Moses Lake BMX gaining momentum

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake BMX is located at 610 Yakima Avenue behind the new Larson Rec Center. There, riders of all ages can come and learn more about BMX bike riding.

Track Operator Jeff Niehenke said the goal of the organization is to provide sanctioned BMX racing for the youth and adults. The group also strives to foster family sports and build community.

The BMX track itself was built around 2004 and since then saw a change in leadership when Niehenke took over about two and a half years ago. In the past year, the group got up to 49 members and in the past three years has doubled in size, he said.

“We’re getting more and more riders every year,” he said.

Looking into the future the organization looks to double in size within the next two years.

Moses Lake BMX is run 100% by volunteers where nobody is paid for their services and it’s done just for the good of the community, he said.

“Everyone has to pitch in a little bit to make it happen,” he said. “No one sits on the bench in BMX.”

This year there are plans to host two different spring break camps – one for beginners and one for those who are race ready. The beginner camp is for two-to-seven-year-olds to get younger riders out on the track on balance bikes, he said.

The race-ready camp is for seven-to-sixteen-year-olds where they are taught skills such as gate starts, how to corner, passes, how to pump and pedal for speed and how to be competitive in BMX racing. This year for the first time they were given the opportunity to have three sanctioned BMX coaches, he said.

Moses Lake BMX attempts to hold these events throughout the year and will be able to hold more this year than in the past due to the addition of the new coaches, he said.

“The spring break camps are one of our biggest opportunities to bring in new riders,” he said. “We are looking to do a racing league for new riders in the future as soon as we have the right amount of rental gear including bikes and helmets for those riders.”

Moses Lake BMX is hoping that adding a league for new riders will help people enter the sport more easily, Niehenke said. The competitive environment and cost of gear can be intimidating if you’re the only one working up to that level.

BMX is a self-driven sport where unlike most there is no fixed schedule and participants can race whenever they want. Participating in the sport allows athletes the opportunity to enjoy more flexibility, he said.

Moses Lake BMX provides three different proficiency classes which are the novice class for new riders, intermediate, and an expert class. The goal here is to always have kids paired and a similar age and skill level, he said.

The age ranges for these classes are five and under all the way up to a 55 and older class which includes both women and men, he said.

They also seek a chance to bring in a gold cup national qualifier event, he said.

There will be continued facility improvements as just this year they were able to receive a $41,000 Lodging Tax Advisory grant which went towards a new safety gate and building a new registration building. The next big project is to add lighting so the group can run races at night, he said.

“We are looking to get our track to the same level as Spokane and Tri-Cities and Seatac – the other three big state tracks,” he said.

Last year Moses Lake BMX was able to run the biggest state race where they were able to bring in 431 riders. Overall, about 1,200 people attended the event, he said.

The facility will host two races at the end of May. The State Race on May 27 and the Gold Cup on May 28 which will include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. There is also talks of the possibility of having a summer camp, he said.

In August Moses Lake BMX will be hosting a Race For Life race series in coordination with Spokane, Tri-Cities and Walla Walla. The Race For Life is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society where they host a four-race series amongst the tracks in a competition to raise the most money, he said.

Last year they were able to raise about $5,300 and are looking to double that amount this year, he said.

“We love to give back to the community,” he said. “That’s a big driving factor and another reason we love BMX it’s always giving back and working with the community.”

Caleb Perez is a graduate of Moses Lake High School and attends Big Bend Community College, majoring in communications.