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The North SeaTac BMX track at North SeaTac Park officially opened Saturday, April 6. The track is just west of the SeaTac Community Center and Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, and a mere mile north of the airport runways. As roaring, low-flying jets cut through the often rainy, sometimes sunny sky, bicycle tires eagerly sliced through mud-soaked patches while riders as young as two tried to stay on track.

Not all did, which explains the mandatory helmets. Vendors surrounded the track while well over 100 practiced the art of the off-road bicycle race, then participated in the Great Northwest Nationals there opening day.

One enthusiast, not extremely tall and straddling his ride, was decked out in blue and white racing gear including thick gloves. Some may have thought him a young teen until he lifted his helmet to reveal a thick mustache. The active adult said he drove in from Elma, nearly two hours away, to compete with his son.

Joe Stropko and wife, Yvonne Gooden are the long-time track operators at the SeaTac facility. He rides. She does not. Their 19 year-old son rides here while their daughter offers BMX clinics in San Diego where she attends university. Stropko and Gooden had arrived early Saturday to prep the track, and appeared to occupy several places at once as they attended to the crowd of competitors.

"SeaTac BMX is a nonprofit and we've been in this park since 1981," said Gooden. "We have state champions, national champions, and Olympic riders who were born here, and ride here."

She said you can find a used BMX bicycle for a hundred dollars, or you can indulge, and spend two thousand dollars on a tricked-out bike.

BMX racing caught on in Southern California in the early 1970's and became a medal sport at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "BMX" is an abbreviation of "bicycle motocross."

"We start with a 'flag lap', a parade of teams in alphabetical order," she said, referring to the Saturday race. "We have an average ride count of 70 each weekend day, more today because of the Nationals."

She explained to the Highline Times that BMX racing is as safe as any sport. Then, minutes later, her husband, a brick layer with a long white beard who becomes Santa Claus in winter, spotted a youngster wearing an unstrapped helmet and, alarmed, called out to get his attention.

"I can look around this whole track and tell you the name of each kid here," said Stropko while scanning the familiar faces. "I knew their older brothers and sisters who rode here before these kids started. I also met a lot of them as Santa. Each year they all ask for the same thing, a BMX bike."

For more information visit www.seatacbmx.org