Evan MacKenzie

Keep a couple OBRA release forms handy at home. Better yet, fill out one
with all your regular personal information and photocopy it. Leave it in
your race bag, or your car, or somewhere. If you drive to a race with
someone else, have the person who starts later take BOTH your forms to
registration and register both of you. Or if you go with your
significant other, or a friend, ask him or her to register you while you
get ready.

We've had enough discussion about the financial reality of running a
race. If you enter without paying you are stealing and you deserve to
get a frame pump through the spokes in your front wheel. If you get hurt
in that race and you did not sign a waiver, WE ALL LOSE. We could even
lose the whole race the next year.

Leave early, get there early. Lack of preparation on your part does not
constitute an emergency on OBRA's part.

And if you come upon a wee junior who is in your way, remember that
person may be the next Tonkin or Skerrit or Mazza or White...or they
could get turned off and sit at home playing video games. I'll never
forget watching Ann Grande race in Seattle in about 1998, and come
flying up on a Junior and cheer him on, WHILE running up the run-up and
passing him at full speed. We should all be such good role models.

Oh yeah, one more rant-
If you are going to park in front of someone else's car with the rest of
your buddies (or team), have at least some decency to leave your keys so
they can move your large Toyota SUV to get out after their race is done.

Darn it, I wish I had raced yesterday so I'd have something to be happy
about. Was that a great day for 'cross or what?

Evan