United States Bicycle Motocross Association

The United States Bicycle Association (USBA) was a short lived Bicycle Motocross (BMX) national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association (ABA): Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the USBA's first President. He was previously the ABA's former Vice President of Marketing and prior to that a pilot with the ABA's failed air charter service. ["Super BMX & Freestyle" September 1986 Vol.13 No.9 pg.18] It was to last only for two and a half seasons before being brought by the ABA early in 1986 season (the ABA itself was by then was under new ownership). In the interim, the USBA and the ABA would have probably have the most acrimonious and bitter relationship between two rival BMX sanctioning bodies before or since. So poisoned the air was between them the possibility of one organization committing a United States Federal crime against the other existed.

uccession

Within the ABA there was a growing disaffection with the leadership of ABA. The disaffected ABA members believed that Merl Mennenga, the founder and President of the ABA, led the ABA into financial dire straits like the ill fated "Bicycles and Dirt" magazine affair and focused too much on nationals at the expense of local districts and tracks, thereby neglecting the sport's roots and potential new members. Mr. Mennenga's treatment of employees, the departure of former ABA Vice-President, Gene Roden, the "BMX Action" magazine and professional boycotts of the ABA of the early 1980s and his attitude toward local track operators was the genesis of the revolt. A short interview of Rod Keeling by "Bicycle Motocross Action" magazine ("BMX Action") in its February 1985 issue reflected this idea:

"Our very first goal is to rejuvenate BMX at a local level. I believe that when the number of nationals gets too great, you take away from the local tracks. Next year (1985) we'll only have eight nationals plus a grandnational, and I don't think we'll ever have more than ten or twelve nationals."

He went on to say:

"We're also going to reduce the number of double and triple points races at a local level for the same reason -- too many big races. The track operator still has to have the opportunity to hold big races, but we're not going to have nearly as many."

Some detractors, not all ABA staff members, questioned Mr. Keeling's motives and commitment to BMX since he did not have deep roots in the sport either as a former racer or a former promoter. Mr. Mennenga also claimed that Mr. Keeling and the other ABA defectors gave him poor advice and that was why the ABA was in poor fiscal condition and it was a deliberate act of sabotage.

Some believe this is not accurate to what actually happened, as Mr. Mennenga was the sole owner of the ABA at the time and directed the sanctioning body in an autocratic fashion. Mr. Mennenga filed suit against the 5 individuals for breech of a claimed employment contract in 1984. No contracts were ever produced by Mr. Mennenga and the suit was dismissed. Many believe that the lawsuit was an attempt by the ABA to crush the new competitors, and while unsuccessful, it did bleed time and resources from the USBA and engendered the destructive atmosphere that was to follow. Of the original five founders of the USBA, Dave Cook and Geoff Sims, both commercial pilots, left the company for flying jobs shortly after its creation. Soon after the 1985 USBA Grand National in October, Mr. Keeling was forced out of the USBA by the major USBA investor group, led by Phoenix businessman, Ira Hall. This occurred while Hall was negotiating a "merger" with the potential new ABA owners and Keeling became a liability to the deal. The 1985 USBA Grand National held in the Tarrant County Civic Center in Fort Worth, Texas, could arguably be recognized as the high point for the sanctioning body. With over 200 motos, an indoor arena dirt track and most of the top riders participating, it demonstrated to Mennenga and the ABA that the USBA was for real. After Keeling's departure however, the later actions of the new USBA management brought in by Hall would lend some credence to Mr. Mennenga's earlier charges.

Charges, Counter Charges, Accusations, Broken Promises, Missteps and Cloak and Dagger

There was clear evidence of real USBA machinations however. The USBA did use heavy handed tactics to lure tracks away from the ABA including track operator Gary Ellis Sr., father of pro racer Gary Ellis Jr. who ran the ABA affiliated River Valley BMX track in Sumner, Washington State in an unsuccessful attempt to have him transfer his allegiance to the USBA from the ABA. The USBA chose the inept tactic of denouncing the ABA and warning of its supposed imminent demise without saying how joining the USBA would benefit the track operator and what the USBA could do for BMX as a whole. While many ABA track operators remained almost amazingly loyal to the ABA despite its past problems, over 160 bolted to the USBA, effectively splitting the ABA BMX racing world.. ["Super BMX & Freestyle" October 1986 Vol.13 No.10 pg.23]

It has been alleged that the USBA was not above corporate espionage. Evidence of at least one electronic telephone listening device was found in the main wiring trunk that held lines leading to the offices of Clayton John, the president of the ABA. Two counter surveillance experts, one an ex-CIA agent the other an ex-FBI agent swept Mr. John's office and the telephone lines for bugs. Evidence in the form of strangely stripped wires that a device was in place inside of the trunk lines and later removed by those who installed it before it was discovered (but not the device itself). ["Super BMX & Freestyle" October 1986 Vol.13 No.10 pg.26 "Interview with Clayton John" sidebar.] . It has never been proved that agents from the USBA planted them, but it was noted by persons that USBA personnel seemed with unusual alacrity anticipated and countered complaints of seemingly private knowledge of points made in phone conversations, which rose suspicions of bugging in the first place. [ "Super BMX & Freestyle" October 1986 Vol.13 No.10 "Reflections on the ABA vs. USBA Battle" pgs.26-27 "Interview with Clayton John" sidebar.]

Th USBA was not the only suspect in the possible tapping. The ABA had many creditors, some of them with substantial funds at risk that may have been involved. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was cited as a suspect since they had on going legal actions against them. Indeed it was pressure from them that made the ABA file Chapter 11 even though the new owners were trying to avoid it. IRS agents were on hand observing the 1985 ABA Grand National in Oklahoma. It was very clear that they were under investigation. However, it is believed that the IRS could and did get information in the form of court documents and other public records, particularly after the ABA filed for Chapter 11. The IRS had easy access to the ABA's Bank records. Unless they had a court order, bugging a telephone line would be an illegal and unnecessary risk with little to gain.. [ "Super BMX & Freestyle" October 1986 Vol.13 No.10 "Reflections on the ABA vs. USBA Battle" pg.27 "Interview with Clayton John" sidebar.]

In ill advised move, the new USBA management had business dealings with disgraced promoter Renny Roker. This promoter who gained so much respect with his JAG World Championship series held from 1978-1982 lost all that respect with his ill fated 1983 ESPN Pro Spectacular Series, culminating in the defaulting of the professional racer's winnings in the last race in Burbank, California, including series champion Greg Hill. His and other pro racer's checks "bounced" when they attempted to redeem them. For that and other infractions had made Renny Roker a pariah in the BMX World.

Thus it was a surprise for USBA who knew of Mr. Roker's soiled reputation to have dealings with him in any fashion. As much as it was ill advised, they had an agreement with Mr. Roker that he would tape for broadcast on cable TV by the Nickelodeon network the USBA's San Diego National held in early 1986. The USBA promoted heavily in advertising that that event would be broad casted by the cable network. Many of the top BMX bicycle manufactures including Murry, Redline, GT, CW et al. sent their factory teams to that race in the hope of TV exposure for their products. Not only was that San Diego national was a typical low turnout USBA event, Mr. Roker did not appear to tape the nations for the promised TV coverage. The USBA blamed Renny Roker for making false promises to them while many suspected that the USBA used the ruse of promised national television coverage to boost their attendance levels. Whatever the truth it left many manufactures embittered toward the USBA for the rest of its existence. [ "Super BMX & Freestyle" October 1986 Vol.13 No.10 "Reflections on the ABA vs. USBA Battle" pg.24-25 Bob Hadley letter to Rod Keeling.]

The ending of that existence was not long in coming.

After a shaky first two years of operations, it met with financial problems during 1986 which was the result of low sign ups for its nationals that plagued it from the beginning. Factors that fed this apathy by racers were poor track construction; delays in running of races; equipment failure, holding their nationals which coincided with those of the ABA and NBL. For instance during the low amateur sign up (the professionals attended in mass) Pro Series No.3 held near Las Vegas, Nevada in 1986 the electronic starting gate broke and starts had to look back to an earlier era of BMX and manually drop the gate. This was on top of race delays and a poorly constructed, maintained and dusty track.

In early 1986 to obtain more members, the USBA brought the freestyle BMX National Freestyle Association (NFA) sanctioning body in early 1986 from Hutch Hi-Performance BMX, a bicycle company that had created the NFA originally in 1985. Within a couple of months the USBA itself would be bought out.

Ironically, the USBA approached the ABA with an offer of a buyout despite its own financial difficulties. The ABA itself was in financial dire straits and was in Chapter 11 financial reorganization. As it turned out, the USBA turned out to be in worse financial health and it was the ABA who would make a counter offer to buy the USBA. While the ABA was in Chapter 11, it could not buy any part the USBA or merge with it under the law as a company. However, two new stockholders of the ABA corporation at the time, Jamie Vargas and Bernie Anderson brought a 60% controlling shares of USBA stock as individuals from USBA investor Ira Hall. Bernie Anderson and Jamie Vargas had jointly bought controlling shares of stock in the struggling ABA in April 1985 from its founder and president Merl Mennenga and took control of the USBA on April 1, 1986. ["Super BMX & Freestyle" September 1986 Vol.13 No.9 pg.16] By all accounts were turning it around financially. They allowed the USBA to run as a separate sanctioning body for the rest of the 1986 racing season.

The two sanctioning bodies formally merged in 1987 after the ABA cleared Chapter 11. It inherited all of the USBA's 136 tracks and membership.

The last USBA sanctioned (but under ABA management) race, the 1986 Grand Nationals was held in Ft. Worth, Texas on October 26, 1986 at the famed Cowtown track, an ABA affiliated race course. This was a next to last minute change of venue when the previously chosen site proved unsuitable. Approximately 700 racers attended in 116 motos, very well attended by USBA standards. It was by all accounts a well run race on a well received track. The short, inglorious days of United States Bicycle Association ended on an up note.

Vital statistics

ee also

American Bicycle Association
National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
National Pedal Sport Association
United Bicycle Racers

End notes