NOTES AND QUOTES for a Thursday in the Napa Valley:

From a young age on, Donny Robinson listened as people told him that he wasn’t going to make it in BMX (bicycle motocross).

They said he was too small and didn’t have the strength or power to hang with riders who are bigger in stature.

“Everyone said you’re not going to be able to succeed — it’s not going to happen for you, that BMX is a big guy’s sport,” Robinson told the Napa Rotary Club at its weekly luncheon and meeting Wednesday at the Elks Lodge.

“I’ve always been the smallest rider in every single one of my classes,” said Robinson, 5-foot-5, 150 pounds. “All the other guys are 6-foot plus, 200 pounds. That’s the way it’s been my whole life.”

The talk didn’t force Robinson, a Napa High School graduate who took up the sport at age 6, to stop riding or competing.

“I didn’t question whether it was possible or not,” he said. “I just kept doing what I loved to do, and that’s riding my bike. I just kept on going.”

In August, Robinson returned to Napa, his hometown, with a bronze medal in BMX from the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He crashed twice — once in a qualifying round and another time in the semifinals — but worked his way into the finals.

It was the Olympic debut for BMX racing.

“At the race it was tough,” he said. “It was one of those things where if I wouldn’t have had the mental training of the past two years of having failures and then being able to have successes in the same day, I wouldn’t have been able to perform like I did in Beijing.”

Rotarians also saw a documentary video of Robinson, who turned professional in 2002 and won over 20 races in ’06. He said BMX racing, an all-out sprint over a dirt track filled with jumps, is the greatest sport that he’s ever known, as it involves families and riders of all ages.

“It’s all around the country. There’s different tracks of skill level for everybody to begin on. It’s an explosive sport.”

By the time he was 8, he was already traveling to big races throughout the country.

“I didn’t have any success until I was 12. Even though it was kind of discouraging to me, I didn’t let it affect me. I kept going with what I knew.”

There were people who told Robinson that he wouldn’t make it when he went pro. But he proved he belongs, impressing other riders, fans and industry insiders with his talent, stamina and strength.

He won an Olympic test event on the actual Beijing Olympic track in 2007 and took first place against an international field this year in a UCI Supercross in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He was the 2007 U.S. national champion. His 2006 season is filled with titles, including National Bicycle League national No. 1 pro, American Bicycle Association National No. 1 Pro Cruiser, UCI BMX Supercross Series champion, and NORA (Number One Rider Award) winner.

“I didn’t want anything else to happen to me, but to be successful in BMX,” said Robinson, 25. “It’s the greatest thing that you can do, something that you love for a living. I didn’t want anything else but that.

“When you have fun and you don’t worry about stuff, you seem to do better. And then when you do better, you’re just all psyched about the next race.”

He was the first-ever USA Cycling BMX national champion at the inaugural event in 2007.

Traveling to the Olympics and experiencing international athletics on the biggest stage was memorable for Robinson.

“The Olympics were absolutely amazing. Everything was spot on, perfect. The people were amazing, the venues were unreal. It’s so hard to put into words how great of an event this was and how the Chinese just accepted everything, our sport and the people.

“Just being in the village was awesome. It was unreal to be around all these people. I didn’t really have time to think about it while I was there because you’re in the moment, focusing on what you had to do.”

The U.S. Olympic team has been invited to the White House in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6-7. From there, Robinson goes to Monaco Oct. 10-11 for the final World Cup race of the year.

“This is my passion. I’ve done this my whole life. So far it’s worked out,” said Robinson, whose sponsors include Nike, McDonald’s, Hershey, Kellogg’s, Monster, AT&T, Hyper Bicycles, and Go211.com.

———

Taylor Bickell of Napa shot a final-round 2-under-par 70, which included six birdies, to win the girls 13-18 division of the Classic Club Challenge, a Future Collegians World Tour event last weekend at Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif.

Bickell, 15, opened with an 83 and was in fourth place after the first round. She won by one stroke over Brenna Nelson of Monte Sereno, Calif., and by two over Ashleigh Albrecht of Murrieta, Calif.

The FCWT is a non-profit organization committed to helping young men and women in their pursuit of earning a college scholarship through the challenge of competitive golf. The purpose is to provide a venue of nationally-ranked junior golf tournaments for the junior golfer.

The FCWT offers over 50 tournaments throughout the country.

———

Vintage High head football coach Billy Smith will be the guest Saturday of the “KVON Sportsvine.” The hour-long show, hosted by Charles Kennedy, Mark McLeod and Steve Meyer, starts at 9 a.m. on KVON 1440 AM.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.