Southside youth enjoys deadly fun on weekends

By Julie M. Fidler
SOUTHSIDE -- A Southside junior high-schooler spends his weekends participating in a death-defying sport.

Kyler Keeney, 13, has won 27 motocross races within the last year. Kyler started getting in races late in 2009, with the help of a couple of friends who were already involved in the past-time.

“I’d wanted a dirt bike for a long time,” he said. “We just found one and bought it. Then, my mom told me about this track up at Heber Springs. We started going up there to practice a lot, and I asked Dad if I could race there, and he said I could.”

“Dad” is Elton Keeney of Batesville. “These bikes are designed and built to race,” he said. “Expensive too.”

Kyler’s father said they were lucky to have the help of Rick Caudel, owner of  Western Sizzlin’ in Batesville, from the beginning. Others who help keep Kyler’s bikes in shape, or sponsor all the equipment he needs, include Quick Signs and Graphics of Heber Springs, and Clint Carter at O’Neil Bottoms Motocross Park, Independence County Off-Road and B&R Marine and Cycle, all in Batesville.

The motocross season starts early in the year in February. At that time, there’s not a race every weekend. But, when March rolls around, the races start up and run every weekend through the end of November. “We’ve missed three races since Feb. 28, 2010, and that’s ‘cause they were rained out,” said Keeney.

Arkansas State Motocross Series and Arkansas State Championship Series put on the races at tracks across the state that host them. “There’s a point series of races, and it goes on at every different track,” said Kyler.

“I raced three or four in 2009, and they were at Heber Springs,” Kyler said. “That’s where my first race was.”

AMXA opened a new track in Cave City in 2010 and the owners wanted Kyler to try it out before a race there.

“He broke his collar bone, and still came in second,” said his father.

Kyler has hundreds of trophies and plaques to show for all of his races. He also had a broken wrist and has been “knocked out” twice during races.

Although the family’s pictures of Kyler flying through the air on his bike are probably the most stunning, Kyler said there are things about the races he likes more than the jumps. “There’s jumps and burns, which is in the corner. You go up on a dirt wall. It’s like an embanked corner. Then rollers, which is a jump thing in the middle of a corner.”

“My favorite part is not really the jumps, but being close to other bikes and clearing corners and all that,” said Kyler.

In the height of the racing season, Kyler practices on the track three or four days a week for the weekend competitions. “Lately, I’ve not been practicing as much because it’s so cold,” he said.

Kyler obviously has the support of his father, but what about Mom, Sherry Keeney? “My mom doesn’t really like that I race that much,” he said. “It scares her. Her whole side of the family doesn’t like it much, except for my grandpa, because they think it’s too dangerous. Dad’s side of the family  -- I don’t think they really want me to quit.”

“His grandma came to Heber and watched him,” said Keeney. “He’s in the air, 80 or 90 foot. She screams, gets up and leaves.”

What advice would Kyler offer a would-be motocross racer?

“When I started off, I didn’t know how to do anything,” he said. “I wasn’t very good at all. At each race, Dad would ask a lot of the pros questions and would get a bunch of hints from them. He’d tell me all this stuff, and I’d try to get the best ways from all of them. Also, I just spent a lot of time on the bike.”

“Once they start, there’s no way they can stop racing,” said Kyler

“Sometimes, we’ve hit two different races in one weekend,” said Keeney. “Not long ago, we practiced at Enola where the state series championship banquet was. He wrecked pretty bad, went to Heber and raced. He got knocked out, we got back home at midnight and went back to Enola to race the next day.”

Kyler seems to look at the injuries as an inconvenience. “When I get hurt, I pretty much want to hurry and get over it so I can ride,” he said. “After I broke my collar bone, I rode a dirt bike the very next day and raced in three weeks.”

“And won,” Keeney added. “The doctors were screaming, ‘No, no, no!’”

As for his plans for 2011, Kyler has three out-of-state races in his sites. “Next year I want to go to Loretta Lynn’s in Tennessee, Ponca City, Okla., and Branson, Mo.,” he said. “I want to try to make it to Loretta’s, but it’s hard to get there. You go to a track one weekend, and it’s like a race. Whoever gets in, like, the top eight in the area qualifier, goes to a regional qualifier, and they go from there. You’ve gotta be good … and fast.”