Posts
11083
Joined
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Location
Newark, OH, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/25/2012 1:35pm
Good Call.
here is a very interesting debate going on over at the VitalMX.com message board about the change in minimum age that will see AMA Pro Supercross and Motocross licenses go to 17 years next year, then 18 in 2011. The debate now stems from the father of the super-fast Adam Cianciarulo (who may be the youngest person of this millennium to featured on the cover of Cycle News) telling AmateurMX.com’s Chris Hultner that they would likely head to Europe when he turns 16, rather than race amateur and pro-am here in the States for two more years.
To me, saying you will go race in Europe when you’re still only 12 is like saying you’ll play quarterback at the University of Florida when you’re 13. There’s a long ways to go between here and there, and a lot can change. Many (including Racer X) have compared Adam to a young Ricky Carmichael, and if anyone can go to Europe at that age and win, it may be him. The rule wasn’t meant to hold the truly exceptional back, but he appears to be the exception and not the rule, and in this case it might. If he goes to Europe and comes back here at 18 as a seasoned pro, everyone on the AMA circuit could have a monster on their hands. If he stays in Europe, Europe could have a monster on their hands. They may already have one in the sensationally fast and rapidly improving Ken Roczen—and he turned 15 in April!
If kids like Adam head for Europe, it’s an unintended consequence of a rule meant to improve the sport here in America by giving kids and families more time to get ready for the life of a professional athlete, as well as give teams a better idea of what kind of person they are hiring for large sums of money. I am sure every team out there has a horror story about somebody or somebody’s mom or dad that they do not know well when they signed, or otherwise they might not have. I know it’s a cliche, but for every James Stewart success story, there are dozens of Josh Sweat- and Ben Riddle-type stories out there where professional success did not happen and things went off the rails in a hurry. The NBA, the NFL, NASCAR and more all have minimum ages for good reason.
here is a very interesting debate going on over at the VitalMX.com message board about the change in minimum age that will see AMA Pro Supercross and Motocross licenses go to 17 years next year, then 18 in 2011. The debate now stems from the father of the super-fast Adam Cianciarulo (who may be the youngest person of this millennium to featured on the cover of Cycle News) telling AmateurMX.com’s Chris Hultner that they would likely head to Europe when he turns 16, rather than race amateur and pro-am here in the States for two more years.
To me, saying you will go race in Europe when you’re still only 12 is like saying you’ll play quarterback at the University of Florida when you’re 13. There’s a long ways to go between here and there, and a lot can change. Many (including Racer X) have compared Adam to a young Ricky Carmichael, and if anyone can go to Europe at that age and win, it may be him. The rule wasn’t meant to hold the truly exceptional back, but he appears to be the exception and not the rule, and in this case it might. If he goes to Europe and comes back here at 18 as a seasoned pro, everyone on the AMA circuit could have a monster on their hands. If he stays in Europe, Europe could have a monster on their hands. They may already have one in the sensationally fast and rapidly improving Ken Roczen—and he turned 15 in April!
If kids like Adam head for Europe, it’s an unintended consequence of a rule meant to improve the sport here in America by giving kids and families more time to get ready for the life of a professional athlete, as well as give teams a better idea of what kind of person they are hiring for large sums of money. I am sure every team out there has a horror story about somebody or somebody’s mom or dad that they do not know well when they signed, or otherwise they might not have. I know it’s a cliche, but for every James Stewart success story, there are dozens of Josh Sweat- and Ben Riddle-type stories out there where professional success did not happen and things went off the rails in a hurry. The NBA, the NFL, NASCAR and more all have minimum ages for good reason.
Good, now go get me a cold one, "85 Guy".
Jay, call me after 3 a.m and let me hang up on you, I feel like waking up early.
East Coast, not Zulu time.
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well maybe a little to help the kids!
I think however that DC and you Americans should be doing everything possible to make sure Adam and any other kids who choose the same path, do come back when they're 18. Because if you think about it, the Cianciarulo's may go over there and love the lifestyle, if adam gets a good contract with high money and he misses out on a championship at 17, they may decide to stay and chase that championship, I think the AMA will need to focus on getting these kids back ASAP.
Dungey going from intermediate to pro was unheard of to but that kid has made good on the transition.
This Brandon Jennings story happen casue the NBA made a rule that you have to be out of HS a year before you can be eligble for the NBA draft.
Ultimately, someone has to make decisions that may not make everyone
warm and fuzzy, yet are initiated for all the right reasons.
SOMEONE MUST draw a line in the sand, sometime - if not when?
Do you say it's okay for a 14 year old to drop out of school (and life)
and perform the moto-existence. Then when ? At 15? 16 ?
Okay , when ?
Or, do you just grab a random Pee-Wee racer that, at age 8, WOWS everybody and
say - "hey, we need this kid as a pro.." ?
Pit Row
Thinking this out logically, (which i insist on) - and a Caribbean nation starts
calling on our third-graders - providing factory rides on Red-Stripe sponsored
factory King Cobra's - do we then say that age 9 it is okay to be pro ?
Please, think this out reasonably- afore you jump to institutions.
You can't even join the military until 17. (With parents consent)
So you race pro 'till you are 35 maybe then what???
Yeah, but what if you make 3 mil at by age 27 and have life kicked in the arse - is that so
bad ?
Some would say that education can wait, talent and youth won't.
Motocross is a young mans sport. They already have short enough careers as it is.
Indeed. There are reasons you can't be a pro baseball player at 13 - or play
professional poker at age 7. It's called society. And it's referred to as - looking after
the well-being of youth. If there are no rules and there are no lines drawn, eventually
we have anarchy. Sure, we all realize there are instances where rules are vague,
things are misinterpreted and people lose their sense of what's right or wrong -
yet if you don't discriminate between right and wrong - and initiate judgments and
penalties, then at some point, the worst happens - kids don't get to be kids.
Try telling that to the family - or kid.
And, it's not just motocross.
But yeah, you're right.
if it saves the big guys some insurance money that's good to.
Post a reply to: Davey's Right.