In 1981 following the NBL tour and most of the major races like The Jag World Championships, The Pontiac Silver Dome,the Murray World Cup, and ABA Nationals I began my journey to become a National Number One plate holder.
I competed in eighteen national events that year winning thirteen and making the main in all. I was in junior high school and as a rule friends and teachers alike would ask " how was you weekend" and I would respond I raced in.......( fill in the blank). Well my teachers thought I was making up stories and went to the principal.. This lead to a phone call to home and a dreaded call to the principals office. My parents had to meet with the principal and explain. BMX? What is that? I grew up on the east coast. I had a lot of fun following the NBL tour that year in the Shimano van. We had all of our bikes on the roof of the van and it had racing stripes on it. You could spot it a mile away. Below is a list of the the places I raced in 1981 winning my first of five national number one plates.

Nashville, TN
Powder Springs, GA
Griffen, GA
Orlando, FL
Miami, FL
Coral Springs, FL
Howell, NJ
Lawrenceville, NJ
Phenoxville, PA
Niagara Falls, NY
Hamilton, OH
Brookville, OH
Fairfax, VA
South Park, PA
North Park, PA
Pontiac, MI
Indianapolis, IN

My first national race was the East Coast National. This National was a stop for the Schwinn NBA tour in 1979 held in Craigmuer, NJ. Most of the racers were from California and they would race along the tour going from state to state. All the racers were so smooth and fast. Back then you raced and had practice sessions along side the pros. It was a chance to talk to your hero's which were the ones you only saw in the magazines. It was my first national race for Shimano and I came in second place! I couldn't believe what came next. I was going to be on the cover of BMXPLUS!. That cover shot was taken at the East Coast Nationals by Mike Aguirre and was published November 1979. The inside cover read "Kathy has been honored as no other female in BMX history". This would open the door for more factory sponsorships for girls and I could have not been more honored to be the first girl on the cover.

My first year of racing was capped off with racing at the Jag World Championship. I came in third place and this led to me becoming sponsored by Shimano. I was going to be a part of their east coast team and one of the few girls at the time to have a sponsorship. They paid for my travel and entry fees. It was a honor to have a sponsorship and so cool to get free stuff!! I began to be good friends with the UPS driver as I would wait for packages from California. I couldn't wait for my uniform to come...I was wearing the same uniform that David Clinton, Bobby Encinas and Charlie Litsky was wearing in the magazines. Awesome!

Sometimes you meet someone that is bigger than life. They light up a room and are so full of positive energy that everyone just gravitates to them. Charlie Litsky was one of those special people. Charlie and I lived in the same town and both raced for Shimano. Charlie's talent to promote the sport of BMX is well documented and is true history. I can still hear his voice from the announcers tower. I remember when we were traveling in the Shimano van while on summer tour. We stopped at a McDonalds for food and there was no one behind the counter so Charlie grabbed the mic and began to order 20 big macs, and lots more food. The staff in the back was working into a frenzy when the counter girl came back from the bathroom just laughing. Charlie could make you laugh at anytime. He was taken from us way to soon, I think of him often and always with a smile RIP Leapin'.

The smell of hair spray on your tires and BMX bikes as far as your eyes could see. I remember my first Jag World Championship race. Everyone you read about in the magazines were there in person, Stu Thompson, Greg Hill, all the best racers in the world. The best of all for me a girls class. Back then we were powder puffs twelve and over and eleven and under. Just my
Luck I was 12 years old. I loved the wooden jumps but these girls were super fast they were so much older and had so much more experience than me. I made it out of the quarters to the semi and all the way to the finals. In the finals I came in third place! My first big trophy. I couldn't wait to race in a big race again.

My first race was a surprise and meant to be a joke. I would go with the team from the Cosmic Wheel in Bogota NJ and take pictures. The boys would race because there were no girls racing locally in 1978. So one Sunday they signed me up. I was nervous and excited at the same time. Being up on the gate my nerves turned to anger when several of the boys started laughing and making fun of me. Like most 11 year old boys would do. Well the gate dropped with a "riders ready pedals set" and I came in third place in my first race! As time went by and I began to win against the boys the laughter stopped.

I put up my website to preserve the history of women's BMX.  I will continue to add historical information as I find them in my personal archives. I hope you enjoy my site and please comment and give me feedback.  I love the sport and was the first National Professional Women Champion in 1985 and again in 1986. I was the first women ever on the cover of a BMX magazine through BMX Plus November 1979.