*** BMX Racers Soar High Above Crowd ***
Fort Lauderdale, FL -- 03/09/2008
Tyler Faoro has had his share of BMX crashes,
but one in April nearly cost him his life.
"I have done a lot of challenging stunts in my life, but that was
the scariest thing I ever had to go through," said Faoro, 18, of
Coral Springs, who lost his spleen in the wreck. "I lost a lot of
weight. I was really skinny and I could hardly walk. I went from
170 to 150.
"I feel great right now," Faoro said. "I am back up to
100 percent. I am racing and have a couple of wins this year."
Faoro was one of about 1,000 racers ages 4-67 who took part in the
Florida State Champion****p BMX Qualifier Jan. 25-27 at the Coral
Springs BMX track at Mullins Park.
Faoro said the event might be the last big race in Coral Springs and
that it could be headed for a nearby site, such as Quiet Waters Park.
Faoro, who placed fourth in the Elite Pro Open at the state champion****p
qualifier, is grateful to be racing again. It has almost been a year
since
a BMX crash put him into intensive care for five days in April.
"It was pretty bad," Faoro said. "I fell in practice before the race and
I actually raced the next day not knowing [the spleen] was actually
ruptured. I wound up getting seventh in the elite open main.
"I woke up the next day and I couldn't even move so I didn't race the
next day," he said. "I went home and went to the hospital. They took
me in and said if I stayed a couple of days they might be able to save
it. They sent me over to another hospital because they had a specialist
there and I spent a few days in ICU. They sent me home with pain pills."
Faoro, who is the youngest pro in the state, said he
woke up the following day and still didn't feel right.
"I woke up and my collarbone hurt, I was dehydrated and I felt really
weird," Faoro said. "I woke my dad up and said there was something
wrong with me. He took me to the hospital. The surgeon showed up,
they took me back in and they did a CAT scan. They said the spleen
completely blew up."
Faoro went on to finish second at the Grand National Champion****p in
Louisville, Ky., in September; won the Elite Open 2007 Thanksgiving
National in Morristown, Tenn.; won the 2007 President's Cup in Columbus,
Ohio, in December; and finished third at Christmas Classic National,
also
in Columbus in December.
Meanwhile, Ashley Ross, 22, of North Lauderdale, won the Women's Pro
Division in Coral Springs. She has been competing in BMX since 1996.
"I like the competition," Ross said. "Basically, all
of the friends I have all ride. It is like a big family."
Ross has raced in the state series every year since 1996 but doesn't
do much more because she has been taking cl***** at Florida Atlantic
University where she is studying to be an elementary school teacher.
She said she wouldn't mind bringing
her bike to school for a "show and tell."
"I would love to be a [physical education] teacher; that
would be awesome," said Ross, who plans to graduate
in August.
Ross said she is not considering the Olympics.
"That would have been nice if I wasn't in school right
now," Ross said. "I will be sup****ting them though."
Geneb...Wenatchee,Wa****ngton-USA
All Things Northwest in BMX!
***** Gene`s BMX *****
http://www.genesbmx.com
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