BMX Friends

Kyle Wyatt and Wyatt Parker
Their first race was against each other when they were 4!

Today I asked William who his best BMX friends are. "How many do you want me to name? There's Grant, Ricky, Gabe, Zach, Dylan, Joey, Carson, Cole, Brady...." You get the idea. When I asked Wyatt, his answer was simple... "Kyle".

What's interesting about this is that most of their best BMX buds go at it with them tooth and nail on the track, with the most long-standing friendship/battle belonging to William and Grant Green.

William (left) and Grant Green- 5 rookies: Winter 2007

Last weekend we raced the Alabama state championship at Circle City BMX in Dothan. If we had to claim a home track, this would be it. Being from Tallahassee, we feel homeless in the BMX world, and Dothan continues to take us in like a cute lost puppy. Naturally I coerced the Greens into joining us to give William some good competition, and selfishly, me some time to hang out with Grant's mom, and my friend, Mandi.


William and Grant are the best race of the day in 10x and 10c. William powers out of the gate, but Grant's strength and endurance makes it a drag race on the last straight every time. Mandi jokes when William takes the win. "Dang! I told Grant to take him out!" "I expected him to run into William's back tire at any moment." I replied. Truth is, these boys would never do that. There's a long standing history of mutual friendship and respect that allows them to ride elbow to elbow, crank to crank.

William - gate 6, Grant- gate 7: 6 novice, Fall Classic 2007

Oak Mountain regional 2008: 7 novice

William (left) and Grant: AL state championship 2008?

Grant and William: SE Regional Championship 2011

William (center), Grant and "Little Joe" Herring (left)
AL State Championship Sept. 2011 (photo: Susanne Dube)

Wyatt got to race an old friend too. Kyle was there, giving it his all, despite the fact that he rarely rides anymore. As soon as those two cross the finish line, they're off to the woods or jumping in a ditch, looking for any kind of trouble to get into.

William, Wyatt, and the Dothan boys: Kyle, Matthew and Joe (2008)

Wyatt and Kyle (St. Pete 2009?)

Wyatt (#517) and Kyle (#31) Dothan, Sept. 2011
photo: Susanne Dube

Half of the year, while William waits for his birthday to roll around, he goes elbow to elbow with his other BMX buds, Dylan Shipley and Zach VonBergen. On the track, there's no holding back, as these guys push each other to go harder, while always maintaining that level of respect that one has for a true friend.

Dylan (848) and William- 2009?

William, Wyatt and Dylan in the Felt pits: Grands 2011

William and Zach always have a great race
photo: Jon Larson

New teams bring new friends as well, and William being welcomed onto Factory Felt made way for new friendships-- not just for him, but for our whole family!

William and team mate Ricky Castro

It's always a fun time in the Felt pits.
William, Wyatt, Gabe Hatem and Coleman Habib

I sometimes worry about Wyatt being the odd man out, or worse- the pesky little brother. He seemed to spend a lot of time in Louisville playing that part, especially with William's 13x team mate Anthony Catlow. As we said our goodbyes in Louisville and wished everyone safe travels, I thanked Anthony for being good natured and patient with Wyatt. "Sometimes William's friends think he's a pest", I said. To my surprise, Anthony smiled and said, "I don't. I think he's cool!"

BMX Mom