Golden State Nationals in Prunedale, CA

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6/20/08-6/22/08: Golden State Nationals, Pro Series in Prunedale, CA. We left Thursday afternoon to drive to Prunedale, which is down by Monterrey. We spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and came home Sunday late afternoon. This was a HUGE event. Justin was so excited. All the Pros were going to be there. All 4 of the BMX riders that are on the USA Olympic team were there. There are 3 males and 1 female on the Olympic team. This is the first year that BMX is going to be an official Olympic sport. This is huge for the BMX world. So before I go into what all these pictures are of, let me tell you how Justin did for the weekend of racing. Basically they run 3 motos and based on your finishes and total points for the 3 motos determines if you transfer to the main event. So Friday night Justin got 1st place in all three motos, then 1st place in the main event. Saturday, he got 2nd place in the first moto, then crashed in his second moto so he got 5th place, then got 2nd again in the 3rd moto, so he transferred to the main event and got 2nd place in the main. Sunday, he got 1st place in all 3 motos then 1st in the main event. So he had a GREAT weekend. He did so good. We are so proud of him, and more importantly he is very proud of himself. He has such a great attitude win or loose. He was a little upset when he crashed on Saturday, but he jumped right up and got back on his bike and finished the race. So in the photos the big green trophy is his 2nd place trophy, and the plaque is the first place trophy for Sunday. Friday they were given pennants.

So there is a picture of daddy changing out his gear to make him faster, in between motos. Good thing he knows what he is doing and can do it quickly. Then there is a picture of Lauren who finally fell asleep on Gramma's lap. Then there is 2 pictures of Justin at the clinic that GT put on, on Saturday afternoon. For those of you who don't know, GT is a big popular bicycle brand. Justin races on a GT bike. Anyway, those guys in the blue, white, and yellow riding gear, they are the Pros that are sponsored by GT, and the same guys on the Olympic team. Justin got some one on one time with all three of them. He was so excited. Justin is in the shinny silver helmet. You can spot him anywhere. So that was super exciting for him. After the clinic was over he got 2 posters signed by all of the guys on the Olympic team. That was pretty cool. Then there is another picture of Lauren, just hanging out with us in between motos. She did really good. It was HOT and the days were long. And I don't think she had one huge melt down. She got a little cranky, and grumpy. Which I did too. I don't do well in the heat. I hate being hot more then anything. So on Saturday, in the height of the heat, Lauren and I had to go back to the motorhome and turn the generator on and the AC. So we watched some movies and colored on her color books. Anything to pass the time.

The last picture is at home, with all his stuff from this weekend. He got 2 signed posters, a pennant, a trophy, a plaque, an event t-shirt, and the big NBL BMX sign that is hanging in the background. He is wants to hang that in his room. So all in all we had a great weekend. Great family time, great memories, great food, and more points for Justin. He is preparing now for the big Regional Championships in Las Vegas this year. Oh boy!!!!