THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409230241
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Ask Peter Simms about his parents' reaction during some of his races, and you can hear the exasperation in his voice.
``Sometimes, they shut their eyes and look like they're going to have a heart attack,'' Simms said. ``They act like I'm going to wreck or something.''
Gee, how could they?
If Simms' parents often find their stomachs twisted in knots when their son hops on his BMX bike, it's understandable. After all, during a race he's flying down the straightaways at breakneck speed (they don't call it ``breakneck'' for nothing) and vaulting into the stratosphere on the jumps.
And Peter is only 8 years old.
Youth, however, has not kept Simms from skyrocketing to the top of his sport. As a member of Colley Racing, a BMX bike team sponsored by the Colley Avenue Bike Shop in Norfolk, Simms came into his own this season with a first-place finish in the Virginia state final.
The Great Bridge resident followed that feat with an 8th-place finish in the National Bicycle League Grand Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, three weeks ago.
Although Simms, who competes in the 8 novice class, was the only Colley Racing member to place at the Grand Nationals, two other Chesapeake riders took home state titles in August. Jimmy Hodges won the 13 novice division, and Leonard Escobar took first in the 14 novice classification.
Bill Calhoun, a NBL volunteer who helped start the team along with shop owner Paul Williams, finished second in the 17-and-over novice division. Colley Racing won the team title for the second consecutive year and will travel to Ohio in December to represent the state of Virginia in the President's Cup, a national competition televised on ESPN.
According to Elaine Simms, Peter is a natural when it comes to riding a bike.
``He's been on two wheels since he was 2 1/2,'' she said. ``When his dad took the training wheels off I thought I'd have to follow behind him for a month. But my husband just pushed him down the driveway and off he went.''
Three years ago, Elaine Simms saw a notice for a local race. The family went as spectators, and Peter's interest in BMX racing was born.
``It's fast, and I like fast things. I like being able to jump high, too,'' said Simms, a third-grader at Greenbrier Intermediate. Simms was successful right away, winning the state title in 1992 and placing second last year. ``It's fun because you have to work hard to beat someone.''
During the past season, Simms has competed in 35 races, including five national events. He has traveled all over the East Coast, hitting New Jersey, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida for races.
``The travel is a lot of fun, because I like riding in the car,'' Simms said. ``And it means I can skip school.''
Simms has even made a name for himself overseas, competing in two events while visiting England, his mother's native country. The points he earned from the races ranked him third in the country for a time.
``England was fun because the tracks were different, smaller,'' said Simms. ``I want to go back for the world competition in 1996.''
To qualify for Worlds, Simms must move up from the novice to the expert classification by earning 20 points (awarded to a rider my beating certain competitors). He has 4 points so far. MEMO: Colley Racing has positions open for riders ages 5 and up. For more
information, contact Ryland Wilson at 622-0006. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Peter Simms races for Colley Avenue Bike Shop.
Simms placed in the Grand Nationals recently.
by CNB