Gatorback Southeast Youth Regional

steveada
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steveada
Edited Date/Time 5/13/2013 2:46pm
I just found out that Gatorback will not be having a practice day for the regional. From what I understand this is due to some kind of problem with the county. I think this stinks for the kids, as well as families making a long trip down there and getting very little track time. While it is not their fault, I doubt that they would have been given the regional if this was known up front. Personally, I think that knowing this with more than 6 weeks before the qualifyer, Mx sports should consider running the regional elsewhere. Am I out in left field here, or does anyone feel the same way?
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lumpy790
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lumpy790 5/13/2013 5:04am
5/13/2013 5:04am
never knew it was a requirement to have a track day ... the day before the regional. Everyone will still have the same track time.
flarider
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flarider 5/13/2013 5:10am
5/13/2013 5:10am
Part of Gatorback's local agreement is to only operate X number of days a year. That's no secret.
And as Lumpy said, I never heard of a practice day being required to hold a LL qualifier.
steveada
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steveada 5/13/2013 5:31am
5/13/2013 5:31am
flarider wrote:
Part of Gatorback's local agreement is to only operate X number of days a year. That's no secret. And as Lumpy said, I never heard of...
Part of Gatorback's local agreement is to only operate X number of days a year. That's no secret.
And as Lumpy said, I never heard of a practice day being required to hold a LL qualifier.
I don't know that it is an official requirement, but in 7 years I can't remember a major race we've been to that didn't have a scheduled practice day. If the issue is only running x number of days per year, why were they able to switch the practice that was scheduled for the Friday before the qualifyer to this coming weekend? In any event, most of the people who go to these things have only an outside shot of qualifying for Loretta's, and do it simply because they love to ride. Most of the kids we know look forward to a full day of riding on practice day as much as they look forward to the racing.
DC
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DC 5/13/2013 5:37am
5/13/2013 5:37am
Steveada, practice days have never been mandatory for the regionals, but everyone would certainly prefer to have one. Gatorback is in a tough spot with the county right now, and we want to support them, not bail on them. As Lumpy mentioned, the track will be the same for everyone, but some will be more familiar with it because they've been there before. That's just the way it works out sometimes...

For what it's worth, also why Loretta Lynn's is off-limits all year long except for the national, so no one has a "local" advantage.

DC
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JBlain619
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JBlain619 5/13/2013 5:46am
5/13/2013 5:46am
DC wrote:
Steveada, practice days have never been mandatory for the regionals, but everyone would certainly prefer to have one. Gatorback is in a tough spot with the...
Steveada, practice days have never been mandatory for the regionals, but everyone would certainly prefer to have one. Gatorback is in a tough spot with the county right now, and we want to support them, not bail on them. As Lumpy mentioned, the track will be the same for everyone, but some will be more familiar with it because they've been there before. That's just the way it works out sometimes...

For what it's worth, also why Loretta Lynn's is off-limits all year long except for the national, so no one has a "local" advantage.

DC
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Davey,

Any changes to the track at LL's this year???
EastFlorida
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EastFlorida 5/13/2013 5:50am
5/13/2013 5:50am
Our Hare Scrambles race was posponed and eventually moved due to the Gatorback issues... Hope it is all cleared up for the Regional...
steveada
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steveada 5/13/2013 6:12am
5/13/2013 6:12am
Thanks for your reply DC. I can appreciate supporting the track. I also appreciate that everyones in the same boat with track time, but to me that isn't really the issue. The issue to me is that I see people all the time lamenting the fact that the number of people riding keeps decreasing, the number of riders at the gate keeps going down etc. Here is what I see. I see promotors loosing sight of why people are showing up to race. Beyond the top 10 or so kids in each class showing up at a big race like a regional or Mini-o's, the kids racing don't have much of a shot at a champioship or even making it to Lorretta's. That's just reality. That means that the other 80% of the folks showing up are there for the enjoyment of riding, competing, and doing their personal best. They are there to hang out with friends, and parents spend time with parents of other riders they have become friends with over the years. But mostly they are there just to ride, as much as they can. Sure, we could all show up, run a quick 2 lap practice and start racing. The cream will still rise to the top, but the other 80% might start to ask themselves why the heck am I taking time off work, spending thousands of dollars, and driving for hours to ride for 45 minutes. Yeah, it's just one practice day at 1 regional, but it is a significant indicator of what promotors seem to be missing.
DC
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DC 5/13/2013 7:26am
5/13/2013 7:26am Edited Date/Time 5/13/2013 9:00am
Again, this is a unique situation and the track has been on the county's radar since the tragedy last year at the Mini O's, and we want to support them, not penalize them... Imagine how much the numbers would decrease if the track were closed.

As for why people race, I think that's not only a much different issue, I think every family and athlete has to make that decision for themselves. If track time is limited due to this unique situation, I'm not sure what we can do about it that won't hurt the track and the sport in general even more. A closed track is much worse than one with limited days, and pulling their regional now would have likely a terrible impact.

DC
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steveada
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steveada 5/13/2013 8:14am
5/13/2013 8:14am
Again, thank you for your reply DC. I understand your position. So, does anybody know of any tracks near Gatorback that might be open on a Friday for practice?
rocrac
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rocrac 5/13/2013 8:23am
5/13/2013 8:23am
I always hated having to take an additional day off from work to attend practice day before a regional along with the additional weekend expense with practice fees. Good riddance I say.
DownSouth
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DownSouth 5/13/2013 8:37am
5/13/2013 8:37am Edited Date/Time 5/13/2013 8:43am
steveada wrote:
Again, thank you for your reply DC. I understand your position. So, does anybody know of any tracks near Gatorback that might be open on a...
Again, thank you for your reply DC. I understand your position. So, does anybody know of any tracks near Gatorback that might be open on a Friday for practice?
Hard Rock Cycle Park in Ocala lists friday practice days.

Hard Rock is about an hour (43 miles) from Gatorback. The dirt used to be almost identical between the two tracks, it was the same hard clay limerock mix.
steveada
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steveada 5/13/2013 8:53am
5/13/2013 8:53am
DownSouth wrote:
[url=http://www.hardrockmx.com/track.htm]Hard Rock Cycle Park[/url] in Ocala lists friday practice days. Hard Rock is about an hour (43 miles) from Gatorback. The dirt used to be almost...
Hard Rock Cycle Park in Ocala lists friday practice days.

Hard Rock is about an hour (43 miles) from Gatorback. The dirt used to be almost identical between the two tracks, it was the same hard clay limerock mix.
Thanks a lot. I think we'll give it a try.
FLmxer
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FLmxer 5/13/2013 9:17am
5/13/2013 9:17am Edited Date/Time 5/13/2013 9:18am
Also there is Waldo. We used to ride there during the miniO week. www.prosportsusa.com has the Florida track information.
EastFlorida
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EastFlorida 5/13/2013 9:48am
5/13/2013 9:48am
FLmxer wrote:
Also there is Waldo. We used to ride there during the miniO week. www.prosportsusa.com has the Florida track information.
I thought Waldo just recently closed. I know the FTR MX race for next weekend was moved to Bithlo for that reason....
Jakes Dad
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Jakes Dad 5/13/2013 11:32am
5/13/2013 11:32am
Waldo is closed and nothing like Gatorback anyway, Hard Rock main track is the closest to Gatorback.
We're not a big fan of Gatorback many of Jake's buddies have been seriously injured there. We haven't been for a couple years and missed out on the changes at this years Winter Am. They'll be damn lucky if they get Mini O's again this year, sounds like the county really has an ax to grind. The negative press this year really hurt them as well.
FLmxer
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FLmxer 5/13/2013 11:46am
5/13/2013 11:46am
Oh sorry. I have been off the bike for a year. That is horrible news. Yes Hardrock is more like Gatorback although they have mixed a ton of sand into Gatorback over the last few years. I love Gatorback but have 11 screws and a few plates from the elevator when it was maxed out. Good times.
zippy895
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zippy895 5/13/2013 2:46pm
5/13/2013 2:46pm
i heard the county wants more $ from the owner.tax money?anyways, the old man is sticking to his guns and not giving in. from what i heard .the mtb course next door,same owner /issues.

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