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Hunter Newman
Age
7 Years Old
Location
Corning, NY
Main Sport
BMX > Racing

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ABA BMX East Coast Nationals- Sunday Race #2

So here we are, the final day of the East Coast Nationals in Boiling Springs, SC. It has been an enjoyable and overwhelming memorable trip for not only Hunter, but for his parents and friends, both at the track and at home on their cell phones and computers.

Sundays races were scheduled to begin with no practice and at what seemed like o'dark thirty in the morning. Of course it is never hard to get a child out of bed particularly when they know they can go racing, but this has been a long weekend and no matter what the outcome of the race we had a 12 hour drive ahead of us!

Once again, Hunter had a rack of 5 year old & UNDER intermediate riders, but this time he would get a chance to race a young boy he had met by the name of Andrew Sperano. Now Andrew had just turned Intermediate by winning both the pre-race and the national #1 races on Friday and Saturday, but there is a catch...Andrew was still a 4 year old. We know how Andrew and his dad felt as Hunter just turned 5 and it would be quite some time before he was racing kids his own age. None the less, little Sperano will be tearing up a track near you!

The qualifying races were great and Hunter made it to the main again on Sunday morning with only 1 race left to go. Just a quick aside, I was asked by Hunter before the race began, "Dad can I take a few Hot Laps after the races are over?" Unfortunately the answer was no, but it just goes to show you that these kids just love to ride...win, lose, or tie...they just want to ride!

In the main Hunter started out in gate 6 and when the gate dropped and the pack moved toward the first corner Hunter was in 4th place (another rider in a gate far from Hunter actually moved Hunter to the far outside of the 1st corner and the other riders slipped to the inside...why wouldn't they it was wide open :-) So heading toward the 2nd turn Hunter was in 4th, but when the race finished Hunter had not only caught the rider but passed him and moved in to the 3rd place spot. And he didn't forget his trophy ticket this time!

It was a great time and we enjoyed spending our time with the other local riders who made the trip. BMX is a great sport for the kids and parents alike.

Add Comment posted 4/29/2008 4:50:21 PM | BMX

ABA BMX East Coast Nationals- Saturday Race #1

Now with the jitters out of the way, at least for Hunter, we were ready for Day #1 of the East Coast Nationals. Anyone who has ever taken a young racer to the track and has had to tell them that they couldn't race or practice because it wasn't their turn knows how hard this actually is. It is akin to asking poker players not to make any side-bets outside of the casino...it is just tough to handle.

When practice was over and the races began Hunter finally had what we had hoped for...a gate full of riders his age and competitive level. There would be 4 riders in his class, which meant he either had to win the first race or finish in the top 2 of the 2nd heat. The 1st heat race Gavin pulled out another win and Hunter finished 2nd. Hunter knew he could not finish in the final spot in order to meet his goal of making each days main. This is exactly how it played out when all was said and done.

Hunter finished the final heat race in 2nd, but it was at this point that I was approached by Kim (FreyDaddy's mother) about possibly changing Hunter's gear ratio. I knew that this might be a problem as he appears to "pedal-out" at a couple of our local track, but I certainly didn't want to chance changing it at a national race. However, I made the leap of faith (how could I not when someone points out what I have thought myself?) and decided to change his chain ring during the intermission before the mains.

I changed the gearing and turned Hunter loose for the main. It was a race I will never forget and one that I have watched at least 10 times already. Hunter really cranked it out in the main... He was so excited, as was I, that once he crossed the finish line he kept right on trucking toward the staging area. He had just earned his first trophy at a national event and the man at the finish line had to chase him down to get him his "trophy-stub". Likewise, I was beside myself emotionally so I was of little use to him either. Only a parent can know what this feels like and it is something I look forward to feeling again in his future races! Likewise, and thanks to the folks at Go211.com Hunter's mother and sister were able to watch the race from our home computer!

Add Comment posted 4/29/2008 4:48:13 PM | BMX

ABA BMX East Coast Nationals-Friday pre-race

After a long (13 hrs.), but incredibly beautiful trip from our home in upstate NY to Spartanburg, SC Hunter was ready to race in his first ever ABA BMX National Event (East Coast Nationals). Being that this was his first ever national race we set the following goals for Hunter: Race Hard, Race Fair, and Make the Mains.

Our first stop on the day was the J&R parts trailer to pick up another rear cog that he broke the teeth on at a race the previous Sunday. Unfortunately it was too late to have one mailed to us, but I was assured that we would be able to get him one at the track. As luck would have it we were able to find a replacement. So the day started out with some wrenching and a sense of relief on dad's part.

Friday nights races began with a short practice session, followed by a 2 moto transfer race. At first it looked as if Hunter would finally be able to race other 5 year old Intermediate riders. However, this possibility was short lived; as it was discovered that one of the riders was not yet an Intermediate. So instead Hunter and another boy (Gavin Powell I think) were bumped up to the 6 Intermediate class. Now 1 year doesn't make a big difference in a lot of aspects of life, but it certainly does on the track for these young riders. The moto was then broken up in to 2 separate motos. Hunter made the mains but a quick dive to the inside by another rider caused Hunter to hit his rear tire and he took a pretty good digger! Fortunately, Hunter only received a few minor scrapes (he liked the idea that he had one just like his idol Jordan "The Warden" Goldbourn) and the majority of the impact was absorbed by his new (once new) SixSixOne helmet :-) He did however, get back on his bike and finished the race pedaling as if he were still actually racing. Overall he finished 8th in the pre-race!

All in all it was a great start for Hunter. He got the practice and track time he need and he met our 3 original goals for him.

Add Comment posted 4/29/2008 4:46:33 PM | BMX

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