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438
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3/13/2017
Location
Avon, IN
US
Edited Date/Time
4/28/2017 12:27pm
I think this dude is as much a hero as any of the top guys. How many pro mx'ers can say they finished high school - let alone college. And we aint talking community college, dude's in Florida state.
He's getting acknowledged for it which is cool. Hopefully he's an inspiration and shows these young amateurs that they dont have to quit school to be a pro. I dont mean to say home schooling is a joke either - AC is sharp as a razor.
He's getting acknowledged for it which is cool. Hopefully he's an inspiration and shows these young amateurs that they dont have to quit school to be a pro. I dont mean to say home schooling is a joke either - AC is sharp as a razor.
A few years ago there was a guy going to Arizona I think, going for some sort of degree in physical rehab/training something or other..
The Shop
I graduated from FSU in 84 (yes, I'm freaking old) and raced throughout my time at FSU. Back then all we had was the National Forest and a few outlaw practice tracks but the Winter AMA series was doable in January and February, Atlanta and Daytona had Amateur Supercross days, and there were a ton of tracks in South Georgia where we could go race. There was also a local club that put on killer hare scrambles races in the National Forest (before the greenies took over).
Tallahassee has moto history that dates back to the late 60's and is a really quaint, quiet little Southern town. You would be surprised at all the connections it has had to the top of the US moto world for the past 50 years.
Oh, and there is a pretty good football team there too.
http://racerxonline.com/2014/09/19/where-are-they-now-stevie-childress
Fun fact of the day- It takes 7 years after high school to be a physical therapist now a days, and you cant apply anywhere until you earn your bachelors... not to mention to even apply anywhere the minimum cumaltive gpa is 3.0 but the average they accept is around a 3.6, you also have to get a certain amount of observation hours, you have to hit certain cut off scores on the GRE test, have certain amount of community service hours, and prereq classes need to be completed, etc.
I wanted to continue to race sx in PT school but they ride us pretty hard in school. I spend about 50 hours a week on campus and living on student loans now so I had to kind of give the dream up and just ride on the weekends when I get a chance.
Good on Cartwright to continue to go to school while he is racing. I think that is badass and I definitely respect the work ethic and grind because I know it is tough!
Gaytors will always suck though!
Here's a Tallahassee story.
I moved out of town after I graduated, but in 1992 I was back in town to visit my in-laws. Decided I would drop by The Cycle Shop (Kawasaki shop) to visit my old sponsor, Wendell Poggie. I walked in and my old travel buddy Donnie Jackson who was the parts manager looked at me when I walked in and said at the top of his voice "Dave, you've been replaced as the fastest red head in Tallahassee. See that little red headed kid over there? His name is Ricky and he's gonna be somebody one day!"
It's not bad being the 2nd fastest red head from The Cycle Shop.
Pit Row
I think 1300 people applied the year I got accepted, and our class is of 60. We are the 2nd cheapest school in AZ but since it is not funded through the state, it is quite pricey.
On another note, Thank you all for your kind words it definitely means a lot. I want to be someone that can inspire the youth or create some sort of change when it comes to proper education and racing. I feel like we set these kids up for failure in a way if they don't make it in mx. I don't want 90% of dirt bike racers to turn 25 and have no education and no work experience. I was not able to top 10 any ama professional sx or mx events but I was able to make mains and sneak in a few points paying positions. I never made a salary when I was racing so it was ultimately just for the awesome memories I was making. I knew I had a back up plan and that took a huge burden off of myself when it came to racing.
I fully support and applaud Cartwright on the effort he is able to put in on the track and on campus. Sounds like a good deal and a fun gig riding at GOAT farm.
Sorry for the belated response, we have been pretty swamped this week in school.
Good kid, good program.
Hoping that others see what he is doing and continue that trend.
Michael Akaydin is another I like to see do well. If a bachelors is rare among pro riders, I'd be willing to bet he's the only MBA to make a 450 main, throw in that his undergrad was engineering and he gets mad props.
I spoke with Josh this week and he read through all of the posts. He is extremely humbled and appreciative of the kind words and support. He wanted to comment himself, but this is final exam week at FSU and the New Jersey SX is this weekend, so he is even busier than usual.
It was interesting to hear from Rhett Urseth about his experience with college and racing. We wondered if anyone had ever made a Supercross main event while being a full-time college student. Rhett is probably the only person that understands what Josh's daily routine is really like. He is unbelievably busy, all day, everyday. I'd like to take credit for his work ethic, but I give most of the credit to the school he attended most of his life. They did a great job of instilling in him extraordinarily good study habits. He's very disciplined and focused.
Like every privateer, he's also responsible for managing the business of sponsorship. He currently has 19 sponsors that make the SX season possible. One of his sponsors, Dave Deringer (MX_Culture) posted in this thread and has supported Josh for several years. A big thanks to Dave, as we couldn't do it without his support.
For FSU fans, the Seminole helmet design is a possibility for next year.
Joey
You definitely deserve some of the credit: the fruit never falls far from the tree, and you obviously raised a good kid with his head squarely on his shoulders. That doesn't happen by accident. Obviously, it's up to Josh to do the work, and it's his work that's getting done at this point in his life. But as a Dad myself, I know how hard it is to bring up kids the right way. You must be very proud.
I am a huge fan of what Josh is doing and I'll be there tomorrow cheering him on. I run a research lab and I'll be bringing my lab members to the race tomorrow: there's going to be 9 of us in total, so you better believe we'll be rooting for him. Hopefully we'll find you guys and say Hi! in the pits.
http://www.kcmx.net/2016/03/making-gradejosh-cartwright.html
What kind of research lab do you run?
Joey
The forest is pretty legit and the TTR guys are a pretty fun group to ride with. My path had good intentions but came out a little different. After breaking my neck, I realized it was time to go to college. I kept riding but no racing and finally graduated.
GO NOLES!!!!
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