One thing I forgot: Does anyone remember BMXOhio magazine? My dad put it together & it was around for 3 issues back in 1982. I still got a few copies. I can't believe that my dad took the time to publish that mag. Classic.

Chris,
Good lookin' out on the SE's! That's cool that you're back on it.

Billy Ross,
Yeah, I remember staying at your house back in the mid 80's. I remember we rode to a track by your house, I think.

ProTour77,
Was the year 1988? If so, I got a full page photo in BMX Plus mag from hitting that jump behind the starting hill. I attached the photo below.

Steve Smith,
Are you sure you beat me at that race? I don't remember you ever beating me. J/K! Shoot, you beat me plenty of times over the years.

SVT_Pony,
You remember Donald McDonald? He's on this site somewhere. He used to live just over the river on the Hilliard side. He used to ride a bunch with us.



The paragraphs below are from my site (www.TODDLYONS.com) -It gives a brief history of my BMX'in over the years from the beginning. I need to update it though as it only goes through to 2005.

Wildman BMX History Lesson:


My Uncle Jim took me to the track for the first time in 1981 when I was 9 years old. By the mid-eighties my parents were taking me all over the Midwest to national races. From 1985 to 1990, I was kicking [please review the site FAQs] and was ranked in the top 3 nationally every year in my age group. The year that put me on the BMX map was 1987 when I won the World Championships as a 15 year old in Orlando, Florida. I backed it up the very next year with another World Title in Santiago, Chile.

In 1990 I graduated high school in Columbus, Ohio and immediately moved out to Southern California. With $1,500 in my pocket, I packed up and headed out West to follow my BMX dreams. When I first got to Cali, I lived in the infamous P.O.W. house with about six other BMXers. Every weekend we’d pile into vehicles and go on road trips to various races and trails. Around that time, organized jump contests were just starting to pop up, but they were usually just a sideshow at the races. In the early 90’s, the BMX industry was at a low point. There were only a handful of riders earning a living from riding. I went a few years earning less than $4,000, but when you’re sharing your house with 6 other guys and eating cans of tuna every day, you learn get by. The first car I bought in Cali was an old retired Postal Jeep for $400. It got me to the trails, but that was about it.

I spent quite a few summers in the early 90’s over in Europe hitting up races and jump contests. I became the European King of Dirt two years in a row and pulled my first 720 at the European Championships in Italy in 1992. In 1994 Haro Bikes sponsored me and offered me a salary of $500 per month. Holy [I tried to curse]! $500 a month just to race and jump my bike? I couldn’t believe it. It felt weird for me to take money for something that I’d be doing regardless. The next 3 years on Haro just got better and better. Co-sponsors came onto the scene and paid me to run their parts, wear their sunglasses, wear their clothes, etc. I was also able to fly to the races and contests instead of driving through the night and camping in the fields. Airfare, rental cars, hotels, food, you name it; it was all paid for. Welcome to Factory Superstar Status!

1995 was the year that BMX dirt jumping really started to boom and get some mainstream coverage. It’s no coincidence that this was also the first year of the ESPN X-Games. Back then it was called the “Extreme Games”. I got 5th at that inaugural contest in Rhode Island and got kicked out the very next year. It was a crazy night where I had a run in with the Rollerblade girl racers. But man, I had a good time… MTV Sports did their first ever segment on BMX & I was one of three rider that they featured. BMX was really starting to blow up. I also won my first ever AA Pro ABA National that year in Reno, NV, right ahead of the legendary Gary Ellis.

In 1997 Huffy gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. The salary was over 5 times the amount I started with Haro just 3 years earlier! It was definitely a gamble though seeing as at that time Huffy was only considered as a K-Mart brand. I definitely took some heat from other riders for riding for such a mainstream company. My five years on Huffy were pretty carefree. It was a super relaxed program where I could travel when and wherever I wanted. I took advantage of the large budget and went to just about every contest and race that I could. They gave me my first signature bike (TL-88) and promoted me to the fullest. One month I had a photo on the cover of USA Today’s sports page and also a photo in the Wall Street Journal. During those years I was also the BMX team manager for JNCO clothes and Arnette sunglasses. I had about five other co-sponsors paying me a monthly salary as well. The money was rolling in from every direction, so I decided to buy a house here in Huntington Beach.

I broke my wrist really bad in Australia at the 1998 World Championships. I had to get 6 frickin’ pins put in and I couldn’t ride for 5 months. After months of therapy, I went to my first race and broke my other hand! Some suckers out there thought my BMX days were over. That fall was the MTV Sport & Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. I stayed in a house where they filmed EVRYTHING (Real World style) & they aired the show on MTV. Fights, parties, destruction, naked chicks in the hot tub with me, you name it; it all went down at that MTV house.

But by the end of 1999 I came back and earned the NBL’s A-Pro title. After that year, I really put my efforts back into dirt jumping and hit all of the contests that I could. After a couple of good years on the jump contest scene, the BMX industry started to take a dive. With 9/11, the crappy economy, and the hurting BMX industry, Huffy dropped me at the end of 2001. I started off the first part of 2002 without a bike sponsor and I was paying my own way to the races. Luckily Intruder, a small bike company out of Florida, stepped up in March and paid my expenses to the rest of the year’s races.

In the beginning of 2003 I signed with a new and improved SE Racing. Right after the deal was signed, we went to work on my signature line of “Wildman” bikes. It felt good to have full support once again and have a travel budget that could get me to all of the events of the year. I had my best X-Games placing of my career in the Downhill BMX race where I placed fourth. Later that summer, I got invited to race in Bogota, Colombia for the first time. That was the 17th country that I’ve competed in.

In 2004 I was still runnin’ it full steam ahead. I got on a training program for the first time in my life and I consistently placed in the top three at races across the country. Half way through the year, I was officially hired as the Brand Manager of SE Bikes. It was the first time in my career that I was able to see BMX from the industry’s side. Trips to China & Taiwan, designing products, spec’ing bikes, assembling a team, designing ads, you name it, I was put in charge of everything SE.

I’m fortunate that SE has not only hired me as the Brand Manager, but in 2005 they still sponsor me as a pro rider as well. So in between business trips across the country & the world, I’m still out there rockin’ it on my bike. I may not be as serious as the other guys on the track, but I can guarantee you that I’m probably having more fun. BMX for life…

I was closer in age to Donalds brother Doug. Played soccer with him a few years.

I live just a stones throw away from Donald today. We email and have gotten together a couple of times talking about the old days and our old bikes.... Their old house was just past the old bait shop... used to love to go to the bait shop and waste lots of money on Monico GP... haha... and smoke bombs too. Not to mention the loads of change wasted at Flags and Helen Hutchleys...

Todd,

That is exactly the jump and exactly how I remember you, right down to the gear your wearing. I had no idea anyone took pictures of that. I had so much fun messing around on that jump that weekend. I feel like I just entered a time warp. Weird
Very very cool!!

[quote name='Todd Lyons' date='Apr 17 2008, 09:33 AM' post='525610']
One thing I forgot: Does anyone remember BMXOhio magazine? My dad put it together & it was around for 3 issues back in 1982. I still got a few copies. I can't believe that my dad took the time to publish that mag. Classic.

Hey i remember it you and billy norman are in a pic together and hes making a lizard face standing next to you...Im in a photo in one of em with my schwinn gear on i think in novice class with some other riders -its vague but i think so.

Im sure mike lausman dont remember me beating him either

Im trying to make it to woodbridge we can bs more about old times ,its crazy that you have a whole career after i quit of war storys up til now .....

Hello...am I doing this right??

Has anyone mention the Hubbard BMX track yet??? Late 70s thru early 80"s. We had a National once I can't remember what year it was maybe 80-81.

Hey..it works!! What's up Ohio?

My name is Brian Boneau. I grew up in Pickerington, just outside of Columbus and I started racing in 86. I recently ran into Steve Smith on the BMXAO site and he had mention that a bunch of old school Ohioans were on here so I figured this was the place for me! My girlfriend and I moved out to Phoenix a year and a half ago so this will be a good way to catch up with some old school Ohio peeps!!

Beginning in May '86, I basically was living on my Diamond Back Super Viper and going to all the Race Ohio series , Hilliard indoor and Ohio nationals. Sadly, I never trained and thought that it was perfectly normal that I race in the novice division for my first six years (no joke) so many of you may not recognize my name, but I used to study the magazines and follow the expert classes pretty closely. Ohio had older expert classes that were filled with talent!
My home track was Phase IV in Pataskala and I can almost still here April Burkes' mother or grandmother of whoever, screaming "CRANK IT APRIL..CRANK IT!! as the 6-yr-old girl spun her way down the first straight filled with not one, but TWO mellow tabletops...hehe..!!
Somebody earlier had mentioned being buddies with Mike Burkhardt and Craig Kister. It was at Phase IV that I got to witness Burkhardt doing a one-footed x-up (or something else that was RAD) over the camelback on the second straight. Afterwards, I approaced he and Kister and mentioned how cool I thought his jump was. He replied with some smart*$# comment and they laughed and walked away. It's funny to think about now but somebody tell Mike that I still remember that and I'm still bitter...LOL!!!

Here are some fast dudes that I remember watching: Todd Lyons-of course, Billy Au-rode dirtbikes with him a couple of years ago, Donni Hier-rode for Titan, Doug Jicha-just heard about him..RIP, Steve Smith, Troy Hines, Chad Lumpkin, Terrible Terry Lee, Crazy Eddie Nelson, Bryan Persinger, Rick Heisler, Mike/Tiffany Reddy, Roland Pavlik (anyone remember Seavolt's Racing..), Lawan Cunningham, Shawn Bone, Indiana guys like Barry McManus and Scott Yoquelet used to come to Hilliard indoors), Tom/Mike Kiniyalocts...I'm sure some more will come to mind.
I used to make a zine in the early 90's called Motown (anyone ever see one of those...probably not) and I was going to do a where are they now article (never made a #6 issue though) which I had quite a few people listed. I'm sure I still have that somewhere. Anyone interested in obtaining copies of the issues I did make will have to let me know. I've got some good interviews with Lyons, Au and even Matt Pohlkamp when he was 15 and just starting to make a name for himself.
Ok, another long post..lol... Later everyone. B Boneau.

Hey Todd whats up? I remember Crieg thats going back abit.. so whats up you in cali still we had some great parties at hillard..

ric

Todd,
Yea, I remember that week you stayed up here in Cleveland. That track was in Avon Lake. Remember jumping from the berm in the last turn over to the face of the jump in the second straight? Got some huge air off of that berm. A good 12 to 15 feet in the air. If I remeber correclty, we drove my car down to Akron one day and hung out with the Golobics. I remember that huge set of doubles they had at a spot they rode at.

Steve,
Any word on the progress of the Memphis video?

Chris,
Must say, look pretty smooth in the pic! You always wear glasses or is that old age??

Billy,

Remember the doubles in the second straight in Avon? I just about killed myself on those the first time I tried to clear them. That is my fondest memory of Avon

Billy,
I do wear contacts, but I have those Oakley sunglasses with exchangable lenses. When it is dusty, like it was at Indy, I use clear lenses to keep my contacts from getting funky.

I put the word out on a hit on joey for the dvd lol....I can send mine but it only has about 30 mains 1/2 are novice
All your mains are on there -but joey said he had most of all the motos and qualifiers too i think.I allmost bought a dvd burner today but figured i better keep as much $ on hand as i can cause im goin to the nbl national next weekend .
I seen tom and mike k -tom won sat and got 2nd sunday,billy au ,doug jicha,doug zimmer,doni hier ,billy ross,jim wahl,billy norman,toad lyons,jodi seavolt,,nikki d,basically everyone that raced and made mains in 1986 did well at least 1 day from what i seen -i dont think it was a kind weekend to the wildman maybe he can check his journal?i think you got 2nd one day?you prolly have it on high def at your dads anyway

Between me joey and billy ross ill try and make enough for all the peops that make it to the os race even the scared to race spectaters from bitd.
If i get the one from chris cline ill try and make 1 from both 85 and 86 that has all the mains from both days - novice class [sorry scott armstrong ]

Steve,
I have TONs of footage from 85 Memphis. Bob Lyons shot it and it has all 3 motos and on. All of us from OH that were there are on it.

It's just on VHS.

Need some ability to convert it to DVD and I don't have the capability.

Chris,
I might be able to convert that over to DVD. Let me get back to ya.

I have the equipment to convert vhs to dvd but just haven't played with it enough. I'm in the process of converting a Hilliard indoor video from '86 but some things haven't worked correctly.

Greg

Any of you Ohio guys remember a guy named Van May? He raced in the mid 70s-early 80s? I'm 90% sure he was from Ohio. He came up to race in the PA State Championship race in 1980 16x and I barely beat him in the Main.

Dont remember van may .
Heres a ton of names from ohio via brookville results from 89

Thanks ssmith, hmmm, he must of been from New Jersey then.

I will get a full copy out too ya Steve and You too Billy, I'm going to plug the converter in right now before i go to bed, and let in Record the whole first day, then when i get home tomorrow I will do the same for day too and the mains, Unless you guys just want the whole copy of the sat and sunday mains, there is a ton of footage, Novice, expert, Girls, cruiser, A and B pro classes, open classes, I owe a few guys some copies I have just been lazy and Busy,

Also Ken Aman if you happen to read this send me your address and i will send you a copy too, I know that was the first weekend you races A pro and would love a copy,

OK it is 10:15 on sunday night I just loaded the memphis Dvd Sat mains into the Dvd recorder and pushed record so I will have sat mains on dvd Bye the morning and when i get home i will record Sun mains, and put them in the mail bye wed,,

im from ohio have not been on this site in over a yr since my crash at the state finals in 06 . cant race anymore but can ride a little raced 1978- 2006 shannon williams .

Shannon,

Good to hear from you, and that your still riding. Kevin and I were talking about you about a week ago. Catch up with you later.

James

I remember you ,but always get you and your brother mixed up are you the older one or the younger one lol?If i remember right your the older and your brother raced a year or so younger then me seems like he either quit and came back in the late 80s as a novice or something like he was natl 2 novice? But you were pro for awhile in the early 80'S
I remember saying hi to you guys in 98 or 00 at the christmas race .


Huh i thought you were gonna give me the motos ?i allready have a bunch of the mains

yep raced till 85 then came back in 89 raced pro till 94 then came back in cruiser class then raced 20 and cruiser till 06 till i had a bad crash now all i can do is just put around no racing or jumping and have been out on my road bike for about 3 weeks tryin to get the knee in the riding mood

Huh i thought you were gonna give me the motos ?i allready have a bunch of the mains
[/quote]


Consider it done,,,

Did i give you footage of every main ?

I will send you the whole package for the low low cost of $300.00 you can pay in 3 monthly installments of $100.00 .....Just kidding slick

Let me put the motos in the recorder and hit record, Check your mail box sometime next week,,,,,,

Hey when are you going to bring you butt down here and race?? and are you coming to the reunion in July ??

Thanks big guy

Hey Shannon... sorry to hear about your injury. I remember you and your brother pretty well. I was a full time novice rider from 87-92 or so and raced against your bro, Shawn, many many times. And with those monster gears he used to run, I was usually trying to keep up with him!!

TTT

Where are all the 16 novice racers from 1988? Here are some names I remember...let me know if you know anything about any of them...

Shawn Williams
Scott Armstrong
Jason Haney
Bryan Grimm
Aaron Crampton
Tyrone ???....used to wear a yellow/black sweatsuit...haha!!
Scott McMillen
Eric Bahns
Jim Kelly
Kevin Pittman
Tim Stump
Chad Radford
Teddy Sloan
...man, BMX was big back in the day!! I remember most of these dudes being from the Columbus or Dayton area.

I'm trying to load a picture of my tabletop 5 inches above coping taken at the Chandler Bike Park yesterday. Not sure if it will work though. Maybe one day I'll learn how to photoshop myself 5 feet above the coping instead!!

i remember the old pros from back in the day kevin fansher todd bitter jim porter roger williams dan beem steve paul mike hall mike hale jerrid raflik and the crazy cave man from wva he never used a visor and 2 more local guys from wapa

Hey, I remember most of those people....and I one of them.

Way cool thread!

Is Billy Au on here? What about Griffith?

I still have my Hutch 24 and my kid is riding my brother's mini cruiser everyday. It sill has the 600c wheels on it.

Gt pit bike still hanging in the garage too.

I talk to the Benders, Steve and Dave a couple times a year.

Who is borntoloose?

Dd

How is that video copying from Memphis coming? You need my mailing address? shoot me a direct email at billross@beer.com

Billy

The DVD will be sent to ya early next week,,,

Ok, OH old timers, the nice weather is here and the outdoor season is really kicking off this weekend. Who is getting out to ride?

I'll be at Heer Park today.

I have been out to Akron a few times but I hurt myself pretty good about a week ago out there. I Hope to be riding again in a week or two.

I heard today that aba's track builder "at least around here" is billy au and hes supposed to come friday and redo hamiltons track. Im gonna shoot down there and try to get him to come to the old school race if i see him ill tell him all yall said hi...Me and my boy rode 3 tracks today- kettering [very poor track unless they change it] then hamilton -much potential ill be riding there alot especially if they make it even better,and cleves [thier changing the first turn as we speak]its a decent track too.Hope to see you guys out there!

Brian Boneau and Shannon Williams hows it going just found this site. This is Tim Stump. Brian I know you told me you where moving. Are still riding motocross? And Shannon long time no see. Bmx was awesome back then. Miss it at times might try to go watch some racing soon to fat and old to race.

Hey Tim i remember you good to hear from you!Arent you a year older then me-im 36 in 2 weeks? I was thinking you rode against Eddie Nelson ?Welcome aboard!

I'm only 33 but i do remember Eddie Nelson.

What's up Stumpy!!

Yeah, my girlfriend and I moved out to Phoenix. Lovin' it out here but HOT in the summertime!!
Been out here for a year and a half but have only been on the dirtbike a few times. In fact, I still have the same dirty carb that caused me to have to borrow your 450 at the race up north somewhere..lol.. I've got a couple of neighbors that ride so maybe I'll get back out there soon.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Chandler's track is only two miles down the road so I ususally
go out there twice a week. Still fun to ride but they take practice very seriously out here. No riding
the track backwards and jumping off the sides of jumps or any of that fun stuff. Just doing sprints
down the first straight and getting beat by little kids and girls..LOL!!!! Welcome to the site (I'm a newbie also) and keep in touch.

Hey Steve, were you thinking of Tim Brown being a year older than you and from the Columbus area. Don't know if anyone remembers him but he's still a good friend and actually came out to
AZ for a visit last month.

No im thinking it was dave bennett ?he rode for holeshot does that ring a bell?
I thought of a few more riders last night as i was driving ,brock harry,chuck/and bro?davis,steve mcguire?i remember tim brown though and you to stumpy just different face with different name.
Who was the brunswick schwinn rider [first name chris i think]that killed in the atv accident in 85-6?he was pretty quick from what i remember

I was riding for Brunswick Schwinn at the time of that accident also. I don't think his name was Chris but I also don't remember what his name was, but Chris doesn't ring a bell.

I also rode for Holeshot and I remember Dave Bennett. I haven't heard that name in years.

yeah brian good to hear from you just came across this site thought it was cool. Thinking of getting me a cruiser to get my fat butt in shape. Keep in touch like to see you get back to Ohio.

Steve Smith,
Yo, it was good catching up with ya in W.VA. Sorry we didn't have more time to hang.

The rider who was killed on the ATV I think was Eric Davis. Does that ring a bell?

BINGO ! Thats him
Yes it was ,i was going to get a corny pic of us and the hines bros together before i left but time slipped away .Thanks for coaching me a bit i had a few flashes where i felt i rode well but not all in a single moto lol!
I tell you what if i had a team that did it the way you and hbr does it id never quit in the first place .Yoall are like a big family ..
Bmx still brings us all together even after all these years -kinda like the mafia i suppose hopefully ill get to see you do a backflip in person or jumping a fence in a moto beating someone else for a change

Yep, Thats right Eric Davis. I totally could not put a name to his face. RIP

Yeah, I may have been knocked unconscious more times than I can remember. But I still can remember stuff from back in the day. I swear my memory from BITD is better than my memory from late 90's into the new milennium.

So guess who I got a call from today? I'll give you a hint. A funny [please review the site FAQs] black dude who was from Ashtabula, OH & ride for White Bear.

-That's right James Good. Otherwise known as "Deuce." I hadn't talked to him in nearly a decade. He tracked my # down and gave me a call. Was super cool to catch up with him. Two of his kids are 16 yrs old & one of 'em is into BMX. So he's been going to the Chenga World skatepark as well as Ray's MTB park. Beleive it or not, he's got 6 kids. And actually, I think a couple of them ride. He's got 'em on some DK bikes right now.

I told him about the site & this thread. Hopefully he'll be around. Ohio peoples are always coming out of the woodwork lately. Cool stuff.