The CVOTC Hall of Fame includes six distinguished members: Berndie Lunsford, Rusty Lacy, Garry and Maddie Hoover, Jim Ellis, and Pate Keen. A brief summary of each of their contributions is listed below in chronological order starting with the most recent inductee.
Berndie Lunsford (inducted September 10, 2023)
The story of Berndie’s many years, decades actually, of contributions making CVOTC what it is today is in-progress.
Rusty Lacy (inducted February 27, 2022!)
Rusty’s Award created by David Lawson
We’re not exactly sure when Rusty first starting riding motorcycles however, we do know that he had a motorcycle while he was serving in the army and that he used it to tour around Germany. Berndie Lunsford met Rusty in the fall of 1972 at a Blue Ridge Cycle Club enduro. They traveled together to other enduros and were club members together doing enduros and local scramble events until the early 1980s.
In 1985, Rusty asked Pate Keen to find him a suitable trials bike; soon Rusty was a trials rider mounted on a 1985 Yamaha 350 mono-shock. Rusty was a quick learner, with a couple of great teachers (Berndie Lunsford and Pate Keen), and was soon going to events which included Florida in March. Their trip included buying new bikes from the Tryals shop and bringing them home in crates.
In the early 1990s Rusty held his first event at his farm; a joint STRA and CVOTC trials. Pate was the Trialsmaster for a good while and then Rusty “took the reins” and assumed the role of Trialsmaster. After that, events were hosted by Rusty every year. A tradition that has been maintained to this day. It has grown to include many social events like the CVOTC Annual Meeting and a must attend 3-day weekend that includes a road ride, play day and a formal competition.
Like many riders that have been in the sport for a long time, Rusty began riding at the Intermediate level but his skills kept improving and eventually he competed at the Advanced level. As I remember, he was one of a handful of CVOTC riders that may have won the class on any given Sunday; competitions were very close. Eventually Rusty was heading back down to safer sections. During this time, he competed in the Sportsman level where CVOTC records indicate he dominated the class in 2012 besting a young Maddie Hoover and again 2013, good thing Maddie moved to Advanced that year. Rusty continued to ride in the Sportsman class for many years, always a force to be reckoned with but also ready to share his thoughts about the best line with his competitors.
Rusty represents all that is great about the sport of Observed Trials. He has made significant contributions over many years helping to establish and grow CVOTC to the well-respected club it has become.
The following is a synopsis of the full article written by Jim Ellis which has some history of our CVOTC, more information on prior Hall of Fame inductees, and detail on Garry and Maddie that was presented at their induction. Be sure to check out the style and craftsmanship of the Hall of Fame trophies that were created and donated by David Lawson for Garry and Maddy.
Garry was one of the earliest and most competitive of our members. He started Trials in the late 1970’s and spent decades competing in local and STRA events. At the same time he regularly contested the Support Classes at the U.S. Nationals, frequently winning or on the podium.
Maddie, who often accompanied her dad to the events, was exposed to Trials at an early age.She enjoyed riding and competing, and with Garry’s coaching rose rapidly through the ranks.Maddie has been the Women’s National Champion multiple times and a top member of the U.S. Trials des Nations Team. She trained extensively in Norway and Spain, has contested many European Nationals, and has been competing for several years in World Championship events.
Maddie and Garry Hoover
Awards created by David Lawson
The following is a letter written in 2008 by club member Rusty about Pate.
Pate Keen is my hero. At the age of 75 and a half, he is still “kicking ass and taking names” at trials events up and down the eastern half of the U.S. At every event he goes to, he usually finds dozens of riders gunning for him – trying to see if they can beat “the old man.’ Most them can’t, even though they are 20 to 55 years younger – “kids” as he calls them.
At the recent STRA event in Alabama, where Pate’s score of 2 points for the day in Sportsmen easily won the class of 19 riders, the Trials Master announced at the trophy presentation that 18 of the sportsmen riders ought to be ashamed of themselves. Pate has been embarrassing trials riders for about 25 years.
He started riding trials at the young age of 50 – his first real attempt at off-road riding – and quickly worked his way up through the ranks to the advanced class. Pate competed as an advanced rider until he was 72 years old and moved back to sportsman because as he says, “I didn’t want to have a senior moment on a high place.”
During his peak, about 10 years ago, Pate was riding in about 35 events a year, including enough nationals to give him 4 or 5 national championship titles, in the 60 and 65 year age groups. He was a regular fixture at events hosted by STRA, CVOTC, Trials Inc, District 6 (PA), District 7 (MD), and FTA. More often than not he came home with the first place ribbon, sometimes 2, because he rode both modern and vintage classes.
The very best thing about Pate’s trials career is that he is still at it. Still driving his blue (or is it green) van 10,000 miles a year to events from Florida to Indiana and Kentucky to Virginia. And he still kicks butt most of the time.
Pate Keen – 75 years old and going strong. There is hope for all of us.
Pate Keen
Who is Jim Ellis? When you hear someone ask that question you can be pretty sure that person is a relative newcomer to our beloved sport, or, is from some distant corner of the Trials world. Everyone that has been into Trials for any time at all, at least on the east coast of the country, either knows or has heard a good bit about the “nice fellow” at Whale Rock Trials in Bunn, NC. Jim has made Bunn something of a mecca for introducing new folks to the sport and supporting the ongoing development of those who are quickly bitten by the bug of Trials.
Jim was a founding member of CVOTC back in 1989 and has been a key driving force ever since. He has been hosting events as a Trialsmaster for over 25 years, supporting development of new riders and new Trialsmasters, hosting countless events himself and helping others hold even more events. In recent years, Jim has been involved in bringing world-class training to the area with 6X National Champ Ryan Young holding several training classes at his property. Jim has also worked diligently at introducing youth to the sport by providing Youth-specific sections at events. His “Rust Bucket” events, where riders are limited to vintage (i.e. really old) bikes, is a prized spectacle to behold.
Anyone who meets Jim can quickly spot his infectious love of the sport and his very likeable, welcoming personality. Those attributes helped draw many of us into our long-term love of the sport. Whether your first encounter with Jim involved him as a serious competitor, him loaning you a bike for your first ride, or playing “follow the leader” behind him as he effortlessly floated through tricky pinestraw-laced turns in “the bowl,” you quickly learned Jim is both a skillful rider and a genuinely great person.
Want to know something about Trials history (events or machines)? Just ask Jim, the club’s de facto historian, and be amazed at his powers of recall! Ask Jim to tell you something about his abundance of longtime Trials friends and you’ll be mesmerized by stories of the likes of Bill Grapevine, Ryan Young, and of course Jerry Young.
It is easy to reflect that there would likely be a lot fewer of us riding these “funny looking motorcycles with no seat” if it were not for Jim. His enthusiastic, selfless, and extremely generous level of contribution to CVOTC cannot be overstated. That was true when we were honored by having Jim as a Hall of Fame inductee back in 2008 and even more so at this update written in 2022.
