ABA begginings, 1st season Options

[Guest_julieharding_*]

Hey BMX folks,

With the ABA going away soon, can we finally acknowledge it's begginings ? Everyone knows that Merl Mennega was a founder, but there was also Jerry Harding as a Founder in 1977. Additionally, Lee"Leroy" Harding was the first ABA #1, not Kyle Flemming. Merl & Jerry wouldn't acknowledge Lee as the 1st ABA champ because of the fact that his father was the Vice President and that might jeopardize the "legitimacy" of the ABA ! Has enough time passed for the ABA to be "legitimate" and acknowledge it's begginings ?

Julie ......
http://bmx-recollection.com/Downloads/Book...77%20(IBMX).pdf

[cheez]

ABA going away soon? Did I sleep through something again?

You seem to have a gripe with the ABA maybe you should take it up with them or at least have this thread moved into the current day racing section were they hang out more. To my knowledge no one who was invovled with the ABA in 77 is still working there. Cheryl Bustamante
has been there the longest out of all of them (82)

This post has been edited by cheez: Sep 29 2011, 02:18 PM

[Guest_julieharding_*]

Hi cheez,

Nope, not a gripe......we've had along time to gripe if that were it. More of a let's get the facts out/straight before it's too late. I read that the ABA and NBL were merging into USA-BMX. Best-of-everything to you.

Julie

[Guest_julieharding_*]

Cheez,

Just wanted to be clear........no griping here. BMX memories are ALWAYS with smiles. I actually was saying it with tongue-in-cheek when I said "has enough time passed" since 34 years is reeallly a long time ago.
cheers

[Racer]

He was District Number 1 in 1977 but from what I can tell they had No Champion that year or National Numbers etc.
Just the two district champions.

[RandyS]

He was District Number 1 in 1977 but from what I can tell they had No Champion that year or National Numbers etc.
Just the two district champions.

Thanks Erick, I didn't want to be the first one to call this out. Kyle Fleming was the first ABA national #1 and to say he wasn't is a slam against someone whose time on this earth was taken from him way too early. If you want to claim first ABA #1 I have no problem with that, but Kyle Fleming won the #1 plate in the first ABA national series. That has been clear since a good portion of us here watched or participated as it happened.

[Guest_julieharding_*]

O.K. guys ....before this turns sour.

I said FIRST A.B.A. #1 not first NATIONAL #1. "National" titles were added after there were enough tracks. Just because the A.B.A. got bigger doesn't mean the first year didn't happen right? I mean, '79 was bigger than '78 and so on. Lee has told me that he and Kyle were team mates at one time and that he knew the parents well (Carl & Paula?). He thought the world of Kyle. What happened to him WAS tragic. There is absolutely no "slam" against Kyle Flemming, that's not what the post was about please don't twist it into that.

A.B.A. races were held at different tracks every weekend in the beginning. One weekend Chandler, next Tucson, next Azusa, CA. Only at the end of the year did the A.B.A. decide it had enough members that it would be beneficial to split it into districts like I.B.M.X. did. All districts earned points at the same track initially. That's why you see them ranked in 1 column .

Peace

[Reilley1]

Azuza was ABA in 77?

[cheez]

Azuza was ABA in 77?

Yeah me too

I remember PXA (43rd & Union Hills) being ABA in 77 as well

In fact by the end of 77 I remember at least 3 tracks in the valley and Prescott were ABA

This post has been edited by cheez: Sep 30 2011, 01:08 PM

[Racer]

I have the ABA paper with year end points for 77. They had Two Districts. AZ 1 and 2.
I think from that issue the first ABA race at Azusa was in 1978.
From what I can garner from ABA Action, BMX News and Bicycle Motorcross Action et all.
Only two ABA tracks ran in 77, Chandler and Tuscon.
The two districts were Ariz-1 and Ariz-2 (Probably Phoenix and Tuscon)
Ariz-1
#1. Leroy Harding
#2. Al Schott
#3. Isaias Nino

Ariz-2
#1. Matt Hubbard
#2. Matt Eisenmenger
#3. Billy McCombs

Got your email Julie, thanks tons. I will certainly talk you and Leroy more and get everything straight from all sides. Was a hectic time as BMX was growing so fast.
AZ was a huge hotbed for BMX at that time also.