AMERICAN BICYCLE ASSOCIATION

Somewhere in California during the early 70's, a bunch of kids on modified 20" Schwinn Stingray bicycles went out to a vacant lot and created a sport of their very own. Those kids were probably not even the first. The same scene of youthful energy and American resourcefulness was quite probably going on in Nebraska and/or New Jersey. But it was the California gathering of nameless pioneers who were recorded on film by Bruce Brown's cameras. The resulting motorcycle film, ON ANY SUNDAY, would spread the word like a wildfire.

There was no stopping it now. A new sport created by kids for kids was born. Bicycle Motocross was the name it was given. That name was quickly shortened to BMX . It grabbed the attention of thousands of kids in one short summer. Boys and girls on their modified bicycles were seen jamming through the dirt emulating their motorcycle motocross heroes.

Imitation lead to innovation and quickly the kids were performing tricks and "getting air" that made their motorcycle heroes green with envy. The next step was organized racing. By 1977, pockets of loosely organized BMX races dotted the nation from coast to coast. It was time for a national sanctioning body and from out of this need, the AMERICAN BICYCLE ASSOCIATION was created.

The AMERICAN BICYCLE ASSOCIATION not only filled that need, it completely changed and continues to shape the future of the sport it serves. The first step was to create a system of qualifying participants that was not only fair, but one which enhanced the competitive nature of the very sport itself and still afforded each and every rider the chance to be a winner. This need for fairness and allowing for the fortunes of luck led the way to the transfer system, in which the winner of each moto advances to the next round - be it quarter, semi or main event.

ABA BMX racing is a sport of youthful achievement and the American family. While the young boy or girl BMX racer develops skills at an individual pace, they are learning about winning, losing and trying again. The racer's family learns that time spent together is support of the racer and the individual achievements is quality time.