News

Rockford Files: The 2022 MidWest Nationals

Filed under General on June 19, 2022 | Comment(s)

When you pull into Rockford BMX for the Midwest Nationals, you first drive thru the winding road of Searles Park, curving thru nice grassy knolls full of motorhomes and then pulling in past the Tened campers. Every time, it's packed to the hilt with BMX families, all set up for a weekend full of fun and intense racing.
And every year, every time, I think to myself - "One of these years, I want to camp out at this race." If there is one event on the schedule I'd want to camp out at, it's The Rock. One of these years! It's on my bucket list. 

Judging by camper-row, campin' out under the shade trees and racing The Rock is on a LOT of people's to-do lists - and this weekend's 240 moto turnout amongst incredibly ridiculous gas prices, is a true testament to everybody's deep love for USA BMX Racing! Nothing is going to stop people from hitting up one of the best tracks on this planet ... not even six bucks a gallon.


 

The annual stop at Rockford has been a long-time tradition on the National circuit - going on 35 years since that first dual-location weekend in 1987 (Saturday's national was held in Janesville, WI and Sunday's was in Rockford). Ever since '88, they've hosted the MidWest Nationals or an ABA World Cup ever since.  ...and TO's Jake & Candy have been at the helm this entire time! 

The newest addition to Rockford is a new barrell gate from Progate (Made right here in Rockford, USA). Official Asst-to-Jake, Garrett Rapp, created some killer new graphics for the front of it, making it look even cooler. You've gotta love barrell gates for their marketing/advertising space alone ...not to mention their safety features. This gate replaced Rockford's wooden starting gate, which they'd used for the last 30-some years - and could very well be the last Wooden gate in the Sport of BMX. Could this officially be the End of an Era?!


 

There are two super unique features to Rockford that you won't find at any other track: 1) the Drop at the Rock, and 2) the 100-foot flat-out sprint to the Finishline. You'll want to boost your sprinting/pre-jump skills to clear The Drop just right, and you'll definitely have to have some juice in your reserves to keep powerin' all the way to the finishline. Watching some riders run outta gas by the time they reach the last tabletop jump, while others are still sprinting as fast as they did out of the gate always reminds me of former Aussie Pro Wade Bootes, who imagine the finishline 50 feet further than it was and keep sprinting PAST the line here at Rockford.

If you're in second round or semi's, in that final transfer spot, you've gotta be real careful about crankin' it all the way to the line - as third place or whoever is behind ya, might just hit their NOS button and get'cha at the line. More races have been lost here at Rockford than any other track, by riders sittin' down too soon assuming they've got it in the bag. 


If Friday night's racing was great - then Saturday's mains were GREATER than GREAT! Things were getting tight as the older girls and older experts got in the gate. Spectators who were lining the sidelines and infield, and the thousands of viewers to our Online video feed, got to witness some gnarly action - especially with 14x on up. 

 

 

 


 

This was a 3-day National weekend, and that meant we were all in for some non-stop sprinting. Better yet, while the past years have ranged the whole gamut of weather - from rain to extreme heat and humidity, do Tornado-like winds and severe mud racing, Mother Nature was extra special to us in 2022 and provided us the most perfect, pristine weather conditions one oculd evewr ask for. 

Seriously; this was a PERFECT weekend. Perhaps THEE BEST is has ever been!

  



Image Gallery

  • Rock0446_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Rock0263_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Rock0309_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Rock0050_mxw60_mxh60_e1

Fa-solid-arrow-left

Membership

Fa-solid-times
We're excited you want to ride with us! If you are a new rider, welcome to the family! If you are experienced, we are glad to have you back. Please select below:
Purchasing of New Memberships is temporarily disabled. Please contact us for more info.
15%

Step 1 / 6

To create or renew your membership, please sign in to your account or create a new account. If you are purchasing a membership for someone under the age of 18 please create an account for yourself first.

Eye-password-icon@2x Eye-invisible-outlined@2x

OR Forgot Your Password?
Forgot your password? Put in your email address here and we’ll email you a link to change your password.

An email from no-reply@bmx.com containing instructions to reset your password has been emailed to you.

If you’re having trouble finding your email, try checking your Spam folder.
10%

Step 1 / 6

If you are purchasing this membership for someone under the age of 18, you must first create an account for yourself in order to enter payment options and sign safety wavers.

Birthdate must be a past date.
15%

Step 1 / 6

Password must be at least 8 characters.
Check all that apply.
15%

Step 1 / 6

Password must be at least 8 characters.

Check all that apply:

In order to comply with COPPA standards, and for your safety, riders under the age of 13 must have a parent or legal guardian register an account on the USA BMX site and consent to your profile creation. Please fill out your guardian’s email below.


Thanks for registering! Return to sign in below and sign in to your new account to continue to your purchase. An email has also been sent to with instructions on verifying your account. If you don’t see it, be sure to check your spam.
30%

Step 2 / 6

Who is this membership for?
Are you the rider's parent or legal guardian?

You must be the rider’s legal guardian in order to purchase a membership. Please have the rider’s legal guardian create an account and purchase the membership.

Is this your first time in BMX?
Please confirm your birthday.

Birthdate not accepted.
Is this the rider's first time in BMX?
Please confirm the rider's birthday.

Birthdate not accepted.
You must be over the age of 18 to purchase a membership. Please have your parent or legal guardian create an account and purchase your membership.
50%

Step 3 / 6

Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
50%

Step 3 / 6

Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
70%

Step 4 / 6

Gender
Skill Level
Please choose the track you would like to credit your membership to, as this helps your home track earn their ranking within the state or province.


Home Track State / Province
Home Track
Type of Membership
85%

Step 5 / 6


Please review the waivers below carefully and submit your electronic signature to consent to them.

In order for the membership to be processed, the Sanction must receive your digital signature. By digitally signing in the box below, you agree to the terms and conditions of the waivers referenced above.

Step 6 / 6

When adding a credit card, BMX Canada members must add their card to the CAN jurisdiction for processing.

SELECT USA BMX OR BMX CANADA

Step 6 / 6

Please confirm that all of your information is correct before completing your purchase.

If you do find a problem, click the back arrow to correct it.
Membership for
Home Track
Proficiency
Family Member
Membership Type
Date of Birth
Age
Payment Due
Make a Payment
Thank you for your purchase!
An email has been sent to your inbox with information on getting started with us:

Please download membership card below.

30%

Step 2 / 6

Please enter your Serial Number and Validation Code from your Trial Membership. Serial Number will be 8 digits and Validation Code will be 4 digits.
30%

Step 2 / 6

Renew a membership registered under your account, or by searching for existing memberships.
OR
50%

Step 3 / 6

Select one of the memberships below to renew a membership.
Search for Existing Memberships
50%

Step 3 / 6

Search for a rider by name or by serial number to renew a membership.
Please fill out both names.
OR
View Memberships on Your Account
50%

Step 2 / 6

Are you the rider and/or rider’s parent/legal guardian?
70%

Step 4 / 6

Gender
Skill Level
Skill Level
Please choose the track you would like to credit your membership to, as this helps your home track earn their ranking within the state or province.


Home Track State / Province
Home Track
Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
Type of Membership
85%

Step 5 / 6


Please review the waivers below carefully and submit your electronic signature to consent to them..

In order for the membership to be processed, the Sanction must receive your digital signature. By digitally signing in the box below, you agree to the terms and conditions of the waivers referenced above.

Step 6 / 6

Please confirm that your information is correct and check out.
Membership for
Home Track
Proficiency
Family Member
Membership Type
Payment Due
Make a Payment
Thank you for renewing!
An email has been sent to your inbox with information on your renewal with us:

Please download membership card below.

Step 6 / 6

When adding a credit card, BMX Canada members must add their card to the CAN jurisdiction for processing.

SELECT USA BMX OR BMX CANADA