As a new rider this was our first trip to Cedar BMX (www.cedarbmx.com) in Clarks Summit, PA. We were told that the Halloween race event was a great time for both riders and their families. In addition to this being an ABA Double Points race there was also a Pro-Am race that was a big hit with everyone in attendance and there were games for the kids too.
We arrived with a contingent of NY01 riders, including two of my buddies; #470 Hayden Robinson (6N) and #473 Anthony Robinson (6N). There were lots of riders compared to the 4 local tracks we normally ride. As a matter of fact there were so many riders that I thought I might even get a moto of 5 & under riders for the first time in 26 races. When the motos were posted, all 24 of them, we discovered that we would be riding in Moto #7 with 4 other riders. As it turned out we were 1 rider short for a true 5 & under gate.
However, this was as close to a full gate as I had ever been in, but things went extremely well for all of us. I qualified for the main in heat #1 by finishing 2nd to the eventual winner (#504 -a 6 year old novice from PA). Hayden finished 1st in the 2nd heat race and Anthony finished 1st in the 3rd heat race to make the main.
Although nearly 2 cold-hours had passed since I last raced I was super excited because this was the first race I had ever run under the lights and I saw the trophies earlier and they were BIG. I pedaled my hardest in the main and earned a 2nd place finish...I just couldn't get myself in to the 1-spot, but my family was very happy that I gave it my all. Hayden "The Finisher" Robinson came through by pedaling all the way to the finish line to capture the 3rd place spot. Anthony also brought home the hardware by finishing 5th in the main despite worrying about his father who suffered an injury in an earlier race.
It was a great way to finish the year unless you count The Grands in Oklahoma. Here's hoping that dad can win the lotto so that we can go to OK over Thanksgiving break!!
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