Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Seely.
Hi Brooke, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started because of my three amazing kids. I have two daughters – Hailey and Hannah – and one son, Asher. And they all race and love it. The closest track we had to us was 45 minutes away, so I kept asking for someone to build a track near us and nobody would. So we decided to take on an adventure and build a race track ourselves.
My family all worked in construction, and my brother-in-law was on the city council and helped push things along for us. We have the best city; our mayor is fantastic and the city workers are top-notch and so great to work with. After getting the final plans drawn up with USA BMX, we relied on local donations and grants. It all came together after about three years of family, community, and amazing volunteers – all the things our track is still known for today.
We have a certain feel for our track; we push everyone to be better. We want to raise great humans – not just great racers. That’s just a bonus. We also are an all-inclusive track and have stroller races for kids who can’t pedal a bike. Those are some of our most memorable races.
Our motto for our track is “We ride for those who can’t ride for themselves.” My nephew Talen passed away last year, and he had two brothers who raced. Since he was in a wheelchair, he didn’t get to come out very often and watch his brothers. In honor of him, our track is set up for wheelchairs and viewing areas that are heated and cooled for families to bring the whole family out – not just part of the family. Team Talen is something that makes our racers be better and do better.
BMX racing is a sport for all ages and skill levels. It’s the only sport where you can have kids racing with their parents and grandparents on a race night. It also gets kids off electronics and outside being kids and setting goals and accomplishing them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I come from a moto background, so racing is in my blood. I am the only girl and have four brothers. They all raced motocross, and I was their mechanic for 13 years. It was where I learned that hard work and determination can make your outcome great if you just put your mind to it and go to work.
I was the only girl mechanic at the time and I had way more people telling me I couldn’t do it than told me that I could. I think that is why I have such a positive attitude and outlook when things get hard because I had to grow up in an industry that was constantly telling me I couldn’t be the best because I was a girl. They all accepted me eventually when they knew I wasn’t going anywhere, and over time became great friends of mine.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the track operator of Santa Clara BMX in St. George, Utah. As I write this, I am at the UCI 2023 BMX World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Four of our riders from our track – one of whom is my daughter, Hailey – are competing, and I’m so incredibly proud of all of them. They have all worked so hard for the level of skill it takes to get here.
What do you think about happiness?
Anyone who knows me knows that what makes me happy is my kids. They are my “why” for everything I do. They are the reason I wanted to build the track in the first place.
But I also love seeing families having something to do together that gets them outside in the fresh air, traveling together, supporting each other, and getting kids off electronics to get some exercise. If you give a kid a passion for something, they work for it themselves without being pushed to do it.
BMX is not a team sport, and some kids work better when it’s all on them. But BMX kids support each other more like family, and that is something that makes me so happy.
Pricing:
- $80 annual membership
- Free one-day trial (tryusabmx.com/one-day)
Contact Info:
- Website: usabmx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santaclarabmx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SantaClaraBMX
- Other: tryusabmx.com/one-day
