BMXers Hit The Track

Need an exciting way to spend the day with family?

Have energy to burn and a bike to ride?

Want to enjoy the outdoors?

Hire Park BMX racing began April 24 for the summer and families are spending time together there. Sons and daughters are hitting the dirt trail while mothers and fathers are encouraging their children. Some parents even race themselves.

Dan Rumple, 31, is one such parent. He races bikes and has, ever since 1981. His children are continuing the family affair.

"My son started when he was 3. My daughter started her first race when she was 5," Rumple said. "It's an addictive sport."

Hire Park is in its 14th season of BMX racing and is a proud part of the Warsaw Park Department. The park was created when former Mayor Jeff Plank arranged for the land to be used for a bike track.

"This place used to be a swamp and they built it up using (Dalton Foundry) slag," said former track director Jerry Landrum. He said the former property owner deeded the land to the city for use as a youth park.

The track is sanctioned by the National Bicycle League in Columbus, Ohio, and is a member track of Indiana NBL. Hire Park is one of five NBL tracks in the state, and riders from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois travel to Warsaw to compete on the track.

"We've had one national race here and six state qualifiers and one state championship," Landrum said.

"We have practices on Tuesday and Thursday. Because of the success of the 'Xtreme Games,' everyone sees it and wants to do it," he said. "It's a family sport. It's a real fun sport."

A full-year membership to the track is $35 and includes the necessary insurance. Protective gear required includes long sleeve shirt, long pair of pants and a helmet. The helmet may be either open face with a snap-on mouth gear or full-face. Bikes must have padding across the top bars, the stem and across the handlebars, said current track director Rich Kellstrom.

"When we have an official event, we've never had anyone seriously injured," Landrum said.

Races are available to riders of all ages and proficiency skills. A rider begins as a rookie. After six wins, they move on to become a novice. Six wins as a novice and they can move up to the expert level. Cruisers, 24-inch bikes, are the choice of the elite riders. Kellstrom said there are also races for girls.

And while bikes can cost $1,000 or more, Landrum said, "we encourage them to start with whatever they've got."

Nationally recognized riders compete at the track on a regular basis. The three Strieby brothers, from North Webster, are Kosciusko County's claim to fame in BMX racing.

"We kind of look at these guys as our resident hot shots," Landrum said about the Strieby brothers. "Because they're jumpers, our jumps are pretty radical."

Kellstrom said Adam and Brian Strieby have helped Hire Park's track become better, especially during the past four to five years.

"Adam loves to get on the track and he knows exactly how he wants the track to look," Kellstrom said. "We try to do stuff to keep kids and parents wanting to come back."

Brian, 23, is a nationally known rider. His first race, July 14, 1986, was at Hire Park. And although he and his brothers went to races in Goshen and other places, they didn't know how to get involved until Hire Park opened up.

"I'm pretty good at racing. I got ranked nationally No. 1 last year," Brian said.

Adam participated in the X-games three times and now races for Sun Ringle. He is the bike jumper of the three. Nathan, the third brother, is also a racer. All three are professionals.

"We kind of split off in our different ways," Adam said. He said a biker has to focus on either being a racer or a jumper to make it big.

Brian said he and his brothers are trying to make a living out of BMX racing. They perform at shows and festivals.

BMX racing originated as a professional sport 25 years ago. At that time, Brian said, an 18- year-old was considered a veteran. Now racers continue into their 40s. Landrum, 52, still races. The key, Brian said, is to keep racing every day and not to stop practicing.

Even though bikers are now becoming "older," Adam said, "the sport is still marketed towards kids, which is why Budweiser (and similar companies) don't sponsor it."

"Which is good because it's a family sport," Brian said.

As for the track, Brian said, "The place has progressed extremely well since we first started."

Tuesday and Thursday practices begin at 4 p.m. and the cost is $2. May races will be the 22and 29. In June, pre-races for Warsaw State Race will be the 5 and 11 with Warsaw State Races on the 12 and 13. A double header and a special race will be June 19.

Hire Park's Thursday race schedule begins July 8.

Registration and practice is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 p.m. Thursdays. Races begin 2 p.m. Saturday and as soon as possible on Thursdays.

The Hire Park website is located at www.bmxmania.com.

"It's one of the top five if not top three BMX websites in the world," Landrum said. He is changing the site and adding information daily.

To get to Hire Park, take U.S. 30 to Ind. 15S. On the north side of Warsaw, turn east on Arthur Street and cross the railroad tracks. Go through the stop sign. The track is on the south side of the street.

Kellstrom said, "As a sport, it's something kids can get into. They can stay in it as long as they like."