QUOTE (girlyracer @ Jul 31 2009, 03:30 PM)

(snip)
The part that I disagree with is to say that the girls classes were less spectactular. While I was only a little girl the first time the Girls Pro class came around, I along with Michelle Cairns, Marie McGilvery and a quite a few other girls fought hard to get the Pro Girls class reinstated in the NBL. This reinstatement in my opinion is part of what has lead to the great competition in that class over the past 15 years and to where we are today with woman's BMX getting into the Olympics. And whether our classes were lack luster or not, I remember having quarters at the Presidents Cup and the Grands more than some guys classes have at nationals today.
I understand where you are coming from but I have to say most of the girls in the higher amateur age groups were slower and didn't jump as high or as far as the guys in their counterpart age classes back in the early 1980s. They road more conservatively than the guys at the time. The mags took that into account when covering the girls races. The mags being illustrated wanted to print the more exciting pictures. It is one of the reasons I think Cheri Elliott stood out so, her speed and her jumping ability was unusual for a girl at the time, talking about 1983, 1984. I think by the time of the mid 1980s their racing improved due to chasing Cheri. They were faster it seems (judging from the few comparative video clips I have seen), were jumping further and making more daring moves, Gaby Bayhi, who probably inherited the mantel of best girl jumper from Cheri (according to the BMX Press) were along with her peers jumping gaps almost a big if not as big as the boys, but the magazines still ignored them for the most part, probably still in the early 1980's mentality. They also still were stingy with the interviews. Gaby Bayhi was the only big one during the 80s girl pro era to appear in a major BMX Magazine (
BMX Plus!) November 1987 page 72. She herself did get a lot of mentions in that magazine). By that time I guesstimate the average girl in the oldest age class were as fast as a fast intermediate. The top oldest girls, Cheri Elliot, Deanna Edwards, Kathy Schachel, Gaby Bayhi for instance, were about a little slower than the average expert (now the fastest Pro girls today-Reade, Daniels, Hayashi, Post for instance-are about as fast as the experts and ABA "A" Pros with Reade and Daniels nipping at the heals of the "AA"s). I am saying generally why the magazines gave the girls a lower priority back in the 80's. I do think they way over did that. Of course in the 1990's the surviving BMX Magazines,
BMX Plus! and even the then new
Snap pretty much ignored the girls for the most part, especially
Plus! given that they totally ignored all Amateur racing throughout the mid to 90's and only gave the Superclass and Pro girls a few mentions. At least that is the impression I get when I look over my magazine collection spanning from the late 70's to now.
QUOTE
I also think that the sponsorships for woman over the last 20 years failed for woman leaving them out in the dust as far as media coverage goes. I was lucky enough to have great sponsors that covered all of my racing, travel, and hotel fees along with paying for me to go to the World Championships and I know a few of the other girls did also. But what they failed in was making sure we were marketed and were making the pages of the mags. I am elated to see that woman in BMX today have better sponsorships that are marketing them in ads. I get so excited when I see an ad in BMX mags or read an article about Jill or Arielle or any of the other woman in some other media outlet outside of BMX.
I am glad of the state of women's racing as well and yes the women are given a lot of coverage compared to the 80's and 90's and early 00's, especially on the net and it is more than worth it. I think the 2008 Olympic BMX race, the medal main, was more exciting than the mens were with Reade and going at it with Shanaze Reade desperately trying to past Anne-Caroline Chausson!, that's right, I said it was better than the guy's medal main! WoW! And yes the sponsorships back in the 80's for women were sketchy. If I recall correctly the girls on the team weren't counted equally in points for Team trophy. That had to be a disincentive to take on girls. They also cited having to have separate accommodations for them on the road, a greater expense. One annoying thing you see in
BMX Plus! at the time with the Pro Girls of the 80's
Plus! didn't print the sponsor of the Pro Women in the race results like it did with the Male Pros (which was very convenient for research purposes). One less chance of exposure for the sponsor.
QUOTE
This being said, if the future HOF focuses on the lifetime accomplishments of men/woman in the sport of BMX then the lack of coverage during any of these 70's,80's,90's,00's decades for woman will not impede on choosing inductees. The nominees be judged on their accomplishments not their popularity.
Exactly!! To do otherwise would be to continue the unfairness.
QUOTE
Melanie Cline
PS
And yes I think the woman are deserving of their own category in the HOF. We fought to have our own pro class, our own crusier class, guess this can be the next fight, our own category in the HOF.
I am not ready to concede this point yet. I think the women can be equally judged with the guys. To be separated could mean to be sidelined. If the people on the committee are fair minded they will judge on the basis of stats/accomplishments. I just want to see them as racers first. However with the very well known Deanna Edwards-Jamison overlooked again this year, I admit I am not hat optimistic. If the imbalance continues for a few more years then yes, seperate catagory.
Oh, is there any chance we will see you going pedal to pedal with Deanna Edwards-Jamison any time in the future?

Anyone interview you yet for a detailed rundown of your career? Like with a lot of girls, you never really got one except for a few short sidebars in
BMX Plus! And I hardly know you. I think that is the reason for a lack of interest by much of the Old School BMX public they don't know most of you. The vast majority of the top girl competitors in the 1980s didn't even get one interview during their careers. Kim Johnson, Deanna Edwards, Jennie Zeuner, Misty Dong and others never got proper interviews in the magazines (maybe a few in the sanctioning body newspaper) I hope that can be rectified today on the net.
Oldtimer1980s