Where is the next breaking point?

[firko]

You are being paranoid Mark. The statement was NOT directed at you

Thank god for that, The 'good 'ol boys and I been accused of killing off the sport so I'm getting a tad 'over touchy' . You've made some excellent points TBM, I agree that while I feel that it's not time for any new divisions, it is time to map out an implementation plan for whenever the sport is in need of the new inclusion. I have done a hell of a lot to keep the VMX ship afloat over the years but in the last few years I haven't contributed very much at all apart from some minor consultation. I must admit that my interest level was slipping away and I was content to leave the heavy lifting to the enthusiastic younger punters coming up.

Sadly, with a few notable exceptions the new blood that we thought would take the sport to new levels haven't showed their faces. Sure there are some really keen under 40 guys out there but when it comes down to the nitty gritty it's still the old school blokes getting their hands dirty. Colin Metcher is a dynamo, with more energy and boyish enthusiasm than any number of Gen X wannabes. We can all thank him for being the leading 'hands on' progressive doing his best for our sport. The three man commission are all on the other side of 50 and have been around for ever (not sure of Freaky's age but he thinks like an old fella ), those at the helm at HEAVEN are nearly all of the older variety....in fact if you look at the doers within any of the VMX clubs in the land you'd be scratching to find anything other than Baby Boomers. This paragraph might come across as an old bloke chest beating exercise but that's not the intention. I think its time for the younger VMX enthusiasts to move into positions of power and gain control over their sports destiny. It's time those who want change in the Post Classic division got off their arses and did something about their divisions future direction. Despite my philosophical differences with Nathan, I readily admire his passion and understand his vision despite what he thinks of me. It's time that he and those who share that vision start doing instead of talking. I greatly in awe of the effort Shaun Galloway put in to get Norths club involved when his pre 90 vision wasn't shared by HEAVENs power brokers. Shaun's a doer and I hope others can take example from him. If younger enthusiasts don't become involved in the future direction of VMX, the doom and gloom Nathan espouses might one day actually eventuate.

 

I did some work on getting 2 venues in central Victoria (my patch of earth) for display days, one was even in a popular winery where we could put on "display" rides as well, but when I presented the ideas to my former club committee, it got shot down in flames for one reason and another and nothing come of it. Again, I was just "making trouble", whinging and creating more work! The club had a number of MA official types steering it so it was very hard for me to understand their attitude(s).

That's exactly the same attitude I copped from Penrith Club back in 1988. I was disappointed to the point of pissed off so bugger them, I did it myself. I approached my local Westfield Mall manager and got permission to put on a bike display in the central court area. We wrangled 10 or 12 bikes together, printed some flyers (with reference to Penrith Club, despite their opposition to the idea) and the display went off big time and over the next few months were responsible for luring a  number of new racers into the sport. The centre management was so pleased with the result he allowed another three shows over the next few months plus another couple at Parramatta. Trying to get clubs involved in new concepts is sometimes like banging your head against a wall.
 

[VMX247]

looking forward to the Freakshow in 2014        

[Nathan S]

If you were in my position Firko, why would you step up?
What possible reason would I (or any of the other "youngsters" with passion or enthusiasm) possibly have for stepping into that shit fight?
What enthusiasm has EVER been shown for the input from us "youngsters"?

I was young and foolish enough to answer the call in the rally car days - and along with everyone else who stepped up, I got badly burned. I know the warning signs now, and I've seen them at Heaven club meetings, and I see them all the time on this forum - your proud proclaimation the other day that 'all the people with the big ideas had been banished' was a particularly clear one... (I'm sure you don't think of it like that, but that's how I read it).

This is why I spend so much of my time banging on about shit on this forum:
1. While its inevitable that I will get shat upon a whole lot, it is the only way that's proven effective at getting people to think entertain anything other than the status quo. Everyone calls me names and gets the shits, but then over time, the ideas sink in and the opposition softens.
2. Until you have clear, widespread support, you're pissing into the wind - it only takes one or two nay Sayers to bring down an idea, regardless of its merits.

The reality is that the old guard wants new people who think just like them - which ends up being people of around their age...

[bazza]

may be should just close the thread it just proves why MA will never be challenged
keep the plebs divided,do nothing for them and they will win

[GMC]

Round and round we go, where we stop nobody knows.

Reds original question was what would the next cut off be, but we’ve wandered around through cancelled events and declining entries at club days and apparently MA are to blame, young people are to blame, old people are to blame, people that do little work are to blame, the economy is to blame, lack of bikes are to blame, decent tracks are to blame…

Meanwhile back at the ranch Viper have been running a post 90 2 stroke class all year, (maybe last year too? I forget)

Viper was also one of the first to introduce the Pre 90 class many years back which was happily running along while the class was being poo-pooed on here.

2 things to note…(for people sitting on either side of the fence)
# The introduction of the post 90 2 stroke class did not make the sky fall in.
# The class was also not swamped with entries from younglings.


Back in the 70’s every man and his dog would race MX, you didn’t need to have a 10 year career in mini bikes to be able to show your face in C grade.

The 80’s were similar but the bottom fell out of the dollar in early 85 and within a few short years fuel and bike prices doubled.

The 90’s started off tough, events were down, entrants were down but vintage and thumpercross was up.

Today the guys that raced moderns in the 90’s are at a similar age to guys that started racing Vintage in the 90’s but the ‘pool’ was much shallower in the 90’s therefore there aren’t as many with old memories to draw on now.

If you want to ride your post 90 2 stroke in a vintage environment then I suggest you pull your finger out and start riding with Viper lest the class fall in a heap.

[firko]

Nathan, you have no idea of the shit I copped with my "stupid idea". I side tracked the purveyors of doom and did it myself, even down to financing every vintage meeting in the first couple of years out of my own meagre pocket. In the end my  so called stupid idea became the flavour of the month/year/decade and I felt content in seeing the neersayers sucking eggs. If you're not prepared to have a go because a few old farts don't happen to share some of your vision, you'll never see anything happen the way you envision it. It'll always be someone else's concept. Every 'visionary' will meet opposition and if they all threw their hands up and quit before they had a go none of their ideas would have come to fruition. To use another dumb cliché, "you've got to be in it to win it".

I think this old and young thing is not only incorrect, it's dangerous. By thinking the older blokes like me don't have the future of the sport as their highest goal is wrong. I think of little else and I believe that your and my take on the sports future aren't light years apart. We both agree that we need to expand or perish but we differ in the time frame in which that needs to be done. I steadfastly believe in the softly, softly approach while you back the more/sooner cause. The correct answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. We don't want to create a baby boomer/classic versus Gen XY/Post Classic chasm. We're all a part of the same sport and I know that many from my era are just as interested in the pre 90 era as there are younger racers beginning to see something attractive in the Classic classes. 

If you've copped flack from the rally guys as well on here perhaps you might have to soften your approach. Your 'fight to death' attitude seems to be the main thing that gets under peoples skin, the Sex Max discussion wasn't your greatest moment of fair debate. I get riled and react only when you dismiss legitimate points as "stupid" or "heads in sand" but I'll freely admit that I can be a bit pig headed when defending my ground too. Understanding why people disagree with you and accepting their rights to have an opinion without dismissing their ideas as irrelevant would be a start. If you're having trouble selling your concepts in both VMX and rallies, perhaps a modified approach is the way to go.

[Tahitian_Red]

I'm gonna let Firko have the last word.   Thanks for all the input!

I think I know the breaks should probably be in 5 year increments (pre-85, pre-90, pre-95 and pre-2K).  Might start something like "Nostalgia Linkage MX".  All 2 stroke with the exception of the first YZ400F's.  No breakdown between displacement, just Novice, Intermediate and Expert.  That's 12 gates maximum and on the road driving home by 4pm.