ALL GEARED UP
Children, their parents celebrate Olympic Day with BMX racing
The wheels were spinning at Pottstown’s Trilogy Park when cyclists from youngsters to adults celebrated Olympic Day with BMX.
Bicycle Motocross, or BMX, is a sport that involves racing bicycles on a dirt track. It became an Olympic sport in 2008. Olympic Day is an annual youth event that’s celebrated in 160 countries throughout the month of June.
Glen Knapper, a volunteer with the Trilogy Park Parent Association, said they’ve been celebrating Olympic Day with BMX for about the last five years.
“It’s kind of just to get kids involved. It’s free so they don’t need to have a membership. They don’t have to pay to race,” he said.
Elizabeth Harner, 10, and her brother Matthew Harner, 12, had on matching gear as they took on the hilly dirt BMX track together. Elizabeth, who is the current BMX state champion for her age group, said her brother is the one that originally got her interested in the sport. Matthew has also won the state championships for his age group and said the best part of BMX is jumping hills.
Chase Didget, of Pottstown, said he introduced his children to BMX at an early age. They start off on balance bikes then progress to pedal bikes, he said.
“They enjoy it and that’s the whole point of it,” Didget said. Parents and their children spent an evening last week BMX racing at Pottstown’s Trilogy Park as part of Olympic Day.
Knapper said the annual celebration is an opportunity to get children interested in the sport of BMX and encourage them to do something physically active.
He said his children grew up BMX racing and even though they are now young adults, they still enjoy the activity. He said BMX is a pastime that parents can easily do alongside their kids.
“It’s a very family-oriented sport,” he said.
The Trilogy Park Parent Association is a nonprofit organization that was started in 2004. As part of the association, there are weekly practices and races. The BMX track is located at Memorial Park near the basketball court. The address is 75 W. King St. For more information about BMX, visit www.usabmx. com. For more about the local parent association, visit www.facebook.com/TrilogyParkBMX or call 484363-0592.