Permanent home for BMX Hall Of Fame announced.

July 26th, 2010 4:10pm

The ABA is proud to announce that the ABA BMX Hall of Fame has found a permanent home at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

The Olympic Training Center has set aside nearly 1000 sq. ft. inside the OTC Visitor Center to pay homage to BMX heroes from days gone by; the National BMX Hall of Fame will be one of the main attractions for over 300,000 annual visitors. OTC Director Tracy Lamb stated, "It is a great honor to have this collection housed at the Olympic Training Center and it's very exciting to know that most of the items in the collection have never been on public display." Tracy went on to add, "Now with an Olympic replica BMX track for the Elite riders, an ABA sanctioned amateur track and now the BMX Hall of Fame and Museum Chula Vista will become a world renown BMX destination."

To commemorate this occasion and in conjunction with the UCI Supercross and US Open Amateur National, the San Diego Hall of Champions will host the 25th annual BMX Hall of Fame banquet Thursday, September 17th, 2009. The San Diego Hall of Champions is the nation's largest multi-sport museum, boasting three levels of memorabilia and 70,000 square feet. The museum offers a state-of-the-art theatre, an interactive media center and fascinating displays on the nation's favorite sports. The Hall of Champions is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 2131 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101. http://www.sdhoc.com/ "With the history of BMX being somewhat anchored in Southern California it is only fitting that the home of the National BMX Hall of Fame be here in Southern California," said Mike Kitts, Sponsorship Director for the San Diego Sports Commission. Mike added, "The San Diego Hall of Champions is honored to host the Hall of Fame induction banquet.

As the nations largest multi-sport museum, The Hall of Champions will provide a unique and fitting venue for this event." The ABA BMX "Hall of Fame" is the who's who of BMX and consists of riders and industry members who have made notable contributions to the sport of BMX racing. Each year since 1985, a select few BMX (Bicycle Motocross) riders and industry veterans have been inducted into this elite group of individuals. In addition to the "Early BMX Pioneers", "BMX Racers" and "Industry Members" categories, a "Freestyle Riders" category is being added to the BMX Hall of Fame for the first time ever. This will be a great addition to the National BMX Hall of Fame, allowing many talented riders to be honored. The induction banquet will be limited to the first 300 individuals to purchase tickets; all proceeds will go directly to the National BMX Hall of Fame Scholarship fund. There will also be a silent auction at the banquet featuring items from Hall of Fame inductees and present day racers with all proceeds going to the Scholarship fund as well. American Bicycle Association, CEO B.A. Anderson had this to say, "We have been in search of a home for our extensive collection of Hall of Fame memorabilia for years and I cannot think of a more suitable location than the U.S. Olympic Training Center." B.A. added, "Utilizing the San Diego Hall of Champions for the induction ceremony will truly make this a must attend event for all avid BMXer's." This year's voting process ends Saturday July 4th, 2009. If you have not voted yet please visit http://www.ababmx.com/index.php?page=halloffame to cast your vote. The class of 2009 will be announced next week.

About the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista: The U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista is the first USOC training facility to be master-planned from the ground up and is dedicated to the development of America's future Olympic athletes. The Training Center rests on a 150-acre complex adjacent to Lower Otay Lake in San Diego County. The center has sport venues and support facilities for nine Olympic sports: archery, canoe/kayak, cycling, field hockey, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, and track & field. For more information about the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, click the link below: http://www.usoc.org/content/index/1375 For a complete list of all ABA BMX Hall of Fame inductees, click HERE: