WHAT
IS THE ABA?
Somewhere in California during the early 70`s, a bunch
of kids on modified 20" Schwinn Stingray bicycles
went out to a vacant lot and created a brand new sport
of their very own...
Those kids were probably not even the first. The same
scene of youthful energy and American resourcefulness
was quite probably going on in Nebraska and/or New Jersey.
But it was the California gathering of nameless pioneers
who were recorded on film by Bruce Brown`s cameras. The
resulting motorcycle film, ON ANY SUNDAY , would spread
the word like a wildfire.
There
was no stopping it now. A new sport created by kids
for kids was born. Bicycle Motocross was the name it
was given. That name was quickly shortened to BMX .
It grabbed the attention of thousands of kids in one
short summer. Boys and girls on their modified bicycles
were seen jamming through the dirt emulating their motorcycle
motocross heroes.
Imitation
lead to innovation and quickly the kids were performing
tricks and "getting air" that made their motorcycle
heroes green with envy. The next step was organized
racing. By 1977, pockets of loosely organized BMX races
dotted the nation from coast to coast. It was time for
a national sanctioning body and from out of this need,
the AMERICAN BICYCLE ASSOCIATION was created.
The AMERICAN BICYCLE ASSOCIATION not only filled that
need, it completely changed and continues to shape the
future of the sport it serves. The first step was to
create a system of qualifying participants that was
not only fair, but one which enhanced the competitive
nature of the very sport itself and still afforded each
and every rider the chance to be a winner. This need
for fairness and allowing for the fortunes of luck led
the way to the transfer system, in which the winner
of each moto advances to the next round - be it quarter,
semi or main event.
That
first step led to a long and continuing list of firsts
that spell out the very success of the ABA . From supplying
the first and world`s largest national sanctioning body,
first national tour, first Pro purse, first Cruiser
class competition, first sanction to call fouls as they
occur, first starting light system, first automatic
gate system, first voice command, first duel announcing,
first computerized membership and points system, first
computerized sign-ups, first computerized system for
local tracks, first interactive website to service it`s
members, first and most prestigious National Amateur
Championship to cover all ages and the list goes on…
ABA BMX racing is a sport of youthful achievement and
the American family. While the young boy or girl BMX
racer develops skills at an individual pace, they are
learning about winning, losing and trying again. The
racer`s family learns that time spent together is support
of the racer and the individual achievements is quality
time.
