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By Brenden Paul
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Kim Hayashi rose to dominance thanks to her “go big” jumping style. Now she’ll “go big” into the USA BMX Hall of Fame this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma, alongside fellow Arizonan Debbie Kelley.

Hayashi and Kelley will be two of the eight members inducted into the USA BMX Hall of Fame Class of 2024, as voted on by over 500 BMX experts, including current Hall of Famers, BMX historians and selected members of the BMX media.

“It’s pretty humbling. It feels like a huge honor,” said Hayashi, 38, who lives in Chandler. “Especially when you look at the women’s side, there’s not a lot of female names up there (at the Hall of Fame). To see some of the people that I looked up to, some of the people that were my heroes, and seeing my name next to theirs is a huge honor.”

Hayashi will be inducted in the Woman category, which selects one influential female racer annually for a spot in the prestigious Hall of Fame. Hayashi began her career at Chandler BMX in 1998, and made an early impact on the sport, winning the National No. 1 Girl Cruiser title in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001, which earned her a sponsorship with Redline Bicycles.

She continued to dominate later in her career, winning five consecutive
National Bicycle League No. 1 Elite Women’s titles from 2003 to 2007, a feat that tested her physically and mentally.

“It takes a lot to stay on top,” Hayashi said. “BMX is a year-round sport because I raced two different sanctions. When one would finish, the next one was just starting. There wasn’t a lot of time to regroup, there wasn’t a lot of time to get injured and come back …

“With BMX, there’s a lot of different modalities. Not only just strength, power and slight endurance, but also being able to stay mentally tough throughout the year. I can’t tell you for those five years how I was able to do it. I think I just loved racing and BMX so much.”

Even though she has retired from racing as a competitor, Hayashi is still very active in the sport as a coach for kids and adults and a team manager for Remix BMX. In addition to being a respected racer, Hayashi is also a respected coach, having helped mentor some of the best up-and-coming female BMX participants, such as Alise (Post) Willoughby, who won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and Brooke Crain, who earned two top 10 Olympic finishes in 2012 and 2016.

“As a coach, it’s been way more gratifying to watch the kids and young ladies I’ve worked with accomplish their goals,” Hayashi said. “For me, I get more nervous for them when they race than I ever did in my racing career. Watching them achieve their goals, show up and work hard every day, and every time they finish number one or achieve one of their goals, that’s been super memorable for me.”

Kelley, meanwhile, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the recently revived Track Operator category. Alongside her late husband, Pete, another BMX Hall of Famer, they operated Black Mountain BMX (originally Road Runner BMX) in Phoenix and transformed it into one of the most prestigious tracks in the country.

“I am honored and humbled by this induction,” said Kelley, 77, who lives in Glendale. “BMX has been a part of my life since 1975, and it’s always been in my heart. This is a really big thing for me.”

In addition to operating the track, Kelley served as a surrogate mom to many children in the sport, teaching them valuable lessons throughout the decades, but her most important advice revolves around the value of the BMX community.

“I could easily sum up, ‘What is BMX?’” Kelley said. “Yes, it involves a bicycle and a race track, but that’s not the true heart of BMX. BMX is a family, and I’m not kidding you, it’s the most amazing sport.”

After hosting over 30 Winter National tournaments, Kelley decided last year to retire from BMX track operation and sold Black Mountain BMX to 2023 USA BMX Hall of Famer Bubba Harris and his friend Karl Clark.

“Selling the track was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Kelley said. “It’s still hard to this day because I miss it so much … but being a track operator is a 365-day-a-year undertaking, because if you’re not open for regular events or big events, you’re out buying supplies, you’re doing bookwork in preparation for taxes, or you’re out cleaning the concession trailer. It’s an all-the-time deal.”

The induction ceremony is one of many events taking place this weekend throughout Tulsa honoring the BMX community. Craig “gOrk” Barrette, curator of the USA BMX Headquarters and Hall of Fame Museum, is excited about the full weekend of events.

“We start Friday night with a reception and a meet-and-greet with all of the Hall of Famers being inducted,” Barrette said. “Saturday is an action-packed day. We have a vintage bike show that’s become popular over the last 15 years … we’ll have events going on during the bike show, like a bunny hop contest and a freestyle jam circle (where a group of riders take turns performing tricks). Then Saturday night is the Hall of Fame ceremony.”

For those unable to make it to the induction ceremony in Tulsa, the event will be live-streamed on USA BMX’s YouTube channel. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Central Time.

In addition to Hayashi and Kelley, the other inductees are as follows:

Bobby Woods (Early Racer Category)
Maris Strombergs (Modern Day Racer Category)
Hugo Gonzalez (Early Freestyle Category)
Jeff Watson (Early Freestyle Category- posthumously)
Jay Miron (Modern Day Freestyle Category)
Freestylin’ Magazine Staff (Industry Category)

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