Being at the Olympic Training Center is a great way to give our younger participants a feel for what it’s like to become an Olympic athlete, and to encourage their dreams.
Gilbert, AZ (PRWEB) September 22, 2014
Over 1,200 amateur competitors from 31 states are expected to compete over the 3-day event on the smaller Amateur track, while over 150 of the fastest pros and Olympians from around the World will compete in the UCi Supercross World Cup Finals on Saturday afternoon, on the London-replica course.
One of America’s largest action sports, BMX Racing is coming back to Chula Vista. Along with it will be thousands of BMX racers and their families. During the 11-month long season, the USA BMX national circuit stops in 22 different states, at 30 unique tracks and arenas. This 27th stop of the series will bring boy and girl racers, ranging in ages from 2 to 70-plus, competing for the weekend awards and accumulating points for National rankings and championships.
“USA BMX couldn’t ask for a more perfect place to hold a BMX race, than Chula Vista and the U.S. Olympic Training Center,” commented John David, COO at USA BMX. “Being at the Olympic Training Center is a great way to give our younger participants a feel for what it’s like to become an Olympic athlete, and to encourage their dreams. Our riders and their families, arriving from all over the country, will also get a chance to enjoy all of San Diego’s attractions and amenities.”
The family-oriented action sport of BMX Racing has been around since the early 70s, and was born when So Cal youth began converting their Schwinn Stingrays to imitate motorcycles and held races in dirt fields. Since those early days, the sport of BMX Racing has spread Worldwide – so much so that it became an Olympic sport in 2008, with its debut at the Beijing games. In 2012, at the London Olympic games, BMX racing was rated as one of the more popular sporting events, and it is within this USA BMX series that current and future Olympians will hone their skills for global competition.
Thanks in part to the exposure of the Olympics, along with the growth of 2nd and 3rd generations of racer’s getting their kids involved in the sport they grew up in, BMX racing continues to grow in numbers and popularity with today’s action-sport families.
Three major events will be taking place on Saturday, September 27th. The morning starts off with the Hall of Fame nationals, which is then followed by the International event – the UCi Supercross Finals. After all of that action, the evening winds down with the annual National BMX Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Six legends in the sport of BMX will join the 110 members, who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1985. The Olympic Training Center is the full time home of the National BMX museum, which is open to the public year-round.
Hall of Fame National Schedule:
The USA BMX Hall of Fame Nationals will be held September 26 - 28th. Spectating is free at the Hall of Fame national, but there will be a $10 per day charge for parking. The Olympic-level UCi Supercross and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are both ticketed events. Entry to the BMX World Cup Finals is $25, while the Hall of Fame Ceremony is sold out.
Chula Vista BMX is located above the main entrance of the U.S.Olympic Training Center - 2800 Olympic Parkway Chula Vista, CA 91915.
Friday: Action begins on Friday at noon with practice throughout the day and racing starting at 5pm.
Saturday: Practice continues in the morning and National racing kicks off promptly at 10am with Strider (balance bike) racing for 2, 3 and 4 year olds, and should go on until 3pm.
Saturday Afternoon: Following the Hall of Fame nationals will be the UCi Supercross, held on the OTC’s London Olympic-replica track. Over 100 Elite athletes and many of the 2012 Olympians will be racing for the UCi World Cup title. Gates open at 11am and racing begins at 1:00. **This is a ticketed event.
Saturday Night: Following the UCi Supercross, 400 attendees will flood into the Olympic Training Center courtyard for the sold-out BMX Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Festivities on the red-carpet entrance begin at 6:00, with the first Inductions beginning at 8pm.
Sunday: Racing continues on the Amateur track, kicking off at 8:00am, with the main events starting at approx.10:30am.
About BMX Racing:
America’s fastest amateur athletes are all expected to compete at the Hall of Fame Nationals – on the 1,100 foot long, slightly downhill course, made up of steeply banked asphalt turns and a wide variety of jumps and obstacles on each straightaway.
Thanks in part to the global exposure that the Olympics have brought, the sport of BMX racing continues to grow in numbers and popularity with today’s youth. As the largest extreme sport in the nation, BMX racing is full of nonstop action. Up to eight riders speed down the starting hill, maneuvering over dirt obstacles and around banked turns in hopes of winning a 4-foot tall 1st place trophy.
On average, each race is a 35 second sprint, with full contact, close-knit racing and sometimes thrilling crashes and victories. The Olympic sport of BMX Racing is exciting to watch for all ages! These riders range in age from 2 to 70 and will be racing to amass points for titles in their age classes and the highly coveted USA BMX No.1 Amateur title for boys and girls.