1/11/2024 0 Comments Fun zone bozeman![]() ![]() There’s the “Flying Irishman” from Butte America, “Elvis” because he’s always well groomed and the ladies love him, Wrong-way Levi, Trash-talking Toni, Fuzzy, and D-Fresh, to name a few. ![]() Stowell is famous for his humorous announcing skills, as well as taking the time to know each rider, which is reflected in the unique racing names he gives each of them. When track director and announcer Kelly Stowell calls a moto into the gate, up to eight riders push their bikes into their assigned lanes, clip shoes into pedals, lift their uniform-clad butts off the seat, and wait for the green light to signal the gate drop. Riders are grouped into “motos” which are based on age and ability (novice, intermediate, expert). The energy at a Gallatin Valley BMX race is electric, even for a mom who is trying to diplomatically talk the sparkle out of her son’s eyes. By the time I made it around the track, surviving the 1,000 feet of step-ups, double jumps, berms, triple jumps and the rhythm section, I was further humbled-and not at all convinced this was a safe sport for my six-year-old. I coasted down cautiously, my hand ready at the brakes, feeling as uncertain as a nun on a Harley. We perched up at the starting gate, which was higher than it appeared from the car. The next week Dylan and I took our bikes to the track, him on a heavy little red Diamondback with knobby tires, me on a Kona mountain bike. His eyes grew wide when one of the riders popped into the air like ejected toast, clearing the double jump before landing and then rounding a tight curve. “Hey, mom, pull over please, I want to watch these guys.” My oldest son, Dylan, then six years old, saw something different. ![]() I saw mounds of dirt, choking summer dust, and a white, paint-chipped shack overlooking what I assumed to be a few trouble-making boys who had nothing better to do than endlessly cruise the track on their bikes. We drove past the bicycle motocross (BMX) track on the way to the grocery store. All about Gallatin Valley BMX and the Westlake BMX Park. ![]()
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