By Billy Rainford

Man, it feels weird to be home two weekends in a row! I really don’t even know what to do with myself on these “rest” days. It’s important to have a healthy work/life balance (as the kids would say). However, for me, the balance part is a little grey. I love my work! Going to the races and seeing all of you isn’t something I need a break from. It’s a great “problem” to have.

When I was younger, “work” would have meant school or a part-time job and “life” would have meant playtime…only playtime. I used to play every sport under the snow and sun, and I mean every darn one. Looking back, I don’t even know where I found the time to do it all. The older I get, the quicker days just seem to melt away.

Nowadays, “life” means trying to find a separate balance between my options. It can mean staying home and doing things around the house because I’m a “grown up” or it can mean going for a cycle or it can mean loading up the dirt bike and heading to a track to ride or it can mean heading to the beach to sneak in a day of beach volleyball.

Emily and I don’t have kids so we are more open than most our age as far as our spare time is concerned. Our “life” time consists of doing what we want for us and not getting Little Jill or Jimmy to their sport or activity of choice, which, of course, would be dirt bikes.

So now I’m in the position that I want to get out and hit a local track but I also know that I’m about to head west for the start of our Canadian Triple Crown Series which means I’ll be away from home for extended periods of time. Not only that but I’m hoping to be in Atlanta this weekend for the East/West Showdown and then at the finale in Salt Lake City on my way to Kamloops, BC to look after my mom for the month of May to give my sister a chance to get away for a few weeks.

This past weekend our nephew was in town for the final hockey tournament of the year, so that’s what we were doing all weekend and I loved it. I got into playing hockey very late but fell in love with the game as soon as I started. Watching our 13-year-old nephew play D was a great way to spend a weekend together.

But have you ever stood with the parents at a competitive hockey game? Wow.

I remember growing up with a couple close buddies who played hockey since we were in like first grade. I remember having sleepovers and hearing their parents using the word “politics” often. Little Jimmy wasn’t going to make a certain team or get played much because of the “politics” involved. I never really knew what they were talking about. I also laughed along with Saturday Night Live at 8 years old when I had no clue what the joke was…

Anyway, as I stood there behind the glass watching these kids try their hardest I couldn’t help but get caught up listening to everything that was going on around me. Most parents never stopped yelling…never. Do they think the kids are listening to them and doing what they’re telling them from the sidelines? No, they’re not.

Not only that, but the mothers started chirping each other! “What are you teaching your kids over there in X town or X city?!” We actually thought we were going to have to break up a fight on many occasions. It got that heated and it was pretty embarrassing.

They’d be screaming at the coaches, the players and the ref until they were blue in the face and their Tim Hortons double doubles were cold. I was having a hard time biting my lip. You could tell most, if not all, of them had never stepped onto the ice themselves. If they had, they’d know there was no need to constantly yell, “Get the puck out of there!!!” That’s what they were trying to do. I understand that it’s OK to get excited about the play on the ice, but this was next level stuff.

I found myself trying to relate this behaviour to our sport, and I found that I could.

We’re in a different position because we’re not playing a “team” sport, so things just aren’t exactly the same because of that but parents can be seen acting out the same way.

I can understand wanting your child to be the best and do the best they can, but at what cost? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “Behind every champion is a parent that went crazy on the sidelines.” Do you agree with that? Can someone make it to the top without being fanatically pushed by their parents or can someone make it to the top if they’re simply given the tools to succeed?

Watching these parents literally on the verge of throwing punches in the stands made me step back and take a look at their roles in the whole thing. I’m all for competition. I believe kids should strive to be their best and try hard. I do not agree with all these participation awards and I don’t agree with parents fighting each other on the sidelines because of something they believe another parent told their kids to do from behind the glass.

And yes, I’ve seen many mechanics and moto parents fighting each other because of an on track incident and I don’t agree with that either. Just like everyone is trying to find their perfect work/life balance, I think we also need to look for the right parent/mentor/coach/cheerleader balance. I’m sure it’s there.

MXGP Trentino Results and Highlights

MX2 – GP Classification
Pos Nr Rider Nat. Fed. Bike Race 1 Race 2 Total
1 28 Vialle, Tom FRA FFM KTM 25 25 50
2 74 de Wolf, Kay NED KNMV HUS 15 22 37
3 11 Haarup, Mikkel DEN DMU KAW 22 15 37
4 198 Benistant, Thibault FRA FFM YAM 16 20 36
5 101 Guadagnini, Mattia ITA FMI GAS 14 18 32
6 24 Horgmo, Kevin NOR NMF KAW 9 16 25
7 44 Elzinga, Rick NED KNMV YAM 10 14 24
8 517 Gifting, Isak SWE SVEMO KTM 11 13 24
9 38 Rubini, Stephen FRA FFM HON 12 12 24
10 516 Laengenfelder, Simon GER DMSB GAS 13 11 24
11 93 Geerts, Jago BEL FMB YAM 20 0 20
12 104 Sydow, Jeremy GER DMSB KTM 8 10 18
13 80 Adamo, Andrea ITA FMI GAS 18 0 18
14 72 Everts, Liam BEL FMB KTM 7 8 15
15 253 Pancar, Jan SLO AMZS KTM 5 7 12
16 57 Goupillon, Pierre FRA FFM KTM 2 9 11
17 87 Brumann, Kevin SUI FMS YAM 6 4 10
18 427 Fredriksen, Hakon NOR NMF HON 1 6 7
19 426 Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM 4 2 6
20 27 Guyon, Tom FRA FFM KTM 0 5 5
21 313 Polak, Petr CZE ACCR HON 0 3 3
22 35 Bonacorsi, Andrea ITA FMI YAM 3 0 3
23 192 Meier, Glen DEN DMU KTM 0 1 1
24 71 Spies, Maximilian GER DMSB KTM 0 0 0
25 368 Nilsson, Samuel ESP RFME KTM 0 0 0
26 180 Ambjörnson, Leopold SWE SVEMO HUS 0 0 0
27 53 Lata, Valerio ITA FMI KTM 0 0 0
28 224 Teresak, Jakub CZE ACCR KTM 0 0 0
29 632 Lambillon, Florent BEL FMB SUZ 0 0 0
30 563 Dieudonne, Wesly BEL FMB KTM 0 0 0
31 491 Haberland, Paul GER DMSB HON 0 0 0
32 338 Olsson, Filip SWE SVEMO HUS 0 0 0
33 50 Lugana, Paolo ITA FMI KTM 0 0 0
 
MX2 – World Championship Classification
Pos Nr Rider Nat. Bike Total GBR ITA ARG POR TRE LAT ITA SAR ESP FRA GER INA INA CZE BEL SWE FIN FRA TUR OMA
1 28 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 208 22-20 22-0 22-25 25-22 25-25 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
2 93 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 194 18-22 25-25 25-22 12-25 20-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
3 11 Haarup, Mikkel DEN KAW 169 13-14 13-14 18-20 22-18 22-15 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
4 516 Laengenfelder, S. GER GAS 154 25-25 14-22 8-16 8-12 13-11 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
5 74 de Wolf, Kay NED HUS 150 20-16 20-18 4-0 20-15 15-22 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
6 101 Guadagnini, M. ITA GAS 138 8-13 10-12 20-18 9-16 14-18 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
7 24 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KAW 136 14-12 15-13 16-8 13-20 9-16 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
8 80 Adamo, Andrea ITA GAS 133 12-10 18-20 10-15 16-14 18-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
9 38 Rubini, S. FRA HON 116 16-11 5-11 13-13 15-8 12-12 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
10 517 Gifting, Isak SWE KTM 111 7-15 9-16 14-6 10-10 11-13 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
11 426 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 96 10-8 11-9 15-12 18-7 4-2 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
12 104 Sydow, Jeremy GER KTM 80 9-7 8-2 11-14 11-0 8-10 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
13 427 Fredriksen, H. NOR HON 77 11-1 12-15 9-11 0-11 1-6 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
14 198 Benistant, T. FRA YAM 63 – – – – – – 14-13 16-20 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
15 39 Van De Moosdijk, R. NED HUS 55 15-18 16-6 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
16 253 Pancar, Jan SLO KTM 45 5-2 2-10 – – 5-9 5-7 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
17 313 Polak, Petr CZE HON 35 3-3 6-8 – – 7-5 0-3 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
18 87 Brumann, Kevin SUI YAM 33 6-5 7-5 – – 0-0 6-4 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
19 22 Facchetti, G. ITA KTM 32 0-9 4-7 12-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
20 44 Elzinga, Rick NED YAM 24 – – – – – – – – 10-14 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
MXGP – GP Classification
Pos Nr Rider Nat. Fed. Bike Race 1 Race 2 Total
1 243 Gajser, Tim SLO AMZS HON 25 25 50
2 959 Renaux, Maxime FRA FFM YAM 18 22 40
3 61 Prado, Jorge ESP RFME GAS 20 18 38
4 91 Seewer, Jeremy SUI FMS YAM 16 20 36
5 259 Coldenhoff, Glenn NED KNMV YAM 22 10 32
6 189 Bogers, Brian NED KNMV HUS 13 16 29
7 89 Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL FMB BET 14 13 27
8 70 Fernandez, Ruben ESP RFME HON 10 14 24
9 43 Evans, Mitchell AUS MA HON 11 12 23
10 911 Tixier, Jordi FRA FFM KTM 9 11 20
11 919 Watson, Ben GBR ACU KAW 3 15 18
12 226 Koch, Tom GER DMSB KTM 8 9 17
13 10 Vlaanderen, Calvin NED KNMV YAM 15 0 15
14 32 Van doninck, Brent BEL FMB YAM 5 8 13
15 14 Beaton, Jed AUS MA KAW 6 7 13
16 303 Forato, Alberto ITA FMI GAS 12 0 12
17 161 Östlund, Alvin SWE SVEMO YAM 2 6 8
18 29 Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB HON 7 0 7
19 75 Roosiorg, Hardi EST EMF KTM 0 5 5
20 99 Zaragoza, Jorge ESP RFME HON 0 4 4
21 147 Sihvonen, Miro FIN SML HON 1 3 4
22 41 Jonass, Pauls LAT LAMSF HUS 4 0 4
23 644 Guarise, Ismaele ITA FMI KTM 0 2 2
24 225 Lefrancois, Charles FRA FFM HON 0 1 1
MXGP – World Championship Classification
Pos Nr Rider Nat. Bike Total GBR ITA ARG POR TRE LAT ITA SAR ESP FRA GER INA INA CZE BEL SWE FIN FRA TUR OMA
1 243 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 236 25-22 22-25 22-25 20-25 25-25 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
2 61 Prado, Jorge ESP GAS 203 18-25 25-14 18-18 25-22 20-18 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
3 959 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 184 20-15 20-22 25-22 10-10 18-22 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
4 91 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 160 22-18 18-16 20-0 16-14 16-20 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
5 259 Coldenhoff, G. NED YAM 141 12-20 4-7 13-15 18-20 22-10 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
6 189 Bogers, Brian NED HUS 126 14-9 14-20 – – 22-18 13-16 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
7 89 Van Horebeek, J. BEL BET 126 11-12 12-13 14-14 12-11 14-13 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
8 70 Fernandez, R. ESP HON 125 1-16 16-15 6-20 15-12 10-14 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
9 303 Forato, A. ITA GAS 94 15-13 13-0 9-8 11-13 12-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
10 14 Beaton, Jed AUS KAW 82 16-14 10-0 8-10 3-8 6-7 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
11 919 Watson, Ben GBR KAW 82 10-8 5-10 7-11 9-4 3-15 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
12 43 Evans, M. AUS HON 80 4-0 8-6 11-13 6-9 11-12 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
13 41 Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 76 – – 11-0 15-16 14-16 4-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
14 10 Vlaanderen, C. NED YAM 75 9-10 9-4 – – 13-15 15-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
15 911 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 75 0-5 6-12 12-12 8-0 9-11 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
16 19 Olsen, T. DEN KTM 73 13-11 15-18 16-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
17 29 Jacobi, Henry GER HON 59 8-7 2-9 10-9 7-0 7-0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
18 32 Van doninck, B. BEL YAM 47 7-6 7-8 – – 0-6 5-8 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
19 226 Koch, Tom GER KTM 41 3-3 1-5 – – 5-7 8-9 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
20 161 Östlund, Alvin SWE YAM 30 5-2 3-3 – – 4-5 2-6 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next Round: MXGP of Latvia April 24

4th Place for Shelby Turner in South Carolina GNCC

Camp Coker
Society Hill, SC – Round 5
18. WXC – Bike – Class Results
Place Nbr Name Hometown Brand Laps Elapsed
1 713 TAYLA JONES AUSTRALIA, // HQV 4 01:57:02.156
2 444 KORIE STEEDE BELOIT, OH KTM 4 01:58:10.820
3 650 RACHAEL ARCHER NEW ZEALAND, // YAM 4 02:02:50.339
4 501 SHELBY A TURNER CANADA, // KTM 4 02:04:12.297
5 212 PRESTIN RAINES TRAVELERS REST, SC YAM 4 02:07:39.692
6 777 JOCELYN BARNES HONESDALE, PA KAW 4 02:10:03.039
7 667 MARINA CANCRO HUNTINGTON, NY YAM 4 02:10:37.477
8 687 SHERYL B HUNTER EAST HAMPTON, CT HQV 4 02:20:23.276
9 406 TAYLOR JOHNSTON BUSKIRK, NY KTM 4 02:22:52.848
10 483 ELIZABETH PEREZ SPARTANBURG, SC HQV 4 02:27:43.239
DNF 310 KAYLA ONEILL GREENWOOD LAKE, NY KAW 0 00:00:00.000

The weather forecast says 17C and sunny on Tuesday here in the London area! Where is everyone riding this week?

Have a great week, everyone. | Bigwave photo