Moses Lake BMX continuing strong with a rise in new riders this summer
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Caleb Kelly, of Walla Walla, leads the pack during a heat in the 15 Intermediate class on Saturday at the BMX Track in Moses Lake.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Hunter Schlager and Kaleb Gonzalez hang neck-and-neck as they head into the final turn of the BMX Track in Moses Lake at the single-point race event hosted by Moses Lake BMX on Saturday.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Paislee Moore, 5, from Spokane, in a Wonder Woman outfit made her way around the BMX Track in Moses Lake on Saturday.
Dylan Hopkins-Drew, 9, floats above the dirt as he comes off the ramp at the BMX Track in Moses Lake on Saturday afternoon.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Jaxon Reese, 9, front, chases down the first-place rider on Saturday. Reese and his father came down to check out the event, before eventually deciding to give it a shot, finishing second.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Matteo Garcia, 8, leads by a narrow margin as he and Jacob Reese, 9, pedal around the BMX track in Moses Lake on Saturday.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Benjamin Denton, 2, looks up at his older sister, as they signal they’re ready before he heads out for his “strider series” race at the BMX track on Saturday afternoon.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Left to right, Airick Wright, Kenneth Scott, and Tyson Drew head down the pavement from the start gate at the BMX track in Moses Lake during their heat of the single-point race event on Saturday.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Maximus Moore, 7, powers out of the second turn on the BMX track in Moses Lake on Saturday during the single-point race event hosted by Moses Lake BMX.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald John Nelson, 23, rides out of a ramp during a heat at the single-point race event in Moses Lake on Saturday with Shane Hughes, 22, left, coming up in pursuit.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald John Nelson, 23, soars above the BMX Track in Moses Lake early Saturday afternoon as riders came out for the single-point race event hosted by Moses Lake BMX.
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake BMX hosted a single-point event at the BMX Track in town on Saturday morning.
Moses Lake BMX continues to go strong after getting a late start this year, bringing in new riders as well as seasoned competitors from around the state.
With restrictions from the local health district and across the state due to COVID-19, outdoor competition has been limited this summer.
Caleb Kelly, a 14-year-old rider from Walla Walla, said this was the first official race he’s been able to compete in for a while. Kelly said he’s been riding for 10 years after being introduced to the sport by a friend.
“One of my good buddies in preschool, his family raced, and they got me into it,” Kelly said. “I checked it out, built a race bike, and I’ve just kept going.”
Caleb said he loves the competition that comes with BMX racing, whether it’s trying to keep up with someone faster than him or almost pushing his friend over the edge on a turn. While he said he’s happy to have races still going this summer, he is disappointed to not be able to compete in more official events.
Kayla Denton had three of her four children out riding on Saturday afternoon in Moses Lake, with one daughter sidelined with a broken arm from racing. Denton’s youngest son, Benjamin, 2, has been racing for a year and was the only competitor in the “strider series,” for riders two years and under.
Denton said her father-in-law introduced some of his grandchildren to the sport before the whole family eventually got involved.
“Normally, we’re all together, but they were able to go to a bigger race this weekend and we stayed home,” Denton said. “We all race together as a family, and there’s a huge group of us.”
Denton, who came over for the race from Otis Orchards, said they’ll continue to make every race they can even as school gets ready to start. With other recreation opportunities limited this summer, Denton said they’ve been fortunate to still have BMX races going.
“My kids would be lost,” Denton said. “We live for this season. To be able to race, I don’t know what else we would do honestly. We’d be lost without it.”
Selena Holland, secretary for Moses Lake BMX, said changes to the registration process this season have helped streamline the process. With riders able to register ahead of the race day online, she said, it gives them more time to focus on the track and everything required with the new sanitizing guidelines.
“It’s limiting our contact with people too,” Holland said. “It’s much easier to focus on the actual track and the races.”
Holland said a large number of new riders have turned out this year. And with the fall school sports season postponed, she said a lot of kids that wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to try BMX will this year.
Moses Lake BMX track operator Brandon Holland said they’ve had more time this summer to work with prospective riders than they normally would have. He said it’s been great catching a lot of people’s attention this summer who might not have normally come out.
One young local rider, Jaxon Reese, showed up Saturday afternoon after hearing about the track a few days prior and wanting to give it a shot. Jaxon, 9, has experience on a dirt bike but had never tried BMX competition. After getting lined up with the proper gear, he competed and finished second overall in his field.
Moving forward, Brandon Holland said, they’ll keep races going this year as long as the weather and guidelines permit.
“We’ll ride as long as we can keep the track safe for the riders,” he said. “Once it starts getting too wet, it creates a lot of extra work that we can’t hardly keep up with once the weather hits.”
Brandon Holland added he hopes they can keep racing at least through the end of September.
