On this day, the final unofficial day of summer, I think back to the end of June when my son finished up his school year. At the time the next two months of his summer holidays seemed like a long time, however as I sit here and write this, the last sixty or so days have gone by like a speeding bullet. I am sure I’m not alone in my thinking that summer always seems to go by fast. I guess it’s because people involved in motocross are very busy people and this is our busy time of year. Most of us start riding sometime in March or April, we start off a little slow, but by June we’re wide open and before we know it, the Parts Canada TransCan is history and it’s time for the kids to head back to school. We cram so much into a very short time. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun.
I remember the days when it was me heading back to school after a successful summer on the motocross track. I remember dreading the moment that I had to walk back through the doors of my school on the first day. That awful smell of a freshly cleaned school was so far from the smell of race gas that it made me want to turn around, get back on the bus and head home. At the time school seemed like the biggest hassle in the world. To me it was something that took me away from riding my dirt bike. That six hours I spent in a classroom daydreaming about getting a holeshot or making a pass on someone seemed like an eternity.
Now that I’m older and supposedly wiser, I think back to those days and realize that I was completely wrong. I mean, of course it was natural to sit in class and miss the excitement of racing on the weekends, but unless you go one day to fly the Space Shuttle or become a member of the Blue Angels, racing motocross is probably the most exciting thing that any of us will do in our lives. So of course something like going to school five days of the week isn’t exactly going to blow your hair back, but it is a necessity of life and it must be taken seriously.
As I spoke last week about Dusty Klatt retiring, it doesn’t matter how good of a rider you are, your racing days will eventually come to an end. That is a fact. When this day comes, your best friend is going to be either a post secondary education or the skills to be able to learn something new. I believe (now) that in school it isn’t so much what you learn but how you learn. If you can complete school with the ability to learn new things properly, then you’re in pretty good shape.
For every motocross racer that has to head back to school tomorrow, let’s try and go into it with this attitude. Yes, you’re awesome because you know how to race dirt bikes; no one can take that away from you. Since you’ve been racing all summer you’re probably already operating mentally on a different level than most kids in your class. Now the trick is that you need to succeed in school the same way you charged into the first turn last weekend. It’s as simple as that. Think about it, if you can jump the Natural Double at Walton, surely you can listen in class and do some homework at night. Also, you’re already a pretty good athlete, so sign up for sports at school. Trust me, at worst it will make the school year go by faster.
Basically all I am saying is don’t make some of the mistakes in school that I made. As I sit here in the real world and think back to my days in school, OMG it wasn’t that hard after all. I’m the one who made it hard on myself. I know this may sound like a lecture but these days doing well in school and getting the best education possible is an absolute must. I hope everyone enjoys their school year and is very successful. Now go and enjoy your last day of freedom!