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I think the important thing, and probably the hardest thing for a parent to remember, is to keep it all in perspective. It is very hard not to get caught up in the moment and very easy to forget the long-term affect. Education should ALWAYS come first. I also believe that too-much too-soon has led to the demise of alot of very fine riders because too much pressure was applied before the kid was old enough to handle any success.
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I also believe making the age for a pro license 18 would help .
500Guy-Raising the age back to 18 is long over due....it is as important as making chest protectors mandatory IMO.
Every kid from the mid-pack of the local beginner class on up has 3-4 "race bikes" and 3-4 "practice bikes" per "race bike". That's like 300 new bikes per kid, per year!!! Plus, each of those bikes requires a minimum of $1000 in engine mods and another $1000 in suspension mods.
SOMEBODY's making some serious coin off these youngsters and I am POSITIVE that they don't have the kids' best interest at heart. They are in the business of making money, not looking out for the welfare of kids or racers. Period. End of discussion.
In a perfect world, however, your question is really good.
I have found that BMX is a much more affordable and safer alternative to racing mx. With the economy going the way it is, that is probably where we will end up.
I love watching him ride and we do it as a family
Pit Row
Bullshit. Little boys that play ball sports, skateboard, ride a bmx bike can and will start riding at age 13 just fine. In fact, because of the other interests in life they will be better balanced, rounded individuals when they grow up. It should not be a motocross only mentality at any age.
Promoters need to wake up and realize that the main reason rider turn outs are down is due to the 37 classes x 2 motos they run on race day. Sorry but I'm not driving 2 hours and spending 14 hours to get my 8 laps in. All the mini classes, ability levels, age classes, etc have hurt the tracks/promoters. We used to race every weekend. Now we race once a month or less and do open ride/camping weekends instead. The bar banging/racing with buddies is the same as on race day. For the same $20 we get 80 laps instead of 8. It is only a hobby after all.
Track owners have lost a shit load of riders on race day due to adding more and more classes. The smart track owners are making it up with yearly practice memberships or daily practice fees.
At one of our local tracks, small race, there were just 64 youth riders (under 13). So, one child plus one parent . Gate fees would be $2560 if they were only there for race day. Race fees would be $1280 if they were only in one class. So by your reasoning you and the big bikes would make up the $3840 on race by just being there racing and going home in approx. 6 hours.
This is just a small race too. I would like to know the numbers for a track like Muddy Creek where they have 600+ riders turn out for most races. Even with real Pros turning up at those races, I'm sure it's not the mini ridres causing problems.
I'll bet MX Sports, Lake Whitney, Oak Hill, Las Vegas, Ponca, Gatorback, etc. are just kicking themselves for letting the mini classes ruin their business.
I guess we are to believe that there are thousands of big bikes out there in hiding because the mini riders are ruining their day and taking all of their ride time. Sounds to me like a good solution would be to find a bunch of like minded riders and open a 14 and up track. No mini riders. That would give you guys plenty of ride time and you could get home in a couple hours when you get tired.
I do agree with the practice aspect of your post. But COST has hurt the most. All costs from bikes to fuel to travel expenses. You have some valid points, the solution is just a bit extreme in my opinion. And it is just an opinion.
Smets started riding at the age of 18, and still managed to win 3? world titles. I don't think the sport would suffer at all if we forced the kids to go to public schools etc. When mx had it's prime here in Sweden, many of the riders had ordinary jobs as well...
Just saying...
As far as racing at a young age, my daughter started at 10. She got a bike because she wanted one. Rule Number 1 off the track... Keep her A's or lose her bike. She knows that I meant it too... discipline rules in my home.
Our time at the track together was incredible for our relationship. We have met incredible people and have made wondeful friends. This is no different than my sisters ice skating and swimming (AAU) when I was growing up, or me playing little league ball. Rule number #1 was always restated at the starting gate.... To Have Fun! David Bailey came up to her at one race and told her she had the skills to make it. That was nice to hear.... but rule number one on the race track still stayed the same.
Short of it... nothing wrong with any sport at a young age, but perspective must be kept. Kids make great relationships at these events. There will always be those that push their littles ones in every sport... including the SPELLING BEE.
ONE LAST THOUGHT... how many of you are what you thought you would be when you were 7, 8, 9... 12? So the kid that doesnt make the pros is not different than those of us that have ended up in life doing something other than what we wanted to do at 7... and we know that is true because we all arent fireman!!!
My kids (ages 5 and 7) and I did a local shop-sponsored pit bike series last year and had a blast! There was no pressure to perform and every kid got a trophy. We're planning on doing that series again this year and may give BMX a shot as well. We're about 25 min. from South Park BMX which is supposed to be one of the top tracks in the country.
Honestly, I'm glad that my kids love riding and want to do some low-pressure races, but the thought of them getting really serious to the point where being competitive means jumping doubles and triples scares the "begeezus" out of me. I love MX, but I hope they lean more toward off-road riding as they get older. Not that you can't get into trouble off-road, but there aren't many 120' triples you have to worry about casing when you're running trails.
different strokes for different folks.
doesn't this system kind of support "only the strongest survive" in sense.
Post a reply to: Maybe kids shouldn't race until they are 12 or older ?