Of BMX tracks, Lumberton and bitching-moaning

[tommydone]

BRING BACK THE DUST BOWL,IM WITH YOU DUDE EHT is the closest track to my house and its about an hour away.Ill help with the Dustbowl plans.Hell just having me involved makes it a success already.AND THATS THE BOTTOM LINE CAUSE TOMMYDONE SAID SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bmxmom156]

but dont you agree that if no one came to the website and there were no conversations going on that that “apathy” would cause the shut down of this site?

its the people that make the website more so than the person who made it. its the people that keep coming back to whatever( website track etc) that make it successful.

if there are no volunteers or a limited amt of them then the ones who are there get burnt out and eventually themselves stop coming.

so in fact you are agreeing with the board when they say that each track is in fact its own business and only ressponsible for itself? not to help out each others track is nonproductive in this sport.

in ct they all helped out last weekend for the race. they even opened the local on sunday an hr later to help accomodate the riders coming from the national. so do yo think they should have said oh screw you we are running our local at 1pm regardless? then lose the volunteers who helped out there also?

so what do the riders do when their local track becomes unsuccessful? and possibly shuts down?esp when they are mostly rookies, i would bet they play baseball, etc rather than drive 2 hrs to eht or howell. there goes more riders…

[bmiddaugh]

Wow, a philosophical discussion, I like this.
If no one came to the forum section, I would still do this for myself, because I love BMX to the point where I am nuts enough to just run around and take pictures and write stories as part of my way of contributing. (I say part because no one should ever be afraid to yell at me to grab a broom or shovel when I am talking too much, lol). The forums were actually an afterthought, that everyone seemed to enjoy.
If I stopped covering races, told people who wanted to contribute to the site, “what do you know about BMX”, or showed a level of immediate distrust”, this place would collapse. Instead everyone who comes on here who shows that crazy love for BMX gets a place to hang and laugh with their buddies off the track. Some people come, others leave, but content on the front gets updated, controversies get started and fun ensues.

What I am trying to say in as nice a way as possible is that sometimes things have to change in a dramatic way. If a track loses ridership or for that matter an entire sport, then there is a reason or reasons for this happening. Sometimes it takes an extreme event such as tracks closing because people lose enthusiasm or whatever the reason to allow new people the chance to go out and try to have a go at running a track.

NJBMX made 10,000 flyers for 4 tracks in the state.
NJBMX made 400 posters for 4 tracks in the state.
One track in Ct alone passes out 35,000 flyers.
And you all know what I went through just to get 10,000 flyers made.
If local kids truly want a BMX track, they will make it happen.
If guys like Dave and Chris were to somehow build a new track, I believe they would kill themselves telling everyone in 75 miles about it and treat every new kid or potential kid with the spark of enthusiasm they had when they first started.
THAT is what is needed.

I already talked about SC putting up the sign on Rte 9.
Do you know that when I was at HC last year for the state race there was not even a sign out in front of the library stating that the race was going on?
It’s funny I completely understand what you are saying but new tracks need to pop up in areas where people want them and will push them to new heights.

[4130forlife]

i think im starting to hate all this talk about crap bmx tracks and clip pedals and all this..as of right now.. i dont give a sh1t anymore..

time for beer.. bye byes

[bmiddaugh]

I will leave this off topic part of the post with this.

CJBMX amassed over 20g in the bank to pay for all the things it has made come true over these past couple years, and CJ has not even been in continous operation, it had to close in 1987 and reopened in about 1992.

Now EHT and HC have been in continous operation since 1981-82.
So I would assume that these tracks must have even more money accumulated than CJ has. So why doesn’t every track in NJ have a massive facelift like CJ.
Just for the record, the makeover took Tom Ritz on his machine, Scott on an earthmover and about 5 or 6 active volunteers. I say active because there was a lot of people there during the makeover but about 5 or 6 guys at a time doing stuff. um…no point in getting run over by a tractor, lol. So no it doesn’t take 50 volunteers to redo the track.
Oh and before I came along why wasn’t anyone in the state out actively pursuing donations to their 501c3 charitable organization?

Why, why, why.
A few people in BMX racing in NJ really get aggravated with me, but ya know what, isn’t the statement I just made one that makes sense to anyone on this board?

I want Tommydone, Chris and Dave to jumpstart something, dammit I want some racer in this freaking state to start something someplace so we can finally push this thing forward.
Dammit start being BMX racers and frigging lead, isn’t that what this racing thing is all about trying to take the lead and running with it?
I can tell you what freestyle is all about.
PROGRESSION.
Has racing progressed in NJ in the last 6 years?

[bmiddaugh]

Just in case anyone is wondering, Debbie is the coolest in my book, she does give me great opporutunities to vent though. 🙂

Dave, what up man? Drinking beer ain’t bringing new kids to the track brutha, and you know what, you are one of the few guys who when we drop a new BMXer in front of them you act like you’re their new dad.
So stop this whole, I don’t give a shit charade, when I know that you want these new kids to get the same excitement we had when we were kids riding.
The only way to do it is if there are some new freaking places popping up with guys who have the insatiable lust for BMX that you do. Why don’t you put down the can, pick up the phone call Rod and get some shit happening.
I’ve had enough of this shit, where the heck is Caputo? He was the one with the inside track to Toms River.

[BIGANT-DOG]

awwwww hell ya done pissed him off!!!!!! 😈

[4130forlife]

it just seems pointless.. if i had a car id go everywhere and dop what i can.. man.. flamington sucks.. totally sucks.. its been the same way for 15 years.. why WHY cant they or we make it better.. cause we need to rip that place down and start anew..adding another lame long ass pointless straight did not make that place better..arg..

and i do call rod all the time.. i have no desire to run a track or start a new one.. 3 in the state is fine..

[bmxmom156]

i just dont want to hear ppl bi*ch and moan on this weekend when the track isnt smooth as glass, too many rocks, yada yada…blah blah blah..when everyone stays in their little comfy cacoon and dosnt go out and help other tracks then dont complain if its not up to your standards…

in the past few yrs i have seen a few well intentioned older riders come and go with big plans and ideas that never seem to materialize. all offering to “take over” the track and start something new…well where are they today? for whatever reason they come and go… everyone has stuff in their life to do and we are all busy, but excuses are like you know what….

i dont know where they got 20K i can tell you i doubt very much eht or hc has that kind of cash in the bank… maybe they do who knows….i doubt each has the $$ to lay out for a total track redo. what i am talking about is free.. manpower dosnt cost much just time and sweat. but you cant have 1-2 men doing it all. before the cj redo how many dads/ riders were there grooming /maintaning the track on a weekly basis?

howell must have ppl who live pretty close who work on the track regularly. thats the key esp with gas prices nowadays.

back 8-10 yrs ago it was jim mulhern and his boys and sig and chris klamka who used to be at flem religiously ( after steve bevins passed) twice a week to make sure that the surface was smooth, the weeds were gone and the grass was cut. neither of them are active anymore and no one has taken over to the extent that they have but not for lack of trying. riders have been put in charge of that and dont show up, for whatever reason. they have been given free races, even being pd for it, but no riders want to commit on a weekly basis. but it cant be done by 1-2 people
i dont know what the answer is but boycotting a track is not the answer.

[4130forlife]

i dont boycott it.. it just aggrivates me that the longest standing track on the east coast sucks incredibly..

ill go.. i just have no desire to ride there really..

and i do think osamabinmartin made dubs out of the 1st turn, and that wackjob fillipone cried about them

[bmiddaugh]

Rich Carolan offered to front the whole cost of redoing Flemington.
And…

So if riders don’t want to take care of the track.
and parents don’t want to take care of the track.
Maybe it’s time for a new group of people to start a track where there are people who can take care of it.
That’s my point of this whole thing.

How the heck did BMX racing get so broken in this state?
Wait, LMAO.
After being at that state meeting where all kinds of new good ideas were being generated and promptly shut down by a few vocal people, where people were more concerned with who was taking who’s riders then they were thinking about how to generate interest to get new riders, where a fantastic track run by enthusiastic people was given the freaking third degree by a few people, where me and my g-f were verbally assaulted.
I think I know what the heck happened to BMX in this state.

Why do all the kids who start racing quit and start freestyling…
I believe I have found many answers in my quest.

In my opinion, HC could have had a total rebuild thanks to Rich, which would have taken some of the heat off the few volunteers busting their ass to keep it up. But instead, and again this is my opinion, he was blown off for whatever reason, and after my lambasting in January, I think I know why. Rich is a decent guy who wanted to help and boom, shut down. Not everyone is Brett Middaugh who will continue to take shit and be a martyr for BMX, most people will just say f-you, have a good life.
I have talked with everyone involved in BMX racing in NJ.
Who’s doing it right?
In NJ? CJBMX
Overall TPBMX (they got the 501c3 going strong but CJ still gets more motos, I see a potential for strong growth there at TP)
Everyone else better start asking Glen, Scott, Vinny, Resz, Lisa and the rest of those BMX racing yahoos what they are doing.
CJ’s regional was just shy of the East Coast National and right with the CT Nats last weekend, and it was by far the biggest regional in the country. Why? Does everyone think I am in love with CJ so much? Nah folks, somebody is doing it right and it makes sense to get behind them and push harder.
Why are egos so damn big in BMX that people won’t say, hey Vanuch, what the hell are you doing out there with Resz and the gang that is making a difference.
Damn people, why do freestylers just do stuff and racers go on and on about changing things but then don’t.

(um disclaimer this rant was not directed at Debbie but just a ventilation of things that have been bugging me, thanks all)

[bmiddaugh]

it just aggrivates me that the longest standing track on the east coast sucks incredibly..

Yes folks.
Flemington NJ has had a BMX track since 1979.

Be that as it may, there seems to be MAJOR BMX interest in the Metuchen-Edison area. Perhaps interest should be put there for BMX where a need could be fulfilled.

[BIGANT-DOG]

There is gonna be a track in this area. In the next 2 years. It may take a while but i want to see one. Iwant to be able to go around the corner to just ride, not drive down the highway on saturday or sunday.

Sometimes i do not even want to race, but if i don’t I have nowhere else to go.

[sickryder83]

me danny gary and matt busted our ass working on that track to get it better for the state race. unfortunatly we didn’t get to do all the things we wanted to do because of the rain. we were out there in the pouring rain today trying to form jumps with no machine. but we know it has to be done. we have things that we are going to do to the track that will make it a lot better, but we don’t want to start it before the state race, and not be able to finish it. everyone complains about the track, but when we organmize a work day nobody shows up. and matt does treat his volenteers well. he always buys food and drink for the people that help out. so it basically come down to this. If you don’t like the way a track is, you show up to a work party and help out. we are more than open to people’s opinions, as long as they are willing to help make those changes.

[4130forlife]

if i had a car.. id be there

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