On top of the Hill

By DAVE CLARK, Journal Sports Writer


By DAVE CLARK

Journal Sports Writer



NEW ULM — Quentin Mack has retained his claim to be King of the Hill in Minnesota District 2 BMX bike racing.

Now, he is joined by a queen.

Actually, 8-year old Madison Schiller is closer in age to being a princess, but when you’re the top girl racer in the district (and currently No. 7 in national rankings) there’s no reason to split crowns.

Behind the national sanctioning of the American Bicycle Association, (ABA), this is Mack’s second year in a row taking the district championship, while Madison is basking in the glow of her first year on top.

However, for both bikers, BMX racing is a family affair that means travelling around the country to attend upwards of 90 races each, while still using River Valley BMX on Monday nights in New Ulm as a home base.

Madison, daughter of Jason and Dawn Schiller of New Ulm, says “it’s cool” to be first in the area and seventh in the country, but “I work really hard to do that. Sometimes I race 10-year olds, and I say ‘I can do it.’”

Schiller says she spends “about 45 minutes a day on my bike, when it’s nice out.” She says she would like “to turn pro someday and go to the Olympics,” which has added BMX racing as a full medal sport for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

While Madison also does gymnastics, dad Jason says racing has helped her in other ways.

“Her teachers said racing has greatly benefitted her,” he said. “It’s calmed her down in school and gives her a structured environment. BMX racing has also taught her good sportsmanship and allows her to hang around with friends. Plus, going to all the races is really good family time for us.”

Madison says her favorite national track is in Colorado, “because I won first place, and the trophy was taller than me!”

While Schiller is considered a veteran at just 8-years old, having raced since she was five, Mack, son of Gwen and Rick Mack, could be considered the grizzled vet, since he’s in his ninth year of racing.

And Mack will be the first to tell you that while winning the district championship in 2006 was gratifying, repeating in 2007 was more difficult.

“It was definitely harder,” Mack said. “I had a racer ahead of me in the spring and I had to catch him. The competition was twice as hard, and the nationals were a lot tougher.” Mack beat out 170 other riders and eventually won the championship by 1,000 points over the No. 2 rider. He took first place in more than half his races and second place in the majority of the rest.

Mack discovered being a champ can also put a bullseye on your back.

“Sometimes, when the points got really close, the other racers wouldn’t talk to me at the time, but would later,” he said.

Mack says one secret to success lies in staying in shape and being mentally ready.

“You’ve got to really commit to racing,” Mack said. “I go to the gym twice a week and work on cardio[vascular] exercises, plus riding the bike and doing leg presses and such.”

River Valley BMX was the home track for some other fine racers that made the ‘Top 10” in 2007. Brandon Utz took fourth, Derek Dauer grabbed fifth, Drew Dauer came in sixth and William Wurtz nabbed eighth.

While both Schiller and Mack have designs on becoming professionals in the future, River Valley BMX has already produced three pros that have turned their love of the sport into a way to make money, and, in one case, compete for the 2008 USA Olympic team.

Lady Pro Afton Schrimpf, originally from New Ulm, now based in California, placed 4th out of 40 lady professionals in 2007, but a knee injury last spring knocked her out of contention for a spot on the 2008 USA Olympic team. Schrimpf is nationally sponsored by Intense Racing/Fly.

Karl “The Big Show” Clark is in his fourth year as a pro racer, coming in seventh out of 200 “A” Pros. Clark rides for sponsors Big Ox Oxygen Systems, Supercamp, Redline Bikes, Fly Racing and Shimano.

While his home base is now Surprise, Arizona, he spends roughly nine months of the year touring the racing circuit and working as head trainer for Pro BMX Supercamp training clinics. Clark trained more than 3,000 riders at clinics throughout the USA and Canada in 2007.

Jon “Daredevil” Brand, formerly of New Ulm and now living in Mankato, is the newest River Valley BMX graduate into the pro ranks, racing in his first professional contest earlier this month at a national race in Missouri and taking eighth in the Saturday main event.