As I sit here it’s early November in beautiful Colorado, I’ve had a chance to reflect on our first full year of ACTIONETIX in the USA. See, we’re from Canada originally and moved to Colorado for work and we brought our small start-up with us and re-established in Colorado. Along with this move, we’ve inherited a much longer MX season than in Canada. Racing Kicker Arenacross in Colorado led to Las Vegas for the AMA armature Arenacross National Championship. This was due to my son Connor, who was 11 at the time making it in as an alternate in the 85cc 9-11 class. This of course overlapped the start of the AMA sanctioned RMXA District 25 season. It sure is easy to find a race in this neck of the woods.
With this came qualifying for the fame Championship coined the Loretta Lynne’s, where thousands of amateur riders vie for a shot at a national championship. Area qualifying started out great with some top qualifying position. Then it was off to Regionals in Oak Hill TX. This is where our son’s first “major” injury happened… a broken arm. Although it healed well, and he’s back on the charge late in the season, it as given me a chance to share my top 5 lessons from 2016.
Lesson #5: Prepare to the best of your ability. This sport is aggressive, fast and quite honestly dangerous. Get as much seat time and training in as possible so you can attack any racing scenario with confidence.
Lesson #4: Be in shape… no matter what your age. Maybe 2 hours a day in the gym is not in the cards, but as I always say five minutes of exercise is better than zero. Twenty minutes is better than ten. Check out the ARM PUMP ELIMINATION SYSTEM eBook for full training and nutrition programs to help you get in shape fast.
Lesson #3: You’ll get protested at some point, so be mentally prepared. It stings when you or your child get’s protested. You can kick and scream and make a scene or rationally discuss the situation. If you’re in the wrong… admit it because it’s the right thing to do. Then move on.
Lesson #2: Help someone else, or someone else’s kid. It takes the pressure of the parent / child relationship and brings a fresh perspective to why you participate in and love the sport of Motocross. Try it.
Lesson #1: Enjoy your time at the track. I mean it – enjoy it. Having nine weeks off from racing was somewhat difficult, but frankly a much needed break. I did make it to a few races and set up the pop up and displays to sell product and help people prep for their motos, however I enjoyed things more when I had a weekend off and then returned to the track. You come in fresh, with an open mind and simply have a better appreciation for the sport and freedom of racing a motorcycle!
Maybe something in here will click for you, maybe not… I can’t be certain. One thing I can be certain of is that 2016 was an incredibly challenging year and on hell of a learning experience.
Until next time, Grab another Gear!
Craig Stevenson, Founder and CEO