Wednesday 15 October 2008

All exposure is good PR

Yesterday I was just flickin around on facebook when Shaun "the machine" Kelly posts this on my wall;
Juan Watney is the Ramsey kids hero! Forget the power rangers, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney. A bloke for ramsey riding a kids 20" wheel bike, is the main man! Legend!
Yer, I was as confused as you are, it turns out that in one of the Papers over here (The Isle of Man Examiner if you want a copy) has an article in, oh my god your not ready for this, im sat here chuckling to myself, are you sitting down?...



I was in stiches, so from now on, I shall be refered to as Hero, and will not be answering to any other names. Once you've stopped laughing I guess this is a great thing for BMX over here. The club get a couple of paragraphs in the Manx Independant everyweek to print the results from the previous Sundays racing but normally due to so much going on on the rock are hard pushed to get stuff in.
The way I see it, getting people into BMX is all about good PR, the Olympics was great for us as a sport but now we need to jump on it and work hard to get people in. Over the next 6 months I'm gonna be so pro-active and in everyones face they'll be sick of me, but they'll be talking BMX, riding BMX and hopefully racing too. Anyhow just thought I'd let you all see what made me laugh.

Sunday 12 October 2008

5000+

It's just another Sunday night after a national, isn't it? Ok so 1st things 1st, this time for the 2nd race running I haven't been camping, I've been stopping with Sutty and Sweep at Hoops HQ. These guys have helped me so much over this season and for nothin more than the thanks I can give them, so once more, I know its not much but thank you. Ooooooh its the end of the season, maybe a list of thank you's is in order... Maybe later. Anywho, on Thursday, after squeezing 2 full race bikes, and other assorted crap into a singular bike bag and heading over to Leeds for some night time entertainment (make of that what you will) and Friday Morning I trained it over to Warrington to meet up with Mr Hoops and check out his new Vito, the BMX motor of choice, I'm sure you'll read all aboot it over at sutty.blogspot.com.

So after not really getting a gate practice at home since Coppull Friday was a pretty slow start for me. You know, things take time to get fine tuned and I know how to take a Friday gate session, loosen up and just let it happen. Having wannabe coaches left right and centre telling you your gates are wack and "do this," "do that," doesn't help, I'm sure its meant in the nicest way but its ridiculous, everyone's an expert you know? And especially as I've never been down to EIS, or done gate analysis, or planned a disertation on it, lucky these people are here to tell me drive forward and not pull up so much.

Saturday went ok, got a 3. 3. in my moto's but wasn't as clear of the gate as normal so was getting abit of elbow bashing down the 1st straight. but 2 moto's, whats the theory? Don't have all 3 on the Saturday because then you'll only have semi's and final's on Sunday and that wouldn't be good for spectators. Or was it, don't have all 3 moto's on Saturday because people who're out will go home and not stop the night? Whatever the thinking is Saturday seemed like an absolute non-event to me, after my 2nd 19+ moto I was ready for a lunch and a drinks break, not to go home.

Sunday and it was all or nothing, 1st lap I noticed that my knee's where pretty sore but guessed that a warm up and a few more laps would sort that, so 1 lap, then another, 5 laps later I limped off to the sidelines to contemplate what the hell I was gonna do, I could hardly clip in with my right leg, let alone snap on it. I needed a 6th to be on 12 points and go through to the main, I snapped, my head was telling my leg to push and some other useless part of me was saying "woah now, that hurts, stop it!" So last to the 10 meter line, 7th to the 1st corner and the sketchiest lap of the season, pinched 4th down the lat straight and got 4th pick for the main. Rode my bike over to Mid Lancs tent, put it down, went n got some grub.

Bumbled about abit, did some stuff, and hour went past and it was main time, got my ride, headed to the pens, watered the bushes, watched TJ nose everything and come out ok, watched Sharpy try and get some of the action only to eat dirt big time, check it. Kieron went 2, Issit 3, Dan P 4, leaving 1 or 5, now lets be serious, that's the easiest choice I've ever made, "gate 1 cheers berni" sniggering to myself. Sat on the gate was the most perfect I've ever felt come national time, I wasn't nervous or putting stupid idea's through my head, just chilled enough to do well, "ok riders... Watch the lights." long pause, snap. huh? I haven't got my finger on the brake, errrrrrrrrrrrr. "It looks like Wans got a mechanical" (vernon kay in the background) Yer weekend over, my chain tensioner is hangin off and my wheels sideways rubbing against the chainstay, I watched the race from the finish line, Kieron won his 1st race on a cruiser, and looked rad, #1 next year if he races, no doubt in my mind. Dan H got 2nd n bagged the title so well done to them both. It still worries me how loose a 15mm spanner nut on a back wheel can get in an hour though, you know?

The only way the day could get worse is if Jacob could mess up in any slight way, the kid is amazing, so talented and handles a stack load of pressure so well. Sat up last night with the Sutton's and the calculator working out the different points scenario's; Jack Hall could win with Jacob in 2 and Jacob would still get it, anything less and things got confusing. Main time, check out bikevideos.co.uk for the video but don't expect it to be pretty, Jacob went down hard, KO'd for a couple of seconds and lay there for a good while whilst the useless "emergency responders" set about doing a shite job of sorting him out. Jacob got stretchered to the ambulance, he was battered but ok, which is such a relief, after he realised he was ok he got to realising he may have just chucked his #1 plate away, I was confident he hadn't but non of them believed me, I love being right though, and in the car there was a big trophy and a little trophy (mine) 5th overall in crowser, woop, ha, its better than last year I guess. Just sad I didn't win 1.
Wows this is going on abit, ok so there is the diaryish version, check back in the week for some pics and opinions. Oh yeah, and a big shout out to Pete Lavender, 2nd at the Brits and 8th overall in 15/16s. I can't see, I'm off to bed.