Article by Rosalie Klein, courtesy of: The Morning News
On Monday evening, April 12, a jubilant Shanayah Howell and her family returned to Aruba from Florida with two huge trophies in hand after taking first place in both of the U.S. National Bicycle League’s (NBL) Easter Classic and Gator Classic.
Shanayah, who has been winning international championships since she was six, took the title of Overall U.S. BMX champion in the ten-year-old division in 2009, and she is now on her way to claiming the crown for the eleven-year-old girls BMX champ 2010. She has traveled to the States to compete in three key races in the national circuit, the Christmas Classic in December, and now the Easter Classic held over April 2 to 4 in West Palm Beach, and then the Gator Classic in Tampa this past weekend, April 10 and 11.
Shanayah swept all the tournaments, coming in first place in all her races, reports her father and coach, Alan Howell. “These wins have qualified her to compete in the Grand Nationals finals that will take place in Louisville, Kentucky the first week in September,” he explained. “Now we will dedicate our time to preparing for the UCI (Union Cyclist International) BMX World Championship races in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in July. After that, we will focus on her taking the U.S. national title in her new age group.” Shanayah now holds fourth place overall in the NBL BMX point standings; her wins from the Gator Classic have yet to be factored in and recalculated.
Shanayah’s annual trip to Florida with the family always provides an interesting challenge to her biking skills. Alan explained. “The Easter Classic is a great warm-up,” as it is the final race in which she participates in a younger age division, followed by her advancing to the next age division after her birthday on April 7. The Gator Classic offers much stiffer competition for Shanayah, as she advances to the next age division and for the first time, faces older girls who have already been racing in this age group. “She said it was a bit tougher for her,” said her father, “but when she got out there on the field, she blew them away.”
"Shanayah had all the audience out of the seats and gasping, when she jumped this really high hill at the Gator Nationals course," proudly recalls Alan of this year’s triumph, “they couldn’t believe an eleven year old girl did that; it is the sort of thing you see the top pros do, not little girls. A lot of people say she races like a boy; that is because here at home she mostly competes only against boy bikers. I have to say this for the U.S. competitors and coaches; they are so generous and such great sports. After the races they all came to meet us and tell Shanayah what a privilege it was to watch her race and how they think she is the best.”
Welcoming home the young champion and her family at the Reina Beatrix Airport was one of her principal sponsors, Howard Ian of Johnson Enterprises.
The company has constructed a practice course in San Nicolas for Shanayah, replicating some of the toughest sections she will face during the UCI World Championships. He expressed he was very proud of Shanayah’s talent and dedication to the sport, and sees great things for her in the future. Shanayah won the UCI World Championship title the first two years of her biking career, it escaped her last year when she became entangles with the Japanese team that was attempting to block her advancement. This year, she is determined to bring back to Aruba the world crown.
