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BMX's Popularity In Area Ramping Up

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

BMX racers are a blur as they power off the starting line Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at the Oldsmar BMX track.

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By NICK WILLIAMS The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 19, 2008

Ordinarily, Oldsmar BMX track operator John Sawyer is accustomed to seeing 50 or less BMX riders practice every Tuesday at the track.

Recently, however, those numbers have nearly doubled. With BMX making its debut in the Summer Olympics in Beijing today, Sawyer said the sudden increase in interest in the Bay area is unlike any he's seen before.

"In the past four to five weeks, practice at the novice level is up 35-40 percent at the track," he said. "Ninety percent of new riders are 10 and younger."

In BMX, racers begin on an 8-meter starting ramp. Throughout the course, there are a series of hills and jumps.

In 2003, Bicycle Motocross, otherwise known as BMX cycling, was selected for the 2008 Games. During Olympic competition, riders will race stunt bikes on dirt obstacle courses.

Andy Lee, USA Cycling director of communication, said the IOC added the sport with the specific intent of attracting a younger demographic.

"You look at the introduction of alternative sports like snowboarding and motocross in the Winter Olympics and when you look at the X Games-type sports like in-line skating, skateboarding, BMX is the next logical addition," he said.

According to American Sports Data, action sports like BMX are experiencing the fastest growing participation rates in the country.

"From an American standpoint, we're obviously excited," Lee said. "It'll increase the exposure of the sport. Traditionally, American BMX is extremely competitive. For us, it's a great addition because we're very strong."

Geoff Ssengoba, a 39-year-old pro BMX rider from Tampa, has been racing for nearly 20 years. For three years, he worked as a race program director at the Woodward Academy in Pennsylvania, the original location of the extreme sports training institution. He said Olympic BMX may soon evolve into what is shown at the X Games, where BMX riders not only race, but compete in half-pipe and best trick competitions.

"I would say it's coming in the next one," he said. "They're really talking about bringing it in. But how do you judge it is the question. They've already had talks with the Olympic committee, they've created a governing body for freestyle BMX so I can definitely see freestyle coming in."

Ssengoba suggests more riders will try out for the next Olympic Games.

"The team pulled from a group of probably 150 pros," he said. "But it's like going out for basketball and you have to keep up with LeBron James. Only a limited amount of riders go pro and they have age group restrictions. But, they're making it now that you don't have to turn pro."

And because it doesn't require expensive equipment, Sawyer said the average person can appreciate the sport.

"It's just a cheap sport," he said. "You might pay $300 for a bike, and $3 to practice and $8 to ride at the track. Training is simple. A lot of training is done on bridges and steep hills. They drag tires behind their bikes."

If the IOC was hoping to transfer the crossover success of extreme sports into the Summer Games, mission accomplished.

"It's easy to understand for the viewer," Lee said. "It's something that brings with it a lot of drama, with close finishes and crashes. It's easy to attract the 18-35 age demographic."

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 865-4848 or nwilliams@tampatrib.com.

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