Bubba Harris: Difference between revisions

| fullname = Burlin BuntsterLucas Harris III

| proteam5 majorwins = Badd & Co Racing

'''Burlin BuntsterLucas Harris III'''<ref>[http://usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf/2008%20Countdown%20to%20Beijing.pdf?openfileresource United States Olympic Committee document confirming Harris's first name (page.44 *.pdf file.)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928062212/http://usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf/2008%20Countdown%20to%20Beijing.pdf?openfileresource |date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="usatoday.com June 10, 2008 article">[https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-06-10-harris-bmx_N.htm usatoday.com June 10, 2008 article.]</ref> (born August 7, 1985, from [[Palmdale, California]] [[United States|U.S.]]) is an American professional "New/Current School" [[BMX|Bicycle Motocross (BMX)]] racer whose prime competitive years arewere from 1999 to the2007; presentserious injuries in 2007 and 2008 affected his racing career ending with his retirement from professional racing around 2013. UsuallyHarris usually goes by the [[moniker]] "Bubba", as did his father when he was young.<ref name="usatoday.com June 10, 2008 article" />

'''Started racing:''' August 7, 1992, on his seventh birthday. His father took him to a BMX track and he was hooked.<ref>''BMX Plus!'' June 2006 Vol.29 Nol.6 pg.68</ref>

'''First Senior Pro win:''' The American Bicycle Association (ABA) Empire Nationals on May 18, 2003, in [[Kingston, New York]].<ref name="2004 BMX Mania Interview">[http://www.bmxmania.com/bubba.htm 2004 BMX Mania Interview.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207102548/http://www.bmxmania.com/bubba.htm |date=December 7, 2006 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1104 Fatbmx.com article.]</ref>

:As of December 31, 2008 Harris is still unsponsored. He recently raced the 2008 ABA Grand Nationals in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], as a privateer. He did not make the main in "AA" pro.<ref>[http://www.bmxmania.com/abagrands08.htm bmxmaina.com 2008 ABA Grand National report.]</ref> -->

*'''Answer BMX Products:''' March 5, 2009 – 2010. After being without a major BMX sponsor since late July 2008 and in recovery from injuries Harris resigns with his second sponsor and first one he came to national prominence with as an amateur. His first race with his old but new sponsor was the ABA Winter Nationals in [[Phoenix, Arizona]], on March 6–8, 2009.<ref name="fatbmx.com">[http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6799 Bubba Harris signs with Answer BMX Products" March 6, 2009.]</ref>

*He has become only the second rider in BMX history, and the first in the ABA, to win the Senior Pro 20" class three consecutive times winning the "AA" pro class title in 2004, 2005, and 2006, tying [[Terry Tenette]]. Terry Tenette was the first pro racer to do so in 1990,'91 & '92 in the National Bicycle League "A" Pro (Elite Men) class. Other three consecutive title wins have occurred in other classes in the past. [[Brent Patterson (BMX Racer)|Brent Patterson]] did it prior in the NBL Pro Cruiser class in 1981,'82 & '83 and [[Cheri Elliott]] in the ABA's girls amateur 20" division in 1983,'84 & '85. Other racers have done it and exceeded it in other classes since. [[John Purse]] came close to doing it in 1997 after winning the title with the NBL in 1995 and 1996 but a crash in the NBL Grand National semi finals ended his bid for a "[[three-peat]]".<ref>''BMX Plus!'' December 1997 Vol.20 No.12 pg.46</ref> Terry Tenette was still the only one to have done it in 20" Men's Senior Pro until 2006. Bubba Harris would have made it four in a row breaking Tenette's record if he took the 20" AA pro title again in the ABA racing circuit in 2007. However while in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics he suffered an ankle injury in [[Beijing, China]] on August 20, 2007, that took him out of the running to accomplish that feat.<ref>[http://bmxactiononline.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=26&func=view&id=8234&catid=13 bmxactiononline.com Bubba Harris interview by Gary Haselhorst] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810040019/http://bmxactiononline.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=26&func=view&id=8234&catid=13 |date=August 10, 2011 }}</ref>

*Fractured his arm at the ABA Lonestar Nationals in [[Beaumont, Texas]], on March 5, 2000, after going two years without an injury. He was laid up for approximately three weeks until the weekend of March 26 of the ABA Winternationals in [[Phoenix, Arizona]].<ref>[http://www.bmxtreme.com/news/news_prev_05_30_2000.htm bmxtreme.com article. Search for "fractured" (without the quotation marks)]</ref>

<!-- *Broke his arm at the ABA Silver Dollar Nationals in [[Reno, Nevada]], in January 2003. However, he was able to be back at racing in a month with his first being the ABA [[Shelbyville, Tennessee]] National.<ref>''Transworld BMX Magazine'' May 2003 Vol.10 Iss.5 No.79 pg.21</ref> -->

*Fractured shoulder at the Nellis Silver state NBL/UCI National race in [[Nellis, Nevada]], on March 26, 2006. Was laid up for seven weeks until the ABA Dixieland Nationals in [[Marietta, Georgia]], on May 20, 2006.<ref>[http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1575 May 19, 2006 Fatbmx.com article.]</ref>

*Suffered a jammed elbow at the UCI Supercross time trials on September 7, 2006, in [[San Jose, California]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.georgiabmx.com/ |title=Georgia BMX.com. Word search for UCI "Supercorss" ("supercross" is misspelled on the site) |access-date=2006-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205023105/http://georgiabmx.com/ |archive-date=2006-12-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

*Exactly one year to the day BMX competition was to start in the 2008 Olympic Games in [[Beijing, China]], he completely dislocated the left ankle at the [[talus bone]] on August 20, 2007, in Beijing, China on the official Olympic track during his first run of his Time Trial. Coming out of the second turn he took an extra two pedals before setting up for the jumps. This did not leave him enough time to make the transition smoothly. He hit the first jump of the rhythm section and his right foot became unclipped from that pedal. He hit two successive jumps essentially one footed, his still clipped in left foot taking the weight.<ref name="usatoday.com June 10, 2008 article" /> He hit a fourth successive jump slightly obliquely and was launched sideways by his momentum into the air, coming down on the back side of a jump with his left foot still clipped into an SPD pedal. It was twisted at approximately a 90 degree angle from its proper position.<ref name="usatoday.com June 10, 2008 article" /> Doctors almost amputated his foot. After three months of recuperation, he attempted to race the 2007 ABA Grandnationals but reinjured the injury slightly in practice and sat out the Grands. He did race the NBL Christmas Classic on December 27, 2007, but didn't make the mains. Despite the constant pain he is in even just walking, he put off surgery on it to remove bone splinters to speed his recovery in time for the 2008 Olympics.<ref name="usatoday.com June 10, 2008 article" /> In defiance of the pain, he was able to do relatively well during the 2008 racing season, including winning the Elite Men class at the NBL National in [[West Palm Beach, Florida]], on March 16, 2008.<ref name="fatbmx.com June 24, 2008 article">[http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4959 fatbmx.com June 24, 2008 article.]</ref>

*Still maintaining Olympic hopes he was in training for the Summer Olympics at a track at the Olympic Training Center in [[Chula Vista, California]]. His Olympic dreams for making the 2008 team came to an end when he broke his right ankle in practice for the Olympic Trials on June 12, 2008.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/14/AR2008061402047_2.html Washington Post article June 15, 2008.]</ref> Ironically, the training track is an exact replica of the Olympic BMX track that the BMX events for the Beijing Olympics would be held on. His crash was on the second straight. He had hoped that it was a bad sprain but the next day doctors confirmed the break and Harris withdrew his name from the Time Trial competition leaving only seven competitors.<ref>[http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/13/finish-line-injury-ends-harris-olympic-bid-in/ rockymountainnews.com June 13, 2008 article.]</ref> On June 14, 2008, Harris saw his good friend Mike Day win the Olympic team Qualifying Trials and qualified for a sure slot on the USA BMX Olympic Team. He was cheering him on straight through. A few days after the Trials Harris had surgery to remove some of the floating bone chips left over in his left ankle from his severe August 20, 2007, dislocation.

*Harris suffered from cracked ribs after a crash at the ABA Silver Dollar Nationals in [[Reno, Nevada]], on the weekend of January 11, 2009. He reportedly fell on his handlebars when he crashed.<ref>[http://www.supercrossbmx.com/news.html Supercrossbmx.com website report.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212120015/http://www.supercrossbmx.com/news.html |date=February 12, 2009 }}</ref> He returned to racing after a near two month layoff at the ABA Winter Nationals in [[Phoenix, Arizona]], on March 6–8, 2009.<ref name="fatbmx.com" />

==Post BMX careerRacing Career==

*"The Fabulous Five" ''Snap BMX Magazine'' May 2001 Vol. 8 Issue 5 No. 55 pg. 63. One of five short articles with five racers including [[Donny Robinson (BMX racer)|Donny Robinson]], Ian Stoffel, Brandon Nicholls, and Clint Gower.

*"BMX camp, weekend event features some of best riders" ''Greeley Tribune'', August 11, 2005, newspaper article.

==NotesReferences==

* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/2006020322044220060613042749/http://www.bmxonlinenbl.comorg/bmx/interviews/article/0%2C15737%2C459308%2C00.html |date=February 3, 2006 |title="HeyThe Bubba,National whatBicycle isLeague your(NBL) favorite...." June 17, 2003 one question, many answer interview by ridebmx.comWebsite |date=mdy}}

[[Category:American BMX riders]]

[[Category:PeopleSportspeople from Palmdale, California]]