Gene`s BMX News

[BMX-News]

*** BMXers Eager To Reach Olympic Stage ***

Colorado Springs, CO -- 12/07/206


Photo - BMX racers Kim Hayashi, left, and Amanda Geving showed
off their skills Wednesday at the Norris-Penrose Event Center. The
athletes are participating in a camp organized by USA Cycling. BMX
will be introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2008 Games in Beijing.

As a little girl, Kim Hayashi dreamed of being
an Olympian. But she figured her dream was
over eight years ago when she traded in a
basketball for a BMX bike.

On June 29, 2003, the International Olympic Committee
gave the 20-year-old Hayashi another chance. The IOC
voted to include BMX racing in the 2008 Beijing Games.

“I kind of thought that when I got into BMX and eliminated
basketball my chances of going to the Olympics were slim
and none,” she said. “When they announced that it was
going to be in the Olympics I didn’t even know what to do.

“I was like, ‘Wow.’ Maybe this is my time and my chance
so I’m going to grab it and ride it out as long as I can.”

Hayashi was one of several elite BMX racers assembled
at the Norris-Penrose Event Center this week for a camp
organized by USA Cycling. Pikes Peak BMX also will hold
an indoor event there Friday through Sunday.

“This is our first camp with the best BMX riders in this
country so we’re getting some baseline information,” said
Steve Johnson, the CEO of USA Cycling. “We’re introducing
them to us and our resources. We’re just learning as much as
we can about the riders and this sport and how we can impact
and improve their performance.”

Preparing for a new Olympic sport introduces a lot of challenges.

“They are actually substantial,” Johnson said. “Once you
bring a new sport into the Olympic family, you have more
obligations on the sport that didn’t exist before, like the anti
-doping efforts and the issues related to access to events like
the Amateur Sports Act.”

Johnson said athlete involvement has made the process easier.

“They are all tremendously enthusiastic about it,” he said. “I think
they see it as a wonderful opportunity to take a sport that is already
relevant, especially in this country, and put it on the international
stage. We see the impact the Olympics had on snowboarding, and
I would expect a similar effect will happen in 2008.”

One athlete who is very excited about the Olympics is Bubba Harris.
Harris, 21, is the 2005 American Bicycle Association world champion
and the ABA’s No. 1 ranked pro for the past three years.

“It’s awesome,” Harris said. “I don’t think I thought BMX would ever
make it to the Olympics. We’ve always wondered why it wasn’t in the
Olympics but now it finally is, so it’s going to be amazing.”

There will be a maximum of three male spots and two female
spots for Team USA and the BMX pool is deep. Qualifying is no
easy task in a sport where worthy challengers are found around
every turn and fortunes can change in the blink of an eye.

Harris know this better than anyone after injuring his hand
in a crash on a lap organized as a photo opportunity.

He said he may have broken the hand but should
be back in action in time to realize his dream.

ACC - 2008 BMX Olympics Information
BMX Olympic Games in Beijing, China - 2008
( http://www.genesbmx.com/2008-bmx-olympics.html )