Six area BMX racers advance to expert ranking

By DAVE CLARK

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Expert.

It's a term that connotes a person who has gone through extensive training, endless hours of practice, and years of learning a craft and honing an ability in order to attain a significant amount of success and respect in a chosen area.

So it is with six local BMX bicycle racers who have reached the final level of advancement in their sport. They have all been racing for at least three years and have gone through BMX's "novice" and "intermediate" divisions, which means each racer has won at least 26 contests in their career.

Afton Schrempf, Tim Waibel, Jonathon Jacobsen, Karl Clark, Derek Dauer, and Ryan Nordby (who was unavailable for interview) all hail from either New Ulm or Sleepy Eye and have become expert riders in much the same, but still different, ways.

They all mentioned the possibility of turning professional at some point, but for right now, the knowledge they have pedaled faster, jumped higher, and negotiated the track better than others on a consistent basis is what sets them apart.

The story of 16-year-old Schrempf is unique because she has recorded many of her 30 wins in the past three years against men, who vastly outnumber women racers at state and national tracks.

"The toughest part of racing has been getting up to the skill level of boys. I've practiced so hard to get up to their level," said Schrempf. "Racing has taught me a lot about competition. You can't always be first, but you always have to try your best."

Her girlfriends find Schrempf's ability with her Schwinn Pro Stock 1 bike to be "really cool (and) that I try and do things they wouldn't be able to do themselves." But looking into the crystal ball, Schrempf sees more competition down the road.

"There's a lot more girl riders starting to come out, so I'm broadening my horizons," said Schrempf. Still, BMX racing for her is "always about kids trying to have fun."

The rider who has left the most dust (and other riders) behind his wheels is 19-year-old Tim Waibel, a five-year veteran of BMX racing who has recorded 69 career victories and this year rides a Power-Lite Cockpit.

"There has to be a commitment to what you believe in," said Waibel. "You put a lot of time and money into bikes. I've learned to be a little more patient and the value of good sportsmanship."

Waibel's biggest thrill still consists of "just going out of town and racing with the rest of the crew." He's overcome his fear of getting hurt, taking bigger jumps and going as fast as he can. "When I was younger, I was afraid of everything. Now I just do it."

Waibel has been around long enough to see more changes than the rest. "There's more people riding than when I first started, with much better skills. The older I get, the harder it gets."

But he's not ready for retirement yet. "I'm too much into it yet. I'll go on another year and see how I do."

Sleepy Eye's representative, 14 -year-old Jonathon Jacobsen, has 56 firsts in three yearsand is a familiar sight at area tracks with his Standard R Model bike, traveling with his parents and racing an average of four times a week in the summer.

But even with all the racing, Jacobsen took no time at all recalling his biggest thrill in the sport. "Racing the Grands (a nationally known race) in Tulsa, Okla., in 1998 and coming in fifth in the main event."

Like all the racers, getting to the expert level was not easy for Jacobsen. "The toughest thing to learn was keeping my temper down when I don't win and throwing a fit. You have to give it time. It takes time to get good. Ride all the time and it'll get better."

For now, Jacobsen will continue to work on improving his skills, but his "next goal is to be 20 or 21 and turn pro."

Fourteen-year-old Clark has taken first 27 times in a four-year career, but not without having to learn how to take a deep breath before big races.

"The hard part for me was getting over being nervous before big races," said Clark. "That, and knowing after you fall, you know you have to go back out and try the same thing."

Racing has also taught Clark some mechanical skills. He can take apart and put back together his GT Ultra Box bike in roughly 16 minutes. BMX has also shown him how to lose graciously.

"You can't be a poor sport, because you're not going to win every time. Kids starting out can't worry about winning right away."

Clark has seen some changes, too, in four years of competition. "Bikes have gotten better, and there's more tracks. The tracks are better and there's more people competing."

Dauer is the youngest expert at age 11, but has raced for five years, making him a grizzled veteran of the sport. With his DK Legend under him, he has amassed 29 wins in his career.

His desire to ride at age six didn't stem from watching other kids race, though. "At my dad's friend's house, I saw trophies with bikers on top of them and I wanted to race."

His biggest thrill came from jumping a set of "doubles" (a large hill to ride or jump over) at the St. Cloud track. But that wasn't the largest obstacle for Dauer to overcome.

"Learning how to pass other kids was tough," said Dauer. "So was learning how to go faster, be aggressive and jump. Even if you're in last place, don't give up and keep trying."

Dauer hopes to turn pro someday, but looking back, where has BMX changed in the past five years? "Jumping. There was never jumping, now there are more tracks with big jumps on them."

So in the end, what is being an expert BMXer all about? It's "just kids trying to have fun."

And taking on big jumps.