Posts
576
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 7:24pm
I'm not one to post much on here (mostly because I don't want to be associated with the childish arguing that goes on all the time), but this is a podcast that I think every parent should make their aspiring racer listen to.
Great job Weege & Ping - the subject matter is brilliant: Preparation, education and planning ahead beyond racing.
Pingree is very intelligent - has some great insight to provide - and sounds like he had excellent guidance growing up. Ping cites that he was required to finish high school at the very least, and if his grades dropped, there were consequences (to the point where his dad actually sold his bikes one time at age 13 as a result of a mid-term F).
I started listening to the Brian Swink Podcast with Matthes a couple weeks ago, but couldn't even get through the first few minutes. But I could easily tell he was not happy at all, and was stuck working a blue-collar factory job to make ends meet. Case in point.
If these athletes don't plan ahead, it won't be easy when it's time to jump into the real world (and as we know, if they ARE prepared, it still won't be easy).
RacerX Podcast in iTunes
_KG
Great job Weege & Ping - the subject matter is brilliant: Preparation, education and planning ahead beyond racing.
Pingree is very intelligent - has some great insight to provide - and sounds like he had excellent guidance growing up. Ping cites that he was required to finish high school at the very least, and if his grades dropped, there were consequences (to the point where his dad actually sold his bikes one time at age 13 as a result of a mid-term F).
I started listening to the Brian Swink Podcast with Matthes a couple weeks ago, but couldn't even get through the first few minutes. But I could easily tell he was not happy at all, and was stuck working a blue-collar factory job to make ends meet. Case in point.
If these athletes don't plan ahead, it won't be easy when it's time to jump into the real world (and as we know, if they ARE prepared, it still won't be easy).
RacerX Podcast in iTunes
_KG
personally, I think the pros of riding motocross as nothing more than a leisure activity seem to outweigh the pros and cons of taking the route in dedicating your entire life to become a professional motocrosser (whether or not your one of the millions that make it, or one of the millions that don't).
At the rate this government borrows money, and prints money they don't have, that's a serious concern. 150,000 dollar contracts sound like a lot, and it is for one year, but considering how long that money is suppose to last in an environment that is always devaluing the dollar, it's really not that much. Most people can make that much money in 3 or 4 years, and still have income coming in after that.
In addition, less educated people spend money recklessly, and most professional motocross racers are uneducated.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Back to the podcast - I got all the way through it today (I never have enough time to listen entirely). Weege, Ping and Stephenson didn't really have any tried-and-true answers (other than sheer common sense), but it is more about bringing awareness to certain aspects of racing, and how to be smart with your earnings and PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AFTER racing.
For example, some riders land a factory ride, make fantastic money, but only for 2 to 3 years. The problem is, beyond that, riders don't make much - so if they lose that ride and suddenly are riding for bonuses or less, that nest egg that they could have had, vanishes very quickly.
Ping quotes a certain racer that gets run through the mud here quite a bit - "dude, I'm young man and don't care about that [planning for the future]....I just want to have fun for now."
What can you do if you don't have the right parenting behind these 18 year olds? That quote is the most ignorant thing I've heard.
And with Swink - I had to turn it off because he just seemed so down and out, and honestly, not interesting at all. He's now working at a factory barely scraping by, and here was his shot to be heard and maybe draw some interest from the industry. Unlikely given the jobs out there, but.... it was a shot none the less.
Yes, there are some riders that are uneducated because their parents chose to let them quit school. No it's not only the parents fault, but the riders also, if you can blame a child that is suppose to be guided by the adults. But it rarely shows up until the rider is done racing and the now adult ex-racer is suppose to go out into the real cruel world and find a job. I'm happy to use Brian Swink as an example here, but since you guys were using his name I guess I need to. Brian Swink was the next big thing and I really have no idea if he did or didn't graduate school, but he has burned up any brain cells that he did have left after racing. Brian rebelled against any and all authority in a later part of his career and partied hard and is still doing things that even most adults shouldn't or wouldn't do. So to sit and listen to his podcast, what would you think would come out of his mouth? Hatred, regret, and I'm sure searching for the next word would sum his podcast up. But let's not use Brian as our bookmark here.
There are plenty of ex-racers that have made the next step when they decided to stop racing. You don't have to look far because their are successful ex-racers that have stayed in the industry and there are other that have chose to leave the industry and take a position in the real world of business and found success. The reason most ex-racers make it after their racing careers is because they have a positive attitude and their aggressive, treating the business world as they did as a racer. The ex-racers that have a hard time making the next step isn't always that their education level is low, but because they decided to party what they had left away or because they have a bad attitude and are rebellious.
So pull your educated head out and catch a breath and please don't through through stones and talk like you know what your talking about when discussing professional ex-racers. There are every few of you on this board that have ever raced at the level as these people your talking about, nor do you know of the things these ex-racers gave up to become a top level professional racer. They sacrificed years of their childhood, trained harder than 99% of you ever will, and put their neck on the line at speeds and heights that are only in your dreams. School was the last things on their minds at the time that they were entertaining all of you, but their not working construction these days because their stupid. It's because they chose to do that job and not be creative and think outside of the box and make good decisions. Most likely they did the same thing and made the same decisions when they raced. There are many bosses in this world and there are many works and we need both of they to make this world work.
By the way, what do you do? Are you a boss or are you a worker? I would have to guess many of you are the later.
The podcast was about parents and children putting all their chips in a long-shot basket and rolling the dice on becoming a super-star pro. Thousands and thousands of riders each year sacrifice years of their childhood, blow off their education, and train 99% harder than us message board guys ever will. Many often become paraplegics by putting their neck on the line chasing this dream. And like you said, school is the last thing on their minds at the time.
The problem is that thousands and thousands of aspiring dedicated racers who have sacrificed their lives must be narrowed down to a gate that only holds 20 riders who get paid nothing like other professional athletes! The pod-cast exposes the not so glamorous "illusion" many up-and-comers have in regards to making it big time (along with the life after racing people seldom think about). It was mostly about the million kids to every one James Stewart, who passed up their childhood (and social development), graduated home-school with a 5th grade education, and is now living near the poverty line downing a 40oz every night telling his drinking buddies about his dreams and chance of one day becoming a factory rider (I made that 40oz part up, but there's truth to it).
DC
MX Sports
But you're focusing on the "the general public doesn't understand what the pros go through" kick like many always do. But some of the "general public" certainly can understand and see the sacrifices. But this discussion is not about that at all.
I have a good buddy that ended up being home schooled to race and he was good....incredible rider with good work ethic. But a big injury in Arenacross and a general lack of guidance and direction through his late teens left him with no idea what to do, but to keep racing on a local level to make (some) money. Now what? There needed to be a realist in his corner to guide him toward a sensible "plan b", and there was not.
Weege & Ping also brought up some positive elements - racing keeps the youth out of trouble and teaches them to be clean and work hard at an early age. It certainly did that for me.
Now take the aggressiveness & ethics into the real world and attack business - some are doing this and making it work. They brought up Albertyn - he is a GREAT example that went into real estate and other projects quite successfully.
There will be a plus and a negative with every example - but this podcast was about being prepared for life after racing and planning ahead. Not dragging names through the mud and saying what they should have done.
They even joked about bringing Denny into the podcast....Ping & Weege were trying to think of a way to call him into the show without bring offensive....because he's a good example for this subject matter, but it's not exactly flattering.
Look at the pros from my era.The little bit I can think of like Hannah and his foray into the airplane business, Glover at Dunlop, Barnett is building tracks, etc.. I can't think off hand of any pros from that era that ended up like some from the 90's and later, although I'm sure there's some. But it seems like the motocrossers from the 70's and 80's grew up in a time when it wasn't all about a mini mx factory trying to churn out future pro racers. They seemed to grow up in a more normal setting thus ending up with a career and direction after their pro career was over.
Post a reply to: RacerX Podcast: Life After Racing. Brilliant.