*** BMX State Finals Attracts All Ages ***

PORTAGE, IN --
Organizers of the non-profit Steel Wheels BMX
can show plenty of examples of youth who are living
out the group's motto of promoting fun and "leaving
no one sitting on the bench."

Two of those young people include Portage
residents Danny Roach and Liam Wright.

Danny, 13, said his goal is "to become a professional BMXer."

Liam is a boy of few words, but has boundless energy.
The two-year-old will celebrate his third birthday in October.
Both boys participated in qualifying and finals at the American
Bicycle Association State Championship.

Both gained valuable points, and in Danny's case, two
first place finishes in the major event last month at
Imagination Glen Outdoor in Portage.

A seventh-grader at Willowcreek Middle School who
plays drums for the school band, Danny has the inside
track on the Glen's riding surface. He knows it well
because he has been competing there since the facility
was christened in 2000.

He brought his six years experience racing as an expert
-amateur to the recent triple-point series and garnered a
state championship and a first-place finish in the cruiser
class, both for 13-year-olds. He was going up against
more than 150 riders.

Being labeled an expert when a child is just 13 might bring
out over-confidence in some -- and an awkward family
dynamic; Danny recalls his latest accomplishments, though,
in the same way he states his goals in a friendly, matter-of-
fact manner.

"On my last event race, I came out of the gate, I was in first,
and I stayed in first," said Danny, dressed in his Zim's Bicycle
Shop gear. "I got passed by in the second turn ... and the last
turn, I ended up passing him again, and got first in my cruiser class."

Riding behind his No. 2 plate, Danny did not place first in
every race. In a second place finish, he said he "got crashed"
on a berm.

The road warrior, who is looking ahead to fall ABA
competitions, said riders have to just get up and finish
if they wreck. He said he will be reminded of his BMX
battles by the scars that freckle parts of his arms and legs.

Danny travels extensively with his supportive parents.
He said he has been to 10 national ABA competitions
this year. At Portage, his brother Mitchell Roach took
a first place finish in the State Championship series in
the 11-year-old class.

The Roach brothers received trophies and racing-inspired
backpacks. Danny explained that his room is "lined with
trophies," not counting the boxes filled with awards in his
closet and in the family's attic.

When Liam is not riding his micro-mini 20-inch bike,
competing in the under-5, novice class, he's likely to
be seen within an ear shot of his father, Eric Wright,
now 30, who raced at Imagination Glen Outdoor when
he was in his 20s.

Parents and onlookers watched Liam, who sat near a dirt
berm and playfully pitched Hot Wheels vehicles at other kids.

Liam is the youngest ABA rider in the U.S. When he competes,
he is normally matched with kids who are at least a year older.

He pedaled -- without training wheels -- and added a fourth
place finish to the distinction of having the second highest district
points total in the under-5 age group.

His brother Jared Wright, 7, leads Indiana
boys riders in district points accumulated.

The "track baby" gained a lot of attention at a recent
ABA event in Minnesota, which was the first time he
rode in a National competition, according to his mother,
Danielle Wright.

"(Liam) could race a bike, but he couldn't say 'BMX',"
Danielle said. "When we left there, we taught him to say 'BMX'."

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
All Things Northwest in BMX!
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