This would be my first post on this website, so take it easy on me! The Heroes of the day is something that I remember vividly. In the early 80’s the large manufacturers created heroes from all over the classes. It was not just the pros that were gods. There was an add with Greg Hill and Geoff Scofield when Geoff was maybe 10 years old. The manufacturers built up all their riders as larger than life, and we loved it! I know that when I worked at Powerlite we tried to bring this back into the mix with promoting our younger riders. Running ads, creating signature bikes, and giving them the same kind of promotion as our top pros. There are a number of reasons why this doesn’t happen anymore. One reason is the fact that the large BMX companies are all but gone. Replaced by larger companies that now just own brands…think Pacific Cycles who owns Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, and killed Powerlite, Auburn and Robinson. They put their money into a few pros and call it a day. They are not investing in the future of the sport, but rather concerned about selling that $99 bike at Wal-Mart today! The other issue that was brought up was the fact that every kids that races can pretty much get National Number. The first year that I raced the nationals they gave National Number Plates to the Top 20 Experts only. That season I ended up National #21! Did it make me want to quit…no…instead I wanted it even more because it was prestigious. They try to make everyone happy, but in the long run have killed the prestige and removed the desire to try and obtain that elite status. I would rather work 5 years to get a top 20 National number in Expert than get my National #40 Novice plate in the first year. In the end heroes are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things. You or your very own son or daughter could be the next hero! So look to fill that void and and give it everything you have!
Monday, Jul 27, 2026
