To Oak Mountain and Beyond: Wonder Friends Forever

Heather Parker and Mandi Green-- Wonder Friends

Last weekend the Southeastern BMX community came together at Oak Mountain BMX in Pelham, AL to celebrate (and mourn) the final NBL SE Regional Championship. Because of the new and unbendable (ha!) 2011 rules, many riders, including mine, were not qualified. Unlike many, we knew going in, and registered both boys for their respective open classes, in order to prepare them for the national qualifier on Sunday.

Wyatt and Brady battled it out in 8-9 open.

Racing seemed somewhat secondary as the fun commenced. Our family gathered with some of our oldest and dearest BMX friends, the Greens and the Wolfs. We welcomed my cousin Joan Beth, a Birmingham local and excellent freelance photographer*, who came to visit and photograph the boys. We even had a visit from our old high school pal Chad Johnson, who we hadn't seen in 20 years, but still shared his cold beer with us like it was yesterday.

Grant and William dominated 10-11 open. 

On Saturday, to make things more interesting, the Greens registered their boys Grant (10x) and Brady (9x) in open class with William and Wyatt. All four boys raced hard on the track, and played just as hard off. Post race, we lingered at the track for hours, sharing barbecue and swapping race stories, while the boys explored the woods. The party continued well into the night, eventually relocating to the home of the Johnson family in Pelham, where we carbo-loaded the boys with pizza.

Grant and William pushed each other hard on Sunday, sharing all motos in 10x and cruiser. It is always fun to watch these two, knowing they've been racing one another since the age of 5, each mindful of the other, but neither one giving an inch.

Best photo of the day- 8 challenger main
I bet this little guy will wear gloves from now on!

Wyatt continues to exhibit rapid development in speed and skills, as evidenced by his 2nd place cruiser finish on Sunday. He rode hard against tough competition in 8 challenger, and finished 4th.

It was hard to say goodbye to our friends after such a fun weekend, however, we were able to meet the Greens for a day at the beach just yesterday. Mandi and I talked for hours, while watching the boys skim and boogie board, counting heads each time they emerged from the rough surf. It's funny how you can know someone for years, and suddenly be surprised...

Wonder Woman by Mel Ramos
a Christmas gift from my Incredible Hulk
Eat your heart out MG.

Mandi: "You do know that I am Wonder Woman, right?"
Me- confused: "Um. No you're not. I am Wonder Woman."
Mandi- indignant: "How can this be when I AM WONDER WOMAN."
Me- snotty: "How many Wonder Woman t-shirts do YOU have? I have seven-- top THAT."
William- perfectly timed: "She's not lying Miss Mandi."

Then I proceded to blow her mind by primping myself with my limited edition Wonder Woman lip gloss neatly contained in my Wonder Woman cosmetic case. You'd have thought I revealed the golden lasso. Mandi has promised to reveal her true self at the Grands by sporting her Wonder Woman outfit. Please, dear readers, make sure you remind her of this promise.

The boys ditched the sand and water when William and Grant discovered that the X-Games were on at the bar. As the sun set, the bartender passed them a round of Shirley Temples, while they sat wide-eyed and happy, watching their heros.

After seeing them together like that, somehow I knew this was only the beginning.

BMX Mom
aka WONDER WOMAN

*All photos in this post are courtesy of Joan Beth Smith unless otherwise noted.

Save the Cruisers!

This past weekend we ventured to Indiana so the boys could race in the NBL Hoosier Nationals in Evansville. We were all itching to go, not having raced a national since before the formation of USA BMX. I won't lie. After months of taking advantage of the NBL's fuzzy math, it was painful to pay entry fees for two boys racing two bikes for two days. It occurred to me after registration that I was not offered a discount for cruiser. I seem to recall, back in the pre-Aragon days, that cruiser, with 20" registration, was half price.

After handing all my money over to Erma, it didn't surprise me one bit to see cruisers with "for sale" signs lined up along every fence.

Wyatt prefers his cruiser to his 20"
Photo credit: Susanne Dube

It was exciting at the beginning of the season to see the flourish of new cruisers. William had been on a cruiser for a while, but we decided to get one for Wyatt too. Why not? Racing's free! At every race, cruiser motos were stacked-- nearly always having semis, and sometimes quarters.

We were mildly disappointed, but not surprised Saturday when William's 10 cruiser moto was mixed with 11-12. I don't know anyone who wants to drive 10 hours for a mixed class, but William kept his chin up and hoped for the best.

William did his best to keep up with the 11x and 12x in cruiser, resulting in a good sandwiching between the older riders in the first two motos. Not wanting to take a needless risk before his 10x main, William took it easy in the third round of cruiser.

After the dust settled on William's win in 10x, his mind turned to cruiser.  Looking thoughtful he said, "I can get second-- I know I can." When the gate dropped, he gave it everything he had, carving through the first turn in a solid second. With the 11x breathing down his neck, William stayed strong on the cranks. His bike control wasn't quite ready for his speed, and he began to slip on the last straight. It was so close at the line, we couldn't tell if he had finished second or third.

I met William at the finish, asking him where he placed. He shook his head, "I'm not exactly sure." He went on to explain how he had been given the 2nd place chip. His 11x opponent pleaded with him-- "My dad will kill me if I come in behind a 10x!" William, not wanting to be responsible for this poor kid's demise, swapped chips. When final results were posted Monday, we discovered that William did in fact finish second. I hope that poor kid is still alive.

All of this drama could have been avoided if significant discounts had been given for cruiser registration.  Kids love cruiser. It's another opportunity to get on the track. It also gives challengers like Wyatt an opportunity to race experts and see where they stand.

As plans are made for the 2012 season, I hope drastically reduced fees are implemented for cruisers, to encourage riders to fill these motos once again.

BMX Mom

Big Daddy Knows

Big Daddy knows when to congratulate.

Big Daddy knows when to console.

Bid Daddy also knows when to give a tongue lashing.

Big Daddy knows when to let go.

Big Daddy knows when to smile.

Big Daddy knows when to be proud.

Big Daddy knows how to build a new bike,

so his son can impress the crowd.

  

Big Daddy knows when it's been a long day,

at a race in a place far, far away.

Big Daddy knows they can go to staging alone,

but chooses to walk them anyway.

We want Big Daddy to know we love him.

Happy Father's Day!

BMX Mom

One Year Later: The Adventure Continues!

Drat. All this NBL/ABA/USA BMX stuff would have to break today. I've got more important things to blog about! ME! If you must read about the pending merger, visit bmxnews.com. All I have to say about it is that I can hardly wait for Christmas!
Now back to me...

Sandy Duncan starring in "Adventures of a BMX Mom"

I've done it! Fifty-two weeks and 32 posts later, I've completed one year of blogging! Where's my publisher? My movie deal? What amazing actress could play me, BMX Mom? Uma Thurman? Angelina Jolie? Ohhh I know! Beyonce'! Last night while drifting off to sleep, I asked Vann his opinion. His reply? "Sandy Duncan." What the ....? The original "Chatty Cathy"? Does he expect me to don my Peter Pan suit and fly the kids off to staging? Well, I admit, I can see her doling out homemade rice krispy treats and putting neosporin on boo-boos.

Alas, it's just a dream.
What's real is that I've learned that I love blogging! My biggest fans are my husband and kids, and that's just fine by me. I am grateful to my mighty band of  followers and all of their contributing comments.

For your enjoyment, I've selected my favorite posts from the past year.

1. Excuse Me. Where's the Ladies' Room? - May 28, 2010
By now my readers should know that I am terrified of port-o-pots.

Hot BMX Mom?-- NOT!! (Don't think that got past me on Vintage!)

2. Delusions in my Head - August 3, 2010

Food, action sports, and ketamine at Ohio Dreams.

William will not be attending camp this year!

3. Missing Dixie - November 10, 2010

If you've ever loved a dog, get your tissue.

Dixie Parker October 6, 1994-November 13, 2009

Thank you all for reading!!

BMX Mom

BMX Will Never Croak

"I am going to start miniature bmx frog racing. Kids get ice cream. Parents get frosty beverage."-- As stated by my witty friend Michelle in regards to the vintagebmx.com rumor mill

This frog has a song to be sung.

This frog isn't gonna spend his life in a swamp

Catchin' flies with his tongue.

This frog may slip and stumble,

But this frog tries again.

This frog will never grumble,

But fall to rise again.

This frog is staying with it

Like a tick sticks to a dog.

I'm gonna win!

You're gonna love this frog!

-Kermit

Froggy is looking for a sponsor, and hopes to
attend junior development camp in Chula Vista.

And Michelle sums it up best with:

"Why cant everyone just ride their bikes without all this nonsense?"

BMX Mom

The Unsinkable NBL (Can I get a life boat please?)

Ruth: So this is the ship they say is unsinkable. 
Cal Hockley: It is unsinkable. God himself could not sink this ship. 


Dishes in the sink, laundry in the dryer, bags to pack, groceries to buy, and I find myself unable to resist the overwhelming urge to blog.


The Mississippi River is rising, Alabama is struggling to recover from tornado damage, our world is a general mess that I choose to close the blinds on, and what kept me up all night?-- the demise of the National Bicycle League.

At 9:47 last night my phone beeped out a simple text: "check vintage" was all it said. For you non-bmxers, that's vintagebmx.com, the information forum for all things BMX. Here's what I read:

"This info has come from several very reliable sources. Gary Aragon gave all the employees a two week notice and said they would be out of money in two weeks! They had an emergency board meeting this morning at 6:30 AM EST to discuss an exit strategy or some sort of restructure...... Even the possiblity of desolving the NBL and just being GSX, but who knows, the people I spoke with are very concerned and very in the loop....

My concern is the tracks that are owed money and the new riders who purchased the all inclusive memberships, as you know I have not been the biggest fan of the way the NBL has been run in the last several years, but I still care about BMXers and I have a lot friends who run NBL tracks and care about them..... If I were you and I were a NBL Track Director I would take immediate action because this is real and very reliable....."

Thomas Andrews: Please, tell only who you must. I don't want to be responsible for a panic. And get to a boat quickly, don't wait.


So, we've devoted the past 6 months of this race season to the NBL. With our race funds dwindling, and time running out, it's a little late for us to jump ship and try to qualify in the ABA. Besides, we live in Florida!

Jack: Don't you do that, don't say your good-byes. Not yet, do you understand me? 


We find ourselves in a pickle. All of this information comes to us as we plan to head out on a 9-hour drive to a NBL national in North Carolina. As of this moment, we're going. I have one thing to say to the folks on Vintage, in the words of the Unsinkable Molly Brown:

Knock it off. You're scaring me. C'mon girls! Grab an oar, let's go! 

What I know to be true is that I am, and will remain--

BMX Mom

Celebrating Wyatt at the NBL Gator Nationals

The NBL Gator Nationals in West Palm Beach felt like a continuation of the weekend before, with only time for school, baseball and piano recitals in between. Amidst the chaos of family, friends and racing, my mind drifted to a special day eight years ago, when our family, and my world, became compete.

April 30, 2003 began as any ordinary day, meeting my friend Shannon at the park so William could run off some toddler energy with his friend Sydney.

Wyatt at 3 months

At 11, I dropped William with his dad to go to what I hoped would be my last OBGYN appointment. "Call me later", Shannon said as I left the park.

"You're 8 cm!" my midwife exclaimed. Without a further word to me, she was on the phone to labor and delivery with strict instructions to have my room ready. She was sending me straight over. Vann and I quickly summoned our friend Denise who had been placed on call for William duty. I called my sister in New Orleans who was on the road within 5 minutes.

Not due until May 15, I worried about the baby's size. "How big do you think?" I asked my midwife as she felt my belly. "6, maybe 7 pounds." "Feels bigger", I grumbled.

My water was broken, and I was given the no time for an epidural speech.

At 1:17 that afternoon, my heart filled with joy as our 9 pound baby boy was placed in my arms. He has made me smile everyday since.

I called Shannon. "How'd your appointment go?" She asked. "Great! Wyatt's here!" We still chuckle about that.

Wyatt, so proud of his brother, at the the Fall Classic in 2006

Vann brought William that evening. He peered wide-eyed into the bassinet at the sleeping baby. "Hi Bubba!" he said excitedly. Wyatt has been known as "Bubba" ever since.

Wyatt does not remember life before BMX. His brother started racing when Wyatt was two. He would cheer for William, and was always so proud. When Wyatt started racing at age four, he still seemed more interested in digging holes and collecting bugs, than riding his bike.

Wyatt is a gentle, old soul who loves all creatures great and small. He says he wants to be a scientist. Once, at a race I went to congratulate him after a win. Instead of being excited, he was upset. "There was a spider in staging," he explained. "I told them it was harmless, but they killed it anyway. I don't understand why they did that."

On Wyatt's 8th birthday, he thrilled us by making both the 8 challenger and the 8 cruiser mains-- not a small feat. While we cheered and bragged on Wyatt's accomplishments, we felt some disappointment over William's third place finishes. Since then I've wondered, why do we cheer for one who comes in 8th, and grumble over the other who comes in third? I've come to realize that it's not entirely fair, but then life never is.

We wrapped up Wyatt's raceday/birthday sharing hot dogs and cookie cake with some good race buddies.

Celebrating Wyatt: Rowdy Houston, Zane VonBergen,
Wyatt, Vaughn Phillipus, Zach VonBergen and William

This week we look forward to more baseball, and hopefully a little bit of rest!



BMX Mom