Author: Track Management

Photos and Results: 2024 Pro-Am

Ethan Popovich Wins 2024 Men's Pro-Am at The Hill

The Amy Home Services Pro-Am was FIRE this year!! It was an amazing event!

First and foremost we had 41 motos of RACE FANS that came out to race with the pros! Thank you to everyone who was there to cheer them on!

The Ladies Pro-Am had seven riders with the results, as follows:
Olivia Armstrong #1
Stephanie Morin #2
Kaylie Cerasa #3
Lily Hinton #4
Madison Jackson #5
Hope Anderson #6
Samantha Mulvihill #7

Men’s Pro-AM was stacked, with two gates!! The men finished as follows:

Ethan Popovich #1
Drew Polk #2
Major Marshall Gehrke #3
Pierre Geisse #4
Gavin Freewalt #5
Dyllon Reeder #6
Yavant Hausler #7
Noah Salisbury #8

Also racing for the men:
Sawyer Sides
Joe Drawenek
Stefan Fahy
John Jilbert
Aaron Alensonorin
Dominic Webber

Photo Galleries

By Mike Carruth

By Michael Mandujano

THANK YOU!

It was amazing racing all-around! We appreciate everyone who came out for the 2024 Amy Home Services Pro-Am!

Thank you to all of the race sponsors, including:
Amy Home Services
Die Job Apparel
Liberty BMX
McNally’s Heating & Cooling

We look forward to seeing you back at The Hill, for the balance of the 2024 series.

Photo Galleries: 800-Point Weekend

 
Photos from the Monster 800-Point Weekend, which took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 17-19, 2024.

Friday’s Warnicke Double. Watch the slideshow below, or view it on SmugMug.

Saturday’s State Race Triple. Watch the slideshow below, or view it on SmugMug.

Sunday’s 2024 Gold Cup Qualifier Triple. Watch the slideshow below, or view it on SmugMug.

Annual Pro-Am Results and Photoset

The Hill 2023 Pro-Am
The 2023 installment of The Hill’s Pro-Am was hot, hot, hot, with both male and female classes.

The on-track action was incredible, as our local heroes moto-battled with top-hand pro talent…there were tight packs, and many of the finishes were super-close.

It was truly awesome to see how all our Pro-Am riders stepped-up, and put on a GREAT show, for the Wednesday night crowd. Autographs were signed, and our local riders identified new role models to look up to, which is part of the goal of bringing this Pro-Am event to The Hill, year after year.

We know it won’t be long til some of the “groms” (younger riders) grow into top experts or pros, in their own-right, and encourage the next-generation of BMXers to put the necessary work-in to get on a future-year’s Pro-Am podium.

A BIG shout-out to Amy Home Services, who was back as the multi-year sponsor of the Men’s Pro-Am; and McNally’s Heating & Cooling, who stepped-up to sponsor the Women’s Pro-Am action.  Also to Majesty Racing, for sponsoring the Men’s holeshot award, and Team Liberty, for kicking in to the Women’s payout purse. 

Last, but not least, eternal thanks to Mr. Erick Grindle.  As one of the USA BMX national announcers, his presence and rockage of the mic brought the vibe and on-track action to a whole new level.

Please visit the links, to learn more about our sponsors.

Here are the results and photos of the Pro-Am, and some shots from the race-of-the-day (link below).

 

THE HILL 2023 PRO-AM RESULTS

 
 

Pro-Am Men
1 Cameron Moore
2 Noah Barton
3 Cole Kopcyzk
4 Olijuwon Davis
5 Stefan Fahy
6 Koletyn Zanoni
7 Micheal Mandujano
8 Joseph Dede
 
 

The Hill 2023 Pro-Am - Women Podium

Pro-Am Women
1 Heather Collman
2 Olive Hinton
3 Lily Hinton
4 Abby Mandujano
5 Marley Redell
 

View Photo Gallery

Kavi Henryson, 2022 Track Points Champion at The Hill BMX in Elgin, IL

Kavi Henryson – 2022 Track Points Champion

Kavi Henryson won the overall 2022 Track Points Championship, for his awesome performance on his cruiser. We sat-down with Kavi, to get some of the details of his 2022 season, his plans for the future, and other deets.

Name: Kavi Henryson

Age: 12

Proficiency: Cruiser and Expert

Team: One Way BMX

Sponsors/Co-Sponsors (if any): One Way Firewood

What Frame Do You Ride?  Speedco Velox V2 for Cruiser / Meybo Holeshot for Class

How Long Have You Been Racing?  Since 2020

How Did You Get Involved in BMX Racing?
When I was 7 or 8 my family went to the 4th of July parade in South Elgin and The Hill had people riding in the parade. One of the riders handed us a flyer with racing information. Eventually, me and my brothers rode our bikes to the track. We loved it. We all bought race bikes in 2019 and started practicing and going to watch the races.

Was Winning the “Track Points Champion Title” a Goal You Set Early in the Season, or Did it Just Work Out That Way?
I was going for the title in 2021 until I got injured. It took me out for six weeks, and ruined my chance to win. My brother finished second for track champion in 2021, so all four of us brothers were fighting for the title all year.

Tell Us About Your 2022 Racing Season at The Hill:
I focused mainly on racing Cruiser

What Are Your BMX Goals for 2023?
Getting plates in Gold Cup and State

What is your Long-Term Goal for Your BMX Career?
NAG and World Plates

What’s Your Favorite Thing to Order at The Hill’s Concession Stand?
Freeze Pops

Do You Have Any Friends at School Who Also Race?
Everyone at my school races. I am homeschooled. I have three brothers and three sisters that all race Class and Cruiser.

Who Is Your Favorite BMX Expert or Pro?
Pro: Izaak Kennedy / Expert Cedric Cade and Drew Polk

What’s Your Favorite Subject in School?
Spanish

How Long Did it Take You to Move-Up From Novice to Inter, and Inter to Expert?
I started racing as an Expert. I won track champion for Cruiser class.

What’s the Farthest Race You Have Been To?
Farmer City

Tell Us Your Favorite Thing About BMX Racing?
Competition and making new friends

Feel Free to Give Any Thanks or Shout-Outs:
I want to thank GOD and my parents

We asked Kavi’s dad, Jason to tell use a little about the “1 Way” Team, and its origins
One Way BMX was established to inform others that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation.

John 14:6:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Keep an eye on Kavi, and the 1 Way Team throughout the 2023 season…and take this opportunity to opt-in for track points, so you can have a shot at the title, this season.

 

John Anderson-Volunteer Of The Month for May 2022

John Anderson – Volunteer of the Month, May 2022

The Hill BMX Management Group would like to announce that John Anderson has been voted Volunteer of the Month for May 2022!

We apologize this announcement is so late!

John was nominated by nearly all who submitted nominations. His hard work during preparations for our SCR and assistance to the whole maintenance team have not gone unnoticed. John started racing in the fall, and since his family arrived they have been deeply involved in making sure THE HILL succeeds.

John is an old timer, having raced The Hill BMX in the early 2000’s – his mother Mary worked with The Hill Management Team back then and has now come full circle to help Hill Management again. John will tell you that life came between him and BMX as he grew, but now he is reliving the BMX wonder through his boys.

Most recently, John has agreed to become more involved by joining the madness and assisting Andy with track maintenance.

It’s important to note that the only other nominations that came in were for “The Maintenance Team” – Our maintenance crew worked overtime getting ready for our SCR race. We see all the work that was put in, every time we are at the track, every time a rider rides, a family member sits on the bleachers, or a family hands out in their pit areas.

Our track is beautiful, and it’s because of our maintenance team. They are currently talking about completing the third turn. They don’t stop! And if we could give them all an award for May, we would, but trust us when we say we have big recognition plans for our maintenance team, in the future.

Please join with us in celebrating John, everything he has done, and will do in the future. Give him a ‘high five’ or ‘fist bump’ when you see him!

Thank you, John! You have been a blessing since you arrived, and Congratulations!

2022 Pro-Am at The Hill BMX in Elgin, IL

2022 Pro-Am

An annual staple, in the lead-up to the Midwest Nationals, The Hill Pro-Am has attracted top-talent from all spheres of the BMX community, in it’s many-years of running.

The Hill, it’s sponsors and volunteers work hard to bring-together a high-profile event, set among one of our weekly single-points races.

This is important to the crew, because it gives our local families an opportunity to see top-tier racers do their thing on our track–and plants the seed for all of our aspiring racers to see what’s possible in the sport of BMX Racing, when you “put the work in.”

For 2022, we had stacked-racks of these star riders, and it was awesome (as it always is) to see all our local riders’ eyes-glued to the track, cheering-on their favorite, among those who gated-up for the Big Show.

In the final gate-of-eight, we had (in order of finish)

Ethan Popovich
Olijuwon Davis
Noah Barton
Trevor Kotrba
Josh Sterling
Stefan Fahy
Nate Hathcock
Jeff Kiefer

There was contentious racing, in all four rounds, with pulse-quickening action for the fans–just as a top-flight Pro-Am should be.

Ethan “E-Pop” Popovich was fresh-off his win of the Junior Mens class, at the USA Cycling Elite National Championship race, held at the newly-opened USA BMX Hardesty National BMX Stadium in Tulsa, OK.

During the intermission, before the third round of Pro-Am Racing, Ethan was invited to address the crowd, to tell us of his experience at the race which earned him the lauded “flag” sleeve, for the next 12 months.

We will be cheering-him-on this month, as he heads to Nantes, France for the UCI BMX World Championships.

The other Podium finishers, Olijuwon “OD” Davis, and Noah Barton are both long-time fixtures at The Hill, and there was definitely a “Hill Pride” cheering section for them, and the other riders who call The Hill home.

The day started out with a “Captain” Nic Long clinic, which riders from several states came-in for, then stuck-around to race the evening program.

Liberty BMX offered a $100 “Holeshot Award” for the Pro-Am, and Nic DOUBLED it, just before the main event touched-off. E-Pop got that holeshot cash, in addition to the top-step check.

Big thanks to Amy Home Services (link below), who stepped-up to provide the purse…and to all riders, both local, and otherwise, who came out to make this one of the best Pro-Am races we have had.

We look forward to seeing the Top Guns again for our 2023 Pro-Am!

Please click, and learn about our sponsors:

Amy Home Services

Photo Gallery: Opening Day 2022

Photos from Opening Day at The Hill BMX–April 16, 2022. Photos by Mike Carruth, bmxnews.com.

The Hill BMX 2022 Opening Day

Single Points Race: April 23

Quesadilla Day at The Hill BMX Concessions
Quesadilla Day at The Hill BMX Concessions. Photo by Lottie Griffiths, via unsplash

It’s going to be a beautiful day for some BMX Racing on April 23, so come on out to The Hill and bring some friends.

You’re also going to want to bring a hearty appetite.  We’ll have all the standard fare at our concession stand that BMXers far and wide love… PLUS, Saturday is Quesadilla Day.  

REMINDER: The Concession Stand accepts cash and Concession Cards only.  You can purchase concession cards right here on the website, and we’ll have them waiting for you at concessions on race day.

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