Hundreds of adults and children compete at Sarasota BMX for Sunshine State Nationals

Alice Bixler sat in her red electric scooter waiting just below the 26-foot ramp for a BMX biker to drop in during a practice round for the Sunshine State Nationals.

The row of bikers lean their bikes against the panel that holds them. A digital beeper sounds. The panel lowers, and the bikers race down the hill.

“I love watching them,” Bixler said. “This [sport] is my life.”

Bixler has been with Sarasota BMX since its opening 50 years ago, and she proudly shows it with a gold necklace that has a “50” pendant. Throughout her time at the organization, she has served as the unofficial Sarasota BMX historian, long-time volunteer and previous track director. She fell in love with the sport as a young mom with kids.

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She isn’t the only one. Nearly 450 children and 200 adults piled into the BMX park at 1500 N. Tuttle Ave. this week to race, and plenty more came to support their loved ones and watch. The competition serves as a qualifying race for those looking to go onto the BMX World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The Shay family from Missouri has three kids – Lily, 10, C.J., 8, and Granger, 3 – racing in the Sunshine State Nationals. Amanda Shay said the family’s interest in BMX started with their son, C.J., who was drawn to the sport after a lack of interest in more traditional sports like football and baseball. He became hooked, and his two siblings followed his path shortly after.

“We are so thankful – not only for the BMX family – but all the great help we’ve gotten with our kids,” Amanda Shay said. “It really has helped them grow.”

Lily had just finished a practice on the track before the race. She said it went really well, aside from a crash on the second lap. The big drop-in was also an adjustment for her and the other Shay kids. They didn’t even want to get on the track, but they got some emotional support from “Old School,” a stager for USA BMX.

Scott Sloan’s job is to support the kids competing with whatever they need. Sloan, who is known almost exclusively as his nickname “Old School,” has been in the BMX world for almost 50 years. While he walks around the park during the competition, there isn’t a child or parent he doesn’t know. Nearly every child is met with a fist bump or a hair rustle.

These are familiar faces he sees when he travels across the country and works as a stager at a minimum of 24 different racetracks for various competitions.

“I make sure everything is calm and ready to go,” Sloan said. “If there’s a flat tire, I fix it. If someone’s crying for something, I stop the race, make them take three deep breaths and get them in the gate to have a good day.”

Bixler said that anywhere from 100-200 children come regularly to the Sarasota BMX park to practice. Among them are second and third-generation riders who grew up at the Sarasota park. While the sport has hubs across the state, she says that the Sarasota BMX community is unique because of its technical track that has hills near the starting line.

Long-time Sarasota BMX volunteer and former track director Dave Miller said he got involved at the track in 1977 when his son started racing. In 1979, he began serving as the track director. He says that racing is a great alternative to keep children out of trouble and give them a place to go after school. His children and grandchildren have all either raced or volunteer at the track.

“I don’t care who you are or where you’re from or whatever,” Miller said. “Everyone comes out here, and it’s just like a big family.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hundreds of adults and children compete at Sarasota BMX