32nd NBL GRAND NATIONAL

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.

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 

Southwest Florida track sweeps BMX Championships with 13 #1 titles

May 26, 2008 – Cape Coral BMX is the home track of our very own pretty tough girl, Valerie Keyser.  The track made its annual trip to the BMX State Championships in St. Cloud, Florida last weekend and returned with more first-place awards than any other track in the state.

Amongst these thirteen #1 winners were many girls….….pretty tough girls that is! Valerie Keyser took home the #1 state plate in the 17-24 Women’s Cruiser class. She is currently ranked #3 in the nation and looks forward to the Grand Nationals which will be held over Labor Day weekend in Louisville, Ky.

Other girls from Cape Coral BMX who are now state champions are Sarah Gross, Stephanie Baker, and Chelsea Adams. They are currently ranked #6, #4 and #3 in the nation. Awesome job girls!

Valerie Keyser – BMX

Sport: BMX Racing
Home: Florida
Age: 23
Hobbies/Interests: Volleyball, Football, Coaching Youth Sports, Mountain Biking, Snowboarding, Surfing, Motocross/ATV Racing, Anything Outdoors, Reading Books, Writing Poetry

Career Highlights: 1999-2003 Junior Olympic Volleyball Player, 2000 Offensive MVP for Football, 2001 District Volleyball Champion, 2001 Regional Volleyball Champion, 2001 State Volleyball Championship 4th Runner Up, 2001 Division Runner Up for Basketball, 2002 MVP for Volleyball, 2002-2003 Most Athletic Prom Award, 2002 Senior Achievement Award, 2003 1st State Team for Volleyball, 2003 BCAA All Star Team for Volleyball, 2003 Captain Award for Football, 2003-2004 College Coaches Award for Volleyball, 2004 *International Poetry Award, 2004 World Cup Champion for Football on the USA TEAM, 2005 1st Female Coaches Award for P.A.L Football, 2005 *International Poetry Award, 2006-2007 1st Female Coaches Award for N.G Football, 2007 Division Champion for Football, 2008 SWFFL Champion, 2008 BMX Southeast Nationals 1st Place, 2008 BMX Southeast Nationals 2nd Place, 2008 State Series Qualifier 1st Place, 2008 State Series Qualifier 1st Place, 2008 Currently #1 in the State for BMX, 2008 Currently #1 in the Region for BMX, 2008 Currently #2 in the Nation for BMX.

Favorite Track: Okeeheelee BMX in West Palm Beach Florida
Favorite Athletes: Johnny Unitas, Tara Llanes, Mia Hamm,
Favorite College Team: University of Florida
Favorite Sports Drink: Cherry BAWLS or Monster
Favorite Quote: “Never Give Up”
Favorite Number: 24
Favorite Band/Singer: Kenny Chesney
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Author: Nicholas Sparks

Best Moment: BMX- Beating the #1 National girl at a National Event when I have only been racing for a couple of months.
Football- Winning the World Cup for Flag Football in Dominican Republic on the USA Team.
Volleyball- Playing Junior Olympics for 4 years and also getting a full ride scholarship to College.

Do you have any advice for athletes?
I am deeply passionate about sports and I pour all my heart and soul into things that make me happy. So if something brings you joy and happiness don’t waste time trying to figure out why. Enjoy every game, every race, and every moment spent doing what you love. “Never give up!” Always reach for your goals and conquer the obstacles you never thought you could because in the end there is only one life to live, so live it to the fullest!