Wanna laugh? Just read on about this awesome BMX family, or join them down at Weaverville BMX for some fun and laps.

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JAMIE, JACK & JOSIE

40-44 Cruiser, 8 Expert, 13 Girls

Blue Chip Racing

Hometown: Weaver-Vegas, North Carolina

Teams/Sponsors: Blue Chip Racing, presented by Merrill Lynch.

What are the similarities and differences in your riding styles? The only similarity is our inconsistency. The obvious difference is Josie and Jack’s ability to jump compared to gravity-hampered Dad. Josie’s strength is being a good all-around rider, her weakness is a lack of confidence. Jack can style with the best, unfortunately this sometimes gets in the way of track speed. Dad’s style is best described as “tugboat-ish”.

What are your best accomplishments in BMX? Josie: 2007 Regional #1, 2008 State #1, 2009 National #6. Jack: 2009 National #8, 2007 State #1, 2007 Regional #3. Dad’s best accomplishment is building and running Weaverville BMX. Hopefully some mentionable results are in the future.

Who do you usually ride with? The usual suspects are our teammates, The Flying Shawshinskis, Mantonio Bonessi, Lexi “Manchild” Lewis, Dalton “Dolly” Wyatt, Walter “Buddy” Meyers, and the Banks, Grice and Lanter families.

Do any of you play sports besides BMX? Jack pretends to play basketball, Josie is too busy with band activities and Dad dreams of a competitive eating career.

What is the best part of being able to race with your kids? After racing a road bike for 15 years and being away most weekends without the kids, the best part of BMX is being able to race and travel with the kids.

How has having a dad that races and runs a track helped with your racing? Here at the Ritchie house we have an expression for going down to the track when it’s not open, we call it SST (Super Secret Training). The biggest perk of running a track is sometimes having it all to yourselves.

Did you go to any camps this summer? What were your experiences like? Josie: Ohio Dreams. The race training facilities are awesome. Justin has a way of making you feel good about your riding and I definitely want to go back next year. Jack: Ohio Dreams also. I loved the dirt jumps and the coolest slip-n-slide ever. Awesome!

Are your personality traits different or similar? Polar opposite. Josie is shy, introverted, and messy. Jack is loud, obnoxious, and goes full throttle, yet he is neat and tidy. Mom says, ‘Dad needs help.’

Do you share bikes and equipment? We only the racks on the cars and everything else is sacred.

Who gets better grades? Josie: Me definitely. Jack: We both get better grades than Dad. Dad: No comment.

What is one piece of advice you would give your sibling and dad about their racing? Josie to Jack: Quit going so high in the turns. Jack to Josie: Pedal harder. To Dad: Stop crashing!

Tell us something about your sibling that nobody else knows. Jack loves to dress up and sing on the karaoke machine. Josie has the messiest room in the world!

What kind of practical jokes do you play on each other? Hide and Scare—most bang for the buck.

What are your short-term and long-term goals in BMX? Josie: Short- term: A National plate lower than #5. Long- term: Canadian National Team. Jack: Short-term: Win at Morristown. Long-term: Olympics.

Thanks? Josie: Marty at Pro Bikes for all the cool clothes and gear, Mom and Dad. Jack: Mom and Dad, and Luca and Walker Shaw for making me ride hard at practice. Dad: My wife, Jenny, for tolerating our life-consuming BMX endeavors. David Grice for bringing Merrill Lynch to the track, and supporting the team. Lexy Lewis for all his help. Everyone else in the Blue Chip family for always having fun and making me feel that all the time and effort is worth it.

FAVORITE…

Track - Our other house, Weaverville BMX.

Pro - Josie: Sam Willoughby, Jack: Jared “Grubby” Graves, Dad: Javier Colombo (best hair in BMX)

Band - Jack: Black Sabbath, Dad: The Tragically Hip

School Subject - Josie: Math & Gym, Jack: Gym

Food - Josie: chicken wings, Jack: tacos, Dad: big burritos

Drink - Josie: milk, Jack: Jarritos soda, Dad: good strong coffee

Movie - Josie: Bend It Like Beckham, Jack: The Incredible Hulk, Dad: Rocky

TV Show - Josie: House, Jack: The Simpsons, Dad: Top Chef

Racing Memory - Josie: First National win at 2008 Spring Nationals in Morristown, TN, Jack: First National win at 2008 Blue Ridge Nationals in Lexington, VA, Dad: Fifth place at Canadian Championships in 41+ Cruiser.