Staying the Course, Finding the Balance

This month’s rider tip is probably as much for parents as it is for the actual rider, especially the parents who are just getting into the sport. I want to try and make a point to get parents and riders to understand that it is so important to “pace” yourselves a bit in many different way’s to stay the course.

 The first thing that comes to mind is the money part, because for so many people, this is the greatest challenge. From my many experiences working with families for long periods of time, I find a few things that you need to watch out for. Sometimes the initial excitement of being new in the sport can work against you, because you’re spending all this money buying bikes, parts, gear, RV’s, trailers, and just a bunch of stuff you just don’t need right away, I mean what’s wrong with a truck, 1 motorcycle and some riding gear? So if junior isn’t winning races right away, it starts a pattern of unhappiness because the “return on investment” isn’t adding up. Keep in mind that just because you’ve spent a ton of dough, that doesn’t guarantee results.

 The next thing is what I could call “the fast kid curse”. What I mean by that is you may be a typical blue collar family, maybe a couple of kids and your son becomes one of the fast guys. What do you do now? You can’t quit, he’s got too much promise, and besides, it’s in his blood now. But you need to go to at least some of the nationals, this takes both time and money, and maybe you don’t have 364 days of vacation, and do you really want to home school your kids? Leave Mom home with the other kids? Give the rest of the family the same as your fast son? All these things need to be considered, these are real problems with no easy fixes. So you will have to find help, and this is a challenge too.

 The next problem is you need to be honest with yourself and your situation and “Call it like it is”. You been in this sport now for 10 years, you’ve mortgaged the house, sold out everything, nearing divorce and your kid is still mid pack on a good day. You see, God didn’t make us all like a Ricky Carmichael or Ryan Villopoto, or Trey Canard for that matter, so you just have to understand that maybe you need to ratchet down the program a little, spend some time doing other things, get to know you’re other kids, and work on that marriage. You CAN still race; you can still be involved, but don’t throw everything you have into it if it’s not working out. The rest of the story might be your kid is lazy, he probably is more into girls than racing, and I won’t even go into some of the other things, except maybe you as a parent just might be more into it as your son. This is tough stuff to hear, and really pretty hard for me to write about, but it needs to be brought out so people can realize some of the pit falls.

 So you need to find balance, maybe sit down as a family and Dad needs to step up and show some leadership, and lay down a plan and a reward system so racing can work for the whole family. Look ahead, figure how much time you have if your kid wants to become a serious pro racer, and try to get a budget for his or her racing program, and make sure the rider is on track meeting the goals that were laid out. During this time, maybe do some cross training is some other sports so junior can find some other interests so if motocross doesn’t work out, he may have some other things to fall back on.

 I can go on and on, but really all I am asking is that you have a solid plan, a back up plan, and balance in the family so every member gets a fair share of the parent’s time and resources. Wellness is physical, emotional, spiritual and financial, and I would recommend having God first and foremost in your lives, because that is what really matters the most. Motocross is certainly a great sport, much can be gained from it, much can be learned from it, but it is just a sport, and being broke, having marital problems, having an unhappy family life are things that I would hate to see you have because of it. But with good planning, and the right balance, you just might have enough money for that final push that makes it all come together and accomplish those goals! So don’t compare yourself with the Jones’s, because the Jones’s are broke!

Take care,

Larry Morton

5 Magics motocross School