Erik Long

Dan, the point I was making was that some form of limitiation on equipment
would likely keep an advantage of wealth from becoming an advantage in
performance. As for identical bikes, it works for the Keirin riders in
Japan . . .

And I'm well aware of high-end BMX pricing. Still, $800 gets a pretty
top-notch BMX race bike, as opposed to $3-4K for a 17lb-ish road bike, maybe
you can find a deal at $1900, if you're lucky. If we can bring the overall
startup cost down to within $1000, we'll see junior numbers closer to what
we saw in the late 70's, when a viable race bike was easier to obtain.

It just seems silly for USAC (or anybody, for that matter) to expect new
young stars to rise up in the sport when the cost to join is five times the
cost of a Sony Playstation.

Let the Juniors race free, if that's what it takes. Presently, we're losing
all the real talent to video games, fast food, and YouTube. Cheap, easy,
waste-of-time kind of stuff. We have to make starting easy. As easy as
possible.

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Dan H"
To: "Erik Long"
,,
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] FW: USAC JR Talent Search
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:35:35 -0700

Eric,
Checked the price of a high end BMX bike?
How about identical bikes like in some forms of auto racing or like the
Little 500 Roadmasters? Trek is so huge now they could make a stock junior
bike. Everybody would have the same tires and everything. A component
manufacturer would have to be on board so the same stuff would be available
year after year. Wouldn't it be nice to have interchangeable stock parts?
Hello, bike shop? I need a stock junior rim and spoke set.
The only negative I can think of is being forced to buy your race bike from
only Trek or whoever.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Erik Long"
To: ;
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 9:02 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] FW: USAC JR Talent Search

>USAC needs to pull all the stops and get thier hands on Simon Cowell, Lance
>Armstrong, and Connie Carpenter for their own reality show. I'm sure that
>"American Cyclist" could be a huge success for the VS. network.
>
>Or they could just make the sport more affordable for Johnny Highschooler
>by
>enforcing a weight limit on race bikes, making it a possibility to be
>competitive on an entry-level road bike. More Moms and Dads might be
>willing to let their kids compete in a sport that requires equipment
>expenses on par with say, BMX racing.
>
>-Erik Long
>long-time XC/road racer,
>Industry schlub
>
>----Original Message Follows----
>From: "Candi Murray"
>Reply-To: cmurray@obra.org
>To:
>Subject: [OBRA Chat] FW: USAC JR Talent Search
>Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:44:20 -0700
>
>
>
>
>
> _____
>
>From: Jan Luke-Hamasaki [mailto:Luke2@ix.netcom.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 8:48 PM
>To: 'Casey Kerrigan'; 'David Douglas'; 'eric smith'; 'don melhado';
>cmurray@obra.org
>Cc: Patty Peoples MA; 'Lee, Andy'; Callan, Sam; O2 Paul Skilbeck;
>chuckwurster
>Subject: USAC JR Talent Search
>
>
>
>USA Cycling Talent Search, Powered by RacerMate, Extended to May 7th
>
>Nationwide Program Identifies Talented Juniors for Fast Track Development
>
>
>
>Good evening,
>
>I am attaching a document for your review and posting. I know that some of
>the discussion groups do not allow for attachments, so if you would be so
>kind, I would appreciate it that after you have viewed it you would convert
>and post. Please feel free to post on any LA website.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Track and road cycling ABRA, NCNCA, SCNCA, WSBA, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska
>
>
>
>
>
>Jan Luke-Hamasaki
>USAC Pacific Regional Coordinator
>
>USA Cycling
>P.O. Box 231910
>Encinitas,Ca 92023
>
>
> JLuke@usacycling.org
>
>
>tel:
>
>
>luke@usacycling.org> 760-525-8557
>
>
>
>
>
> Add me
>to your address book...
>
> Want a signature like this?
>
>
>
><< image001.gif >>
>
>
><< 2007-03-21-USAC-NTS-ExtendFINAL(2)Release.doc >>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>OBRA mailing list
>obra@list.obra.org
>http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
>Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Watch free concerts with Pink, Rod Stewart, Oasis and more. Visit MSN
>Presents today.
>http://music.msn.com/presents?icid=ncmsnpresentstagline&ocid=T002MSN03A07001
>
>_______________________________________________
>OBRA mailing list
>obra@list.obra.org
>http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra
>Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Mortgage refinance is hot 1) Rates near 30-yr lows 2) Good credit get
intro-rate 4.625%*
https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=100000035&url=%2fst.jsp&tm=y&search=mortgage_text_links_88_h2a5f&s=4056&p=5117&disc=y&vers=743