Fantastic weekend! Even with 8 inches of pow at Snowbird, I was hardly (okay, kinda sorta) tempted (for those who who know me, this is unheard of). My family and I had so many great experiences. Thanks to all who made it possible. In particular I want to thank the following (I am sure I will forget someone; please forgive).
The Meltons and all of the regular track volunteers for their always excellent, but rarely appreciated, efforts in making these events so entertaining and successful. These people work behind the scenes, out of the spotlight, all in an effort to help us have fun and pursue our passion. This weekend they worked especially hard overcoming technical glitches and processing the large number of participants.
GT and Lake Town Bicycles (BJ, Steve Spencer, Phil, and Will). Thank you for sponsoring the weekend, providing prizes, and bringing in Mike Day.
Mike Day. What a class act. How often do you see an Olympic medalist pick up a rake and help build a BMX track? Mike did it on Friday and then went on to help run a great clinic on Saturday and still take time to sign the upteenth sticker, poster, jersey, bike, etc, etc for my kids. Thank you for the great BMX tips and for being a good role model and hero for my boys.
Heather, Dave and Steve. Thank you for an excellent clinic. Despite a huge turnout, you provided meaningful, one-on-one attention and helped everyone improve their skills. You provided professional, helpful and friendly advice. Thank you BJ for your advice on the rhythms. Thank you Dave and Steve for your advice on the gate. Thank you all for your help and advice to my sons.
Here are just a few of my highlights of the weekend:
Taking a few laps with my brother. I finally got my younger brother to come out to the track and ride some practice laps with me. Like most brothers we are competitive in everything we do; skiing, climbing, Mt. Bikes, skateboarding, etc, etc. Now we can add BMX to the list. I think its just a matter of time before he and his son are racing on a regular basis. I also had my neighbor and his two sons and daughter out to the races. His daughter was in the big wheels, but will be in 5 and under novice next time. His two sons did great and will soon be regulars.
Riding my new bike. This was my first race on the new 2012 GT Speed Series. I love this bike! Thanks to BJ at Lake Town for such an awesome build. He and Steve Spencer made me feel like a rock star when I picked it up last Thursday night. It was sitting in the rack, right at the front of the store, perfectly shiny and new! Loved how the bike felt all weekend. It even made a slug like me fast out of the gate. Its always fun to get new toys, but this one of THE best toys I've ever had.
Meeting Mike Day. I already mentioned this above, but this was a great experience. I had the chance to chat with Mike as we were raking the track on Friday. He was very down-to-earth and gracious. He took time to talk with my boys and showed genuine interest. As I was leaving the track on Friday afternoon, I noticed Mike and Jonas doing sprints in the parking lot. I just happened to have my bike in the back of the Tahoe.
I hesitated for a minute, but then decided this was a once in a lifetime chance. So I pulled out my bike rode over to where they were doing sprints. They graciously allowed me to join the fun! Pretty dang cool to do sprints with an Olympic silver medalist (okay, Mike and Jonas were doing sprints, I was riding like a snail, trying not to fall off my clips with my regular shoes). Mike and Jonas certainly made me feel like one of the cool kids. Thank You!
28+ Open Wheels. Great race. Great competitors. Great fun. Loved this event. Thank you for starting this up. Like I mentioned in the other topic section, it was so amazing to gate up with my local heroes. So much fun to see how I measure up to the super fast folks out there. I really enjoyed the vibe of this race. Hal, I am sorry I pushed you up so high in the quarter (semi?). I was flying through the rhythms, had too much speed for how low I was, I panicked and started to move up way too fast. I apologize if I was out of line. Looking forward to the next race.
Logan, my 11 year old, got his 8th win and moved up to intermediate! I am so proud of him. He finished up the weekend with a 3rd in a tough 11 Inter class in his first race as an intermediate. Alex (6 yrs old) also stepped it up and finished up 4th. Garrett (8 yrs old), also did well and was excited to race some of his friends from the neighborhood.
Thanks again for the great times! We have it good in Utah BMX
Skicruz
Let's play bikes!
See you soon.
