32nd NBL GRAND NATIONAL
August 19, 2009 by Valerie
Filed under BMX, Cycling, General, Pretty Sporty
The 2009 NBL Grand National is scheduled to take place September 4th through the 6th at Derby City BMX in Louisville Kentucky. The track has been groomed and polished and awaits the top riders in BMX to showcase their skills and capture those coveted NBL National #1 plates. Pretty Tough’s very own, Sarah Gross will be competing in the 13 girl division. Sarah is expected to place in the top 5 in the nation.
For those early birds, the weekend starts out with a bang on Wednesday (2nd) with the “Future Stars” Clinic kicking off at 3:00pm. Top Elite pros join the NBL to assist riders in their final preparation for the biggest event of the season. Thursday (3rd) is dawn-to-dusk paid practice with two scheduled practice sessions for each group. Free practice sessions begin on Friday (4th) morning with single sessions scheduled for all groups.
Highlights of the holiday weekend include Friday night’s Last Chance Qualifier (start time 3:00pm) for the Elite Men and Women as well as Super-Ex and Masters. The UGP Open will run in conjunction with the Elite L.C.Q., and puts up over $4,000 in prizes for those qualified Amateurs.
Opening ceremonies begin at 7:30am on Saturday (5th), with the “Grand Daddy” of all BMX races dropping the gate for amateurs at 8:00am. Amateurs will complete the first two rounds on Saturday. Check out your favorite Elite riders on Saturday at the NBL autograph session scheduled for 2:00pm.
Saturday afternoon (4:30pm) is the Big One, the NBL Elite Championship. Elite riders from across the country and around the world will compete for NBL Elite titles. There will be plenty of action with three full rounds of motos, followed up with qualifying rounds and the mains. The Elite Championship podium is scheduled for 7:00pm Saturday evening with awards for the Championship race and Year-End awards.
Sunday continues on with the third round of amateur racing action starting at 8:00am and continuing through the final gate drops in the mains.
BMX Worlds are going LIVE on the internet!
The IMBXFF World Championships 2009, aka the BMX Worlds presented by Rockstar, will be coming to you LIVE for the first time in it’s 25 year history, courtesy of Freecaster.tv.
Freecaster.tv and their partners, Braun Shavers and Nike 6.0, will be bringing you all the action direct from the Cologne Jugendpark from July 11th – 12th. The LIVE webcasts will offer BMX fans a rare opportunity to watch the contests as they unfold in Park, Dirt, Vert, Miniramp and Flatland. With over 300 participants from about 40 nations competing to be crowned “World Champion”, there promises to be an epic battle in every discipline.
“This is the perfect way to celebrate our 25th anniversary” declares an enthusiastic Stephan Prantl, Chief Coordinator of the BMX Worlds “We always have great attendance onsite, and people always check-out our highlights after the event, but to suddenly be able to offer the excitement of LIVE contests to everyone via the internet is a massive leap forward for us”.
“We always strive to make the BMX Masters better every year, in an effort to keep the contest fresh for the riders and their sponsors” adds Robert Möller, the Partnership Manager “Having a LIVE feed from the event adds a new dimension for everyone involved. The riders have an opportunity to increase their exposure amongst a larger audience, whilst the brands benefit from increased reach of the event in a very innovative and high quality way”.
“The BMX Worlds will mark another first for Freecaster.tv too” announced Raymond Dulieu, CEO and Founder of Freecaster.tv. “We have been managing LIVE web casts for nearly 2 years now, but this is the first time we will be responsible for the entire TV production of an event, from the cameras and cameramen, right through to the end product appearing on computer screens around the globe. These are exciting times and we look forward to delivering a great show”
Direct Link: http://freecaster.tv/live/bmx/1007939/bmx-worlds-09-live-webcast
Tune in to the BMX Masters LIVE
Saturday July 11 GMT+2
* 16:45 – 17:00 Studio
* 17:00 – 18:30 Flatland Pro Finals
* 18:30 – 19:30 Studio
* 19:30 – 20:30 Miniramp Pro Finals
* 21:00 – 22:00 Dirt Pro Finals
Sunday July 12 GMT+2
* 13:00 – 13:30 Studio
* 13:30 – 14:30 Park Pro Finals
* 14:30 – 16:00 Studio
* 16:00 – 17:00 Vert Pro Finals
* 17:00 – 17:30 Studio
Florida State Championship race report
May 27, 2009 by Valerie
Filed under BMX, Cycling, Pretty Sporty
The 2009 Florida State Championship was hosted on May 16th in the City of Sarasota. The track was fast and somewhat technical, making for some great racing! The Championship race is the biggest state race in the nation and we had just under 200 motos hitting the charts.
The girl classes were on fire and leading the packs in the mains were Elite Woman, Mariana Pajon, amateur riders, Kinley Buelvas, Lauren Lanzilotta, Lauren Whitlow, Emily Tatum, Stephanie Lajoie, Rachelle Youtzy, Bianca Dean, Kaitlyn Sheehan, Kathleen Jenkins, Aryanna Wilfork, and Melissa Gremal. There were many other pretty tough girls that were sweeping their classes and placed an awesome 2nd place in their mains.
Our very own Pretty Tough rider Sarah Gross was one of those girls. She is #2 in the State of Florida on both her 20 inch and 24 inch bicycles. Sarah says, “I plan on training the entire summer so I could hopefully take home a top 5 plate at the NBL Grand Nationals this year in September.”
Along with her state awards, Sarah received a special Presidents Cup award for placing 1st for our Florida team at the 2008 Presidents Cup that was held back in December. Only a handful of girls had the honor of receiving this award.
Final results for the 2009 Florida State BMX Championships can be found on www.floridabmx.com
Alise Post wins for team Redline in Bakersfield
In Women’s Pro BMX, Redline’s Alise Post also took the Saturday win – with a 1-2-3 in her mains. After Dom Daniels crashed in the first main while trying to swoop underneath The Beast in turn two, and then backing it up with a strong second in main #2, the win was all Post’s to win or lose. Her consistency paid off with a big check and a spot on the top rung of the podium. This too, was Post’s first win of the season.
On Sunday, Alise “The Beast” was on fire. With newly found confidence from weeks at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Redline’s new gal won the overall, again – this time with an 8-1-1 in the three main events.
“I blew it in the first one,” texted Alise. “But won the next two in some great races.” Two wins – and her first “double” in Redline colors, will definitely come in handy in the ABA’s Pro Women point chase.
BMX results from the NBL Easter Classic 2009!
Results from Day 1 – NBL Easter Classic/St. Cloud BMX, FL
Elite Women
- Dominique Daniels, Formula/Fly
- Mariana Pajon
- Alise Post, Redline
Results from Day 2 – NBL Easter Classic/St. Cloud BMX, FL
Elite Women
- Mariana Pajon
- Alise Post, Redline
- Madison Pitts
Extra events announced for NBL Spring Break in Florida!
Hey riders, the NBL BMX Spring Break is coming up in Florida and there’s tons of extra stuff to do this year. Check out what’s going on in the Sunshine State.
The Easter Classic is a full-blown NBL Elite Series race and tons of the top riders will be there. The Olympic Gold Medalist, Maris Strombergs, will be there along with NBL’s reigning Champions, Randy Stumpfhauser and Stephanie Barragan. Watch the live webcast of the Easter Classic on GO211.
Friday April 3 – NBL Future Stars Clinic / High Springs BMX
- Time: 11am – 2pm. Cost $30 includes goody bag and professional instruction
- Featuring Excalibur’s Josh Meyers and NBL Head Trainer, Justin Travis
Gator Nationals Pre-race:
- 16 & over PRO/AM Open $500 purse + 100% of entry fees
- Pro-Am Entry fee $10
- Prizes for top 3 in amateur opens during Friday’s pre-race (must race class as well)
Tuesday April 7 – Pro-Am Race / Sarasota BMX
- $5 points only race for all riders.
- 16 & over PRO/AM Open $500 purse, contingent on at least 8 riders, entry fee $10
- 14-15 open 100% payout, entry fee $5
- Amateurs must race class to participate in their opens.
- Registration and practice will start at 6 pm, with the first gate dropping at 8:00.
Wednesday April 8 – Pro-Am Race / Tampa BMX
- Tampa BMX 16 & over PRO/AM Open $500 purse + 100% of entry fees
- Entry Fee $10
- Practice and Registration: 5-6:30pm, Racing at 7pm
Friday April 10 – St. Cloud BMX / Intense Pro Clinic
- Intense Pro Skills Clinic 11am – 2pm. Cost $25
- Featuring Danny Caluag, David Herman and Stephanie Barragan
Easter Classic Pre-race:
- 16 & over PRO/AM Open $500 purse + 100% of entry fees
- Entry fee $10
http://www.freewebs.com/stcloudbmx
NBL Grands are History!
September 3, 2008 – This past weekend was the 2008 NBL Grand Nationals which was held in Louisville, Kentucky. There was 371 motos of fast racing and riders dreaming of that #1 title. Some dreams were broken and some goals weren’t met but for some all was conquered! Congratulations to all of the riders who came to Kentucky to compete.
Who took home the title of “National Champion?”
| ELITE WOMEN | ||||||
| NBL# | Name | State | M1 | M2 | M3 | Main |
| 278179 | AMANDA GEVING | FL | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 614202 | AMELIE DESPEAUX | FR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 165069 | RACHEL SMITH | OH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 267847 | STEPHANIE BARRAGAN | CA | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 245424 | MADISON PITTS | FL | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
Be sure to also check out the Girls and Girls Cruiser results.
NBL Grands to celebrate past, present and future champions!
USA’s most exciting Championship BMX race will soon take over Derby City BMX Track in Louisville, Kentucky from August 29 – 31. The 2008 NBL Grand National begins only 8 days after the sport makes its thrilling debut at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China and the NBL has planned several new events to celebrate the past, present and future of the sport. The fastest riders from around the world always attend the Grands and this year, the fastest riders from the past will be honored at the NBL Hall Of Fame Awards on Saturday evening.
The NBL Grand National is much more than just a race – it’s an ‘Experience’ and to celebrate the Olympic year, NBL will be inducting three past-champions into the NBL Hall Of Fame. Greg Esser, first NBL Men’s Pro – 1979, Kathy Schachel, first NBL Women’s Pro – 1985 and ‘Stompin’ Stu Thomsen, two-time NBL Pro – 1981 & 1982.
Stephanie Barragan wins Music City Nationals
July 22, 2008 – This past weekend was a “Pretty Tough” weekend for BMX racing at the Music City National which was held in Nashville Tennessee.
The Elite class put on a great show of BMX racing especially in the Elite Women’s Class. One female rider who really rocked was Stephanie Barragan of California. Even with a few crashes around her and the hot weather it didn’t stop her from taking home 2 first place wins both on Saturday and on Sunday.
Barragan currently leads the Elite Women’s class in points with Madison Pitts of Florida trailing in second. These two women and many more will compete for the Grand National title which is held annually in Louisville Kentucky. If you missed this exciting event over the weekend but still want to watch the races, please visit www.go211.com
Bring on the Music!
July 17, 2008 – This weekend BMXers from all over the United States will be in Nashville Tennessee for the Music City National. This is the last stop for the Pro Series before the Grand Nationals held next month in Kentucky.
Can’t make it to Tennessee? Its OK, you can watch it live at www.go211.com .
