Max transferred out of his three motos. They let the kids pick what gate position they wanted based on points. Max had third choice and picked gate 2. He was in second place in the 1/8th finals, a kid wrecked next to him and hit Max, Max went down but got back up and fought hard to try and make it to the 4th position. He barely missed it, he placed 5th. So unfortunately he didn't advance any further. Max worked extremely hard!! Some of the bigger guys who saw the race came up to Max and said it was a tough break. Max is upset and sad...but he is a strong kid and will use this as a great learning experience and move forward. We are so proud of Max!! He asked us daily if he could practice and on days we said no, he wasn't very happy. So this gives you an idea of how much work and effort Max puts into his training. If anyone is available on Saturday 5/26, we are greeting Max at the airport with balloons and posters. His flight comes in at 4:45pm. Give me a call if you want to join us in welcoming him back to the US! My number is 459-9768.

Photo of track at opening ceremonies...pretty cool!

Here is a picture of the starting hill at Frady's Lawn and Landscape in Greenfield. This is just to give you an idea of the hill he has been practicing on.

Max completed his second and final practice. Brian is still a bit nervous about the first jump, but Max didn't seem like it was an issue. Brian said Max looks fast down the starting hill and being able to practice at Frady's has been a huge help. Frady's Landscape in Greenfield, sculpted a practice starting hill out of crushed asphalt. Then Simon Bidmead donated some plywood for Max to ride down. They have a meeting this afternoon and Brian will find out if the race will be live on the internet anywhere. They are airing the big guys on Saturday. My fingers are crossed that someone is going to air the little guys on Thursday. This picture is a view from the starting hill looking down at the track.

First Practice in England

Max had his first 50 minute practice. Max said the track is fast. The starting hill and the first jump that Max has been practicing on at Frady's isn't as big in England. So Max has had trouble with jumping too far...go figure! On his last lap of practice he overshot the jump by about 10 feet and wrecked. He got back up and finished his lap. He didn't get hurt, I think he was just frustrated. So, tomorrow he will have another practice. My fingers are crossed that he has all the kinks worked out. Brian had to purchase an admission ticket for the race on Thursday, he waited for almost 2 1/2 hours in line. So, you could just imagine how much he loved that!! The big race is on Thursday starting at 930a-6p England time, 430am-1p our time. I will post updates as I get them.

Max and Brian arrived safely in Birmingham England. They reported that the hotel room is nice, but small. They are within walking distance of the indoor arena where the race is being held. Evidently it is frowned upon to take pictures of banks in England. Brian attempted but was quickly stopped by a nice police officer. Max will have his first practice on Tuesday morning (5a our time). Max said the track looked really nice and he didn't sound discouraged! So, that is one less thing I will worry about! He will have a second practice on Wednesday and race on Thursday. I am still attempting to find out if the race will be aired. As soon as I find out, I will post the link. Thanks for supporting Max and following his progress!

BMX World Championships ~ Birmingham, England ~2012

Max will be heading to Birmingham, England in a few weeks to compete in his 4th World Finals. GO MAD MAX!!

Race Day

Well Max finished......we don't know....there were 106 kids in his class, he had his three regular motos, 1/8th final, 1/4th final, and semi-final. He finished 1st place in all of his regular motos. He finished 4th in his 1/8th final, finished 2nd in his 1/4th finals. I was so excited he made it past those two qualifiers, I was jumping up and down and fell backward onto a bench...Zach Moreland was right beside me to help with my stumble. So Max makes it to the semi final race. He was in gate 1, hit the gate and then in the first straight he wrecked :( I was heart-broken for Max!! Then to top it off...George started crying when he saw it happen. It took me about 5 minutes to get George to calm down. Max came up about 1/2 hour later and George started to cry again. Max gave George a hug and had him sit on his leg to finish watching the rest of the races. It was very sweet!! Max ended up with a bruised hip, bruised and very sore elbow, and a sore ankle. So we won't know how he did until probable tomorrow.

Thanks to all of our family, friends, and sponsors!! We definalety wouldn't have been able to do this without all of the support and love from all of you! So thanks you very much!

Second Day of Practice

Today we had an early start, practiced started at 9a. The weather was absolutely beautiful!! We got to see the sun for the first time since being in Denmark. Practice went well. Max looked good. Its hard to judge his speed sometimes, because all countries and all ages are practicing. Tomorrow is race day for the kids ages 5-14 yrs, we start at 7a.

After practice today we went to an outdoor shopping area. There are lots of restaurants, shops, musicians on the streets, mimes, etc. The boys had lots of fun! We went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner, which was very good.

So, we are headed to bed early...so the morning will be much easier to handle. Then we are off to the race. I will try to post results as soon as I can. Thanks for all of the prayers and support for Max!!