Olympic competition is among the most challenging in all of sports. There are incredible highs, rock-bottom lows… and your spot on the team is only as safe as your last finish. We’re not talking about the athletes, either.
For the coaches and program directors, it could be said that the stakes for top performance are every-bit as high as they are for the athletes. When you come home with three medals, you’re probably on safe ground for the next four years. If you come home with zero medals, your next weeks and months are likely going to be very tense.
When the 2012 US Olympic BMX Team came home from London with no hardware, a lot of folks held their breath, waiting for the next sound they’d hear from USA Cycling, vis a vis the BMX program staff.
Many programs shrink after the games, so some changes would be normal. But would we see the same smiling faces after the dust settled, and the program gets ramped up for Rio?
Part of that answer came this morning, when USA Cycling BMX Program Director, Mike King sent an email to industry friends and associates:
“It’s Been a Great Ride”
I wanted to let everyone know I am no longer employed at USA Cycling as the BMX Program Director. After seven rewarding years at the helm, I would like to extend my gratitude to the USA Cycling organization for giving me the opportunity to lead a highly successful BMX program. I witnessed many great achievements which included three Olympic medals, four Pan American medals, five World Championship titles, and fourteen Supercross World Cup wins. I was also pleased to influence our partners to build the very first BMX Supercross track in North America followed by a second Supercross facility in 2012.
Unfortunately, with all that success I ultimately failed to bring home an Olympic medal for the United States in 2012. These are the harsh realities that come with this job and I want to wish my successor all the best leading up to 2016. It comes loaded with young talent and now the experience is in place for even bigger results.
I would like to thank the entire USOC Olympic Training Center staff in Chula Vista for all their hard work and dedication to the sport. This includes the operation team, sports medicine, sports performance, dining hall, facility and maintenance, and the security staff. They do such an outstanding job supporting great athletes and now hosting world class BMX events. I will truly miss the day to day interaction and conversations with these genuine people.
I would also like to express thanks to USA BMX for hosting our domestic events and being a great partner to the program. The vision we shared will continue to fuel the development pathway for future success and I will also be grateful for that endless support.
Moving forward, I have no plans but will enjoy some much needed time off to reflect with my family. I look forward to embracing new opportunities and I am excited to see what the future holds.
Onward and upward.
Mike King
The realities are harsh, indeed, and we’re going to miss “King” over there.
We had the privilege of seeing Mike work, both in public and behind the scenes. Intense, and with an encyclopedic knowledge of the sport–dating back to the 1970s. One athlete characterized him as “tough as nails, but fair.” That’s a pretty strong compliment, in our view.
No immediate word on who would be stepping in to the Program Director position, but we will report that as soon as we have it.
Updated 12:27,CST 1/7/13>>>
After our initial report, BMX News obtained an email that was sent to USA Cycling BMX athletes, announcing that Jamie Staff would be Mike’s successor (read that story in a new window)
We wish Mike the best in his next post. And, on a personal note, I want to thank him for his hard work on behalf of the sport of BMX Racing in the United States, and for being a friend to me, and BMX News since we returned to the scene. We know we’ll be seeing you soon Mike!
—Mike Carruth
*Note: BMX News would not ordinarily publish email correspondence such as the above, but it has been posted widely on Facebook and on other outlets, so it is already out there as public information.
The post Mike King Departs USA Cycling BMX Program appeared first on BMX Racing News at BMXNEWS.COM.
