In 2005, James Reynolds raced on the Motocross tracks in Waldo. Twenty-one years later, he’s back, but this time for his daughter, Kenleigh.
Kenleigh is one of the eight campers at the Waldo Motocross Summer Camp.
When Reynolds drops off his daughter each morning, he doesn’t go far. He and Eric Harvey, whose son is also at the camp, stay on the property, which doubles as a campground.
Waldo MX and Event Grounds opened their tracks to a summer camp for the first time. The camp hosts two sessions: June 8-12 and June 22- 26.
RAD Sports CEO Richard Blalock said the company bought the property in October and wanted to host the summer camp to give children access to higher level training.
“Kids are up against a lot in today's world so to be able to give them an opportunity to do what they love and grow is our number one concern,” Blalock said.
The camp is led by coach Landen Hill, 19, who trained at Waldo and helped build the camp’s tracks. Hill said he teaches the riders fundamentals like body position and speed techniques.
“I’m having a lot of fun teaching the kids, watching everybody learn and I'm learning myself by training them,” Hill said.
Harvey, who came from Fort Lauderdale with his son, said the camp served as a perfect practice ground ahead of his participation in the I-4 MX Series race in Waldo.
Reynolds and Harvey used to race together at the I-4 MX Series. Now both are watching their children take after them.
“For me, it's special because she's a female so to see her go out there and do what I used to do and love the sport is very touching for me,” Reynolds said of his daughter Kenleigh participating in the camp.
Apart from the summer camp, Blalock said the company also ran a race series, in which riders could accumulate points across races to determine an overall winner.
Through hosting various motocross events, Blalock began to understand how tight the motocross community is.
“So it's a really close knit community and something that we were happy to find out as we're learning the sport and what they need,” Blalock said.
Bo Davis, an 11-year-old rider who started riding four months ago, said the community atmosphere immediately stood out to him at the summer camp.
“I’ve enjoyed how everyone is so welcoming,” Davis said. “Usually when you come to new places sometimes you're shy but out here it's way different.
One of the camp’s younger participants is 6-year-old Mark Cox. His father, Martin Cox, said he and his wife started Mark on a balance bike before transitioning him to electric. Like Kenleigh, Mark got his riding skills from his parents. Both Martin and his wife ride motorbikes, so they were quick to let Mark continue the tradition.
Riders Braxton Schneider, 10, and Haisley Schneider, 5, also come from a motocross family, with roots dating back to their great-grandfather.
Braxton said he loves the feeling of going fast on the track and has his eyes set on the Loretta race. He said he enjoys getting to share his passion with his sister.
“It's really fun because now we both get to carry the tradition and keep on racing,” Schneider said. “And then there’s two shots at making the Loretta.”
Harvey said he and his wife tried their son at every sport. After striking out with baseball, they decided to put him on a small dirt bike to let him get his energy out.
Hill said the hours spent on the tracks help the riders get in good shape, describing motocross as one of the most physically demanding sports. He said he isn't surprised to see the sport gaining traction among the youth because he got hooked on motocross when he was 3 years old after his dad put him on a dirt bike.
“I see more and more kids want to ride every single day,” Hill said. “Somebody could just come to the track and see dirt bikes and that be their whole life after that. That’s how I was when I was a kid.”
At races, anywhere between 10 to 40 riders line up at the starting gate on a track that goes from about 100 feet wide to 20 feet wide as riders approach the first corner. Harvey said the independence of the sport is something his son thrives on.
“Whether he gets first, last, anywhere in between, it's all him,” Harvey said. “At such a young age to be able to learn that pressure and be able to go out there and deal with it. It's just a great thing for the kids.”
According to Martin Cox for his son Mark, finding so much success at a young age, like qualifying for races at a regional and national level, brings a lot of pressure. However, he said they help Mark turn the pressure into fun and learn lessons like patience and control.
In 2025, an USA TODAY investigation revealed motocross as the deadliest youth sport, averaging six deaths per year since 2000. Harvey said he understands the sport’s dangers, but doesn’t want to stand in the way of his son carrying on the family passion.
“It’s what we like to do,” Harvey said. “It's what brings us together with other great families and great friends and there's no other sport like it.”
