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March 22, 2008
East Coast National
BMX Meet April 24-27 SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The American Bicycle Association (ABA) East Coast National BMX Meet will be held at the Supercross BMX track at Northside Park April 24-27. Bicycle motocross riders from across the country and the world will compete in this event, one of the largest on the East Coast. It also was held in Spartanburg County in 2004. There will be a warm-up, or pre-event, race on Friday. Competition begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and generally concludes around 3 p.m. There is no admission charge and people are encouraged to attend the events. Riders compete in three divisions: Novice, Intermediate and Expert. The age of the riders ranges from 5 to 55, with an average age of 13. A regional champion will emerge from each division. “The 2004 event ranked in the top five in bringing revenue to Spartanburg,” Dr. Richard Shade, the event organizer, says. “This race should be three times bigger because it will bring in top professional riders from both the United States and Europe.” Founded in 1977, the ABA is the world’s largest BMX promoter and sanctioning body, with more than 60,000 members. BMX racing has continued to grow as a sport since the 1970s. Excitement is high among both fans and participants because BMX racing is being introduced as an Olympic event in the 2008 Olympics set for this summer in Beijing. There are more than 275 sanctioned BMX tracks across the United States and Canada, with 45 new tracks sanctioned in the past four years. The East Coast Nationals has been part of the ABA circuit for 25 years and is one of only four national events held in the Southeast. The location for the event rotates across the region. Shade and his wife, Bonnie, took over operation of Northside Park in Boiling Springs in May of 2007. Hosting a race of this size, Shade says, will help them reach their goal of making the park a family place for everyone to come and experience the sport. “This is a sport that every kid can participate in, even kids that are not into sports. BMX motivates, teaches self discipline and reinforces self esteem. No one rides the bench in this sport,” Shade says of the sport that encourages people of all ages and abilities to compete. “Our goal is to keep the minds of today’s youth focused on wholesome family fun, rather than drugs, gangs, mischief and violence. Racing is also a great way for the children to get exercise, and stay healthy,” Shade says, adding that his interest in the sport was sparked by concern about health problems that confront today’s youth. He cites as most important the risk of heart disease that is linked to children being overweight. The event will attract participants from more than 20 states and Canada. It is estimated that more than 85 percent of those who participate as athletes or spectators will travel more than two hours to attend the event and that BMXers will occupy approximately 1,000 hotel room nights. The host hotel for the event is the Comfort Inn & Suites on I-85. Team Spartanburg Sports Council will be assisting with the event. For information, contact Dr. Richard Shade at 864-205-5657, 599-1571 or Sha8richa@aol.com. Team Spartanburg Sports Council’s mission is to promote Spartanburg as a destination for sports events; it recruits new events as well as provide assistance to existing sports events. Team Spartanburg is supported by its partners: Champions – City of Spartanburg, Coca-Cola, ESPN 1400 AM Radio, JM Smith Corp., Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System MVPs – Wofford College, Celebrate Community All-Stars – Ogletree Deakins, Showcase Marketing, Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park, Spartanburg Methodist College, University of South Carolina Upstate For information about the Children’s Fun Races or Team Spartanburg Sports Council, contact Laura Corbin, publicity/marketing chair, at laura.corbin@wofford.edu or 597-4180, or go to www.TeamSpartanburgSC.org. For more information, contact Team Spartanburg. |
