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During Saturday's congress, long-time NBL board member and past-president Gary Smith of Florida was proudly inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame. In a term that spanned more than 20 years, Gary was first elected to the NBL Board of Directors in 1987 and then served as President from 1990-2004 before retiring due to a bad back. Though he was unable to attend congress in person, his efforts were recognized during a heart-felt induction.

At the core of every successful program, there are people who go that extra mile to get the job done and this year's 'Volunteer of the Year' award was presented to Kittie Weston-Knauer of Iowa. She is the Iowa State Commissioner and past Track Director of Des Moines Metro BMX. Kittie continues to compete at local and national levels and has been an advocate of expanding the Women's racing programs.

Building on the success of a rise in membership, NBL presented more than $60,000 in grants back to the tracks and athletes this year to further support the grass roots of the sport. They included track awards for highest local attendance, most new riders, and the Bob Warnicke Awards for athletes and their educational pursuits. Weston Pope of Indiana received a $5,000 scholarship to top the list of Warnicke recipients.

On Saturday evening, delegates gathered in the main ballroom to take part in the retirement festivities for Bob and Polly Tedesco. Hosted by Roger Plaskett of Foothills BMX, the night featured a number of keynote speakers including Louis Vrijdag, former President of the UCI BMX Commission from the Netherlands, who gave speeches to recognize their own personal accounts about the Tedesco's and their long history in BMX. Polly then got the chance to play a game of Deal or No Deal which was followed by an evening of socializing, reminiscing and dancing. BMX has come along ways since those early days when Bob showed up at North Park, PA and it was a fitting transition to usher in a new energy.

Congress doubles as the platform in the voting process for the NBL Board of Directors and this year's ballot was the most active in more than a decade. As the association makes its final transition to the new leadership, changes at the board level promise to bring a new direction and spirit to the organization. Joining the board this year are Steve Doan of Florida who was appointed as the new Vice-Chair and both James Bagwell of South Carolina and John Pingol of Florida were elected from the floor. "NBL Congress has a long-standing tradition of acting as both a learning experience and a place where new agenda's are established to invigorate the organization. We welcome the newest members and look forward to a successful and prosperous road ahead" said Ken Masters, NBL President. "In many ways, it is the true essence of what the NBL is all about" he added.

NBL would like to thank all of the delegates and volunteers who helped make the 2009 Congress a huge success. Visit the NBL website to learn more about the organization and check out the full report in the April issue of BMX Today Magazine.