Tulsa World: A girl thing

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A girl thing
More females are racing in BMX events, but officials would like to see even more.

Competitors race the course during qualifying rounds of the BMX National Championships at Expo Square in Tulsa on Friday. JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World

By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer
Published: 11/28/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 11/28/2009 3:56 AM

Until she was 11, Caroline Buchanan used to race against boys.

In a way, she still does.

If you glance around Expo Square this weekend during the American Bicycle Association BMX Grand Nationals, it's obvious that boys still dominate the sport.

"Girls are starting to catch up," says Buchanan, the 19-year-old 4-cross world champion from Australia.

"But there's still a big gap. We need to do a lot better at getting girls into it."

To help do that, officials hosted a "Powder Puff" party Friday, collecting girls into one corner of the QuikTrip Center, where Buchanan and other female stars signed autographs for a long line of squealing fans.

"It's good that girls can look around and say, 'Hey, there are lot of us here,' " Buchanan says. "There are more than you think."

She may not compete with boys on the track anymore, but Buchanan can go head-to-head with male athletes for sponsorships and endorsements.

"I'm traveling the world, having fun," she says. "It's not just the guys who can do this professionally."

Running through Sunday, the Grand Nationals attract more than 4,000 cyclists from around the world for one of the largest BMX events in the country.

The Tulsa Sports Commission expects it to pump $3.5 million into the local economy.

"People think it's a dangerous sport, but it's not really," says Kathryn Williamson, a Dallas mother who brought her 9- and 12-year-old daughters to Tulsa not only to compete but to meet Buchanan and other elite female riders.

Injuries are possible in any sport, including BMX, Williamson says.

"But you can look at these young women and see they're OK. I don't worry about my girls any more than I would if they played soccer."

Walking away with a freshly signed autograph, 14-year-old Mary Beth Stokely from California admits that her parents initially resisted her interest in BMX.

Stokely followed an older brother into the sport.

"It just looked fun, and I didn't think it mattered that I was a girl."

Michael Overall 581-8383
michael.overall@tulsaworld.com By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer

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If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

	Report Comment Elusive, Owasso (11/28/2009 4:16:35 AM) Good for the girls, go for it!!
	Report Comment Proud Muslim, Tulsa: Coolest place in the world (almost) (11/28/2009 11:10:28 AM) Well done, Caroline! You can do anything you set your mind to.
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/28/2009 3:02:53 PM) Take charge Caroline and show them how it's done. Great job. Well done.

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