How to Recognize a BMX Parent ..someone in your neighborhood asks you how old your kid is and your reply "13X". ..you automatically load up the bike and you're only going down to the corner store. ..you fall asleep at the wheel of your car and it takes you to a track instead of home. ..the only clean clothes in the house are a pair of leathers and a jersey. ..you are late for work but never late for sign-ups. ..your kid's bike is insured for more than your car. ..you develop a craving for hot dogs. ..you throw out the spare tire in your trunk to make room for a bike. ..you can't decide whether to go to your sister's wedding or to a double pointer. ..your kid's birthday cake has a miniature BMX track on it and all the gifts are bike parts. ..a Sunday drive in the country means you're going to a race in another state. ..the first item on your monthly budget is entry fees and not the mortgage payment. ..your magazine rack contains only BMX magazines and you aren't interested in Good Housekeeping anymore. ..the stoplight at the corner turns green and you try for a hole shot. ..you can't remember the birth dates of your family but you can remember the birth date of every rider in your kid's class. ..someone mentions a table top and you look for a pile of dirt. ..your kid's bike is color-coordinated and your living room is not. ..it rains during a race and you put your umbrella over your kid's bike instead of over your head. ..you try to claim a local bike shop on your income tax. ..you save postage on your entire Christmas card list because you can pass them all out at the track. ..you are flabbergasted by the price of hamburger but not the price of a titanium bottom bracket. ..no one can understand what your saying but another BMXer. ..you think this column is the gospel truth.

Sunday, January 20, 2008 14:51