Riders and PARENTS with Cranial Rectumitis

[twoplus]

I was at the track on Saturday, with a new member and her THREE children and my own child. The youngest child does not ride. The other three were all riding the motocross track and having fun.

That is when one of our worst fears were almost realized. Two boys, one with his dad and the other with his dad and other family members, were riding the woods section BACK WARDS! Both boys were out of view of their dads and the boys were the only two riding the woods back wards. One almost hit my friends daughter in the woods, then the same boy entered the track right in front of her cutting her off. I went and talked with the family, the father being upset as he should be, told his son to take a break for a while.

As for the other "gentleman" he acknowledged he heard me and said that he would talk with his son when he came off the track.

There was no apology for nearly running into the daughter of my friend and I can guarantee that if he would have hit my daughter the police would have to be called. There would have been an up close and personal discussion with his dad. If you want this club to attract families and more mini riders, there needs to be a way to police members and following the rules of our club.

[Blazing MX]

There were some young ladies on a 4-wheeler riding the flat track a few weeks ago. I watched as they made a few laps before turning around and riding it backward. There was at the time another rider hauling around in the right direction. Fortunately we got the girls attention and turned them around.

[bpoteet4]

Twoplus,

I don't recognize your sign on, so I'm not sure exactly who I'm talking to, but here's my 2 cents.

If you want this club to attract families and more mini riders, there needs to be a way to police members and following the rules of our club.

With our club - the first "police"man is you - you did the correct thing by addressing the situation. An officer is not out there 24/7, so the first line of responsibility stops with our members policing one another. We've been members for several years and I can tell you that we've stopped people going backwards on the track several times. I don't know that I've ever seen someone going backwards on the track purposely while others are already on it -- what I've seen is new members and new riders that don't know our track -- they don't necessarily know which way is the correct way, and if the track is momentarily empty of riders, they have started out in the wrong direction. Even my 9 year old boys know what to do in this case -they go flag them down as soon as we see them and let them know they are going the wrong direction. I've never had anyone yet not respond when you tell them this.

That said, what is great about Waco - everyone looks out for everyone else and their kids. Through the years, you'll have one or two jerks that are reckless, but they haven't lasted very long at the club. When dangerous situations are brought to the attention of the club officers, the problems are taken care of.

I'm glad no one was hurt -- thanks for letting everyone know of this. Maybe everyone will be a little more watchful when they are out at the track.

Brenda

[DaddyFlea]

We really need to give each new member a good set of rules. Sometimes the problem is that they just do not know the correct thing to do and have nothing but good intentions.

I kind of felt bad about correcting a Father who was telling his beginning rider to always move over and let the fast riders by. He did not know that his son moving over created an unsafe condition for the fast riders. I told his son to hold his line the fast guys would pass but by moving over he might cause a wreck on a race track because of the unexpected action especially when on the jumps.

[markrichardson]

yes you are right danny i have told my son the same thing about moving over and it won't do anything but create a mess i told my son that being on the track with the fast guys is a risk and that you should never just move over to one side or other just continue going in your line and the fast riders "if smart" either slow or find the path that is safe to pass on , my son tried moving over to one side with fast 50's on the track at village and wrecked into the rider , after the situation i told him that's why you don't ever try moving over right away or sudden just hold your line and fast guys will go by you , and danny as to comment to your last sentence while on jumps this happened on a downside of a jump my son was on ground and fast guy was jumping and came down while my son was moving over


mark

[dadwood1]

i think some general info with the membership cards would be great..Even for riders that have been here since the creation...it doesn't hurt to reinforce safety, but it does if you don't.

[twoplus]

I apologize for not putting my name at the bottom, not out of fear, because I just plain forgot. I guess I am proving that I do belong in the Vet class.

As for the events that day, the father that didn't seem concerned has brought his son several times in the last few weeks out to the track. I do not recall if he has raced, but the son has been there enough to know better. The father that did show concern and interest, promptly removed his son from his bike and allow his son to "think" about it for nearly an hour while all the others with the family enjoyed riding.

I certainly have not worried about popularity when it comes to safety. A few years back Adam Mennenga came to one of our races. There were three boys that climbed to the top of the finish line jump waiting for Adam to jump over them. At the time I was an officer in the club and could not stand by and watch that train wreck. Not that I doubt Adam's ability or skill, but the kids were in danger not matter how large or small the threat. The possibility was still there, no one ever plans on seizing a motor, running out of gas, or losing a chain. Not only that, there were many other kids around from the mini classes that did not need to think that this was acceptable.

I have been with the club for a few years, and have made some really good friends and watched several kids grow from just starting out to shining at major races and series in the state.

I agree that we must police our own. This was the same philosophy I lived with in the Marines. If we do not a have a plan for discipline or expulsion, what do those members have to worry about when their child injures another? Especially when it is out of negligence, for me it would be too late if my daughter was killed or physically disabled from an attitude of "I am a member too".

I have been riding and racing since 1976. I know the dangers of riding and racing. Adding a wild card of carelessness to it, should be unacceptable to the club and the members.

Don Parker
Suzuki #2+

[worcs]

Hey don how are you? scotty c. says' Hi.me to, come ride axtell with us.

[twoplus]

I can't go riding, just made it back to Iraq.

[worcs]

take R R to waco ya see you send pm.

[twoplus]

Be around June, but will do. Can get enough time in the saddle.

[rdenney100]

hey don and club members,

another tossin, turnin, can't sleep no matter what i try, so i guess i can look at the WEMC pages night. just wanted to share some thoughts i'm having of the old times and the hopefully good times to come.

long time since we see, talk, or race each other donny!!!!! guess you've been overseas makin' a bunch of that easy tax free
dinero. makes me think back to the days when i was training to be an EOD diver in the NAVY. running about 3-4 miles/day, swimming a whole bunch of laps, doing calisthenics, and lifting weights 5 days a week. and also of riding moto at barona oaks and going to watch races at perris in calif. also wish i could go back and "not" go to my friend's house and ride his track on may 14, 1995. and not hear my tib/fib and talus literally blow up in my right leg. all i remember before i cased the big triple at my friend's house was how time just slowed way down, landing short, and hearing a loud explosion type noise. when my bones exploded it sounded exactly like a shotgun went off. exactly. i also remember how scared my california riding buddy was afterwards. he actually thought i was going to sue him because i broke my leg. i explained to him, like any reasonable, honest person should that he had nothing to worry about. i, me, and myself made the decision to come to his house and ride, it was my responsibility, not his. i also explained that riding is dangerous and that we all take a chance we get a motorcycle. though he knew that very well also. that actually has a little to do with my rather lengthy reply. to those who are sitting down to read this, get some water and some snacks. like i stated above, i have insomnia spells occasionally, so i just write about things on my mind. hope you get something out of it.

this is peanut by the way, for those who know me and remember the days when i had that handle. anyways don, i read your post and wanted to reply and just throw some things (opinions) out there. this is actually a reply to don's original cranial rectimitus and the thread about a person who made a difference in your life. i can't say enough about your thread. i, like others agree 100%. the idea of giving some general safety info with new member packets is a good idea. to help our club continue it's growth i thought of some ideas i wanted to share. the issue with safety and also the overall well being of our members, especially all the younger riders and their families who are new to motocross and don't yet have alot of experience. and also those who are looking for help with questions they may have. i, along with a group of friends did a project last year for one of my registered nurse degree classes. the topic was safety. every other group in my class focused on hospital safety; however, my group's idea was to do something completely different. we gambled and chose to do ours on motorcycle safety. we pulled it off to. we focused on the rider's safety and bike preparation to help avoid injuries. we created a short and simple safety manual that covered the same. i brought my bike and gear to the presentation portion of the project as well as a dvd of my buddy michael kasberg(which he graciously made for me to use) riding at his track "panther creek". a friend put my gear on and i explained what each piece of equipment was used for. i also did a basic "pre-ride" check on the bike. with regard to what happened out there with the "new" members and the mistakes that almost caused a mishap or two, i would like to share a story with anyone who decides to read my post. i speak from experience when it comes the topic of riding the track backwards. or to put it more bluntly, the WRONG WAY. you see, i was involved in an incident in about 1976 when i was just 6 years old. the incident was due to my lack of experience. though not my lack of experience around a motocross track, but rather an inexperience with the consequences of making uninformed decisions. my dad took his time and made sure i was safe while riding the track. like danny stated about holding your line when someone comes up to pass, how and why to look both ways while crossing the track, etc.. not sure if he ever actually told me to never, under any circumstances ride the wrong way on the track. i guess he thought, like any reasonable would, that i could figure that one just by looking at bikes making laps. me, my dad, and some friends of ours were at the track riding one day. i still can't figure out why i did something so ignorant. i guess being really young, really inexperienced, and above all really clueless, somehow turned on a super idiot button i wasn't aware of, which in turn made my brain, also something inexperienced at the time, believe it would be cool to ride the track the "other" way.
my brain defecit allowed me to take off and begin riding the wrong dang way. even crazier than that was the fact that our little buddy we call irony, which we know alway rears it's ugly head in the worst possible situations at the worst time made his prescence be known at exactly the moment my "hero and friend" phillip tynes and i crested ol' "rocky top". back then "rocky top" wasn't as worn down as it is now and we ran in the opposite direction we do now. we collided right at the peak. he was riding a yz 125 and i was riding my first bike (1974 XR 75). and again due to irony, he got the worst part of the deal. much like the drunk driver who hurts an innocent human being, yet goes first to a hospital, then hopefully to jail. yet despite doing wrong, still walks out of that same jail. when we hit his foot got caught in my rear sprocket. you guessed it, half of his 2nd toe was sheared off. and yes, he was wearing boots. the boots back then were just made of leather. they weren't half as good as the equipment we use today. i ended up fracturing my left wrist, not to bad considering what could have happened. luckily phillip was/is what call a "real friend". do you older guys and gals remember those days? when people weren't lawsuit happy and looking for an easy means to make a quick million back then. like i stated before about my california friend. he evidently knew about these money hungry, evil, i shouldn't have to work because i'm better than everybody else, and i have a right to file a lawsuit on anyone who offends me attitude having pieces of sh ! you know what? phillip wasn't even mad at me.(though my dad got me gooooood!!!! suffice it to say i have never, ever, even if noone was around or not looking, have i ridden the wrong way on a track since that day) even crazier was the fact that phillip was actually worried more about me,his little buddy and protege. to this very day he jokes with me about why i had to go and cut his toe off and how he liked that toe. he has always joked about it. never once did he make feel sad, or that he was mad at me. phillip was my idol and i loved to hang out with him as much as possible. no matter what was going on, he always took the time to give me the attention that every young kid yearns for from his "hero". no matter what he was doing or how bad things got he had a smile on his face. i can remember him and my dad cracking jokes about his missing toe while he layed in a bed at the emergency room writhing in pain. this, by the way only about an hour after his freakin' toe rolled aimlessly around in his boot. he still always asks me things like "you found my toe yet!" or something dealing with his toe. i also can remember, like it was yesterday, going to whitney (back when you could actually go ride any time you wanted to for FREE, ZIP, NADA and people didn't have to take out a loan or a second mortgage to get through the gate, much less race for a $2.00 plaque) with some of my dad's team guys because there was yet another race. for those who don't know my dad had a little motorcycle shop across from what is now called TSTC. it was called NORTHCREST CYCLE CENTER and it did pretty well considering my dad had a "real" job working 5 nights a week at the tribune-herald from about 10:00pm to about 4-5 a.m. then re-open the shop in the early morning until about 5 or 6pm. go get a few hours rest and do it again. back to the whitney race. when we got to the track it poured rain hard for like 30-45 minutes which made the track a nasty, soupy, slop fest. guess what though, those guys came to race and that's what they were going to do. none of this cancelling the race 'cause it will be to tough attitiude alot of riders have today. what i recall the most about this particular day is my hero phillip riding either a 77, 78, or 79 yz 250 he had gotten not long before. i think they had just come out with the new big thing at the time. the famous "mono-shock". with the ever present big smile on his face and covered from head to toe with mud, which was also in his mouth, he would just drive into the corners and just bury it, pin it, come out and bury it again in the next. although i think he did finally bury it for good that day. enough to where the guys had to dig it out along with there's. i also remember that we had this stock tank behind my house and he used to bust sick air. he would jump over the whole thing with hardly any suspension at all. he would even jump over it while it had about 4 foot of water in it.

one point of my story is this: everybody makes mistakes, especially children. if someone makes a mistake, please try not to bash them to hard. that will most likely put a bad taste in their mouth and riding will most likely never be the same. one of my hopes, among others, is that the next time a kid comes up to you with that gleam in his eye that you will think about someone who made you feel like you were special at that age and give this kid who is standing in front of you the attention and guidance they so desperately need. the same way my buddy phillip did and still does today when i see him. kids these days are very, very impressionable. it seems that no matter what crazy, dangerous thing they see on tv and magazines they believe they have the capability to do the same. albeit, most do have the talent, but don't have access to the right teachers or equipment to do it safely. i bring that up because at our track we need to watch out for everyone's child and not just our own. i see other parents looking out for other kids alot at the track and i want to congratulate and thank the ones who do.i would also like to ask that all of our teenage riders all the way up to the over 60 guys realize/remember that we are the ones these younger kids look up to and that we should try our best to teach them positive things, especially things like respecting other people in general (i.e. their grandparents who take the time to come watch, their own parents. hey young guys, how about helping mom and dad load the trailer, tidy up around your campsite, offer your help without being asked. i'm by no means think i know everything, i still, at 36 have a lot to learn. and i hope no contrues my words. my only hope is that our sport continue to grow in different directions and that when people who don't know much about what we do, they can at least say that the motorcycle family we spoke to were genuinely nice and honest people. more on our club growth. i think that just simple stuff like helping a kid out when they fall and can't pick up their bike. i see alot of people helping with those things all the time at the track already and that is awesome. if you see a little guy or gal make a bad line choice, stop them and give them some input. many will most likely not listen to "old" guys like us, but that's not the point. the point is you're making an honest effort to help someone else. and more times than not, their parents will surely appreciate that you showed some empathy towards their child. it also tells people you remember how it used to be for you at that age. who knows, by showing that kid that line, he may take it and make the pass that he needed to get his first trophy. talkin' about becoming a hero. that kid will think you hung the moon. i've seen happen, and it does happen. i truly believe there really is such a thing called KARMA. if everybody had a helping attitude we would always have the family and friendly atmoshere we all want and deserve to have. can you imagine one beautiful day racing moto when noone at the track is mad about anything or anyone? who cares if little randy bumped eric a little bit while they were both going for it through that corner. that is called racing. close races are the best races.i just made those names up. with my luck there is a randy and eric who have or will soon have a rivalry going. and please don't be confused, i don't care for, nor will i tolerate these overly aggressive wanna bes who seem to think that taking someone (except their buddies of course) out is funny. i've learned that at almost every track in exsistence today has one or two of these no ridin or skill havin' clowns. there always has and there will always be a few no matter where you go. if you wanted to go to timbuktu and ride later today, i almost guarantee you one idiot would show up and ruin the fun. for the one's that show up at our track and have a history of this behavior they should be given a written, signed warning the first time. and when it happens again they should be escorted by danny (sorry danny, you're our lawman) to the gate and told not to come back until the next race. and not to ever come back if they plan on doing the same. i realize we don't live in this perfect world. maybe some of you are saying to yourself "this guy is really out there." maybe i am a little , but it's
what i truly believe. by helping just one person a day we can all live in harmony with one another. it would be slow at first, but over time it would make a difference . when you do help someone else i guarantee you that people will notice you and surely appreciate and more importantly respect that you are interested in making a positive difference in our world. a good example of helping someone is the the story don told about adam wanting to jump over people, or maybe people wanting adam to jump over them. whichever it was. adam is my close friend and i agree with don's post . i would have stopped him also because anything can happen and usually does. there "could" have been 4 people get seriously injured if some freak thing happened that day. i don't think i could live with myself if i allowed adam and/or others to do something unsafe and just sit around and let it happen. i screwed up big time in 1976. one thing is for sure though, i learned from that experience. it could have been alot worse. things can happen anywhere at anytime. one thing is for certain since that time. everytime i rode after that, as i still do, i was/am always hypervigilant.

so, as far as overall safety goes:

if the safety officials or any official for that matter would like to see the safety manual i put together i would be willing to share it. we can add anything to it and let the club copy itfor new members. it's been a long time since i've contributed to the club. i hope that contributing the manual would help the club continue to thrive. even if it helps prevent just one injury it will be worth the time and effort spent. whoever is interested please give me a call and we'll sit down and add what needs to be added, or delete what is not pertinent to the manual. we can also make copies(at wemc's expense) and hand them out to new members and to whomever would like a copy. we can include things such as, but not limited to the following:
1/ making sure the bike is ready to go before riding
2/ ensuring the rider has all the necessary gear on
3/ ensuring the rider knows the correct way to go on the track
4/ ensuring the rider knows not to move over when someone is passing
5/ the importance of taking a slow lap around the track to look for hazards, even though you rode at the same track yesterday.
i've seen people get hurt bad because they didn't do this. a qucik story: anyone remember dennis bonner (an expert rider) breaking his collarbone because a "kicker" was put in front of "rocky top"? he made two corners, hit the "kicker" and wadded it up hard. he was off the bike for about 6 weeks because he didn't take a slow lap and check out the track) hazards on a motocross track do not discriminate, they are what i call Equal Oppurtunity Destroyers
6/ ensuring the rider knows what to do when someone has crashed in front of them. for example, alerting other riders to avoid further injury. in my opinion we should always stop to help a downed rider (especially when they crash out of sight of spectators and medical personnel.) i think that everyone would agree that someone's life is way more important than a $2.00 trophy. i fell in the back section one time because someone in front of me, who knew they couldn't beat me straight up, ran through a huge mud hole that had standing water. he wheelied through it so the water would douse me. well it did. it also made my hand slip off the left side of the bars, which made me high-side and cartwheel. i landed on my back HARD. i was sure that i had just broken my back. i layed there for about a lap and half and then manned up and got on my feet and finally on the bike.
needless to say i wasn't happy with the chicken _ _ _ _ move.
because i'm a soldier and have finished every moto i've ever entered, save for the ones i got hurt, and also because i was taught to never quit i raced the second moto. did i win? what do you think? that's why we should always check on our fellow riders when they go down.
7/ensuring the rider knows how to exit the track safely

hope someone learns from "my" mistake. one of the oh so many.

here's to looking forward to a safer, brighter future for the club and it's continued growth.

to review: we all make mistakes. learn what you can from other people's mistakes so you don't make the same ones.
try your best to help someone, in some way. giving advice, ensuring someone else's safety, etc.

hope i didn't bore the heck out of anyone. got on a roll. it's better than writer's block.

respectfully,
rick denney, jr. a.k.a. peanut
p.s. i need to stress again that the accident was my fault and noone elses. i have always taken full responsibility for the incident. i'm sure my dad felt that he didn't do his job. i will say this out of respect for my dad. you always taught me well growing up, especially when it came to motorcycles. i didn't always understand or agree, but now i do.

[worcs]

WOW longgggggggggggggggg but good will wait for the next one. Old friend . gene.

[rdenney100]

is that ol' mean gene ficker?

what's happenin' ol' buddy? wasn't sure anybody read it or liked it? just a bunch of stuff on my mind. i actually just read it again and realized i made a bunch of errors in grammar. run on sentences, misspelled words, etc.

ugly!!!!!

guess that's what happens when you're tired but can't sleep.

anyways, good to know that you read it. what have you been up to? i had some questions about the vet national at glen helen. if you would, give me a call at 855-1479. i'm hoping to go this year.

i enjoy writing if anybody has a topic or needs any kind of help with anything. i'm out of practice with my writing so ya'll help me out. i don't know it all, but i always like to help anyone i can and love to talk moto.

somebody give me a shout out so we can bench race.

speaking of "bench racing", some of the funnest times of my early motorcycle days were when everybody would sit around the campfire on saturday nights before a cross-country race and tell funny stories about racing, panzies, funny crashes, etc. anybody remember that word panzy? that dates me for sure.

anyway, hope to hear from you guys.

rick denney

[honda499]

Wow bunch of people going the wrong way