Will mega-popular BMX track shutter over money matters?
Group has accused track volunteers of mishandling money
On a recent night in midMarch, Santa Clara's BMX track was buzzing.
Over 100 riders of all ages lined up their bikes at a starting line where they dropped in eight at a time to practice steering on the dirt-covered course with curved paths and small bumpy hills. At times, they even launched themselves several feet into the air when hitting a large jump.
The 9.5-acre site, located just south of Highway 237 and a stone's throw from the Guadalupe River, has served riders for about 25 years. More recently, it's become a hub of BMX ridership in the region and ranked as the number one track in the country for the last four years by USA BMX, a governing body for the sport that's been around since the late '70s.
“The track has grown really well,” said 70-year-old Jim Hummel, a Fremont resident who's been riding there for four years along with his 39-year-old son and 10-yearold grandson. “It's meant a lot to my family.”
But the upward trajectory of the Santa Clara track may face a dramatic and sudden freefall.
Members of the Santa Clara Police Activities League or PAL — the nonprofit group that hosts the BMX activities — have accused volunteers at the site of financial mismanagement and miscommunication.
Volunteers deny the claims and are now hesitant to set foot on the track after an upcoming national event this month, putting the track's future in limbo if no one is around to keep operations going.
The accusations against the volunteers started in November, when PAL members discovered a commercial was being shot at the track. PAL claims its was not properly consulted about it and ques
tioned if anyone was getting paid. Then in December, PAL members inquired about a sponsorship logo that was suddenly showing up on some of the riders' jerseys and began wondering again if any money was being exchanged between the company that was on the jerseys and the volunteers.
Nick Valencia, 37, the track's main volunteer, said in an interview that no money was being mishandled and that both the commercial and the sponsorship logos were done entirely for free. He explained that it costs $10 each time a rider enters the track. Half of that money goes to PAL, while the remaining funds are used to purchase trophies, jerseys and track maintenance. But the volunteers don't take home any of the money for themselves, he said.
“Nobody is stealing anything,” said Valencia, who has been overseeing the track's maintenance and operations for about six years.
The squabble came to a head on Feb. 15 when PAL and community members met in an attempt to smooth things over after volunteers temporarily closed the track at the beginning of January when accusations mounted. But the meeting, which was filmed and posted online, devolved at times into angry shouting and cursing.
PAL's treasurer Dan Racimo told community members at the gathering that volunteers gave them the choice of having USA BMX help with managing the track — but PAL couldn't accept the offer because of its organization's bylaws.
While his organization wanted the track open, Racimo said, PAL decided to suspend the volunteers after an agreement wasn't reached. The volunteers were later reinstated after USA BMX intervened, according to Valencia, and the track reopened a week after the meeting for a state qualifier event.
Racimo also said during the Feb. 15 meeting that his organization was looking into “a whole bunch of things” surrounding the track volunteers, but offered no evidence or specifics and declined to elaborate, stating that it was an “internal matter.”
PAL President Mike Walke declined to comment for this article.
PAL was established in 1970 by former Santa Clara Police Chief Frank Sapena as a way to bring police, community members and kids together and has hosted sites for sports like softball, judo and flag football over the years. The organization currently makes hundreds of thousands of dollars from participation fees and fundraisers. According to the group's nonprofit financial statements reported to the Internal Revenue Service, BMX represents a majority of PAL's revenue stream.
In a statement, USA BMX spokesperson Katie Swope said “USA BMX is committed to supporting all parties involved specific to the success of the track and the upcoming Golden State Nationals until an agreement can be reached.”
The accusations have left community members feeling confused and parents wondering where they will be able to take their children if the track shuts down.
Jason Perkins, who has 9-year-old and 7-year-old sons who ride BMX and who attended the Feb. 15 meeting, called into question PAL's accusations.
“Part of it I think is that they're on a power trip to some extent,” Perkins said. He added later, “Each one of their (allegations) end up never holding water.”
James Abrams, who has four kids who use the track and lives on the edge of San Jose and Saratoga, said that he will have to drive hours away to Napa or Salinas to get his children a spot to ride if the Santa Clara site shutters.
For Hummel, who represents three generations at the track, both parties need to come to the table.
“These adults need to work out a way to figure this out.”