Published on 08/18/2005

I bet you thought the civil war was over, right? You know, the feud between the North and the South? OK, Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson are long gone.....

By Will Rells

San Bernardino, California - I bet you thought the civil war was over, right? You know, the feud between the North and the South? OK, Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson are long gone, but there is a modern-day version being played out on BMX battlefields all across the west; California to be exact. Im speaking of course about the rivalry between the west coast's North and South; Northern California versus Southern California, otherwise affectionately known as "Nor-Cal versus So-Cal". One of the longest running rivalries in BMX divides the state of California deeper than the San Andreas fault. For some reason the ABA split the State Championship series in California into separate North and South divisions, with separate Nor-Cal and So-Cal state champs. The day after that decision, Californians started arguing (probably on an internet chat board) about which riders were the true Cali state champs. Well you know what? Steve Burnett and the gang over at Orange Show BMX decided enough was enough, put their minds together, and came up with a little showdown they're calling the "California Cup" to settle the debate once and for all (at least until 2006, anyway).

Heres the premise: invite the final top ten ABA State Championship Series riders from each age group from both the Nor-Cal and So-Cal divisions, let 'em duke it out, and whichever half of the state gets the most wins is the California Cup champ. Some might argue it's the ultimate team sheet. On top of that, each individual class winner gets a custom Tangent California Cup numero uno plate and bragging rights for the year. Awesome idea, right? Well, why didn't you think of it, genius? Steve had one last problem - where to hold this showdown. Well, since Burnett and his Orange Show gang came up with the idea, they get to hold the race. Take that, Nor-Cal!

According to Burnett, the ABA is one-hundred percent behind this idea, although the custom Tangent California Cup plate won't be officially recognized by the ABA. Hey, it's about bragging rights anyway, right? When asked why he came up with the idea, Burnett simply stated, "We like to be on the cutting edge of things." Riders and parents couldn't agree more. "It's good to see someone not only coming up with good ideas but actually doing something about it, too," stated one So-Cal parent. Rich Pelton, the owner of Tangent Products, maker of the custom California Cup plates and die hard Nor Cal resident, had this to say, "Nor-Cal rules!"

So on October 16, 2005, get ready to see a battle of epic proportions on par with the Hatfields versus the McCoys, Coke versus Pepsi, dogs versus cats, Henderson versus McDow. I've got my money on So-Cal, but that's just me. Heck, people in So-Cal don't even use the term "So-Cal." Sounds like those evil Nor-Cal folks are doing a little overcompensating if you ask me. Man, that's it. I better dust off my bike! Ive got some training to do!

For more info check out www.orangeshowbmx.com.