CHENANGO COUNTY – You have been reading results now for quite some time, but do you really know the All-American BMX team?
The founder, Dave Lawson, used to race Bicycle Motocross (BMX) when he was a child. “My father didn't push me. This was my sport, I put in the practice. I pushed myself,” said Lawson. He didn't push his son, the longest standing member of the team, Vinny Lawson either. Dave Lawson asked his son one day if he wanted to try the sport and Vinny was all about it.
“I was sitting around and I'm not rich so I wanted to do something to give back to the community,” stated Lawson about why he started a team instead of just bringing his son to ever event.
Now the group has grown into a team 40 kids from the the county but has had more than 50 kids put on a helmet and ride around the track. Ranging from three to 50 and over, the team has grown rapidly. The growth has come from the kids just having fun. “Once you make it like a job for these kids is when the start to lose interest. There is too much pressure there,” commented Lawson.
Vinny Lawson has now raced for a year and a half and is having great success at doing it. “I was inspired by a televison show, All-In by Cam Newton,” said Vinny. “There was a guy who did BMX, not the kind we do but it was interesting. Plus my grandma told me that my dad did the racing so I was pretty inspired.”
The second longest running current member is Ethan Willis. Ethan got his start on his own, learning the way most kids learn things these days, by YouTube. “I said, 'Hey mom, I want to check out BMX,'” said Willis. “We went to two different BMX's and happened to meet Vinny at one. He gave me is bike to use and now I'm at this point.”
One of the youngest members, Fynlee Ballin rides in a striders group. These racers don't have pedals on their bike yet, but the racing helps them get balance and learn the ways of the track. When asked what made her want to become a part of the team, she said it was because of watching her older brother, Liam race around the track. “It's really fun because I just get to be on my bike,” she said. “I don't ever want to stop.”
Keegan Hager, a 13 year old who just started the sport and quickly has found success. “It's a one-on-one experience,” said Hager. “It's just you and the bike and nothing else interferring.” Hager heard about the team through his dad and became interested.
