8-year-old Camison Pyper of Bessemer is ranked nationally. Photo courtesy of Rick Peek.
The volunteers at Oak Mountain have been hard at work this winter completely rebuilding the BMX track at Oak Mountain State Park. Under the guidance of Barry Nobles, an Alabama native who is a key figure in the BMX world, construction on the new track was completed in time for the first race of the season in late February. The track hosted over 55 racers of all ages and skill levels during the event, with over 45 races taking place. Nine new riders competed for the first time.
Nationally-ranked 14-year-old Cash Strickland of Birmingham, fresh off an amazing win at Grand Nationals in Tulsa, said about the new track, in a social media post, “The design is a major improvement and will help to challenge our riders and build amazing racers while still offering something for beginners. This is without a doubt the best our track has ever been.”
Camison Pyper of Bessemer, who is ranked nationally as an 8-year-old girl, had this to say when asked what she loved best about Oak Mountain BMX, “I like the straight-a-ways and jumping the jumps and going really fast.” She added about the first race of the season, “[i]t went good, I’m glad I got first. There were a lot of people that showed up and raced.”
Alysia Mitchell, who is ranked third in the nation in the highly competitive women’s division, lives in Verbena and travels to Oak Mountain every week to practice, race and volunteer helping novice riders.
“Kicking off the 2023 season with a fresh track brings exciting new energy and it was also fun to see all the new faces enjoying it just as much,” she said.
The Oak Mountain track is unique in that it is located in a state park and is open to the public. Track operator Marshall Mooney and track Vice President Taylor Atchley work diligently to keep the track in great race condition for the BMX community, but knows it is also a source of fun for mountain bikers as well. Providing a track that will challenge the racers while also being accommodating to the park visitors is something they kept in mind while building the new track.
Oak Mountain BMX will host approximately 25 races this year. Follow the team on facebook.com/ombmx for updates and visit the website usabmx.com/tracks/1830, for the updated schedule.
- Submitted by Rick Peek
