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Remembering Those Who Rode 2006 - Post Ride Reflections & ThoughtsThis is a discussion on Remembering Those Who Rode 2006 - Post Ride Reflections & Thoughts within the GMB V forum, part of the Garrett Michael Berg "Remembering Those Who Rode" Memorial Foundation category; Greetings All,
Please use this Thread to Post your Thoughts & Reflections on this years [2006] Garrett Berg Remembering Those ... |
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#1
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| Greetings All, Please use this Thread to Post your Thoughts & Reflections on this years [2006] Garrett Berg Remembering Those Who Rode Memorial Race. I will post my "thoughts and reflections" soon. |
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#2
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| Well this year was alittle different again for me.......but better. I got to bring my family with me. They all said they had a blast. The girls became attached to Shannon real soon. Its seems she is way cool! The Machoboy became attached to anything that moved or did not move! He told me he had a couple of new friends and he gave them his phone number. If he stole your drink........oops he gets that from his mom. I enjoyed watching all the boys get dirty and into everything. It won't be to long and they can give Clint, mxMike and DBK a hard time on the track, then the table will be turned! The trip down took alittle longer, it seems girls like to stop and do ....you know girl stuff. As you know I didn't have insurance so I couldn't really ride, so I just putted around and enjoyed talking to alot of "new" folks on saturday. It was way hard not to twist the trottle and ride with some of you as you rode saturday. But the bike didn't sit long. Shannon rode it 1st. She just got on it, 2 kicks and was gone. I might have had alittle pride/tear of joy when she rode my bike. She came back grinning from ear to ear. B-Bike rode it next and seemed to really enjoy flogging it,lol. I think he thought it was a mini bike. Mad Jack rode it next and he seem to have fun also. Saturday night we didn't stay long at Big M's house. But I did get my dip from Miss Donna. My kids was starting to get in that Macho mood....lol. So we ended the night early and hit the hay. Sunday morning came and we all got to the track. The people at Splendora did a great job. Mike ask me to ride the 393 around the track to check and see how deep the dirt was because Shannon was going to ride it on the lap of honor. I cannot tell you what I felt as I rode the "393" around the track alone. It was a honor and the thoughts/feelings will be cherished. When I finished the lap. Mike was at the gate waiting on me. I suspect he knew what I was feeling out there. Jedi then got the honor of doing it also. But I'll let him tell his story. So I thought well thats over with, now I can relax and I have said my prayers and shed some tears. Ole Mike was not done with me yet. He asked me to follow Shannon on the lap of honor and help her if she needed any. I knew I couldn't do it by myself so I asked Jaybird(Jason, one of Garretts riding buddies) to help me. Jason said he would be honored. So we did the lap of honor and at the top of each jump Shannon would roost the bike and a hugh pile of roost would hit me in the chest. I thought to myself I wonder where she learned that....I knew with no doubt from her dad and brother. Thanks Mike for letting me share something so special between your family. So now the races begin. I told Boyd the 104 bike was his for the day except for the lady class.(That has to be said with Jedi around). It was a complete honor for me to have two people I think very highly of riding my bike for the day. I got to flag the tripple step up........:kirtwell DUDE its the best place on the track. I enjoyed myself so much up there. I got to do the triple with Motoman Jim, Jedi, TSQUARED, LAWDOGGIE, Kirtwell and a whole host of others. I would give a little hollor out as they flew by. I often forgot I was suppose to be flagging.,lol. Dave would hollar at me when he needed too. From the guys singling it, to doubling it, to clearing it.....they all was having a blast and I had the chance to experince it with them. I watched Satch do it many times saturday also. FYI DBD almost cleared it during his race. I was like dang Dane back it down bro! So the races began and it was time for the Garrett Berg class. I ran to my bike and Ole Mike again got me. He said(notice said) Macho your riding the 393! I was like dang Mike!!!!!thinking -I planning on guarding Cody with Bobby(racer92). So we made plans to hook up at the finish line jump. It was cool as people passed and would hollar as they went by and moved in front of me and throw some roost. My day was more than I could have dreamed. To follow Cody on the 393 bike! So after the GMB class I ran back to get my spot back on the triple. I so much enjoyed watching everybody. I think Boyd was actually giggling as he would jump through the triple. He looked like he was having a blast. I felt so sorry for Brent and Jim as they both got hurt. I know what they was going through because that was me last year. So finally the pro class took off. Robbie is so freaking smooth and fast.....the other three guys in the pro class where hauling and looked good too. But the way he stayed the same lines and no extra work to ride....it was just a treat to watch him. Thank you Robert Reynard for raising two very find adults for others to learn from. You did a great Job. Now how all of you made my family feel so welcome. They feel in love with you people at this event. Abbie tells me she is moving to Texas when she gets out of college.They see why I have came for the last 5 years. They too will be back. You will get to see my young ladys grow up, just as I have seen Shannon. I still got a special place for darn girls in my heart. Shannon your Uncle Mark is proud of who your becoming. Big M and Vintage Dave thank you for being Texas men. It was so awesome of you guys doing what you do. For the ATM group and Riderdown group ya'll did a great thing with Cody.It was so much of an honor and fun for me to be one of the guys to follow him around the track. See ya next year more to follow Last edited by Macho393; 10-02-2006 at 10:00 PM. |
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#3
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| It was great to see everyone again this year and to meet new people. I would personally like to THANK everyone who helped make this event another huge success. I will not try to name everyone, because those who helped know who you are. Secondarily, I do not want to risk leaving anyone out by accident. This awesome event is a compilation of the dedicated efforts of a large group of people. There are portions of the Garrett Berg Remembering Those Who Rode Memorial Race weekend that are emotionally tough for me and my family and that is OK. The emotions are expected – truth be known these same emotions are part of life. During the past 212 weeks I have seen many good things happen that are associated with the life and death of Garrett. Hopefully, in some small way my family can give something back to those who gave so much to us during our darkest hours. This year, this year was personally very special for me. I could not possibly name them all, but some of the many things that “stick out” vividly in my memory are: The SMILE of Cody Strout. I found it to be addicting. His courage and attitude are beyond words and unbelievable for his years. I know many adults that could take lessons from him. Clearly his parents have got “it” down. The attitude displayed and their courage is “Second to None.” Shannon riding her brothers bike during the memorial laps. I know her brother was watching and smiling. Me, I was looking for some windshield wipers to work. “That’s My Girl.” Meeting Cherie and her family. She is a super lady who gives much too so many. Truly a heart of gold. Thanks! Robbie Reynard for taking the time to race in and be part of this Memorial Race. I hope you will come back next year. You Sir are a good man. James Marshall coming by my home Friday night and spending a few hours with us. James you are inspiration to me. If you need me – simply call. The giving spirits of Mark and Vicki Medley – unbelievable. Finally, finally meeting Macho’s family. That boy got lucky! Cody’s face when he received his first trophy, 1st place trophy too! As they say, “priceless.” Meeting new ATM’ers that I have never met. You know who you are – as the song says, “Thanks for the memories” and I hope to see you again next year. The “conversation” and the fine cigar. One ole guy to another ole guy. Dee and Michele – THANKS for everything. The track was AWESOME and the flowers and the work at the “trees” – it blew me away. I needed those windshield wipers again. Watching Macho, Satch and Jedi ride Garrett’s bike. I know Garrett was watching – perhaps riding too! Thinking about my brothers in Hollister, Wildomar and Cantonment. The guys at RiderDown.org. Super guys with a great cause. I will not forget those smiles either. The food at Howard and Donna’s. Way, way too good. The people who keep coming, year after year after year. THANKS for the privilege of allowing my family get to know you. There were so many things that made this weekend so special that I cannot mention them all. I left this year really tired, somewhat emotionally drained BUT I felt good inside. I still find “all of this” hard to understand – how the death of my son lead to all this. I am humbled by it all. You folks are simply unbelievable! “Motodad393” |
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#4
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| Mike and Macho, Thanks to both of you for sharing the memories of the weekend. I feel like I was there and was glad you both shared what the event meant to you both. Bill |
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#5
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#6
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| Dane and I just rolled into Phoenix and are bedding down after an almost 1300 mile day. To tired to post what I want to tonightand will do it tomorrow after I arrive home. |
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#7
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| This was a great year and the memories will be cherished forever. How can it keep getting better and better every year? Mr. and Mrs. Berg and Shannon- I just don't know how you do this each and every year. It has to bring your feelings so close to the surface and it is amazing that you have us out each year to celebrate Garrett's life as well as all the other people that have lost their lives in this great sport. I just want to thank you for sharing in these moments with us as a group as we have all grown from the experience each and every year. It was great meeting and talking with Cody this weekend. What a wonderful and friendly kid with great things to say. Now I know why everyone has been calling him such a wonderful young man. Watching him ride was another beautiful moment and I know there are going to be some great pics of the event. My regret is that I didn't personally get to meet his parents. Coming in late to the event really had me wondering who all the new faces were and by the time I figured it out it was too late. It was great seeing Cody's dad ride Sunday! It was great seeing everyone out there and I will make sure that Zoo gets there next year to see everyone and enjoy the event. Boyd- I don't know if you know this but I was in tears after you talked to me. You had some amazing things to say and I just wanted to say that I love you dearly. I hope you and your lovely wife made it back safely. As it has already been said, I do not want to leave anyone out so I am not mentioning names but you are all amazing people and thank you for the good times together this weekend. |
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#8
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| Thanks for the warning, Cherie. But it wasn't that long of a read if you were there. You say we're stuck with you? That's okay. I've been stuck with worse and you seem to fit right in. Apart from your famous brother that we all admire, your family is very much like the rest of us. We love the sport and we love each other. I'm looking forward to seeing you and your family more and watching Caitlin and Austin grow up. I will have some thoughts to share in this thread about my own experience later. As for now.....I have a CRF250R to go tear apart so I can find out why all the oil is still at Splendora. I'm out for a bit. I'll take pics so you can all give your opinions. |
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#9
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| ***WARNING LONNNNNNNNNNNG READ!!!*** Hmmm where to begin with my full weekend of GMB. Well we will start at the beginning. This was my first trip to the race and meeting most of the people. I was soooo excited. Had no clue what to expect, but I just knew I wouldn’t be disappointed and I wasn’t. We left and made the long 5 hour drive down, found the hotel finally got checked in and then headed to Mr. Berg’s. As we were about to leave the parking lot Cody and his parents, Josh and Shell, showed up. I stopped and jumped out and gave everyone hugs. Cody looked so much better then the last time I saw him. So they checked in and they followed me to the Berg’s house. Whipping through all the traffic in Houston, we finally made it there. We could tell we were there cause there were bikes in trucks, on trailers, and white closed trailers parked down each side of the street. AS we come up to the drive we are greeted by everyone. And my tall hubby, Dan got put to use immediately hanging the sign. I had so many people coming up saying hi telling me there real name and then their ATM name. Man can that get confusing quick! So I was very happy to have the blue tape name tags. Soon it felt like a giant family reunion..kids running everywhere (mine being crazy, but you can’t say I didn’t warn you), people sitting everywhere exchanging mx stories. It was great! Plus the food was excellent! I love MEXICAN food! Around 9pm we headed back for the hour drive to the hotel. I really wanted to wait for James Marshall to show up, but my kids were beyond tired. I guess we just missed him. BUMMER! Saturday we headed to the track for practice day. It is always great to be out at the track to me…it is like breathing in the best air there is. It energizes me. My kids instantly made friends with the other munchkins running around the pits. They found a friend in Lyn who had Pringles!!! (Good thing I stocked her back up for Sunday) The kids played in the dirt the entire time. Got to spend a little time on a 4-wheeler (a first for my kids) and I took my daughter on a bike ride. AND it has been a long time since I have been on a bike. It was great. Near the end of our time there I made a trip over to the Garrett’s memorial site. There was red roses there. Even in the heat they looked perfect. I said a prayer and thanked him for being the man he was and for creating a bond between so many people that I was so proud to be a part of now. Later that evening we found our way over to Howard’s place. This time a much shorter drive, but an equally or even more so crowded street. I made my cookie salad in the hotel room and brought it to share with my new extended family, along with chips and more Pringles. The deep fried turkey…YUM! My hubby loved the beer butt chickens. The kids…well I think they had more caffeine and loved chasing all the neighbor cats. OOO and sorry Howard when you have birdseed growing in your yard in a few weeks; you can think of me as you are cussing it. Of course this is where a few got to witness me being Cherie or a Reynard…as I stepped off of the back wooden porch stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle….down I went. Thank God I was the only one at the time walking around taking pictures! At least I gave everyone a laugh. AS the bugs came out in force we rounded up the kids and headed back to the hotel. Of course Cody’s mom, Shell and I had a little wine while waiting for Robbie, my very late brother to show up. So I took him over to Howard’s to store his bike/truck around midnight. Sorry for the late wake up call! Then it was the day. I got up every hour on the hour not wanting to miss the alarm. I ended up getting out of bed at 6am. I was so ready for the day. AS we were getting to the track a little late there was a fog over everything… but the sun soon chased that away. WE parked and I ran up to where they were having riders meeting. So I thought. I get up there and they are giving Cody his gear that was given to him by Tucker Rocky. It was awesome. I stood down at the bottom of the tower taking pictures of everything. Then Mr. Berg mentioned that there was a special guest there today and pointed to my brother driving in circles looking for a parking spot. Then he called me to the tower. This is where I became speechless…hard to believe for those who I talked your ear off. Remember I lack adult conversation during the week with 2 kids! LOL I get up there and Mr. Berg said they had a special award for me for everything I have done. There was a collective group of people who helped come up with it and I thank each and every one of you. I rarely get surprised, but I was completely blown away. I received the “Garrett M. Berg Spirit Award” I have read those words many times. The plaque is mounted on the wall next to my computer, so I can look at it and remember the kindness you all showed me. It is a huge honor to be given such an award! I am again left in tears and speechless. WOW Thank you thank you! The day continued to be a great day until I went over to take some pictures of the Over 30 class on the starting line. I was checking the boots for sale out and heard the start take off. I looked up to see two guys down on the start. I walked over there and noticed one of them not getting up. So I squeeze through the fence and ran over there and realized how DEEP the sand was on the start. Very nice, but bad for running! I get over there and it is Jim, aka motoman. He looked up at me and said I broke it…it is my shin. I kneeled down and held his leg for him. The next minutes were all about making him as comfortable as possible and getting him in the ambulance. (which was a task in that sand) I stayed with him through the entire bumpy ride as we got stuck in the sand and then freed by the tractor, and then flying through the sand, bumps, mud, etc. Until we finally made it to the front gate. I leaned over gave Jim a big hug and told him to take care and let me know if there was anything he needed. I figured he was going to be feeling a little better soon enough…the other EMT just gave him some morphine and other people were coming so I wanted to stay out of the way. It was a good thing that for 10 yrs before I had kids I was an athletic trainer and had lots of experience with dealing with injuries. I hope we didn’t inflect any extra pain on you Jim. You are one stuff man! After that I dusted all the sand off myself and the races continued. Half time came and they had auctions. Lots of great stuff. Robbie took my son, Austin out for a lap with Cody in the ATM class. Robbie said he sang “YoHo YoHo Pirates life for me” the entire time. He loved it and now wants his own bike..so maybe by next year he will get to race the GMB. My husband even loved it…of course watching macho kids react to Dan’s height and to meeting Robbie was priceless, but my husband’s favorite was Marshall singing “My humps” He knew every word! LOL My son attempted to make you a camp fire even though it would have been much better for him to be figuring a way to make an A/C out of sand and sticks. LOL Dang was it humid on Sunday. Also getting to be right there when Mr. Berg gave Cody his 1st trophy ever!!! He was grinning ear to ear. Seeing his face I looked at his mom and asked her if it was the 1st and her smile assured me it was. What a day Cody getting his 1st trophy a the GMB. It was such a priceless day I talked and met soo many wonderful people this weekend. There were so many great jokes and memories. I feel like I have a whole new family. I love each and every one of you! Thank you for the wonderful memories. My husband and I were talking about what we will do next year when we come. The trip home flew by and now we have memories. Just like I told Cody’s parents after my 1st meeting with them in St. Louis…you are stuck with me! I just hope that all of you are OK with that! Once again thank you Garrett for leading me to this great group of people, because I know you had your hand in this. God Bless you all ***Man I told you I was long winded! Thanks for putting up with my obnoxious kiddos too…they loved every minute! Cherie |
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#11
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| I've thought long and hard about what to write here. In years past, it's taken me a few days or weeks to soak everything in, to process it all and to recover from the travel time. I couldn't wait for this weekend to arrive, I was so excited to experience it for the first time since moving here. It was such an honor to be able to offer people a place to stay, to be able to give back a little of the kindness that has been show to me and my family over the past few years. Friday night at the Berg's was awesome. No, it was more than that really. I enjoyed seeing familiar faces and meeting new people for the first time. We laughed lots, joked around, told big stories..you know, the usual. What impacted me the most though was meeting James Marshall. If you ever have the opporutunity, talk to him. His outlook, his attitude is just amazing. He's been through so much and speaks with so much confidence that he'll walk again. He's got a sound mind and he'll tell you so. Watching the look on his face as Casey fired up Garrett's 450 was enough to bring tears so close to the surface. It was like I could see all these emotions on his face...it was one of those things where you just had to be there. It was special and it is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. When I ride, I ride to have fun and I'll be darn sure to be thankful that I still have the ability to ride. Saturday practice was a blast. I put in lots of laps and rode with quite a few different people. Taking laps with b-bike was a new thing for me and something that I've looked forward to for a long time. Thanks for the ride brother. I had so much fun on Saturday. Riding with Prag, Jaswhitt and Jedi along with everyone else was just so darn cool. Also, Anna rode her 90 around the pits and I got to follow here. I hate to admit it, but it was so hard not to get all emotional. Man...riding with everyone else was awesome, riding with my daughter was probably the coolest thing I've ever done. She's doing so well and I am so proud of her. Sunday was HOT HOT HOT...the day was long and I hated to see Jim hurt. I know how much he was looking forward to coming down here. I'm sure glad he was here though and I'm very glad he brought the Tooth Fairy and Randy with him...what a couple of great guys. Tooth Fairy...you wore the wings...that was so freaking cool!!! You rock! Usually on Sunday when racing is over I feel incredibly sad because in the past I knew that it would be a long time before I got to see most everyone again. This time wasn't like that. It was just like...ok, time to go home. Yes...home, I live here, I don't have to get on a plane, how freaking cool is that??!!!! All in all a great weekend. I'm really proud to be part of the ATM family. For the most part, everyone stepped in and picked up a flag when needed. I know we missed out on some fellowship, but you guys are awesome. My kids had a blast, the man had a blast racing for the first time. He loves his new bike. And I left this weekend feeling...refreshed and uplifted. Knowing that there are so many great people that I'm fortunate enough to call friends. I hate that we gather because of the loss of one young man, but I still believe to this day he'd be so proud of his legacy. Godspeed Garrett! |
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#12
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#13
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| I'm not really ready to say everything I have to say but I will share one particular part of the weekend that was very, very COOL! I watched the video I got of the weekend and I was reminded just what a fight Don "Olschoolfool" put up in his first moto of the expert class. He came out with second place to Robbie Reynard. How many of us nobody's can say that!?! I stood on the tunnel jump with Satch where he was flagging. We had a blast watching Don hammer that old 250. The silencer needed repacking and you will definitely notice it when I post some video. I have 148 MB of video so I'm sure I will have to break it down into several vids. |
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#14
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| So true! He did a good job out there. |
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#15
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| Mr. Berg is an amazing man and more importantly someone that is easy to talk to. Our "conversation" has left me in awe of the man. I have many many fond memories of the trip and weekend but this was definitely the BIGGEST highlight of my weekend. This pic speaks a thousand words to me. |
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#16
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| Where does one, who experienced this event for the first time, start to explain everything from this incredible weekend. I was the lucky recipient of many fine things over the course of the last several days. I finally got to meet the parents (Bergs) who raised such a fine young man as well as “cyber space” friends. I cannot possibly remember everything that happened during this whirlwind trip into Texas but to all of those I met for the very first time and to those I had already met and rekindled the friendship it was my pleasure. I experienced the lows of a family who had lost a respected loved one to the highs of belly splitting laughter. Let me say right away that the humidity was an unwelcome feeling for this Southern California mx’er. I grew up in Chicago but that was light years ago and I was not prepared for the thick air. Friday was filled with anticipation of the evening at the Berg’s home. Upon arriving and being introduced to the folks already there, the on-line impression I had of the ATM people being the best was confirmed. I felt confident I made the right decision to attend this event. The food was fantastic and the socializing was more fun in person than on-line. Saturday was practice day at the track. We rolled up and within 3 seconds of stepping out of the truck I was at the fence looking at the track. We couldn’t get the truck and trailer unloaded fast enough. The track was well prepped and more fun than most of the track here in the mecca of mx. Got to meet some that couldn’t make it to the Berg’s home on Friday night. The track was so much fun that I rode a lot, so much that I went through 2.5 gallons of gas and could hardly hold on any more. I finally decided to pull off and call it a day. More socializing and then loaded up so we could get back to the hotel and cleaned up before we headed off to Howard’s. Saturday night at Howard’s home was another evening of excellent food and socializing. Laughter is such a great elixir. I was fortunate enough to be able to share a very nice Macanudo cigar and more importantly some very open and heart felt conversation with Mike Berg. While talking with Mike I realized the man bears his soul when talking to us on the board or in person. He was the one who has suffered through the loss of a child yet he delivered positive words that I wish every parent could have experienced. An excellent “conversation” with and outstanding person. BTW, as I brought out the cigars, Howard took one whiff, decided to fall off the wagon so I made another trip to the truck to get one for him. More socializing and then off to the hotel to try to get a goods night sleep. Sunday morning rolls around and the alarm clock hadn’t gone off for more than a nano-second before I was out of bed and getting dressed. Was I anxious or what? We arrive at the track, get unloaded and dressed. The pre-race ceremonies were a mixed bag of tears and laughter. My heart felt heavy as I listened to Mr. Berg speak of his son Garrett. I came to realize, even more so than normal, that I am extremely fortunate to be able to share the passion of motocross with my son Russ and that we can do something so simple as sit on the sofa and watch television…I feel so lucky. Conversely, I felt uplifted when Cody’s dad Josh spoke of their family’s appreciation to the members of ATM for sponsoring them at the event. The racing was more fun than a grown man should be allowed to have. I really liked the track lay out and especially the terra firma. It was safe for slower riders yet challenged faster riders. I wish the tracks around here were like that. I ended the day exhausted but with a HUGE smile on my face. I hated the fact that Jim and Brent suffered through injuries this weekend. I also wasn’t fond of having to say so many good-byes at the end of the day. I feel so fortunate that I was able to attend this year’s event. I truly enjoyed myself and I hope I was able to put a smile on some faces. I was also able to procure a new sponsorship for which I will “Always” be appreciative!! Sorry for the length of this but I actually reduced what I had originally written. |
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#17
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I can feel it all with you, bro. Well said. |
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#18
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| Awesome post Easy E, people like you is what makes it special. You post "might" have affected me alittle. I will not tell! Hope to ride with you again.Your Top Shelf! |
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#19
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| yea look how long mine was! |
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#20
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| E...thanks for sharing that. Don't worry about the length of your post...it's what you said that matters. Thanks for being you! BTW...congrats on the new sponsor. |
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