Erik Goetzinger BMX

This is just a reminder that this coming Tuesday, June 24th will be a trophy night as it's the last race of June.

If you haven't checked your bike in a while, it's time to do it!  A check list has been posted on the Bikes section of the site so check it out and make sure your kids bike is safe and ready to race.

We are finished with the first full month of racing at Erik Goetzinger BMX and thanks to our volunteers, parents and riders who have made the month of May a success.  To finish out the month we held our first trophy night of the season and recognized Kade Baillie on winning his 25th race as an intermediate and earning the right to race in the expert class.  Congratulations Kade!

Another week of racing has come and gone at Erik Goetzinger BMX and it was a busy one.  On Tuesday, May 13th we raced our third event of 2008 and for most of the day the weather was wet and windy.  There was a discussion as to if we should call of the race or not but Mother Nature was on our side and we raced 10 motos without any rain falling.  Prior to racing Ayden Holme was recognized for wining his 8th race as a Novice the week before and earning Intermediate status.  Congratulations Ayden on your accomplishment and good luck in the Intermediate Class.

On Sunday, May 18th Erik Goetzinger hosted their Provincial Championship Race qualifier.  Under sunny skies, for the first time in 5 years, we raced 16 motos with riders from all over Vancouver Island and a couple from the Langley area.  The competition was stiff and the local riders that participated did very well.  

We will be racing this Tuesday, May 20th so we will see everyone then.

2008 Erik Goetzinger BMX News Letter #1 

Welcome to the 2008 season at Erik Goetzinger BMX.  Our first race was a great success as we had 56 riders, many of who were new to BMX.  As the 2008 season is still new, there are a few things we need you to know.

ABA Rules:

Each parent should go over the ABA rulebook especially the rules of racing.  We have ordered a few of the books and will be available at no charge when they arrive.  You can also access the rulebook online at  HYPERLINK "http://www.ababmx.com" www.ababmx.com.  If you have any questions please don’t be afraid to ask.  There are a couple of rules you do need to be aware of so here they are.

Only riders who are 5 and under can be helped on the gate by a parent or anyone else for that matter.

This isn’t a new rule, but those new to the sport need to be aware of it.

Your child’s number plate number must match what’s on the moto sheet.  If it doesn’t they will not be scored at the finish line.  

Our scorers do not have time to ask a rider who’s number is wrong or missing who they are as the next moto is coming.  It is your responsibility to make sure their plate number matches what is on the moto sheet.  If it doesn’t, then they won’t be scored at the finish line and will be awarded last place.

You must keep track of your child’s wins and move them into the next category when they have reached the appropriate number.  8 wins to move from Novice to Intermediate for boys and 8 wins from Novice to Girls for girls.  After 25 wins as an Intermediate you must move up to Expert class.

If you don’t move your child up the ABA will notify the Track Operator and your child will not be awarded points for the races they raced “out of class”.  If you have any questions on the number of wins your child has let Gerald Trees know and he will contact the ABA to check the number for you.

A rider cannot impede the progress of another rider by moving over in the first 30 feet of the track or in the last straight away.  If they do, they may be disqualified.

This is a new rule for 2008.  We have not had any problem with riders doing this in the past and I don’t anticipate we will this year.  If one of the track officials see this occur we will speak to the rider and parent as a warning before we begin disqualifying the rider.  Again I don’t anticipate this being an issue.

Track Rules:

Sign up is from 6:00 to 6:30 pm unless otherwise posted.  Even though we may still be entering riders into the motomaker program past 6:30 pm we will be cutting off registration at 6:30 pm in order to allow us to get racing as soon as possible.

Only track volunteers are allowed to bring their vehicles up to the track.  Please park your vehicle in the parking lot and walk up the access road.

Smoking.  We would please ask that if you are going to smoke, please don’t do so around the registration area or on the starting hill where children are present.  Please be considerate of those around you, especially the kids.

Please ask your kids not to throw trash in the porta-potty!  This is provided by the city and can be removed if we don’t use it for what it was intended.  In that case you will have to walk over to the recreation centre to use their facilities.

Volunteers:

We are always looking for volunteers to help on the track during race nights.  Erik Goetzinger BMX is a non-profit society that is ran by volunteers.  Other then getting to park our car’s at the track the Executive and regular volunteers are not compensated for their time.  We do this simply because we want to provide a place for our children and yours to ride and race.  If you are asked to help please say “yes” and if there is something that you would like to do to help make our facility and services better please let Gerald Trees or Scott Baillie know.  We won’t turn you away.  Also, please invite your kid’s friends out to try BMX.  If they want to try it, but don’t want to pay for a full license we have a free one-race license, which allows a new rider to race once for just the race fee of $7.00.

Upcoming dates in Vancouver Island:

Saturday, May 10:  Work party at Erik Goetzinger BMX starting at 10:00 am.

Sunday, May 11:  Vancouver Island Challenge (VIC) Series Race #1 at Nanaimo BMX.  Sign-up from 10:00 to 11:00 am.  The VIC is a great series as you don’t have to leave the Island and everyone, including Novice riders has a chance to become Vancouver Island Champion.  New for this year, a rider only has to race one qualifier plus the finals to be eligible, but their best three scores plus the finals will be used.  The format and schedule can be found on  HYPERLINK "http://www.erikgoetingerbmx.net" www.erikgoetingerbmx.net, under the VIC tab.

May Long Weekend:  The Vancouver Island let of the Provincial Series will be held this weekend.  Our race will be on Sunday, May 18^th with sign-up from 10:00 to 11:00 am.  

Other tracks on Vancouver Island to race:

Nanaimo BMX will be racing on Wednesday evenings, sign-up from 6:00 to 6:30 PM and on Sunday’s from 10:00 to 11:00 am.

Coal Hills BMX in Cumberland will be racing on Saturday’s for the month of May with sign-up from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

Your full ABA license allows you to race at all these tracks.

Again, if you have any questions please ask.

The first race at Erik Goetzinger BMX is now in the books and despite the rain and the time it took to enter all the new and returning riders into the Moto Maker computer program the race was a success.  The first race stats included 13 motos and 56 riders, not including a good group of ½ track racers.  This is one of the largest first races at Erik Goetzinger in a number of years.

 A big “THANK YOU” to all the volunteers who jumped in to help with registration, on the start hill and on the track.  Without our volunteers, the kids wouldn’t be able to race.  Also a big “THANK YOU” to those who invited friends out to race.  The Grecht family has been a big part of this by getting information about our track in the Parksville school news letter and arranging for a reporter, James Clark, from the Parksville Qualicum Beach News to do a story on the track and a few of the riders.  Click on BMX Story to read the article.

 Between now and next race we will be doing a little adjusting on the track to make it a little easier for the younger riders to get over the jump at the end of the 2^nd straight and more packing will be done as well.  Overall the returning riders liked the new track design.

 Next week will go much smoother as we have most people in the computer but please remember sign-up will close at 6:30 PM.  Also, you must be running your current number next week and you will be responsible now for your own number plate.  The club has a good quality plate for a cost of $6.00, which is less then half the cost of what most plates cost.  Numbers will also be available for a cost of $1.00 each. If you are not running your proper number you won’t be scored at the finish line.  If you are un-sure of your number please send an e-mail to gtrees@shaw.ca.  A list will also be posted at the track and on the website.

We are on the eve of the 2008 BMX season at Erik Goetzinger BMX and it looks like mother nature will cooperate with OK weather for our clinic and good weather for our first race.  Remember to invite anyone you know who may be interested in racing to attend the clinic and the first race.

If you have any questions please e-mail gtrees@shaw.ca, otherwise we look forward to seeing everyone at the track.

The count down is on.  We have only two weeks to go before the opening race at Erik Goetzinger BMX.  With this in mind, this installment of the News will concentrate on BMX racing and what it takes to stay safe while racing.  What prompted this was an editorial in the May 2008 edition of Transworld Motocross titled "Did you know that riding dirt bikes was dangerous?"  Fortunately BMX doesn't carry the same risk as motocross does, not even close, but it does carry some risk and as the editorial summarized in it's last paragraph, "safe sports don't require helmets".  Anyway, the focus of the editorial was not on the dangers of riding dirt bikes, but on the importance to do everything possible to reduce the risk, namely using the best safety gear possible. Anyway here is my BMX version .

Did you know you can get hurt racing BMX?  Lets see, bicycles, dirt, racing, obstacles. Of course you can get hurt.  If you race or ride long enough you will crash.  It's part of the sport.  Fortunately serious injury racing BMX is rare, but there are a few things that can be done to reduce injury in the case of a crash and in some cases avoid the crash all together.

The first, and most important thing to do is invest in a good helmet.  One that is full faced and preferably new.  Helmets are designed to protect your brains in the event of a crash and the better the helmet, the better the protection.  To be effective the helmet must fit comfortably snug and be buckled.  Don't purchase one that a rider can "grow into".  Safety is a "now" thing, not a "when the kid grows into the helmet" thing.

Second, is clothing and gloves.  Jeans and a long sleeve shirt work, but motocross pants and jersey are better.  It's all about preserving skin.  The ideal protection in this area would include knee and shin pads along with elbow pads.  Gloves are another issue.  A few riders don't like to wear them, but skinned hands hurt!  It also takes a long time for them to heal.  Gloves may be hot in the summer and a pain to put on, but you only have to have them on for a few minutes.  It can take weeks for flesh and skin to grow back.

Third, is your bike.  Yes, your bike.  Now your bike can't protect you in the event of a crash, but it can be the cause of a crash.  A well maintained bike is less likely to break during a race, which can cause an unexpected crash.  If the bike hasn't been maintained over the winter it would be a good idea to have it looked over at your local bike shop, unless you feel comfortable doing the work yourself.  If the bike has been maintained, that doesn't mean that it's set for the season.  The bike needs to have some areas looked at before every race to make sure it's working properly.  For more information on what needs to be checked on your bike take a look at our BIKES section.  

The 2008 ABA Canada Master Schedule has been added to the Schedule page.  It is a link that will download the calendar and show you the regular schedule for each ABA track in Canada along with the National, Provincial and multi-point races.  There will be hard copies available at the track.