An Article out of the West Hills Middle School Wildcat News

[bubbaliciousbmxr]

BMX, an 'old' sport growing in popularity

What is BMX? The sport of bicycle motorcross began in the early 1970's when young riders started riding their 'stingray' type bikes off roads and in feilds, building jumps and turns. Gradually over a few years this sport gained popularity. Today the sport of bicycle motorcross (BMX) is sweeping the country and the world. According to the ABA (American Bicycle Association) BMX has a membership of over 150,000 riders worldwide, and it's growing. BMX racing is clean fun and so exciting that the whole family can enjoy it.

Who can race? Anybody who has the desire can compete. Riders four years old and under can race in a class called "Big Wheels". These races encourage young riders to compete and have fun, and everybody wins something. Races for riders 5 to 70 years old are organized by ages, sexes, classes and bicycle types. Bikes are categorized in 20" and 24" (Cruiser) wheel sizes. There are several classes in BMX racing, some of which are, Novice, Intermediate, Expert, Pro, A Pro, and AA Pro. A new rider to the ABA starts off as a Novice rider. With six first place wins the rider progresses to the intermediate class. With twenty-six first place wins the rider progresses to the Expert Class. Then with thirty-five first place wins the rider can opt to become a pro rider. Points are also awarded with every race. These points differ in each class and are earned by the total amount of riders racing in each class and by the position of placement in the main event. Points go toward district placement in each state.

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The sport of BMX is considered an extreme sport and has been introduced to the Olympics. BMX is very exciting. It's fast paced, competitive, and requires fast thinking and endurance.

For information pertaining to BMX you can visit the websites, www.radcanyon.com or www.aba.com. _____________________________________________