One of the worst things you can do going into a big race is use unfamiliar equipment. It doesn't matter if it's a new bike or new shoes, when you are making split second decisions at top speed the smallest things can distract you. One distraction could make for a bad choice, the loss of a position or even a crash. On Friday night at Sarasota BMX I used the local race as a way to test the equipment that I will be relying on at the SSA Sarasota Qualifiers. Goal number one was to learn the lesson of the High Springs qualifier. My three rider crash resulted in a swollen knee and limited mobility. Days later on my honeymoon I was limping around the cruise ship. Unfortunately two of the ship's elevators were broken so I had to limp up and down the 9 floors. To counter this effect I made sure to visit the gyms at both the resort and on the ship. By the time we got home I could walk the stairs again. The lesson was simple - I need to wear knee pads. The ...

When you race in a small age group like mine, you never know who you'll be up against. At the Sarasota Race for Life it was the ultimate mixed bag of young rockets like Joey O'Connor, my good friend female rider Jada Webb and a man who helped teach me how to ride BMX - Larry Dardini Sr. Larry and his son Pro racer Larry junior were both assistants at my very first skills clinic. The two of them introduced me to jumping and pumping and learning some of the basics. Back then I was very squirrely but at Sarasota this past weekend I was reminded that I had come a long way. Larry is an older Expert who has tons of experience. On the first moto he blasted out of the gate and I found myself struggling to keep within 6 bike lengths. It was one of those nights were I used the motos to warm up and get used to the faster pace. Since I was relegated to 4th place, my goal was to catch Dardini. 2nd moto, 5 lengths back, still not warmed up. 3rd moto, we were even up to the fi...