Thirty Years of DIY BMX.
In April of 1992 one lone digger started a BMX revolution in the middle of downtown Austin, Texas. A young BMX racer Carl Lein spotted a pile of dirt in south Duncan Park and quickly shaped it into a tabletop jump. From there, history was made.
Since then, “9th Street” as it is affectionately known, has been a BMX Trail
Mecca for dirt jumpers the world over. Hand built by hundreds of locals
over the years, there has been very minimal involvement from the City of
Austin and absolutely zero compensation. It’s a completely self-organized
self directed community project; for more insight into this process
please read this article from Texas Architect.
9th Street is now an established nonprofit organization that receives funding through the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) Adopt-a-Park Sponsored Fund Account (SFA). All donations go directly to park maintenance. The nonprofit also works with the City of Austin, Parks and Recreation Department (PARD), Shoal Creek Conservancy, Original Austin Neighborhood Association (OANA), and the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) to the benefit of the park. In 2019, 9th Street BMX was APF’s ‘Golden Shovel Award’ recipient for all years of hard work to maintain BMX trails in the city.
9th Street is now an established nonprofit organization that receives funding through the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) Adopt-a-Park Sponsored Fund Account (SFA). All donations go directly to park maintenance. The nonprofit also works with the City of Austin, Parks and Recreation Department (PARD), Shoal Creek Conservancy, Original Austin Neighborhood Association (OANA), and the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) to the benefit of the park. In 2019, 9th Street BMX was APF’s ‘Golden Shovel Award’ recipient for all years of hard work to maintain BMX trails in the city.
"Austin is known for it's unique, creative and diverse community
projects, and 9th Street BMX, a BMX bicycle jumping and trail spot,
embodies the energetic spirit of our city. After 25 years of volunteer
labor to transform the South side of Duncan Park, the area continues
to thrive. Fueled by the passion of the local community the dirt has
been crafted to become the successful BMX area it is today."
-Mayor Steve Adler (2018)
-Mayor Steve Adler (2018)
