By Ed Richards 247-4645

December 15, 2009
The Smith brothers of Hampton couldn't have asked for a better year in motocross racing.

Center stage belonged to 15-year-old Ryan, a triple-crown winner, then came younger brother Dillon, a 12-year-old who won two championships.

Both raced to their 2009 titles in the yearlong American Motorcycle Association District 13 motocross series competition that included the states of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.

Their accomplishments this year have amazed their dad, Pat Smith.

"I know of no other brother combinations in the state to win first place championships," he said about the 2009 series.

And when it came to the triple crown, the proud papa knows of no one else in District 13 that has been able to pull off that feat in the past two years.

For the most part, the siblings won their titles with ease and it came against fields of more than 100 riders in each class.

Ryan, a sophomore at Kecoughtan High School, won the 450 Open C class by 144 points, the Schoolboy I (ages 12-16) by 82, and the 250C by 66 points.

He won eight of 24 races in the 250C class and seven of 21 in the 450 Open C while aboard a Honda 250cc cycle. In Schoolboy, he won only one race while riding a Honda 125cc but finished second six times in 22 races.

Dillon, a seventh-grader at Eaton Middle School, finished atop the 85cc class for ages 9-11 by 91 points and the Unlimited Mini (9-13) by 72 points. He had his most wins in the 85cc class, winning six of 25 races while riding a Suzuki cycle.

The brothers had their titles virtually locked up by October, though Dillon was pushed in the Unlimited Mini class until the last couple weeks of the season by Forrest Ray of Wake Forest, N.C.

Winning isn't new for them. Last year, Ryan took top honors in the 125 class and Dillon in the 65cc (7-11) group.

They have been competing on the motocross circuit for five years and are sponsored by Brewers Cycles of Henderson, N.C. They run under the banner of Smithboyz MX racing.

Josh Davis and Christine Marshall, both U.S. Olympians, will be the featured attractions at Mutual of Omaha's Breakout Swim Clinic from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Hampton University's Holland Pool.

The stroke technique clinic, open to area swimmers from ages 8 to 18, is being hosted by the Unique Swimming Swim Club. Cost is $45 per swimmer.

Davis, who hails from San Antonio, Texas, is a master clinician and motivational speaker. He has become an ambassador for the sport after winning three gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and two silvers at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Davis, captain of the U.S. men's swim team in Sydney, has been an American record-holder in the 200-meter freestyle.

Marshall, a 2005 Menchville High School graduate, earned a bronze medal in the 800-meter free relay at the 2008 Beijing Games. She qualified for the Games by finishing sixth in the 200 free at the Olympic Trials.

Currently, she is a senior at Texas A&M and became the first Aggie to make the Olympic team. In 2008, she was the Big 12 champion in the 200-yard free and 200 butterfly. In 2007 she won the conference title in the 200 free and 200 individual medley.

Both Olympians will be available for autographs and photos at the clinic.