Kristin
I have to echo this statement...I wasn't at the race this weekend because I
attended a women's mountain biking skills clinic in Hood River (which was
AMAZING by the way, dirtseries.com), and just from that experience, I was
able to get 2 riders, completely new to bike racing in general, to come out
the Short Track on Monday night. I think there are people out there who want
to race/mountain bike, we just need to make an effort to get them out there!
I know that there have been women's clinics at Short Track this year, I am
curious what the attendance has been like.
Kristin
2008/7/22 Chris Brandt :
> Skibowl has been such a long time favorite of mine. I was reflecting on
> this as I suffered up the climb one more time last Sunday. Of course, I was
> not in a particularly positive state of mind at that moment, but as a
> distraction, I was counting in my head how many times I had ridden this
> particular course over the past 15 years, multiple times per season.
>
> "Wow!" I thought to myself, "Why do I keep doing this? Am I really having
> fun?" As much as I was suffering on that climb up horsetrail, I couldn't
> help but think: "YES!" But what would make it even MORE fun was if there
> were MORE COMPETITORS to be riding/racing with. A little later, when Evan
> Plews blew by me on the backside of Multipor on the final lap, post
> derailler fix, I hopped on his wheel for a short bit. Wow. THAT was fun. I
> felt like I was actually "racing" someone as opposed to "riding hard by
> myself on a trail w/ a number plate on". I think this is one of the most
> important elements that short track and cross provides: competitor
> interaction.
>
> Don't get me wrong. I love racing at Skibowl. Skibowl is an epic, gnarly,
> badass course that tests all of your skills with very little opportunity to
> let your focus go astray. It is what could be called a "real" course, if
> there ever was one. It really is an accomplishment to finish that race in
> one piece and a true challenge. You have to admire those hardy souls that
> keep coming out each time.
>
> At the same time, I gotta say that it must be quite intimidating to newer
> riders. That is some hardcore stuff. Fortunately there are some tamer loops
> for them to learn on and all the more reason why it's a great venue.
>
> The sport is constantly evolving and participation seems to be fading a bit
> in recent years. Even at the national level. You go to a Norba race and it's
> similar, like a ghost town compared to 10+ years ago.
>
> We've talked many times on this list about the cause of our sport's loss of
> momentum mid summer. Whether it's too many early races, frequency, weather,
> price, gas prices, or whatever. I think it's always good to keep trying new
> things and if that means short track instead of XC loops, well, cool. Maybe
> it's more ultra endurance events. Maybe it's more "team" based events such
> as Mike Ripley's "Test of Endurance 50". I just think that people are less
> inclined to travel such great distances for 30-60 minutes of racing. They
> want to keep trying new things, while having a healthy mix of the old,
> familiar. THAT is what contributes to reduction of burnout. They need to
> have an opportunity to take a breather mid season, without feeling like
> they're going to lose "precious series points", etc. They need to be able to
> include their family and friends in their lives.
> Burnout is always going to be present. The very definition of burnout
> implies that a certain body of individuals are feeling like they would
> rather do something else instead. They have tired of doing the same thing
> and it seems stale. It suggests that maybe they have been doing too much,
> and the fun factor has faded. Like most things, distance makes the heart
> grow fonder and having greater time gaps between events might help
> there. Hey, if folks don't want to race, they don't HAVE to. If there aren't
> lot's of people wanting to race, there doesn't HAVE to be an organized
> "race" event. If a promoter can't break even (financially) running an event,
> they don't HAVE to put it on. We don't HAVE to be "racing" in an "official
> event" to enjoy this sport. It's not like "you're a hardcore racer or you're
> a nobody". It is ok to just go ride your bike for fun.
>
> Each year, you are always going to lose a few. Every year, some folks will
> decide that mountain bike racing is no longer their thing. Some others will
> get injured. Some will move away. Each person who does so probably has their
> own, uniquely individual reason. Those influences are out of our control.
> The ones that ARE in our control are the ones that can be understood via an
> ONLINE POLL - great idea.
>
> Re-stocking the ranks of new participants is one the most important steps,
> and that must include plenty of opportunities for new racers to get involved
> and have FUN! Why else would they want to do it? They must get recognition
> for their accomplishments and feel like it is worth it. They need to be able
> to have mentors showing them the way, experienced riders sharing their joy
> and knowledge, technique, etc. Our OBRA organization is fabulous and it
> needs to continue encouraging opportunities for new racers, both young and
> old. As individual riders, if we want to continue to see our sport grow, we
> must each make a concerted effort to include new riders and make them feel
> welcome. This is the responsibility of each and every one of us. We must all
> give something in order to get something back. Simply paying an entry fee
> isn't enough. Maybe it is also a role our OBRA organization can assist with,
> via stipends or fee discounts to promoters that make an effort to draw in a
> fresh, new crowd of beginners. It's hard to do this w/o some outside
> financial assistance, and maybe OBRA can benefit in return via increased
> sales of one day and annual memberships. I know that the growth trend has
> been huge here already and memberships have been on the rise. Maybe it's
> just the sustained, frequent participation at events that is waning,
> relative to the total number of annual licenses sold? (I am not qualified to
> make an informed statement about this subject, and am basing my opinion here
> from what I have read in the past on this list. I know there are some
> statistics floating out there that describe the trend of participation
> relative to # of licenses sold).
>
> I would say that cyclocross has grown in popularity recently for many good
> reasons, but the beginner clinics and fun component seem to be a really big
> part of it. Also, really making a strong effort with professionally
> marketing the events and creating a cool atmosphere = the scene to be at.
> Looks like Randy D. has made a wise move focussing his energy with the
> non-competitive guided tour rides instead of mid summer race promotion. He's
> being smart. As much as I loved racing Oakridge, it makes sense to me. As a
> promoter, put your energy where it pays off. (Randy: Thanks again for all
> that you have sacrificed for us!)
>
> Maybe a majority of people in OBRA-land don't actually care about MTB cross
> country racing as much any more, and they don't mind if events disappear
> mid-summer. Maybe they'd prefer to keep cramming in a bunch of events early
> season in the rainy cold months. If they do care to make a change though, I
> hope they continue to speak up. This is the time of the year to engage in
> this dialog, so that plans can be made accordingly prior to next season.
>
> Looking forward to seeing a poll. Hopefully someone on the list is savvy
> with this. Maybe hype it up on Kenji's blog?
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Chris Brandt
>
>
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