Gilbert, Arizona—April 25, 2008—
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) "The
Sanctioning Body of BMX", continues its diligent
promotion of the sport. Now, after weeks of
preparations, negotiations and working with the
bicycle industry and supportive sponsors it
announces a spotlight appearance on NBC's Today
Show. NBC's leading morning news and
information show has scheduled a demonstration
and feature of BMX, the newest Olympic sport for
Wednesday, April 30th 2008.
The Today Show will feature USA's top BMX
Olympic hopefuls Kyle Bennett, Donny Robinson
and Arielle Martin. The true excitement is that
an actual dirt BMX track will be constructed in
Rockefeller Plaza for this first ever
demonstration. The abbreviated track will
feature a starting hill with electronic gate, a
120' straight, a roller section and a 16" double
jump for Kyle, Donny and Arielle to showcase
their skills. It's even rumored that some of
the hosts of the show may even give it a try.
“BMX racers are the most skilled cyclists in the
world, from sprinting to negotiating jumps, BMX
racers develop these skills at a very young age.
It’s great that the media will finally witness
these skills, The Today Show is just the start
of the media coverage our sport is about to
receive.” Said Clayton John, ABA President
The show will air April 30th from 7:00 AM to
11:00 AM and will not only highlight our
potential BMX Olympians, The Today show will
also give some of the top amateurs in the World
the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on
Rockefeller Plaza. Conner Fields, Christopher
Blevins, Anthony Derosa, Kristen Long as well as
SI Kids "Youth Athlete of the Year" Brock
Heffron and ABA's current National #1 Amateur
Nic Long will all be in attendance.
“After 32 years of organizing and promoting the
sport in the United States the American Bicycle
Association is excited about the exposure,
notoriety and legitimacy the Olympics will bring
to the sport.” stated B.A. Anderson, ABA Vice
President.
The entire project with the Today Show was made
possible by a collaborative effort from the
American Bicycle Association and ABA national
sponsors Fly Racing, FireMagic Premium Grills,
Jigaloo lubricant, and GT Bicycles with help
from Free Agent, NBL and USA Cycling. To add
even more Olympic flare to the show Pierce
Barker of Pro Gate is providing a scaled down
version of the actual Olympic Starting gate. UCI
track builder Tom Ritz, the ABA staff and Kevin
O’Brien will be on site to construct the first
ever BMX track on Rockefeller Plaza.