evening news coverage....

Thanks to Matt for doing the story...only one error though....the race isn't next weekend, it's July 26th-29th.


Racing is an adrenaline rush for local BMXersBY MATTHEW CRESS

Matthew.Cress@newsandtribune.com


Thirty more seconds of madness. That’s what New Albany resident and nationally-ranked BMX bicycle racer Tommy Board will be seeking as he prepares for a trip to Victoria, British Columbia next weekend to compete as part of Team USA in the 35-and-over class at the event.
And he won’t be alone.
Board will be joined by Clarksville native Weston Pope, a BMXer who once ascended as high as No. 8 in the world rankings in 2002, all while playing four seasons for the Generals’ basketball team.
It’s a trip that Board and Pope have waited for a long time, and now the question is whether all the preparation will be in vain.
It’s a question of money, mostly. Neither Pope nor Board make their livings from BMX racing, as of now riding as amateurs on the national circuit.
“My pro days have come and gone,” said Board, now at 36 calling himself a “old man” in the sport. He was also a professional rider from 1998 to 2004. “Now, there are more important things. It keeps me young at heart, keeps me in shape. My physical condition is the best it’s ever been.”
Pope is a younger man, riding in the 17-24 age group — among the fastest-growing groups in the sport, and the launching point for those who are on the verge of becoming professional riders and making a living in the unheralded sport.
Now, their presence at one the biggest events of their careers is in jeopardy, up in the air due to the lack of money in a sport that is rarely taken seriously in a local world that eats up more traditional sports.
“This will always be an area that is consumed with football and basketball,” Board said. “I’ve tried to get as much exposure for it as I can. This is not a game like tee-ball or soccer. BMX is more a way of life.”
An expensive way of life. Board has already covered the $300 fee to sign up and enter the Canadian race. But that doesn’t cover lodging, food, or a rental car for the trip which spans from June 24-29.
“We’ve got it estimated at $1,200-1700 at most,” Board said. “It’s a sport that you really need to be financially secure to do all the necessary traveling.”
BMX racing is once again on the upswing in the United States, after a decade of lean times and flagging participation following its peak boom of the 1980’s.
Tommy Board, racing for 25 years, has been there for all of it.
“Our class is the largest class, because the guys who are still riding are the kids who started during the 80’s and have stayed with it,” Board said. “The bottom dropped out in the 90’s, but there was a resurgence around ‘98.”