Friday, March 15, 2013

Blog #1 - Alicia Carlin: The Wonderful World of BMX Racing

Elite Men at 2013 Winter National. (U.S.Olympian Nic Long far left)

The wonderful world of bmx racing was recently introduced to me this past summer of 2012 through my of my really close friend Shawn Carden. Ask any rider what bmx is all about and you’re sure to get a different response every time. There is no correct answer to that question. The one thing they will all tell you is that it’s not just a sport; it’s a way of life. Whether they started at the age of five and it’s their fourteenth year of riding and are at an expert level ready to go pro or if they are ten and just starting out as a novice. Either way they will tell you that it is a sport of passion, commitment, hard work, but most of all having fun. There are many different types of races in bmx, but the most common are local track races, state races, and national races, where racers from the tri-state area or from all over the country come to race for points. The bmx community is a very friendly one but I have learned that on the last day of the racing weekend, parents are at their wits end, kids are tired and ready to go home, and everyone is just a little tired from being up at early hours and out at the track late from the night before.



This is just a little information on my perspective of the sport so far. Here are some things I want to touch on in future posts:
  •  What is the history of BMX racing and where did it start?
  • How do racers get sponsored or picked up by big time factory teams such as coke a cola, okley, vans, etc.?
  • And last but not least, how is the sport impacting extreme sports world today and how is the media beginning to expose this up and coming sport?
Some sources that may be used throughout my blog are:
  • JSTOR; books, journals, books, and pamphlets (if any)
  • LexisNexis Academic; international newsletters, blogs, and broadcast
  • ProQuest Newsstand; ProQuest will have news paper sources that could be useful
  • Google; Google will have a lot of sources from different people, blogs, news feeds, etc.
  • usabmx.com; for all your BMX news, thoughts, and up and coming events

2 comments:

  1. How did BMX race start and why? I like how you say that it's a way of life. Being able to bring your own experience into this explanation makes things a little easier, doesn't it? I also like how you were able to see other people's point of view, not by saying they all say the same thing, but by saying they all say different things. Yet, they also will all have one thing in common; it's a lifestyle. You have good points, just try to find out more information to help back up proof. Overall, GOOD JOB (:

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  2. Thank you for your feedback. And if you looked at the blog again you'd see where it says future blog post what i will be talking about. I plan to touch on the history of the sport of BMX as it is important information to this blog and to the sport.

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