but it was like a little junky mountain bike.
Anyway, One day when I was like 12 heh we went to taylors bike shop to get some kind of bike part I can't remember and I saw a flyer for rad canyon. It was actually a calender and i showed my dad, and he said that we would check it out.
About a week later we went out and watched everyone and I loved it! So we got my bike and tried to go to practice but it got rained out and I was to excited to race so we actually started racing the next race. I loved it and as you can tell i still do because im still doing it! hah

Greg I really didnt know you felt that way............................ But I am a a married man! Sorry

Jason, Jason, Jason........I guess I should have said it was a love affair with racing. You're pretty and all, but I go for more of the Ian type. (mostly because he has Heather attached to him....she makes him look sooo much better)

But, I do think it would be a great marketing plan to get ahold of the ABA membership lists from 1980 -1985 (or so), cross-referance them to find their current address, and send out mailers. "Hey, bring your sons and daughters out to Rad Canyon to try a free day of BMX racing.....introduce them to the sport that you loved when you were young!"