NEWS FLASH! Bubba Harris Injured In Practice...No Chance at Olympic Team!

Bubba Harris the Olympic team hopeful who had recovered from what some felt could be a career ending injury last year, has again been sidelined. Harris fell during practice for the Olympic team trials in Chula Vista, CA on Thursday. The hard fall on the second straight of the replica Olympic track left his ankle broken.

Ironically, it was not the same ankle that he injured so badly in Beijing, China last year that doctors thought amputation could be necessary. Harris who had undergone a year of rehabilitation and training in his quest for a spot on the mens Olympic BMX team saw those dreams end today (Friday June 13, 2008) when he withdrew from the competition.

Harris told EXPN.com that, "Although I'm disappointed that I won't be competing, I look forward to returning to action as soon as possible and once again putting 100 percent of my effort into training and racing," Harris said. "I'd like to wish the remaining competitors good luck on Saturday and I'm sorry I won't be joining them in pursuit of a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team."

Team GT's Jill Kintner- Team USA BMX

GT has a great website dedicated to the Olympics, BMX and its team riders. You should take time to visit the site and read about each of the riders. To get you started we have provided a bio on Jill Kintner the Female Team rider who will be competing in the Olympics this summer!
We provide this information from courtesy of GT's press information.

Jill Kintner
Date of Birth: October 24, 1981
Hometown: Seattle, WA

When you are the best at what you do, what do you do next? This is a dilemma that GT team rider and top female Olympic hopeful Jill Kintner knows well. After literally growing up on the BMX track her father owned in Washington State, it seemed Jill was destined for 20 inch greatness. Pushed by a neighborhood full of boys as well as her brother, pro Freestyle BMX rider Paul, Jill rapidly developed into a fierce competitor. Beginning at the age of 14, Jill dominated race after race until she presided over an empire that included more than 70 race wins, the NBL National Series pro title and the 2002 ABA World Championship crown.

At the height of her BMX dominance, however, Jill discovered the sport of Mountaincross and abruptly abandoned BMX to race Mountain Bikes, a move that was anything but safe. But after a brief acclimation process, Jill was back to a familiar spot: on top. She signed to GT in 2005 on her way to three consecutive UCI 4X World Championship titles. With nothing but green pastures in front of her, Jill made another risky decision upon learning that the Olympic Committee had approved BMX Race for the 2008 Games in Beijing - she switched back to BMX.

Jill is now living and training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California and is currently the frontrunner for a place on the Olympic team. Having just captured the 2008 USA Cycling BMX National Championship title it seems almost certain that Jill will be representing the US in Beijing. If her past record is any indicator this should bode quite well for our medal hopes.

A win in Beijing will have special significance for Jill as she is racing for the memory of her father who passed away before she made the switch back to BMX.

VISIT THE SITE: CLICK HERE

Colorado Springs, Colo. (June 4, 2008)—USA Cycling announced today the eight athletes who will compete at next week’s 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Cycling (BMX).

With the overall winner of the event earning an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, the competitors include: Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.), Danny Calaug (Chino, Calif.), Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.), Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.), Kristopher Fox (Phelan, Calif.), Bubba Harris (Goodyear, Ariz.), David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) and Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.).

Following the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships last weekend, USA Cycling selected its Long Team – a list of athletes eligible to represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games. In addition to the eight aforementioned athletes, Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas) and Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.), were also nominated to the Long Team, but neither will compete at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Bennett has already secured an automatic nomination to the Olympic Team as the overall leader of the 2008 USA Cycling BMX Rankings, while Stumpfhauser declined his nomination.

Robinson (2^nd), Day (3^rd) and Cisar (4^th) all earned automatic nominations to the Long Team and invitations to the Olympic Team Trials by virtue of their top five ranking in the final standings of the 2008 USA Cycling BMX Rankings. Since Stumpfhauser (5^th) declined his nomination, Calaug (6^th) then received an automatic bid as the next athlete in the rankings.

Brown, Fox, Herman and Harris were all discretionary nominations to the Long Team and were extended invitations to the Olympic Team Trials based on various factors, including UCI BMX Supercross World Cup results, USA Cycling BMX Rankings, podium finishes and recent performance trends.

Despite suffering a mid-season injury, Brown is one of only six Americans to qualify for a Supercross final this season and placed fourth at the opening round in Madrid last February.

The youngest invitee at 19 years of age, Fox qualified for the semifinals of the season’s third Supercross last month in Copenhagen.

Herman is one of only two Americans to win a Supercross this season with a victory at the second round in Adelaide, Australia last April. He is also one of only two U.S. riders to score points in all three 2008 Supercross events thus far.

A world champion in 2005, Harris has missed much of the last two seasons because of injury but has shown he’s consistently returning to form with a pair of top-ten finishes in the time trial qualifiers of Supercross races this season. He also advanced to the semifinals at the Adelaide Supercross.

Per USA Cycling’s Olympic Selection Procedures, a women’s Long Team was also selected. Five women received automatic nominations to the Long Team based on the final 2008 USA Cycling BMX Rankings – Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.), Arielle Martin (Pleasant Grove, Utah), Amanda Geving (Largo, Fla.), Stephanie Barragan (Montclair, Calif.) and Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.). There were no discretionary nominations to the women’s Long Team.

As the top-ranked athlete in the USA Cycling BMX Rankings, Kintner will receive an automatic nomination to the final Olympic Team.

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Cycling (BMX) are set for Saturday, June 14 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

MEDIA INFORMATION

· Requests for accreditation must be made by Monday, June 9. Applications are available online at www.usacycling.org, or by clicking here.

· A complete document outlining the competition and scoring format for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Cycling (BMX) is available by clicking here.

· A complete race schedule is available by clicking here.

· The Doubletree San Diego – Mission Valley has been named the Official Media Hotel for the event. Journalists covering the event are offered a special discounted rate of $129/night from Wed., June 11 through Sun., June 15. To take advantage of this rate, call 1-800-222-TREE (8733) or visit www.sandiegomissionvalley.doubletree.com and refer to the group code, UCB.

2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Cycling (BMX)

U.S. Olympic Training Center – Chula Vista, Calif.

Saturday, June 14

List of Competitors:

Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.)

Danny Calaug (Chino, Calif.)

Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.)

Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.)

Kristopher Fox (Phelan, Calif.)

Bubba Harris (Goodyear, Ariz.)

David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.)

Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.).

MSNBC To Air Coverage of BMX Olympic Team Trials June 15th, 2008

If you are unable to make the trip to Chula Vista, California for the BMX Olympic Team Trials on June 14th, you can watch the action on MSNBC! They have announced that June 15th MSNBC will air coverage of the event. Check your local listings and/or visit MSNBC at the link below.

VISIT MSNBC

USA Olympic Trials Logo for BMX- First Look!

The USA Olympic Team Trials for BMX will be hald in Chula Vista, California on June 14, 2008. At the right is the official logo that has bben created to promote this event.


Even a logo being created has become history for BMX racers worldwide!


CLICK HERE: Visit the USA Cycling website

BMX Race Format Announced for Chula Vista Team Trials

Race format for 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials announced

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 21, 2008)—USA Cycling and the United States Olympic Committee today released a detailed description of the event format that will be utilized at next month’s 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the sport of BMX.

Scheduled for Saturday, June 14 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will feature eight competitors with the overall winner earning an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

Following the completion of the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships in Taiyuan, China on June 1, USA Cycling will announce the eight-man roster of invitees for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

At the Trials, participants will compete in a series of five races and accumulate points throughout the day in order to determine an overall winner. The following guidelines illustrate the format that will be used at the Olympic Trials to determine one men’s automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team:

1. The Field: Eight (8) riders selected to the U.S. Olympic Long Team for BMX will be competing for an automatic position to the final U.S. Olympic Team. These riders will be announced on June 8.

2. Basics: The riders will compete in a total of five races – one Time Trial, three Motos and a Final. Points will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in the Time Trial, the top 4 finishers in each Moto and the top 5 finishers in the Final. The rider with the greatest number of points at the end of the event will be declared the winner and will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team.

3. Time Trial (Seeding): Riders will be seeded in the Time Trial event based upon the final standings of the 2008 USA Cycling BMX Rankings. The rider with the lowest ranking among the starters will ride first, followed by the next highest and so on. The top-ranked rider among the starters will ride last in the Time Trial.

4. Time Trial (Placing): The top 3 riders in the Time Trial will be awarded 5, 3, and 1 point (s) respectively. In the case of a tie in the top 3 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing, although it may preclude other riders from scoring. (Example: if two riders tie for second place, they will both receive 3 points, but the next rider would be fourth and receive no points.) If there is a tie for riders outside of the top 3, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine placing.

5. Motos (Lane Choice): There will be 3 Motos. Lane choice for start positions for the first Moto will be determined by the time trial, with the rider finishing first getting lane choice, followed by the second rider in the time trial and so on. In the case of a tie in the time trial, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine position for lane choice. Choice for start position in the subsequent Motos will be determined by the current points standings. In the case of a tie in the points standings, the placing in the previous Moto will be used as a tiebreaker.

6. Motos (Placing): There will be two photo-finish cameras to determine order of finish. The top 4 riders in each Moto will be awarded 10, 7, 5 and 3 points respectively. In the case of a dead heat (tie) for a position among the top 4 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing, although it may preclude other riders from scoring. (Example: if two riders tie for third place, they will both receive 5 points, but the next rider would be fifth and receive no points.) If there is a tie for riders outside the top 4, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine placing.

7. Final (Lane Choice): Lane choice for start position in the Final will be determined by current points standings. In the case of a tie, the placing of the previous Moto will be used as a tiebreaker. Only riders who are in contention for the win will be allowed to start the final.

8. Final (Placing): The top 5 riders in the Final will be awarded points: 15, 12, 10, 7, and 5 respectively. In the case of a dead heat (tie) for a position among the top 5 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing.

9. Final Points Standings: The rider who finishes the event with the greatest number of points will be determined the winner. If there is a tie for first place overall, the tiebreakers will be utilized in the following order:

a. Most Victories. If still tied:

b. Most Top 3 Finishes. If still tied:

c. Order of Finish in Final. If still tied:

d. 2007-08 order of USA Cycling BMX Rankings

10. Final Team Announcement: The final 2008 U.S. Olympic BMX Team will be announced with all USA Cycling Olympic Teams on July 1, 2008.

11. Complete Selection Information: Complete information on the selection procedures for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for BMX can be found on the USA Cycling website at the following link: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/selection/08-SOGBMX.pdf

Event Schedule Announced for BMX Team Trials

EVENT SCHEDULE

2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Cycling (BMX)
U.S. Olympic Training Center
Chula Vista, Calif.
Saturday, June 14

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

2:00 p.m.

Pre-Race Press Conference - *Open to Accredited Media Only

SATURDAY, JUNE 14

9:00 a.m.	Doors Open to Public; Expo Opens
10:00 a.m.	Athlete Warm-up
11:00 a.m.	Time Trial (8 heats)
11:40 a.m.	Moto 1
12:10 p.m.	Moto 2
12:30 p.m.	Moto 3
1:05 p.m.	Finals
1:15 p.m.	Award Ceremony
1:30 p.m.	Post-Race Press Conference - *Open to Accredited Media Only
2:00 p.m.	Athlete Autograph Session
5:00 p.m.	Expo Closes