Once again, the Langley oval BMX track near George Preston rec centre has been named one of the best in North America, as rated by the sport’s governing body.
As ranked by USA BMX/BMX Canada, Langley was the only Canadian track to crack the top 10 ranking for 2019, for the west region.
Results were posted to the Langley BMX Public Forum on Facebook earlier this month.
It is far from the first time the track has won a top-10 ranking, noted Bea Lindsay-Hawkins, Langley BMX vice-president.
“We do pretty well,” is how she put it.
Langley BMX also ranks number one in B.C. and Canada.
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Overall, Langley ranks 19th overall in North America, out of more than 300 tracks in Canada and the U.S.
Lindsay-Hawkins said the high ranking is especially notable because Langley, like most Canadian BMX tracks, operates as a volunteer, non-profit venture, in contrast to most U.S. tracks, which are run as businesses.
Its success, she said, is in no small part due to the family-friendly atmosphere and the fact that many of the volunteers have been organizing events for years.
“It’s an amazing community of people,” she declared.
The 300-plus-member Langley BMX describes itself in an online statement as a “grass roots organization dedicated to promoting the sport of BMX in Langley since 1978.”
Many club members who got their start at the Langley track go on to compete in international-level events.
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Currently, the track has been idled by the COVID-19 crisis, with volunteers unable to even maintain the track due to the ban on visits to public parks, Lindsay-Hawkins explained.
Langley BMX was going to host the provincial championships, but “right now, we don’t think there’s going to be a provincial series,” Lindsay-Hawkins commented.
“We are looking at [holding] virtual races,” she added, but the exact nature of those events is still being sorted out.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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