September 6, 1990|By Karen Samsock of The Sentinel Staff
Undaunted,
Kurtz visited tracks across Florida, soliciting votes by banking on her
knowledge of BMX racing. She beat her male opponent by one vote and
went on to become the nation's first female president of the National
Bicycle League.
Now in her second year as head of the organization, Kurtz can look back and laugh.
''Females were not prevalent in this sport,'' she says ruefully, admitting that maybe she was a trailblazer, so to speak, for women racing enthusiasts.
Kurtz, 35, who grew up in Pine Hills and lives in Orlando, did it without any racing experience. In fact, she has only wheeled around a BMX track once ''just to see what it was like.''
She was impressed and scared at the same time.
''I came away with a hell of a lot of respect for the children,'' Kurtz says of her trial run, which pitted her against another woman in Miami five years ago. ''It's hard. You have to think and pedal all at the same time.''
She may not have any racing trophies, but Kurtz, a senior buyer for Walt Disney Co., knows the sport and loves to organize events, including ones that have attracted competitors from around the world.
Just as at Disney, where she worked her way up from a gift-shop cashier, Kurtz started out small, driving her brother to out-of-state competitions and volunteering to help officiate or keep score.
''One thing just lead to another,'' she says, adding that it helped that her family got heavily involved when two of her brothers raced. Her father, Art Beeler, is track director of the BMX track at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, and like Kurtz, helped found the 7-year-old state organization. Husband Ron manages a BMX track in Ocoee that reopened in February.
As president, Kurtz oversees a $5 million budget and a program that has 15,000 members nationwide. Before leaving office next year, she hopes to launch a national marketing campaign, featuring television and radio spots in several cities, to boost membership.
The league's membership tapered off after a popularity high in 1984 to 1987, when it the latest fad, Kurtz said. ''Now, it's leveled off to a very solid program and we're building from here,'' she said.
Beeler has nothing but praise for his daughter and her contributions to the sport.
''She's just one of those people. You meet her, you've known her all your life,'' he says. ''She helps everyone do everything. She got into this sport because she saw what it did for the people who participated.''
Now in her second year as head of the organization, Kurtz can look back and laugh.
''Females were not prevalent in this sport,'' she says ruefully, admitting that maybe she was a trailblazer, so to speak, for women racing enthusiasts.
Kurtz, 35, who grew up in Pine Hills and lives in Orlando, did it without any racing experience. In fact, she has only wheeled around a BMX track once ''just to see what it was like.''
She was impressed and scared at the same time.
''I came away with a hell of a lot of respect for the children,'' Kurtz says of her trial run, which pitted her against another woman in Miami five years ago. ''It's hard. You have to think and pedal all at the same time.''
She may not have any racing trophies, but Kurtz, a senior buyer for Walt Disney Co., knows the sport and loves to organize events, including ones that have attracted competitors from around the world.
Just as at Disney, where she worked her way up from a gift-shop cashier, Kurtz started out small, driving her brother to out-of-state competitions and volunteering to help officiate or keep score.
''One thing just lead to another,'' she says, adding that it helped that her family got heavily involved when two of her brothers raced. Her father, Art Beeler, is track director of the BMX track at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, and like Kurtz, helped found the 7-year-old state organization. Husband Ron manages a BMX track in Ocoee that reopened in February.
As president, Kurtz oversees a $5 million budget and a program that has 15,000 members nationwide. Before leaving office next year, she hopes to launch a national marketing campaign, featuring television and radio spots in several cities, to boost membership.
The league's membership tapered off after a popularity high in 1984 to 1987, when it the latest fad, Kurtz said. ''Now, it's leveled off to a very solid program and we're building from here,'' she said.
Beeler has nothing but praise for his daughter and her contributions to the sport.
''She's just one of those people. You meet her, you've known her all your life,'' he says. ''She helps everyone do everything. She got into this sport because she saw what it did for the people who participated.''
