Broadbent Arena —- Elite Series —- Louisville, Kentucky —- December 28-29, 2009

—RESULTS—

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Story: Greg Davis

Photos: Jerrod Huffman (jrodsphotoshop.com), Jerry Landrum (bmxmania.com), Kris Randall (klicksbykris.com)

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[Show as slideshow]

Everyone knows who decides who has been naughty or nice, at this time of the year, but what decides who is fastest and who has the maddest skills on a BMX Bike in late December?  It’s not Santa who figures that out. It’s decided down in the dirt. At Christmas time, racers flock to the NBL Christmas Classic to put their skills up against the best in BMX. This year, however, the Classic wasn’t in its usual spot.

With the possible exception of a couple of years, for almost as long as I can remember it’s been Louisville for the Grands, and Columbus for the Classic, but this year Louisville, Kentucky did double duty.  The Broad Bent Arena, where the UCI Worlds were held a number of years back, offered a great venue for a great event, but it also offered an even more fitting location for an awesome race that would be dedicated to an even more awesome racer.

On Thanksgiving, Elite Pro Kyle “K-Dub” Weisenberger, crashed his car on I-275 and had to be air-lifted to a local Cincinnati hospital. He’d sustained terrible head trauma and passed away a few days later on December 1, 2009. He was only 24. Although K-Dub lived in the Greater Cincinnati area for most of his life, he was a Louisville BMX local. There couldn’t have been a more fitting place for his memorial race than in Louisville, Kentucky. When the NBL presented the Weisenberger family with a check for K-Dub’s memorial fund, and dedicated the Christmas Classic to his memory, the Weisenbergers were surrounded by the BMX family who had watched K-Dub grow up and excel at the sport he so loved. As Kyle’s beloved former team, Battle Racing, led by K-Dub’s bike, completed a parade lap, his sister sang a mournfully bluesy song called, “In Grandma’s Hands.”  It was a very moving ceremony, and I know K-Dub had to have been smiling down on the proceedings. You will be missed, buddy.

This year, the Classic fell on the Monday and Tuesday after Christmas. Monday began with practice, and it was immediately evident that the track had hardened up nicely from the week before—when the NBL had opened the track for a race clinic and practice.

The first straight featured a step-jump to a step-up-down into the first turn. Out of that turn, the right side branched into the pro section—which was optional for the amateurs but mandatory for the Elite and Super-Ex. Pros hit two slightly stepped-up deep sets of doubles to a stepped-down tighter set into the second corner. The amateur side had jumps with similar lengths but this side could be rolled or jumped and wasn’t quite as tall. Out of the tight second corner, racers hit rhythm down the final two straights. Super-fast 35-40 Expert, Chris Meaker, said, “It had flow.” The dirt seemed a little different than many were used to, but Meaker made sure to add, “It held up and was smooth.”

The wackiest announcer of the weekend, Weird Al Roybal, and a bunch of his California crew (Riofrio, Jamie Lilly, Ryan Garcia, Jerry Pricer, and more) drove all the way to Louisville for the President’s Cup and Christmas Classic, and if you know Roybal, you know it wasn’t without it’s drama, but this time, Mother Nature was the culprit not Al. Apparently, somewhere in Oklahoma, they did a 180 in a Ford SUV while pulling a trailer. Robert Riofrio said, “Thought our trip was done.” Roybal told me that Garcia was driving and they slid on black ice four times, but this 180 was the only one he couldn’t pull out. Ever eloquent, Roybal said, “Yup, frickin’ crazy.” They made it through, and he and his buddies were doing great in the motos and were ones to watch in the mains.

DAY ONE

During pro warm-up, a few stood out, and one was Barry Nobles. Rumor had it that he’d broken his collarbone only a few weeks before. Folks in the stands speculated whether or not he’d be ready or whether or not he’d been riding since the injury. He looked to be back to as fast as normal to me. I caught up with him later to find out more about it.

BT: Rumor has it that you recently snapped your collarbone.

Nobles: Yes, I broke it Thanksgiving weekend at a race.

BT: How’d it happen?

Nobles: Back-flipping the pro section

BT: Right. How’d you really break it? < head shake>  Back-flipping? Come on!

Nobles: Yeah, it was a super-flat landing. I landed so hard that I just fell over. But I landed the flip.

BT: And you’re already racing the Christmas Classic?

Nobles: Yeah, pushing it a good bit. I had it plated and screwed two days after it happened, so it’s all-good now.

BT: All good? <raised eyebrow>

The really ironic thing was in pro practice there was a pro doing back flips on the pro section. This time, it wasn’t Nobles. Scoping out pro practice, I noticed a few more standouts. Louisville locals, Tommy Board and Marty Wisehart, rode great. Tommy’s Redline teammate, Jason Carne$ trekked out from California, and he was looking for a big win.  DK’s Josh Smith and Supercross’s Logan Collins both had the track dialed. Tyler Faoro and Josh Meyers are always some of the fastest, and they looked tough to beat. Jamie Lilly made the long trip out from California and looked determined to take a win back with her. In practice, Amanda Geving boosted the second straight better than many of the top experts.

In the Masters motos, Tommy Board won a moto with a serious lead. Lammoglia, Dinger, and Joel Moore each won motos, but Joey Albright with his new GT colors had a pair of moto wins.  In the main, the pack seemed to come out of the gate together, but Board got pinched down the first straight. Opincar slid out in the first corner and a couple others were tied up with the crash. Albright came out ahead with Lammoglia and Dinger drafting him. Down the last straight, Board slid by Moreland. At the finish, it went: Albright, Lammoglia, Dinger, Carnes, Board, Moreland, Moore, and Opincar. Afterward, Albright said, “I just laid the ponies down and my new GT Speed Series took me to a win with a little help from having good old gate #1 for the main event.” Later, Tome Opincar commented on his crash, “I slid out in the first turn and was lucky no one ran me over,” he said. “From the inside, it was Joey, Domingos, me, and Dinger into the first turn fairly tightly, and my front tire hit Domingos’ rear tire. I slid out.”

Super-Ex riders arrived in droves for the Christmas Classic. Nearly thirty riders raced Super-Ex. Standard Byke’s Randall Neave put it best. “These days, our class is fast. The top eight guys are hungry and just about AA speed. At big races, like the Christmas Classic, you have to be on your game, or get comfortable in the stands. The class is deep with talent and will swallow you if you are not full-throttle!” In the motos, CJ McGuire looked likely to win the main. He and Faoro both had perfect motos, but Logan Collins also had a pair of moto wins, and he seemed to be taking the pro section lower and quicker than any other pro. Several others had moto wins, so it looked to be insanely fierce competition just getting to the main—the epitome of what Randall Neave had to say about the class. By main time, the motos and semis had whittled the pack to eight—and what an eight it was. Collins, McGuire, Neave, Faoro, Smith, Vega, and two Britts lined up on the gate, and it was anybody’s guess. When the gate slammed down, the two who’d done the best in the motos diced it up for the lead—McGuire and Faoro. I thought Collins might sneak the lead in the pro section, but he couldn’t get by. Faoro led, but McGuire just needed a place to pass. I thought he’d do it in the final straight. When the dust cleared, it looked like this: Faoro, McGuire, Collins, Neave, Britt, Britt, Smith, and Vega.

It was no surprise that the Elite Women had a tough class at the Classic. Geving, as I mentioned before, was boosting just about everything on the track and doing so smoothly. Madison Pitts and Allie Dragoo are almost always on the podium, and add to the mix Jamie Lilly. No one, male or female, had ever done what she’s done. One year, she unified the titles. She won the NBL title, the World title, and the title from that other sanctioning body. Jamie Lilly took a hiatus from BMX, but she’s, has been back for a while, and she is as fast as ever. When the gate slammed down, Lilly shot into the front, but had a little trouble and Geving was there but went wide. Lilly swooped back into the lead. Geving tried but couldn’t pass Lilly back. Lilly grabbed the win, followed by Geving, Pitts, Kalogris, Young, Snow, Maycroft, and Dragoo. Later, I caught up with Lilly on the computer. She said, “I had a good snap. Bonked the step up into the first turn, and when I saw Amanda take a bad line, I dove and really almost hit her tire in the process. Then I just held her off for my first win since racing again.”

The big show, the Elite Men, (though missing a few familiar riders) looked to be a great main. Speculation abounded before the main. No one seemed to dominate the motos, though Jimenez had a pair of wins. Meyers, Nobles, Wisehart, and former World Champion, Javier Colombo each won a lap. Matthew Kelty expressed some reservations about the pro section, “The track is decent, but the pro section isn’t wide enough for more than a person. It’s a race to the first turn, but overall it’s good.” Colombo won that race to the first turn, but Nobles went for it. He crashed, and the crowd sucked in a breath, knowing he was still nursing a collarbone injury. Wisehart snaked by as Nobles went down, but Smith was on him. Down the last straight, it was a race for third—and that race ended in a tie. At the line, Meyers and Smith crossed at almost the exact same time. Even the video protest couldn’t prove who crossed first. The frame where the front tires crossed was a bit blurred. They went with the majority of the scorers and gave third to Meyers. I reached Smith via email later and, Smith said of Saturday’s main. “At first I was let down that we didn’t have as many Elite riders as normal, but with the tight corners and pro section, it ended up making a really good couple of days of racing. The transition from the pro set into the second turn was a little tricky, which is why a couple of guys ended up in a pile there in Saturday’s main. But overall, I think we had some exciting racing, and the Christmas Classic ‘Vibe’ was still there in the end!”

DiPrete’s streak of wins last year has the whole 35-40 Expert class almost riding like Super-Ex. They have almost universally stepped it up. The class is tough, and although DiPrete wasn’t in attendance at the Classic, the class was stacked. Gomez headed into the main with perfect moto points, as did John Paul Pfeiffer. Jeremy Thompson and Chris Meaker also nearly perfected their motos, and were seriously hauling. Out of the gate, Gomez couldn’t quite get Thompson to the first corner, and Meaker slid into second. Gomez got by Meaker, but couldn’t catch Thompson in time. Behind Meaker was Pfeiffer, NBL announcer extraordinaire; Al Roybal, Riofrio, London Wilmot, and Wade followed.

The older Expert classes are getting tougher each year. 26-34 Expert had former Superclass riders and a lot of the consistently top Ams from the past decade or so. Louisville local Chris Coslow, who has recently returned to BMX, has been riding a road bike and is looking fast. Renato Da Silva, Scott Morrison, and Thomas Truxell are always crazy fast. John Pinsonnault took a hiatus from the bike to get his degree and career going (Pharmacist—if memory serves), but his time away from the bike doesn’t show. He seems as fast as ever. When the gate slammed down, the Brazilian, Acauan Morais Daloia shot to the front of the pack, but something went wrong just before the first turn. Coslow put it this way, “I was in gate 3, I believe, and got a pretty good gate. There was a pretty fast Brazilian, Daloia, who was in first but wrecked just before the turn,” he said.  “That caused some commotion in the turn, and a few guys ended up hitting each other but nobody went down. I had a bad line coming out of turn one, and I couldn’t get going fast enough to jump the second straight, so I got a little loose, then I shut it down. Johnny P. (Pinsonnault) was in the lead down the third straight but got bit by the awkward rhythm section. He crashed pretty hard, hurting his shoulder and ribs. I ended up seventh.” Truxell won.

At the Christmas Classic, the 19-25 Expert was crazy big and insanely fast. Just making the main seemed as tough as making the main at the Grands. When those who made the cut lined up on the gate, most had moto wins. Several with near-perfect motos didn’t make the main. It was that tough and that big. Crowd favorites, Frank “the Tank” Hoskins III and Derek Ramsey had dominated their motos and looked tough to beat. Kyle McRory, Kalin Hall, and Cory Watts also headed into the main with all ones in the motos.  The pack hit the first turn almost eight wide, and not everyone fit. Watts went down, bumping McRory and causing him to unclip. The crash also balled up most of the pack. That fraction of a second was all St. Lawrence needed. He jumped out to a big lead, but McRory clipped back in and gained fast. By the line, McRory had almost caught him.

I caught up with McRory later. “I thought the race was awesome, and I was pumped to see a national with over 200 motos for the first time in a while,” he said. “Also the track was pretty sick too—one of the reasons being that the dirt they used was sticky in terms of sliding out in the turns.  The difference between first and second (in the main) was like three inches. The main was especially crazy though, because it was pretty stacked and when Corey Watts went down in the first turn, it made it even crazier. I had to unclip in the and turn out of the way (to avoid the crash). When I looked up, St. Lawrence was way out ahead because I’m pretty sure he went low and dodged the crash. But it was sure fun trying to run him down afterwards and ending up with a photo-finish.”

The 17-18 Expert was full of surprises and full of carnage. It was almost as interesting for who didn’t make the main. Tommy Zula almost always dominates the class, but at Christmas, he seemed to have a huge bulls-eye painted on his back. Racers kept crashing him—not an easy task—because you have to catch him to crash him. Once, they nearly put him over the first turn, a turn with a six to eight foot drop to the pavement behind the turn. His frustration was palpable. There was one such crash was in the semi, and for the first time in recent memory, Zula and Hines didn’t make the main. When the dust cleared, Seth Utz shot to the front of the pack. Behind him, Max Egdorf led Adcock, Sherbno, Lucus, Ampueda, Dzapo, and Parraguez.

Other Expert perfects from Day One  included: Spencer Cole in 8, Tyshawn Carr in 9, Clint Herman in 11, Tucker Rice in 12, Santiago Marin in 13, Maliek Byndloss in 14, and Damian Cherepko in 15 Expert.

In the 50+ Cruiser class, Michael Robinson looked to be the man to beat. I hadn’t seen him at the races in a while, but his time away hasn’t slowed him in the least. He was riding well and riding on flat pedals. Heading into the main, he and Ybarra both had perfect moto points, but Robinson looked to have the track dialed. Robinson looked to have the perfect wired, but Alabaman, James Rempkowski had other ideas. Rempkowski edged out Robinson for the main win, with Brown Fieldson, Ybarra, Snyder, Luck, and Silnes in tow.

Dugan Neil has been around the sport pretty much since it’s been a sport and it shows. Neil owned the 45-49 Cruiser class at Christmas. He was the only rider going into the main with perfect. Super quick cruiser racers, Hampton and Gainer nearly had perfects, but Neil grabbed the win. Waskom, Gainer, Young, Seitz, Pindexter, Johnsen, and Hampton followed—in that order.

Raul Gomez is on his game. He’s always fast, but lately he seems even faster and in the best shape of his life. Nowhere is it more evident than in 35-39 Cruiser. This class is tough, but Gomez is almost always on point. Several times in the motos, he led with huge leads, but you can’t ever count out Jeremy Thompson and John Paul Pfeiffer. Chris Cline was also looking very quick, riding the 26” that he rocks Ray’s Mountain Bike park on. Gomez got to the first corner first, and carved low, cutting off Thompson, for the lead. Out of the first corner, Gomez pulled hard, but Thompson seemed to be gaining. Back in the pack, Cline got a little squirrelly and bumped Zizzo in the last turn. Zizzo went down (which doesn’t often happen), taking Carnes and Lackey with him. Gomez held off Thompson for the win. It went, Gomez, Thompson, Pfeiffer, Cline, Childers, Carnes, Lackey, and Zizzo.

The 30-34 Cruiser class might not be a very large class, but it is chocked full of skilled and incredibly quick racers. One of the most impressive in that class is Steve Robbins. He dominated at Morristown, and here at the Christmas Classic he was a hometown favorite. Robbins put his new Addison frame on just before this race. His Addison teammate, Andy Medlin, is also crazy fast. Out of the first turn, Medlin led, but Robbins saw a line in the second corner. It looked as though he thought about it for a second, because he didn’t want to risk wrecking his teammate, but he decided to go for it and it worked, he squeezed by Medlin. When Medlin saw this, he paused just a fraction of a second, as if registering the fact he’d just been passed. Moberly capitalized on that pause and snuck by as well. Medlin got back on the gas and held off Wagner, Hatheway, and Filson.

SE’s Chase Hines might have been the fastest cruiser rider in attendance at Christmas. He led with huge leads. He’s one of the fastest Experts in the country on his twenty, but as impossible as it seems, he’s even faster on his twenty-four. He and Louisville local, Max Eden headed into the main with perfect moto points, but Niko Dzapo and Beale also rode incredibly well. In the main, Hines rocketed out of the first corner alone in front. The race seemed to be for second, and Dzapo led that with Beale and Eden close behind. They finished that way: Hines, Dzapo, Beale, Eden, Stewart, Reynolds, Conant, and Fenchel.

Other Cruiser perfects on Day One of the Christmas Classic included: Jacob Garrelts in 8 & Under, Tucker Rice in 11-12, Maliek Byndloss in 13-14,  Rennen’s Victor Behm III in 15-16, and James Hausle in 40-44.

DAY TWO

The very evenly matched Elite Women at the Classic had the spectators paying close attention. Geving and Dragoo each had two moto wins, but Pitts and Lilly won motos, too. Even for those watching closely from the stands, it wasn’t easy see all that happened. Madison Pitts described the race this way, “Well, I had a horrible gate start,” she said. “Dead last out of the gate. Going into turn one, Crystal Kalogris took the turn a bit too low and washed out, making everyone wreck or come unclipped. I was lucky and got clipped back in quickly and came out third. Amanda Geving and Jamie Lilly were in first and second, battling and banging bars. Going into the last turn, Amanda made a move on Jamie and crashed and I pulled off a second. I was quite lucky I was able to avoid all the carnage.”

The Masters class at the Christmas Classic was one of my personal favorites to watch. It looked to be a good one, too. Lammoglia had a pair of moto wins, and Carnes, Opincar, and Strieby each had a win. I caught up with Tim Dinger later, to find exactly what happened. “Domingos had the holeshot to the first turn from the inside and had Opincar and Albright on the outside,” he said. “I dove under Domingos in the first turn for the lead. Thought it was going to be a little bump and run, but when we hit Domingos fell and kind of fell on the back of my bike, and this lead to Joey Albright going down, as well. Carnes cut under the madness and took the lead and the win. Opincar escaped the crash, too (grabbing the second).” Tome Opincar put it this way, “ Another ball up in turn one. Same riders entering turn one from the inside out. Dinger, Domingos, Joey, and me. I had a good gate, just got stuck on the outside. It looked like Domingos grip stuck on Dinger’s jersey. Joey was stuck in the middle, somewhat like I was on Day One. I waited at the top of the berm for a hole to clear, then it was time to catch Carnes. I finished second, with Carnes getting a very deserving win.” At the line it was Carnes, Opincar, Strieby, Board, Silvia, Albright, Lammoglia, and Dinger.

Super-Ex is always super exciting, but when it’s this packed full of talent, it’s incredible. The Christmas race had so many super skilled riders, that it had that Grands vibe going on. In the motos, Faoro looked undefeatable, winning every lap. McGuire and Lubbe each had a pair of wins, and many racers who won motos didn’t even make the main. It was that tough. When the gate slammed down, it was anybody’s guess. Faoro and McGuire snapped out together and drag raced to the corner, but I’d been so impressed with Logan Collins the day before, I thought he might spoil the perfect for Faoro. Logan Collins described the race this way, “I got squeezed down the first straight. I came out of the first turn in fourth or fifth. I passed one down the second straight and almost got third into turn two. Luckily for me, Vega crashed in the last turn, and I was able to avoid it and get the third.” When the dust settled on the main, it was McGuire, Faoro, Collins, Seward, Miller, Lubbe Neave, and Vega.

The Elite Men were hauling at the Christmas Classic. The speed seemed to increase, as the weekend went on—as if they weren’t getting tired, they were just warming up. Javier looked great on Day One, Josh Smith had the track dialed, Louisville local—Marty Wisehart was flying, Matthew Kelty is always fast, as is Josh Meyers, so it looked to be a main to watch. Add to that a pair of wins from the Latvian Arturs Matisons and the recently metal plated collarbone of Barry Nobles. The main would be incredible. Competing with the Elite at this level is tough enough. How is it possible, so soon after a broken bone and after a crash the previous day? It seems to be a whole different mindset. Whatever it is, it’s incredible. “I started feeling better by main time, from the crash the day before,” Nobles said. “ Getting set up with gate one made it that much better.” Gate one must have worked, but I suspect it was more his skill level. Nobles grabbed the holeshot on Day Two and held on. Colomobo and Meyers tried to get around but couldn’t. Nobles held on. Matisons went down in the first turn. At the finish, it was Nobles, Colombo, Meyers, Jimenez, Wisehart, Smith, Kelty and Matisons.

I heard something funny about one of my favorite announcers, Al Roybal. Al’s buddy, Riofrio said, “In the 35-40 Expert semi, Roybal asked Burright how it was going to feel to NOT make the main two days in a row.” Now that was just like poking a bear with a stick, if you ask me. I’d seen just how fast Burright could ride, when I saw him race at Morristown. Riofrio said, “Burright then went on to beat him out of that semi to make the main.” Riofrio also told me how much he liked the Christmas Classic and President’s Cup. “The President’s cup is my favorite race to go to. I get to see all my good friends from the east coast: Jeremy Thompson, Raul Gomez, Meaker, Burright, and many more,” he said. “This year was great for the first timers from California. All the kids feel a part of something. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids is what it’s all about. I wish every BMXer could experience this race.”

The older Novice classes are fun to watch. Back in the 1980s, if you saw a guy in his 40s on the moto sheet of the 17 & Over Novice class, you knew you’d make it to your main. Not any more, however. Some of the older Novices could hang or beat much younger riders, and the 41& Over class is getting big and very competitive. Heading into the 41 Novice main, Eric Person seemed the most dominant. He won every lap, but Robert Murray and Tim Grimes each had a pair of wins. The pack hit the first corner almost at once. Murray and Person led and Grimes had some trouble and dropped to the back. Robert Murray emerged with the win, dashing Person’s hope for a perfect.

In the 26-34 Novice class, Brian Wick went undefeated. Each lap looked like the main, with Wick leading Skelton, Mofield, and Foltmann.

Clayton Schulz and Brandt Kinder headed into the main with perfect moto points. Kinder, however, went down leaving Schulz to his win and his perfect. Behind Schulz it was King, Sorm, Klinefelter, Nugent, McNeil, Schempre, and Kinder. Schulz looks poised to advance to Expert in the near future.

In the 17-18, Brandon Soohey edged out Jesse Tschudy and Jonathan Edwards (didn’t he run for President or something?), who both had perfects going in. Soohey grabbed the win, with Tschudy, Edwards, Turner, Jones, Randall, Slay and Turley in tow.

It was like father—like son in 15 Novice. Raul Gomez Jr. won his main. His dad is used to winning, and if this is a sign of things to come, there will be a pair of Gomezs leading the way around the track.

Zachary Frakes dominated his 12 Novice motos, but had to beat out Rees and Magwood in the main for the pefect. Rees and Magwood both had two moto wins. At the line, it was Frakes, Leibrock, Magwood, Rees, Garrison, Humphrey, Mason and Petrow.

In 11 Novice, Kenyon Wong, John Shea, and Drew Szmania headed into the main with perfect moto points. Kenyon held off the pack, grabbing a perfect. It went, Wong, Nabors, Szmania, Shea, Parow, Steward, Finegold, and Austin.

The 9 Novice main was stacked. Four riders headed in undefeated. At the finish, it was Swan, Rumple, Vance, Townsend, Rockett, Johnson, Bray, and Lee.

The size and quality of the riders in 7 Novice meant the main would be one not to miss. Five riders won all their motos, but only four made the big show. Three of those finished one, two, and three—Ketron, Leet, and Halahan, in that order.

Luke Schneider in 11 Novice and Owen Dease in 12 also won every lap.

One of the fastest Elite Women from several years back is back on the bike and back at the front. In the 30+ Women Open Wheel class, Melanie Cline, whose son is now racing, won her main, beating out Meredith Lidstone, who’d won all the motos. It’s really good to see Cline back out there.

The 17+ Women’s class is highly competitive. These ladies fly, and the class is getting very popular. Aryanna Wilfork and erin Moore headed into the main with all ones by their name. Danielle Parish and Emily Fisher each had a pair of wins. The rest of the class was formidable, as well. The pack hit the first turn with Fisher, Wilfork, Moore, Parish and Siebenlist tightly together. At the finish, it was Fisher, Wilfork, Moore, Parish, Siebenlist, Bostrom, Lidstone, and Baker.

It seems that Dayton’s Taylor Thomison has been on a bike and at the races since she was barely able to walk. It shows. She dominated the 16 Girls class at the Classic. Samantha Brungart, Kerie Hodges, Rebecca Horne, Katie Maycroft, Chainey Hoover, Danielle Tierney, and Jami McMurdy followed her across the line.

My dad taught me a lot. He taught me to ride a bike, among many, many other things. Bethany Kludt’s dad not only probably taught her how to ride a bike, he taught her how to ride it fast. At the Christmas Classic Kludt finish every lap in front.

Other Girls’ class perfects included Payton Ridenour in 5-7 Girls, Carly Jacobs in 8, McKhenna Calhoun in 9, Shanayah Howell in 10, Joey-Lynn Henderson in 12, Rochelle Wooding in 13, and Felicia Stancil in 14.

It doesn’t matter if the Christmas Classic is in Louisville or Columbus. It’s a great race to hit. This year, the venue may’ve been different, but thanks to the hard work of the volunteers and the NBL it was a big success. I hope to see you there next year!