07/12/09 ABA News - USA Cycling Junior Development
USA Cycling and American Bicycle Association unveil BMX Junior Development
Series
by ABA Staff
Colorado Springs, Colo. (July 7, 2009) - USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport of cycling in the United States, in conjunction with the American Bicycle Association (ABA), is proud to announce the USA Cycling BMX Junior Development Series. The series will consist of USA Cycling branded events at all ABA sanctioned BMX tracks and ABA National Series events.
The series will qualify riders to participate in USA Cycling high performance training camps at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. There will be four camps per year, and qualified riders will have opportunities to train with Olympic athletes on the Beijing Olympic replica track and the new ABA sanctioned track, which will replicate the 2010 UCI World Championship track. These athletes will also receive instruction in nutrition, strength training and recovery.
“To insure the continued success of American riders internationally, we need to identify potential riders at an early age that have the skills necessary to compete on an Olympic level BMX Track,” stated Mike King, USA Cycling’s BMX Program Director. “The exciting component of the development series is the fact that every rider is afforded the opportunity to qualify for participation at these valuable camps at the Olympic Training Center."
This level of training is becoming more and more essential for athletes to compete at the Olympic or UCI Supercross level and for a rider to reach his or her full potential.
“It is always exciting to see the impact on an athlete after experiencing the sports medicine and sports science facilities available at an Olympic Training Center,” said USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson. “The facilities are unsurpassed in the world and offer invaluable feedback on a rider’s training capacity and potential.”
The ABA, with 30 plus years of experience in BMX programming, has proven to be an invaluable partner in helping to create this series. The organization will facilitate all points tabulations and event logistics at all national and local series events.
“We have been working very hard to create this strategic partnership with USA Cycling and we recognize that ABA has an obligation to promote and support Junior Development in order to maintain our competitive edge in Olympic BMX racing," stated ABA Chief Executive Officer B.A. Anderson. “We are thrilled that riders will have the opportunity to qualify for these essential training camps by participating at ABA local and national events.”
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2010 USA CYCLING BMX Junior Development Series Format
The USA CYCLING BMX Junior Development Series is designed to allow all riders born in the designated years (2010 = 1994 & 1995) to compete for the opportunity to receive high performance training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. Furthermore, the goal of this program is to allow our best young U.S. riders an opportunity to progress to the highest level of international BMX competition and to familiarize themselves with the bigger, faster, and more demanding style of BMX racing, which is contested at the UCI Supercross World Cup level and the Olympic Games. All Junior Development camps will take place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center while utilizing the Olympic replica BMX track, the series will facilitate competition starting at the local level and culminating at the National level. USA Cycling will run four Junior Development Camps each year, so the series will determine four times per year who will be invited. The series will run as follows;
Local Level
All Multipoint events at ABA Sanctioned local tracks will host a Jr. Development Series Event. Riders will count their best three scores from these events.
Redline Cup Qualifiers
Earned Doubles
State Championship
RacesState Championship Finals
Race for Life” Doubles
National Pre-races
USA Cycling Local Event Points Table
Count best three scores.
1st place 8 points
2nd place 7 points
3rd place 6 points
4th place 5 points
5th place 4 points
6th place 3 points
7th place 2 points
8th place 1 points
Riders will also recieve one point for each rider in the class
National Level
All ABA National Events will host Junior Development Series Events. The
National events will offer more points than the local events due to stronger
competition. The Junior Development series will be run on Saturday and
Sunday at all ABA National events and will be run at the start of each
National event in conjunction with all other Pro Classes. It will also
be run under the same format as all other Pro racing, which is a three
moto scrambled total point system. The Junior Development class is in
addition to a rider’s normal age class. A rider may choose to participate
only in the USA Cycling Junior Development class and will not be required
to have an ABA membership but will need to sign an ABA liability waiver
USA CYCLING National Event Points Table
Count best four scores.
1st place 20 points
2nd place 19 points
3rd place 18 points
4th place 17 points
5th place 16 points
6th place 15 points
7th place 14 points
8th place 13 points
5th place semi 12 points
6th place semi 11 points
7th place semi 10 points
8th place semi 9 points
Riders will also recieve one point for each rider in the class
Points Structure
** Starting in January of 2010 this series will consist of a rider’s best three (3) local scores plus his/her best four (4) USA CYCLING National scores
** The October 23rd 2009 camp will only consider the below National events
for USA CYCLING Junior development ranking, which also includes the Friday
night pre-race.
Male
Twelve (12) male riders will be selected to attend each USA Cycling Junior Development camp. These riders will be determined by participation in the USA Cycling Junior Development Series. The top 8 male racers in the series will receive an automatic invite to the camp, There are also four camp slots that will be chosen at the sole discretion of USA Cycling coaches and staff and may be male or female. The points will be totaled four times per year preceding each of the four USA Cycling Junior development camps.
Female
Four (4) female riders will be selected to attend each USA Cycling Junior
Development camp. These riders will be determined by participation in
the USA Cycling Junior Development Series. The top 4 female racers in
the series will receive an automatic invite to the camp. There are also
four camp slots that will be chosen at the sole discretion of USA cycling
coaches and staff and may be male or female. The points will be totaled
four times per year preceding each of the four USA Cycling Junior development
camps.
Camp Structure
20 total camp slots
Twelve (12) male
Top 8 in series receive automatic selection
Any remaining open spots are selected as USA Cycling discretionary selections
Results from the UCI World Championships and USA Cycling BMX National
Championships will weigh heavy in these selections
Eight (8) female
Top 4 in series receive automatic selection
Any remaining open spots are selected as USA Cycling discretionary selections
Results from the UCI World Championships and USA Cycling BMX National
Championships will weigh heavy in these selections
The next USA Cycling Junior Development camp (2010 JDP II) starts October
23rd , 2009. Due to time constraints of this first camp, to determine
the 20 camp participants, USA Cycling will utilize the National USA CYCLING
Event Point structure which for this camp only will award National USA
CYCLING Junior points for the Friday night pre-race as well starting with
The Great Salt Lake Nationals in Salt Lake City, UT continuing through
the Black Jack Nationals in Reno, NV. The local level component of this
series will start in January of 2010. Once again, for this camp only we
will award National USA CYCLING Junior points for all three days at each
of the below national events.
2009 Series Dates
Great Salt Lake National Salt Lake City, UT July 10-12, 2009
Empire State National Horseheads, NY July 17-19, 2009
Land O’ Lakes National Isanti, MN July 24-26, 2009
Southwest Nationals Tucson, AZ August 7-9, 2009
East Coast Nationals Raleigh, NC August 14-16, 2009
Mile High Nationals Grand Junction, CO August 21-23, 2009
Black Jack Nationals Reno, NV September 4-6, 2009
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste
Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines
of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain
bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling
consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes,
2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200
certified mechanics, and 34 local associations. The national governing
body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout
the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development,
and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs.
Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all
categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA
Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org .
About the American Bicycle Association
ABA (American Bicycle Association), formed in 1977 and headquartered in
Chandler, Arizona is “The Sanctioning Body of BMX”©.
The ABA organizes BMX racing for boys, girls and adults, nationwide and
in Canada. With 60,000 active members, 274 racing facilities and a 27
event-national race schedule; ABA is the largest promoter of action sports.
For additional press information about ABA, the sport of BMX, ABA events
or Professional racers, call Shannon Gillette at (480) 961-1903. To find
races in your area or view the national event schedule, visit www.ababmx.com
.
Questions about the New USAC Junior Development Series
07/12/09
Questions about the New USAC Junior Development Series
by ABA Staff
Where can we race the USAC Junior Development Series?
The Junior Development class will be available all three days at ABA National
events Friday through Sunday for the 2009 season.
What is the cost per each event?
$35 entry fee paid to USAC, all proceeds from this series will go to support
America`s Olympic effort.
Who can race it?
Available to any male or female born in 1994 and 1995. All ages will be
combined into one class for males and one class for females
What qualification system will you use?
The class will run a scrambled total point`s moto system with one main.
What gate cadence will be used?
We will utilize the random gate for this class only.
When will it be run?
This class will be the first race of the day at all ABA Nationals and
ABA National pre-races
Will this class tie into the ABA race in any way?
The class will also count towards team competition as an open class (expert
points)
Why is this series being created?
The series is being created to qualify riders for participation in a USAC
BMX camp. Any camp fee`s that may apply will be set and collected by USAC.
Does it count as a national or district score?
No individual district or national points will be awarded for this class.
What type of award will be given out?
For this year only, riders will be competing for the award of the day.
Can I race my other classes?
Yes, a rider may race class, cruiser, open as well as the Junior Development
class
Are there any required classes in order to race this event
A rider will not be required to race any other class and may choose to
only race the Junior Development class
Do I have to buy a special license to compete?
No membership is required. Only a waiver is required which can be signed
the day of the event.
How do I qualify for the first USAC camp?
For the October 23rd camp your best four scores will count.
How do I calulate out my UCI age?
UCI birth year is calculated by subtracting your year of birth from the
UCI current season year. The UCI season starts at the conclusion of the
World Championships and will end with the 2010 World Championships.
(UCI Current season year) - (Birth year) = Racing age or camp age. USAC
is focusing on rider`s age 15 and 16 based on birth year. The October
23rd camp falls within the UCI 2010 series, so according to the above
formula the designated years of birth will be 1994 and 1995. These birth
years will be in effect until the conclusion of the July 2010 World Championships.
Then August 1st of 2010 UCI will start its 2011 season, so any USAC Junior
camps after the 2010 worlds will focus on 1995 and 1996 birth years.
Practice Schedule
Thursday, August 12, 3-7pm $5