Report back from the 2007 NBL Competition Congress..

Report back by Shayne Robinson, GA State Commissioner

The time just flies when you are having fun. It seems that 3 days of seminars and brainstorming is not enough, just when you meet someone new you have to catch a flight home. So went the 2007 Congress.

Networking is key at these events, an opportunity to meet people from all across the US in one room, no where else to go ( 3 degrees outside!) and time set aside just to talk and exchange ideas.

Tom Ritz is still working for the NBL as well as the UCI and he is globetrotting building tracks in all corners of the world. Todd Langdon from Alabama will be building tracks in the US when Tom is unavailable. It was also announced that Tom will be in charge of building the track in Beijing China for the 2008 Olympics. Track rebuilds will be limited to one every 3 years unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

Track Directors and State Commissioners meeting Friday night was done round table style. We picked a table number and were placed 10 deep at table with other states, I was with Phillip Hart ( that was simply luck) and representatives from Florida, Illinois, and Ohio. A set of 5 questions were posed that we had to work on and then present to the hall. At first everyone was a little hesitant, but then it was heads down and before we knew it 2 hours had passed. All in all we are not so different, state entry fees range from 20-45 $$$$, with each offering prizes, incentives or points only. New York comes in at the highest of $45 entry fee for their State Championship.( NY is an expensive place to live!!!) President Cup Jerseys seem to be reserved for those who attend the race, very few states give those as part of their prize package. Trophies, number plates and definitely entry fees paid are always given. It was unanimously agreed that it is the job of the State Commissioner to create excitement about racing for the CUP and that is the ultimate goal of the State Series. Sharing the winnings where possible is what all the States do for their riders who race the Presidents Cup, and this is also dependent on the financial status of the State. Some States charge a $10 surcharge for day of registration, and this has helped with the rush at the window day of racing, other states have a surcharge of $5. Using a certain number of local races to qualify for the State Championship is universal. Florida has introduced the national program at their state series with success, however, they still point you in class in the main, and this has encouraged more riders at their events. Smaller states have gotten innovative and race a main every time for points as well, and this makes the finals even more exciting. I have to say that no-one at our table spoke about team racing rules at all. The focus was more on the classes.

New windows program was launched for all our state clerks. I have to say I was very excited to see that the system had undergone an overhaul from last year and was much more user friendly. There will be a switch over date announced this year. Your track clerks will be using the system in tandem with the dos program until all the bugs are ironed out. All in all a very practical program.

National and Regional event planning was next on my agenda. I was invited to speak about the marketing Peachtree City has launched for the Regional in May. I believe a lot of people got excited about some of the ideas ( love our magnets ) and have plans to incorporate them into their next event. Bottled Water, posters, untapped sponsorship opportunities and riders manuals were just a few of the ideas that each track knew would be a winner for them on a local level. Tapping into the Tourism Bureau and the Parks and Recreational Committees were forgotten sources of information. Then, don’t forget to advertise your big event with the regional tracks that would be supporting your race.

Saturday night was the induction of Bob Warnicke into the NBL Hall of Fame, and a song and dance party followed. A good time was had by all! Voting, open forum and awards were saved for Sunday morning. Although we had a plane to catch, we were able to receive the rebate checks for all the tracks that completed a full season of racing and congratulations to Augusta BMX who received the award for holding the most races in the State of Georgia. With the success of the fall series they chalked up a magnificent 40 races for the year! Way to go Augusta.

Now the dust has settled it is time to put to the test all that we have absorbed from this experience. Look for some positive changes at your tracks and some exciting incentives to keep you racing year round. Thank you for supporting Georgia State and remember we have a great opportunity to take home the Presidents Cup 2007!!

Report back by Anthony Robinson, PTC track director.

This was the third Competition Congress I have attended and from a BMX business point of view, my most beneficial. It was snowing outside, so for the most part, the delegates hunkered down in the hotel, attended lectures and talked BMX. It seemed that there was new energy, an intangible, winning essence was in the air - perhaps it was hearing the words BMX and Olympics in the same sentence.

I attended as many presentations as I could, however I am just going to comment on the track officials training workshop. Dave Miller was referee and manfully dragged us back onto topic and agenda repeatedly. The Presentation was structured around the Primary Officials: a) Bike inspector b) Stager c) Starter d) Corner marshal e) Scorer f) Referee, and how it is their responsibility to ensure a 1) Safe 2) Orderly 3) Fair race 4) Consistently at every race.

Warstories, the resulting discussion and problem-solving was lively and entertaining. Many creative solutions and solid advice was dispensed, most times the simple answer was; there is an Official rulebook, and there is a Track manual - APPLY THOSE RULES fairly and consistently!!! A red-hot subject was the rolled-up pants and shirtsleeves, heads-up, at Nationals you are gonna get DQed if you are caught ignoring an official's request! At a UCI event, Kim Hayashi was DQed for not wearing a glove! (this is a UCI rule, Kim had injured her hand.) As we move closer to becoming an Olympic sport, we need to be ready to deal with the exposure BMX gets and ramp up our local programs, because the new riders are gonna come! Sponsors are gonna come aknocking too! I hope the NBL ensures that our Nationals are televised on uh national TV (and not during 3rd shift hours.) Anyone know who won the Mountain Bike gold medal at the 2004 Olympics? Precisely. Let's get organized, professional and take our sport to the next level - and we can have fun doing it!

The highlight of my weekend was meeting Elite Pro Jason Richardson. Jason is on the NBL board, serving as Rider representative. I had the honor and privilege of speaking to him about qualifying for the Olympic Games, and being on his team during the state series workshop for Track Directors and State Commissioners. Anyone who wants to learn more about BMX should make the effort to attend this annual conference.