Monday, March 17, 2008
We received an e-mail today from Thomas O'Rourke -- a once-in-a-while Milwaukee BMX racer (40c) who's kids Mickayla (9g) and Wyatt (11n) are regulars at our track. O'Rourke wanted us to pass along word that he's formed up a brand new team called -- yeah, you guessed it -- Total Chaos BMX.
A lot of times, when these notifications come in, team rosters are pretty well set. But, being a brand new team, Total Chaos still has some roster spots to fill.
Because Total Chaos will be a family based team, it seems to us that fun is going to be the name of their game. Which is cool ... because everybody knows that we dig family fun at Milwaukee BMX.
To find out more about Total Chaos BMX, interested riders sould contact O'Rourke at totalchaosbmx@charter.net
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

As I was rifling through one of the many junk drawers in our house recently, I stumbled onto the photograph that's attached to this article. A quick review shows just not a kid on a bike ... but a kid on a bike in a moment in time. That kid, as you might have figured, is me -- circa 1976 and looking like some sort of surreal mixture of bag lady meets Steve McQueen.
Honestly, I don't recall what my reference point for "cool" was back then ... but, the fact that I'm dudded up in my sweet gold windbreaker, which has the bonus monroe shocks stickers on each side of my chest, along with a helmet tells me that I must have had some racing reference point from which to draw the conclusion that ... heck yeah ... despite the rust colored tuff skins with the iron on patch, long undies peeking out just above my ankles, sporting red socks, and shoes that would look more appropriate on the set of a high school production of Oliver Twist ... I was definitely a cool kid.
The bike tells a story all its own. The remarkably large headlight tells me that maybe I was a bit more enduro than moto at that particular stage in my life. But, rest assured, the bold letters "MX" on the back of that well padded seat left little doubt as to where I'd one day be headed. I don't know where the heck my mind was at with that equally gargantuan horn -- I can only figure that it helped warn oncomers of my approach while I was barreling out of blind corner alleyways.
And, yeah, that crooked retaining wall is the foundation to the house that I grew up in. A roughly 800 s.f. cracker box that my mom bought in 1966 for $6,000 !!! ... and probably re-financed to pay for my cool bike.
See, this photo reminds me where I came from, in many ways ... and helps me understand why almost all of my bikes are assembled from secondhand parts, closeout stuff, or items I've been able to find "good guy" deals on. It also reminds me of why I'm okay with the beg, borrow and steal approach that we've used to cobble together the Milwaukee BMX operation.
Candy Karau once told me that when she and Jake took over the operation at Rockford ... which must be just more than 20 years ago now ... they employed the same strategy ... and, by the mid 1990's the track gained some backing from the Parks department in Rockford ... allowing it to truly flourish under the leadership of the Karaus. I believe the future holds much of the same promise for Milwaukee BMX.
The reward for all of the work on our end was seeing the many looks of determination and happiness that were on the faces of the kids and parents who participated in Milwaukee BMX. We're probably not going to send a lot of our racers out onto the national scene ... or, perhaps a career in BMX ... although that weedy Ben Kohls kid is sure doing his part to prove me wrong on that one ... but, we are providing a forum for individual growth ... and showing kids that there's value in work, persistence, and that no matter how much fun winning is ... losing isn't the end of the world ... life lessons.
Yeah, photographs like the one above are really important ... your kid grows up once ... you will never regret documenting as much of it as you can. In fact, I wonder where will your kids be when they stumble across old shots of them on a bike?
By the way ... even though it's too small ... I am wearing a Green Bay Packers helmet ... and riding a bike with #4 on it.
We can hardly wait to see you trackside again soon.
Kevin O'
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
When: Tomorrow Night - Wednesday, March 5th at 7 p.m.
Where: Benno's in West Allis - 7413 West GreenfieldWest Allis, Wisconsin 414-453-9094
Who Can Attend? Current volunteers and those interested in volunteers are encouraged to join -- and, pretty much anyone with an interest in BMX in Milwaukee is welcome to attend. Since Benno's is a pub ... if you are under the age of 18 you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
For More Information: John Mittelstadt - 414-429-3485
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
May
Thur. May 29 Practice
Sat. May 31 New Rider Clinic
June
Thur. June 5 Practice
Sat June 7 Race FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON!!
Tue June 10 Race
Thur. June 12 Practice
Tue June 17 Race
Sat.June 21 Race Earned Double (First Annual KUWAHARA Classic at Milwaukee BMX)
Tue. June 24 Race
Thur. June 26 Practice
July
Tue. July 8 Race
Thur. July 10 Practice
Sat. July 12 Race
Tue July 15 Race
Thur. July 17 Practice
Tue. July 22 Race
Thur. July 24 Practice
Tue. July 29 Race
August
Tue. Aug. 5 Race
Fri. Aug. 8 Practice
Sat. Aug.9 Race SCQ Double Points
Sun. Aug. 10 Race Redline Triple Points
Tue . Aug. 12 Race
Thur. Aug 14 Practice
Tue Aug. 19 Race
Thur. Aug. 21 Practice
Sat. Aug 23 Race
Tue Aug. 26 Race
Thur. Aug 28 Practice
Sept & Oct. Race Dates TBA
All Tue Races Reg. Time 5:30 – 6:30 PM Racing ASAP
All Thur. Practices 6:00 – 8:00 PM
All Sat. Sun Races Reg.9:30-11:00 AM Racing ASAP
Fees
Single Point Races - $10.00
Double Point Races - $20.00
Triple Point Races - $30.00
Practice - $5.00
OTHER DATES TO REMEMBER
MAY 17, 18 FON DU LAC STATE WEEKEND
MAY 31 OSHKOSH STATE WEEKEND
JUNE 8 RHINELANDER STATE RACE
JUNE 14 ROCKFORD NATIONAL
JUNE 28 LAND O LAKES NATIONAL
JULY 19 RHINELANDER REDLINE WEEKEND
AUGUST 2 RAPIDS STATE WEEKEND
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL
John Mittelstadt 414-429-3485
Or see us on the web@ Milwaukee BMX.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 30, 2008
GO211.COM BRINGS YOU "FREE" LIVE WEBCAST COVERAGE OF THE ABA’S SOONER NATIONALS – Guthrie, Oklahoma – GO211.com, in conjunction with the American Bicycle Association, is proud to bring you the LIVE "FREE" webcast of the ABA’s Sooner Nationals, a ABA BMX PRO Series event hosted by the LAZY E. Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Tune in for all the race action starting Saturday, February 2nd, through Sunday, February 3rd. This weekend will be another great one for sure! It all starts on the February, 2nd at 10:00am central time with a pre-show for the Sooner Nationals. GO211.com will then go right into the "LIVE" action packed event coverage starting at 11:00am central time for the duration of the days event.
GO211.com will kick things off again at 7:30 central time with another pre-show webcast, followed by the "LIVE" action feed at 8:00am sharp on the February, 3rd. The Sooner National in Guthrie, Oklahoma is always noted as one of the best BMX events of the year, and this year will not be a disappointment. The facility, the track, the dirt, the PRO Section, the racers, and the fans all seem to come together to make this a can't miss event!
Remember, if for some odd reason you aren't attending this awesome event or you can't get to a computor this weekend and miss all of the race action. GO211.com will have all the Main Events (plus Pro Quarters, Semis, and Motos), interviews, and shows posted on GO211.com the week following the event. Be sure to check out www.GO211.com and www.ababmx.com for more details.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Check it out ... we received word from our friends at Steel Wheels BMX in Portage Indiana that they are planning the second annual "Future Pro Challenge" race on Saturday December 15, 2007. I know a few of you made last years race ... and, if memory serves, Milwaukee BMX volunteer John Wethall was actually made famous on YouTube at this very race last season.
Check out this video shot by our pals over at MilleniumBMX.com of the 2006 action. Great stuff. The files are of both the boys and girls finals.
Boys:
Girls:
Walworth 2007 Finale this weekend:
Finally, this is the last weekend of racing in 2007 at the Walworth County BMX indoor. There are single point races both Saturday evening and Sunday during the day. If we don't make it out ... thanks again to everyone for a successful 2007 racing season at Milwaukee BMX ... and we certainly hope to see you again in 2008.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Check it ... if any of you bonzai-icle, super-rad Milwaukee BMX dudes and dudettes have a Myspace page ... you might want to link to the Milwaukee BMX myspace page.
BMX World Magazine, Greg Hill (GHP Products & legendary pro racer) and a few other legends are already in the house.
Kevin O'
Monday, December 03, 2007
- Crank Daddy's Bicycle Works - 2108 N. Farwell - Milwaukee, WI
- Wares Cyclery - 1306 S. 108th St., Milwaukee, WI 414-454-0550
- South Shore Cycles - 4758 S Packard Ave - Cudahy 414-831-0211
- Ben's Cycles - 1018 W Lincoln Ave - Milwaukee 414-384-2236
- Johnson's Cycle & Fitness - 6916 W North Ave - Wauwatosa 414-476-2341
- Corey The Bike Fixer - 2410 N. Murray Ave. - Milwaukee 414-967-9446
- Allis Cycle - 9622 W. National Ave - West Allis 414-327-1290
- Emerys Cycle and Fitness - Milwaukee / Glendale / Menomonee Falls 414-463-2453

Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Benno's in West Allis
All who have helped in the past and any newcomers are welcome to attend.
We'll be discussing and drafting our 2008 racing schedule at our first meeting. And, there's a nice multi-pointer that John received confirmation of at the Grands that we'll have on the '08 schedule. If you wanna know more, join us next Wednesday night. Or, you can read more on the announcement right here in a couple of weeks.
__________________________________________________
Additional meetings will occur on the first Wednesday evening of each month (January 2nd, 2008; February 6th, 2008; March 5th, 2008) at 7:00 p.m. at Benno's in West Allis.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Allright you Milwaukee BMX'ers ... it's ABA Grand Nationals time ... who's going, what are your goals, and how have you prepared? I had a chance to talk to a few of you over the weekend, but hope that a few of you will take a few minutes to reply to this post with your own experiences in your own words. We look forward to reading your stories below.
Walworth Indoor BMX Videos:
These lame videos were shot with my KODAK D700 digital camera. They are grainy, but, what the heck ... we thought you might enjoy them anyway.
The first footage is the 36-40 and 41-45 cruiser mains, in which Curt Zizzo shows that he's still on top of his game by winning by nearly a straight over Milwaukee BMX regular Mark Kluth and Mike Coyne. Bryan Dickerson still has the pull in 41-45 cruiser and though chased all the way by a determined Ed Morris, who raced with us a lot this summer, hangs on for the win. Good stuff, you guys.
I'm posting the next video as another "sympathy" video to all you BMX mom's and dads. Earlier this summer, I wrote about how absolutely nerve racking it can be to send your little ones out there. With the amount of information we are asking 7, 6 or even 5 and under minds to process, it's just remarkable we get those kids on track at all.
The story here goes ... my son, Dane, who's a 7 novice, managed to qualify into the 7/8 open main last weekend at Elkhorn by winning his second moto. And, while it's easy for me to wrap my 40 year old brain around the fact that racing the fast kids is the way that you learn to step up your own game, I also realize, to a little kid, it's got to be intimidating as heck.
About 5 seconds after the gate drops, all heck breaks loose out there, and Dane, who's coming out of gate 6, winds up getting balled up with the fast kids coming in from the outside and another kid who is veering across from the inside, nearly out of control. Suddenly, there's little kids and little bikes, all coming to the same spot on the first jump. The fast kids, including Reece Rankins (who ran an awesome lap, finishing second) separate out, while the clump of kids somehow manages to separate itself, with everybody staying upright. (as a parent, this is where I breath my first huge sigh of relief). But, I can see that Dane is rattled, as riders move by him through the first turn and down the second straight.
As he crosses the line, I give him our customary thumbs up, but, he's not having anything to do with it. He's clearly bummed about finishing last. When I tell him how proud I am of him just for making that main, he breaks into tears. Not, like sniveling little tears of not getting his way, these were the waterfall style that typically seem reserved for life's biggest disappointments. Kids want to make their parents happy, and, at some point, Dane must have come to the conclusion that what makes me happy is him finishing well.
Of course, Dane's still got his "class" main to run, and, his main is coming up fast. Drying tears and giving my rider a pep talk in staging must have just been a strange scene to be sure. And, as I left him going into his staging lane, I had no idea what to expect from his lap. He started from gate 8, with the other riders down in 5 and 3 ... and gave a great chase all the way to the line ... to score the second ... (side note: to anybody who heard a giant whoosh as Dane finished that lap ... that was me finally taking a breath). Seems ironic that he did all the racing but at the end of the day I would speculate that I was just as exhausted as he was.
Nearly 25 years of BMX'ing now, it seems, and I just keep learning something new each time that I go to the track.
Kevin O'
Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Brock Heffron from Gilbert, AZ was announced this weekend as Sports Illustrated for Kids 2007 “Youth Athlete of the Year”. Brock was featured on national television on the “CBS Early Show” Saturday morning where they unveiled the December cover of SI Kids featuring Brock posing with Superbowl MVP, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. Brock flew to Indianapolis Colts Training Center earlier this month for a photo shoot with Peyton who is SI Kids “Athlete of the Year”.
Brock was chosen out or over 6,000 athletes for his many athletic accomplishments in football, baseball, and BMX as well as outstanding grades in school.
Brock's father John Heffron was asked by SI Kids, what makes your son so special? John stated “Brocks desire to do what ever it takes in practice to be #1” this is the #1 quality that makes a great athlete, with this attitude Brock will achieve great success in everything he attempts.
Brock is sitting #1 in the ABA BMX National Cruiser Title points, but will not be racing the ABA Grands due to an injury sustained playing football. Brock will be on hand to sign autographs for all the fans and cheer on his Redman Yamaha teammates.
Brock is the first ever SI for Kids "Youth Athlete of the Year". This award is a major accomplishment for Brock and a huge milestone for the sport of BMX. The ABA, on behalf of all Track operators and members would like to congratulate Brock and his family. Be sure to pick up a copy of the December SI Kids at the newsstands which not only features Brock on the cover but also a 2 page article and pull out poster. A link to the video footage from the "CBS Early Show" is below for your enjoyment.
http://aba.loopd.com/Members/BrocktherockHeffron/Default.aspx
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
(*Besides, I hear this web dude over at MilwaukeeBMX.com already has a cracked rib.*)
Yeah, so, we've made calls to a few of you ... and heard from a few others who were bummed not to be able to make the season ending party this Sunday ... so, we made the call today to call it off.
We'll re-schedule ... with a venue and date to be determined.
We'll also request RSVP's (meaning, you tell us if you are planning to attend ... and, I'm not trying to talk down to anyone here ... but, figuring that I probably would have thought RSVP was a band, or, some sort of threat, when I was 14). So yeah ... look for details coming shortly ... hopefully we'll have something more to report on early next week.
As always ... keep the faith ... and we appreciate your patience with us.
Walworth Indoor
It was good to see a bunch of our regulars doing battle out there this past weekend ... and, I wish I could do a better job of giving updates on how our locals fared. But, after bailing hard in practice (later diagnosed with a cracked rib) and having my own little guy to shag around, I was simultaneously too sore (er, self absorbed, eh?) and busy to keep track of much else. Speaking of the wreck, I got word that Shane McNallie was involved in that crash ... and, I just want to communicate that I'm sorry about that. I'm pretty confident it was my shabby riding that led up to the wreck ... and, believe me ... I've been in your shoes ... somebody goes down in front of you and there's nowhere to go, nothing you can do. I just hope you are feeling okay.
I did really enjoy watching Curt Zizzo's young son Justin finishing 4th in the 5 and under novice class ... and, I'm pretty sure he's only 3 !!! He was all smiles and high fives at the finish line. It's pretty clear that the apple didn't fall very far from the tree in the house of DC. Great stuff.
Looking forward to heading back down this weekend for the Saturday evening single point / Sunday double point racing weekend for sure.
Kevin O'
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Please join us next Sunday afternoon (NOVEMBER 11th) from 4 to 8 p.m. (perfect for those of you on your way home from Walworth BMX) for the Milwaukee BMX end of season celebration.
We'll provide the primary eats (still deciding on Pizza or Party Subs) and encourage anyone who wants to to bring a side dish to pass.
Party will be held in the Crystal Ridge Lodge (next to the track). We'll be playing some BMX movies (no, probably not RAD!!!) for entertainment, doing a fair amount of bench racing and handing out a few season ending awards (so secret that not even I know much about them).
SWAP MEET TOO:
For $5 (all proceeds benefit Milwaukee BMX) you can rent an 8' table to sell a few of your odd and end BMX goodies at. We'll also be advertising this on CRAIGSLIST.com throughout the week to try and stimulate some interest outside of our normal racing crew.
Please RSVP to my attention by Friday of this week if you are interested in a swap meet table. lavacycles@sbcglobal.net
If anybody needs directions to Crystal ridge, click the link in the right hand column, right over there. ----------->>>>>>>>
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Not entirely sure why we didn't get around to this sooner ... but, if you've got some old race gear hanging around your basement that you've been thinking about selling, but, maybe like me, just forget to bring to the track ... this would be the place to list it up for sale.
If you scroll down to where you leave comments, you can post your stuff up for sale. Don't forget to leave an e-mail address or telephone number so anybody who's interested in your stuff can contact you.
Finally, when your item is sold ... shoot us an e-mail at LAVACYCLES@SBCGLOBAL.net so that we can remove your ad.
Kevin O'
Sunday, October 28, 2007
We want to express our congratulations to all the local riders who did just an awesome job representing Wisconsin BMX at the Fall Nationals in Orlando Florida. You guys make us really proud.
Our favorite line of the weekend came from announcer Mike Redman, who as he called Ben Kohls across the finish line as the ABA's newest 16 expert gave us: "Hey Ben! Turn around, man ... that's your class". Redman was referring to the expert class that was making it's way around the course after Kohls crossed the line. It was also nice to hear Redman give a call out to Milwaukee BMX during the Sunday webcast.
For the record, Kohls had a perfect weekend, crossing the line first in all three 16 intermeiate mains. He also won the 15-16 mixed open class on Saturday. The local expert class has been waiting for this kid for a little while now. We bet they'll be filing this under the "careful what you wish for" category as Ben just keeps getting faster and faster. The kid was quick coming into this summer -- going out of it, he's leaving a vapor trail!
Kohls' little bro, Colin also had himself a super weekend, scoring a 2nd Sunday (after getting a huge holeshot and showing some awesome first straight pull), a 4th on Saturday and a 2nd in the pre-race on Friday. Colin just recently turned 15 and just like his brother is a rider to watch out for -- his wins are going to come fast.
Dana Mittelstadt who was a nervous novice when I first met him last winter wound up 2nd Sunday after scoring a 4th Saturday. Those finishes were in intermediate. Mittelstadt is another rider who has really stepped up his game this year.
Kommanche Jordan made a bunch of mains in 20 and on his cruiser. Friday he finished 6th in both cruiser and class, Saturday he turned in a sixth in cruiser and Sunday he wound up 5th in cruiser. Great job Kommanche.
Annie Eiring scored a nice Sunday win in women's 26-30 cruiser after finishing 3rd in the Friday pre-race.
"Duece Coupe" Jacob Hinzpeter finished 7th in 11-12 open in the Friday pre-race
Cory Caliendo is a kid I hope we'll being seeing more of in the future, the Sussex hot shoe made a ton of mains this weekend which began with an 8th in cruiser Friday, and was followed up by a 4th in Cruiser and 8th in class on Saturday and 4th and 5th in cruiser and class on Sunday.
MilwaukeeBMX.com is super stoked for all of you guys (and gal!). We hope everybody has a safe and quiet trip home and we look forward to seeing you a few of you in person at the barn or up at Fondy next weekend.
