CORTEZ – Southwest Colorado continues to develop their rich tradition of producing some of the greatest athletes on two wheels. From Cortez’s Eli Tomac in Motocross to Durango’s Sepp Kuss in road cycling, every great area cyclist got their start somewhere.
For many Montezuma County youths, the Cortez BMX track is that very place.
Cortez BMX operators Mark and Stacey Baxter are nearing two decades at the helm of the operation – and in that time, they’ve championed the development of countless young riders on the track that in 2018 was renamed after them to honor their contributions.
The sounds on a summer weeknight at the Baxter Family BMX Track have become a mainstay in the community – the whirring of tire rubber on packed dirt, the shouts of excitement from a rider catching air over one of the table tops, and the cheers from family and friends watching the fast-paced action.
On any given Monday night – which serves as the weekly race night to complement Tuesday evening practices – several dozen riders aged two through adult will take to the course that surpassed its 25th birthday this past year.
“Our goal is to provide a fun and family-friendly racing facility,” said Mark Baxter, “there are only 10 sanctioned BMX tracks in the state, and we feel fortunate to have one of them here in Cortez.”
Cortez BMX prides itself on working with riders of all ability levels, whereby a racer starts at a novice level, but with enough race victories, they can move up to intermediate and expert levels.
“We want our kids to be able to have a healthy competitive spirit, as well as build skills and friendships,” added Baxter.
While a rider must be a member of Cortez BMX in order to participate, they can sign up at cortezbmx.org or reach out via email (cortezbmx@gmail.com) or social media on Facebook or Instagram. From there, the organization works hard with its volunteer-driven operation to make sure that accessibility isn’t an issue for new riders.
“The Trenton Pawlicki Memorial Scholarship helps with financial assistance, and we also have loaner bikes and helmets if a rider is in need on race day,” said Baxter.
Cortez BMX has leaned on community support, from the volunteer crew that maintains the track surface to the local sponsors that help make sure that there aren’t financial limitations to athletes who want to participate. The course itself, which is open to the public, benefits from only nonmotorized bike use in order to maintain its priority as a safe and fast surface.
Much like the success seen by other cyclists in the Four Corners region, Cortez BMX has turned out plenty of successful riders of their own. The program produced two state champions and six additional top-10 performances last year, according to Baxter, and has visions of continued success this season, too.
The Baxter Family BMX Track will host a state qualifying race on Saturday, June 21 beginning at 1 p.m., where around 150 riders from across the state will descend on Cortez for a chance to advance to the state championships.
Cortez BMX also tracks point leaders in their various divisions on their website to determine leaders on their local circuit.
To get started, interested riders can either reach out to cortezbmx@gmail.com, or they can show up to the track on race or practice nights and learn more from the volunteer instructors. Riders will need bikes with tires no larger than 20” that are stripped of reflectors and kickstands and have the front brakes disabled. They’ll also be required to wear helmets, along with long sleeve shirts and long pants.
Cortez BMX has races on Monday nights with registration from 5:30- 6 p.m., followed by racing. Every other Saturday is also a race day, while Tuesdays serve as practice time from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
“We do registration all summer long,” added Baxter, as the program runs from May through September, “so it’s never too late to get started. We encourage anyone interested to come out on race days to get a complete sense of the BMX experience.”
