to win. That's not what he's about.

We are thrilled to report that Alex *finally* won his state championship. It was an extremely close competition, in fact Alex did not win the state final, but had performed well at the qualifiers in order to lead in points. It has been a long, long 2 1/2 years, 2006 he was in the lead in state points but we were unable to travel to the state final. Last year, in 2007, he and Zaden had a very heated battle, Alex's qualifiers were all raced as an intermediate so Zaden had the lock on the race before the finals even hit.

We have had a very busy summer, Alex has raced 4 nationals so far this year. He has come away with a table-full of trophies, most importantly four second places. He has had a blast racing at many different tracks. He has had an amazing ride so far this year, and anything on top of his state title, longed for since his first "Big Wheel" race at age 2, is icing on the cake. I've uploaded some photos from Alex's early days, take a gander in his gallery. From attending his first race in mom's belly to finally having a plate and backpack of his own, it's been a great life.

We are SO incredibly proud of the effort and time Alex has put into his year. He continues to be an upstanding member of the track, he loves BMX for what it is an what it has made him into. We continue to require sportsmanship above all, even above winning.

We just got back from the ABA Mid America Nationals and Alex had a blast. It was a pretty rough weekend for him. He crashed first moto Friday night and again in the main. On Saturday he crashed first moto in class, and then crashed in both open and class mains. Then on Sunday he went down again in the first moto of class. Each time he jumped back up and hustled to finish the best he could. It was also the first National were he had semis both days. 18 riders and he was able to finish in the top five. We are all very proud of him and sure hope he's gotten all his crashing done for the year. LOL! All his friends did really well even taking home some first place trophies. The ABA did a great job with track considering the rain and bad weather. Alex might be taking a few days off to soak his mucles in the tub, but he's looking forward to racing this weekend.

Just returned from the Kearney Nebraska National.  Had a great time hanging out with my buddies and made some new friends.  Alex had a strong showing Friday night at the pre-race by qualifying right off to the main in his first moto.  Got up to staging for the main and someone apparently was too distracted to count and realize that he and another local rider were not in the gate as the rope had been dropped in front of them.  Now remember, they are 6 years old and the rope dropper is an adult.  So they totally missed their main which was a disappointing start to the weekend.  Dad tried to file a protest and of course didn't get anywhere.  Saturday missed qualifying in class but pulled up a third place finish in 6 and under mixed open. People everywhere were talking about how improved Alex is over last year, he was looking good on his new bike and riding strong in his new Mini Militia uniform for this year- also his first ever races riding clips.  Sunday raced only class and made it to the main (has made at least one main at every national he's been at) and finished a strong 6th (almost 5th at the line) out of 13 riders.  First weekend racing as a 6-year old!!!   We could not be more PROUD of Alex, he is riding strong and carrying on with his tradition of riding clean and talking clean all of the time.  Pretty good showings considering it's still winter in Nebraska and we've had a very limited number of days he could even get outside to ride down the street!!  Alex also wants to announce he's a big brother again, he now has a baby brother to follow in his footsteps.  He tells him all the time, "I am going to teach you how to do everything."  Even racing!

It's hard to believe that another racing season is starting to wind down. We are hoping for a long Indian summer so that Alex can get out on his bike as much as he likes, not that a little foot of snow has stopped him from riding before! (We have to check into those studded snow tires for his bike!) He is basking in the glow from the two big Redline Cup trophies in his room, they aren't for first place but he couldn't care less about that. He made a very strong showing in his class both days, including racing 6 motos on Sunday morning, then promptly fell asleep with his slushy from Sonic in his lap and his hand firmly grasped onto the top of a trophy in the car next to him. Very telling and very Alex.

He has some training to do over the winter time to get him in shape for joining the 6I class in the spring which just gets stronger and bigger all of the time. Dad is working on getting him another new bike for next year when he might just be joined on the track by his little sister, that would make him very proud.

Alex has joined the Mini Militia team out of Colorado Springs, he's excited to see what this coming year will bring with his new teammates and some old friends on the team with him. Thanks to Mark and Jamie for their support and backing and to Deb and Brennan for believing in Alex.

Again, thanks to everyone who has supported and encouraged Alex this year, even if all you did was go out there and display excellent sportsmanship to set a good example. These little kids are truly watching all of the time and it is so very important to stay positive for their sake. It's still all about having fun.

Happy Halloween!

As we have stressed all along this season, our goal for Alex is to have fun and to be a good sport. He has made some really good friends this year and has really learned a lot from the older kids. Although I will probably forget some names, special thanks to Taylor, Brennan, Jack, Josh and Shelby and all of Daddy's racing friends who have helped Alex to learn so much this year in a constructive, positive manner. He has had so much fun and has really grown and matured as a young man. We could not be prouder of him. Anyone who knows Alex knows that he lives and breathes his bike. This last week since returning from Dacono has been hard, he's contracted a bad case of bronchitis and has been basically sidelined. His performance at Nationals thrilled us beyond belief and it's that which we find important. Another thing we find extremely mportant is his education and do you know that he has insisted on going to school every single day though he sounds terrible and has been spiking high fevers at night? He's just a driven kid. Not sure how much he will race this weekend, he's having trouble just getting through the days. We are incredibly proud of him no matter if he races or not or even if he finishes a single moto. We think his challenge this year of racing every state qualifier as a new intermediate speaks volumes. Congratulations, Alex, on a fantastic season, with great love and endless admiration from your three biggest fans, Mom, Dad, and Genevieve, 'specially :) "Go, Allie"

Alex has had a rough couple of weeks racing, he's gotten some donations in brand spankin' new parts from some special friends and it's just a matter of figuring out what's going to work best together. He's loving racing even if he doesn't finish first. He also seems to be going through a growth spurt, now that's enough to put anyone off balance for a few weeks. He's excited to take his Uncle Randy out to the track tonight to show him around. We're headed for Randy's house in a few weeks for some intense racing action! Alex's new bike should be here soon, can't wait to see him on it!

This is Alex's mom for a change, and I wanted to touch on a subject that I think all parents and athletes need to be cognizant of.  Sportsmanship.  Alex has faced a lot of issues this year already with co-racers and racers in other age groups who do not display good sportsmanship.  He is a 5-year old CHILD but there is no time like the present to start learning about how the world really works.   As parents, his dad and I put the utmost value on sportsmanship, including being a good sport even when it means you might not win because you behave in a more sportsmanlike manner than your competitor.  I was interested in Alex becoming involved in BMX as it is not what I would consider a typical upper-middle class sport with the 'soccer-parent' mentality.  (Apologies as I know there are plenty of good soccer parents out there.)  Unfortunately this year our local state BMX races have been poisoned by dirty moves and rude comments including foul language being directed at children by their own parents and children who boast that they were offered financial rewards by their parents for beating a certain competitor.  Alex has been laughed at by another child for not making his mains in difficult races- even considering he always races above his age group out of necessity.  We will stand strong on this issue.  Alex knows all about being a good sport, in fact he is a natural at it.  You will not find another athlete at his races who more spontaneously hollers out praise and encouragement for fellow riders, whether they are his age or whether they're 40 years older.  We are very proud of all of his accomplishments- but we place far more importance on having a good time, enjoying the experience, and being an excellent role-model than simply winning every race.  We are very proud after he finishes a race where he doesn't finish first in his moto or main when we hear him say, 'I almost had that guy- I almost caught up to him!'  Mr. Positive Thinking.  Alex is going to go far in this life and we hope BMX will long be a part of it.

Alex got his first Intermediate win last weekend. He was really happend that he finally got the win. This was also the first time he raced kids his own age. All the hard work he's put in racing older kids is starting to pay off. We'll be heading down to Kearney, NE to the Redline Cup Qualifier this weekend. We're all hoping he has a class and is able to qualify. Thanks to everyone for all the support he has recieved.

Since turning Intermediate, Alex has had to race kids 2-3 years older than he is. He did not like it at first but has since realized that it isn't too bad. I've told him that it will only make him faster so when he races kids his own age will be have an advantage. He has been doing great, he's missed making a few important mains lately, but he keeps trying. Even after a long weekend of racing, he still wants to go out and ride his bike when we get home. Not sure where he gets the energy, but he sure loves his bike. Thanks to his sponsors, FMF, Intense Tires, Fiber Wise and BigWheelBMX.com for supporting him. He'll keep trying and we'll let everyone know when he gets his first Intermeditate win!

GOOO AAAALLLEEEXX!!!