Getting a youth started

[Rambunctous]

I like your Post #1. Ride for the winter. Maybe some more in the spring. If she is doing well enough then Penquin School. If after the school she is doing okay at that point it could be time for the rookie race.

[Kurlon]

http://www.nhf-racing.com/nemmcontent.html

Oct 18th in VT.

Convince Doc to show up with his fleet, and I'll think about dragging my ass west for it. Seth's got a mini, he's in. I thought JRO had one, so she's in. Who else can I volunteer?

[seth399]

http://www.nhf-racing.com/nemmcontent.html

Oct 18th in VT.

Convince Doc to show up with his fleet, and I'll think about dragging my ass west for it. Seth's got a mini, he's in. I thought JRO had one, so she's in. Who else can I volunteer?

I will be in chicago

[csmutty]

http://www.nhf-racing.com/nemmcontent.html

Oct 18th in VT.

Convince Doc to show up with his fleet, and I'll think about dragging my ass west for it. Seth's got a mini, he's in. I thought JRO had one, so she's in. Who else can I volunteer?

Hmmmmm.

[FTMS]

http://www.nhf-racing.com/nemmcontent.html

Oct 18th in VT.

Convince Doc to show up with his fleet, and I'll think about dragging my ass west for it. Seth's got a mini, he's in. I thought JRO had one, so she's in. Who else can I volunteer?

I have an extra machine that I can bring to this if someone needs one. I can also offer a stop over point for some of you that have a long haul.

[Kurlon]

Aaron's going to be pissed if I show up, my machine breaks the rules he adjusted to fit my machine in the first place, and then never showed with...

[13]

Racing minis would be a great start! I've only done it once, but everyone was more than happy to help out the "guys who had no idea what was going on"!

Blacklightning, have I seen you riding that buell around manchester with the 636 numberplates on it? I believe I have.....

[-jro-]

http://www.nhf-racing.com/nemmcontent.html

I thought JRO had one, so she's in. Who else can I volunteer?

Yea, its still in pieces in the garage what say you to an open beer/pizza party to get the thing running Kurlon ?I really want it for next season....

as for the topic at hand- I think racing is a pretty ambitious first step if she's never ridden before. Let her ride a dirtbike, do some mini-moto,and ::gasp:: even do some street riding...she's only 15 she's got plenty of time to decide if she wants to road race or not. She really needs to get on a bike, ride, HAVE SOME FUN and then decide if she wants to be a racer or not. Just saying

[tjspeed3]

I have some experience with this. The highs are high but the lows can be real low. Some things to think about:

1. Under 16 racers are limited to Motards, 125's and PTwin bikes.

2. Cost. We ran the same bikes, so spare parts/rims/tires weren't too bad, but everything else doubles.

3. Time. Will you have the time to be sure your Novice son/daughter is fully prepared to get on to the track while you are racing yourself? Will you be able to critique their riding well enough to keep them safe while they yearn to be competitive? Maybe you could find a mentor in the same class?

4. Parenting. What role will racing play in the father/child relationship? How will you feel leaving them behind because of (fill in the blank). Would you be able to? What about your spouse or ex-spouse? If they're on board with it now, what happens if they change their mind?

5. Can you take watching your child racing? Ask someone here who watches a loved one at the track. How do they feel when the one they watch hasn't passed in a while? Red Flags will strike fear into you.

6. Will you be in the same races? This is where you don't want to be thinking about him or her. You have enough to concentrate on yourself- you don't need the distraction. It's hard not to think about them though and this will affect your racing

7. If you are in the same races, how will you feel when the little Bas&^%* gets within .1 of your PB? (Sorry, it still makes me anxious even though I got faster.). Or worse yet, he/she beats you?

When I do it again (and it's only a matter of time for the last two), I'll start them out with trackdays. Let them get comfortable with the track and bike in a red group, where an instructor can flag them down during a session if they seem to be struggling or I could follow around in a non-competitive environment watching them. The benefits of starting out like this before entering the race atmosphere will cut down on the track learning curve so when they are racing more attention can be spent on racing and dealing with the other racers on the track. I don't have any affiliations or connections with the trackday operators, and I've only been to a couple of trackdays ever. It's just that I believe learning to ride a motorcycle, at the track, in a race is a bad idea. It's a dangerous sport, you should have your sons and daughters as prepared as they can be before they get onto the track to race.

My .02

Tom J

[-jro-]

7. If you are in the same races, how will you feel when the little Bas&^%* gets within .1 of your PB? (Sorry, it still makes me anxious even though I got faster.). Or worse yet, he/she beats you?

It will look something like this

[Rambunctous]

http://www.nextmotochampion.com/

[OreoGaborio]

http://www.nextmotochampion.com/

8 Simple Rules for Parents

By Patrick J Cohn, Ph. D

It may not look like it on the track, but racing is a team sport. And for amateur racers, the “home team” usually means just that—Mom, Dad and other family members who support their racing efforts.


That puts extra responsibility on parents, who often need to fill the roles of coach, tuner and sponsor, in addition to their normal duties.


How do you juggle those complex roles? Sports psychologist Patrick Cohn offers eight guidelines for parents of amateur racers:


1. Racing should be fun. Treat it that way. With all the money in professional sports today, it is hard for parents to understand that it’s just good fun to young racers. The primary goal should be to have fun and enjoy the healthy competition.


2. Young racers compete in sports for many reasons. They enjoy the competition, like the social aspect, and enjoy the challenge of setting goals. You might have a different agenda, but you need to recognize that racing is your child’s sport, not yours.


3. Focus on the process of racing, instead of results. Winning comes from working the process and enjoying the ride.


4. You are a role model for your child athlete. Your child will see how you react to a close race or questionable behavior by a competitor. Stay calm, composed and in control at the track, so your child can mimic those positive behaviors.


5. Refrain from race-day coaching. Once at the track, athletes need to trust in their training and “just do it.” Save the coaching for practice and focus on encouragement at the track.


6. Help your athlete detach self-esteem from achievement. Too many athletes attach self-worth to their level of performance. Help your child understand that he or she is a person first, who happens to race, instead of a racer who happens to be a person.


7. Ask your child athlete the right questions. This tells your child what you think is important in sports. If you ask, “Did you win?” your child will think winning is important. If you ask, “Did you have fun?” he or she will assume having fun is important.


8. Pledge to follow the Parent’s Code of Ethics developed by the Parents Association for Youth Sports (www.NAYS.org; (800) 729-2057). PAYS provides a parental handbook and code of ethics for adults to sign before each competitive season. This is a great tool to guide parents in their interaction with young athletes.

Awesome

[Kurlon]

Yea, its still in pieces in the garage what say you to an open beer/pizza party to get the thing running Kurlon ?I really want it for next season....

This could be fun.

[Doc]

I still stick by my statement that you need SOME riding experience before getting into racing. One winter of dirtbike riding in the northeast I dont think is enough. I think racing should be the last thing to worry about, and get some riding in. Sure it looks cool from the sidelines, but would you really want to go diving into turn 1 with someone who spent 3 months riding a dirtbike, and thats it? Not sure I would.
Its great she shows interest, but throwing her in the deep end to teach her to swim doesnt seem to be the wisest thing to do.

[Doc]

http://www.nhf-racing.com/nemmcontent.html

Oct 18th in VT.

Convince Doc to show up with his fleet, and I'll think about dragging my ass west for it. Seth's got a mini, he's in. I thought JRO had one, so she's in. Who else can I volunteer?

I'm in.

[Kurlon]

I'm in.

Hopefully I can get my 70 running by then...

[Doc]

Hopefully I can get my 70 running by then...

Start a new thread.

[Kurlon]

Start a new thread.

Er, for what?

[Kurlon]

Bah, head isn't anywhere near usable yet, so I'm out.

[FTMS]

Have you heard if they still plan on running tomorrow?

[Kurlon]

AFAIK they are still running.

[FTMS]

Had a great day of racing with NEMM. Temps were a little cool but once you got racing you were fine. Great organization to ride with. If you have a chance to get to one of there events next year I would definitely recommend it.