Michael O'Hair

My 2 cents' worth. When I was racing years ago, I was down at the Alpenrose Velodrome and some guys had come up from San Diego for the AVC. They showed up "early" and saw people riding the track. One of the SanDiegans said, "You mean you guys can just show up and ride the track? There's no lawyers?"

The moral of this little tale is pretty simple: If you let the government into the track racing scene, you'll never get it out. They will have more and more "safety" rules and regulations. Things like no riders under 12, no riding without official supervision, and on and on.

Also, wait until the "public" hears about the proposal. I predict that there will be a big hooha about wasting government money for an obscure elitist sport that brings in no income. Given the state of the economy, there is sure to be at least a few politicians and pundits who would jump on this with both feet as an "issue."