The Broken Ornament That Bonds

Just this past weekend I had one of those defining moments in being a Dad.  It was a moment that I easily could have gotten mad about something but instead I went the other route and chose the better path.  God must have been right there with us and we turned something unfortunate and sad into what I hope will be something very meaningful for our Son for many, many years to come.

The entire family was decorating the Christmas Tree and the kids were looking over all the ornaments and sharing stories about the memories behind each one.  Each year we try to get a new ornament for the kids and they always seem to enjoy that.  They were talking about the ornaments they made in preschool and during grade school and with each ornament they pulled from the box they would mention something they remembered about when they made the ornament or something special about that particular Christmas.  Wendy and I just kept working on getting the decorations out as we each listened to the kids talk about special memories.  Carissa was recalling each Barbie ornament and she was going through them year by year.  Tyler was getting an ornament out for each of us and asking which ornament we wanted to put on the tree first.  They all know that there is one particular ornament that is special to me.  It's an ornament that I made in second grade back in 1976.  Yep, the ornament is 35 years old!

Many years ago when I moved into my own apartment, after graduating from college, my Mom gave me a box of memorable stuff and that box included several Christmas ornaments from my youth and it included the little pale green ornament from 2nd grade that had my name on it and the year 1976 in dark green paint .  I don't know why this one was so special to me but it was, and the kids knew that.  That ornament was on every tree I've had for the past 35 years.

When we were decorating Tyler carefully took that ornament out and set it aside for me to put on the tree.  He found several other ornaments for me as well and kindly brought them all to the fireplace mantel so I could put them on the tree.  He brought them to the fireplace mantel because I was working on the tree and he wanted the ornaments to be closer to me.  That's when it happened.  Tyler carefully set the ornament on the mantel and then he turned around and all of a sudden I heard a strange sound....  "POP"   I turned my head and looked around to see our eight year old little boy staring at the ground looking at what seemed like like a million pieces of what use to be my ornament.  It was now just a bunch of shiny pieces of glass on the floor.  Tyler was totally devastated and after a brief moment of shock he started to cry.  He was so sad that he broke my ornament.  The first thing he said through all the tears, was, "Can we glue it back together?"  He knew how special that ornament was to me and he just couldn't quit crying about it.  It was really touching that he shed so many tears because it showed just how big his heart is, and how much he cared.  Now I had to work on helping him stop the tears.  I picked him up hugged him and held him close to me until the tears stopped and while I was holding him I told him we were going to make the ornament even more special than it was before.  He looked at me through all the tears and said, "How are we gonna do that?" 

By now the tears were mostly gone, but his eyes were still glassy and his chin was still quivering as he looked up at me wondering how were were going to make the ornament "More Special".  This was one of those defining moments for both me and him.  I stood there as a Dad and my job at the moment was to make everything better and give our Son something to remember and look back on.  This was one of those "teaching moments" and I'm confident that God was right there pushing me in the right direction on this one.  I looked down at the ornament box and grabbed one of Tyler's ornaments that he made back in 2007 when he was in preschool.  Ironically, it too, had his name and the year on it in green but his ornament was totally clear, you could see right through it.  I picked up that ornament and he and I walked over and sat down on the floor where my ornament lay in pieces and I told him, "My ornament can't hang on the tree anymore by itself.  It's going to need some help.  Do you think your ornament could hold on to my ornament and maybe they could be on the tree together from now on?"  I'm not quite sure he totally understood until I took the top of his ornament off and started to put the pieces of my ornament inside his.  He was still a little sad about the fact that my special ornament was broken but you could see that he understood that his ornament just became that much more special because it was now responsible for taking care of my ornament as well, even though my ornament was now nothing but just pieces.  I told him, "Hopefully you'll have this ornament for as long as I've had mine.  And maybe someday, when you're a Dad, you'll be hanging this ornament on your tree and telling your kids how your ornament is special because it has a big responsibility.  It holds Grandpa's ornament inside it and Grandpa's ornament has been on every Hagan Christmas Tree since he was in 2nd grade back in 1976."  

Tyler & Dad with "Special Ornament"

I could have easily gotten mad about this because that ornament really was very special to me.  It was something I made back in 2nd grade and my Mom took such great care in protecting it all those years and after I got married Wendy did the very same thing.  It was always protected in a special case and we were always careful with it.  As unfortunate as it was that the ornament broke it provided a great teaching opportunity and bonding moment between Tyler and I.  Hopefully it will be something he remembers for a very long time.

The Hagan Christmas tree 2011 with the Special Ornament glowing Green right in the center

Today reminded me of that quote that I like so much.... 

 "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be a different place because I was important in the life of a child."

ABA Grand Nationals Tulsa

Holy Cow what an amazing event this was!  We spent our very first Thanksgiving away from family and took Tyler to the ABA Grand Nationals for BMX in Tulsa, Oklahoma this year.  There were nearly 4,000 BMX riders that came in for the event from all across the country.  This is literally the Super Bowl of BMX and the first place trophy is about 8 feet tall.  

This was our first year for an event like this and it was rather intimidating for both Wendy and I to make sure we had everything organized for Tyler and I'm sure it was rather intimidating for him as well knowing that there were 4,000 BMX riders who came from all across the country to race.  He had 56 riders in his category and while we didn't come home with a trophy this year it was a tremendous experience and he had a wonderful time! 

Tyler getting ready to Race at Grands!

 The track he was racing on was AMAZING!  It was about 1,300 feet in length and the jumps were HUGE!  Well, at least it seemed that way to me but I'm not a young kid anymore.  The length of the track is only about 200 feet longer than our local track but it was much more complex and the hill at the starting gate was pretty big!

Tyler in the Gate at Grands!  He's on the far right of the photo in the Red Helmet

 While we weren't able to come home with a trophy this season, it was a great experience and Tyler is already looking forward to going back to Tulsa for next year.  I think the part that amazed me the most is that Wendy is becoming quite the "Racing Mom".   For a lady who was never much into racing it's been funny to watch her get into the sport too.  Don't expect to see her on a bike anytime soon but she's picking things up really quickly and she's keeping me on my toes as well.  But then again, that's nothing new.... 

Racing is basically over for us until the new season starts locally in March - April of 2012 but Wendy has her eyes on taking Tyler to some races out of State this Winter.  We may be back to Oklahoma a little sooner than I expect....

 

Racing Season Nearly Complete

WOW!  What a season....  The Kart racing season is done and BMX Season is nearly finished.  Tyler will race this weekend at The Grand Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma and it will be our first trip to the "Grands".  From what people tell us there will be literally thousands of kids there racing from all across the country.  They even come in from Hawaii and Canada from what I understand.  Tyler is really looking forward to it and Wendy and I just hope the size of the event doesn't overwhelm him.  He's currently ranked #27 out of 176 riders in our district and he's done quite well this season so hopefully he'll have a lot of fun in Tulsa!

The go kart season wrapped up at the end of September and Tyler finished up the season on a really strong note.  For two years we've chased the current Champion and while we didn't beat him in the points this year we only missed the Championship by 23 points and Tyler was able to beat Luke in the final race of the season!  It was a huge victory for us and watching Tyler smile when he came off the track was worth every minute of effort we've put in this season.

Tyler Gets 2nd Place Mazda Heartland Sprint Series 2011

Now we move on to next season and Tyler moves up to the Tag Cadet Class where Tyler will be able to go 60mph in his kart.  The Kid Karts top out at about 40mph and despite the fact that he could stay in that class for one more season he's ready to move up to the faster more competitive class.  To say he's excited would be an understatement!  Before we could move up to the next class we had to sell his kart and I chose to sell mine as well so we could get him in some good equipment for next season.  Tyler's shown that he's got some real talent when it comes to driving because we were racing with a very old Kid Kart and we were up against some kid with much better equipment and yet we still were able to attain 2nd place in the points and score one race win this season.  They told us we'd never make it to Winner's Circle with the kart we had.  It just goes to show you that there's no substitute for determination!  

Now comes the hard part....  Just when I was getting to understand that little motor we had on Tyler's Kid Kart it's time to move up.  So now I have a totally new engine to learn!  I'm excited about it because a good friend of ours will be racing the same type of kart we're racing this coming season so it will be nice to have some input from someone else as well.  So now Tyler and I will spend the off season getting ready for the Tag Cadet class in his new Arrow AX9 with a Parilla Mini Swift motor.

Tyler's new Hot Rod!!!

 This is the only photo I have of the kart right now but it will have some slightly different decals on it when we're done with it and of course it will be #26 again in 2012. 

Look out everyone we're already getting prepared for the 2012 season!!!!

Crash, Bang, Zoom!

What an awesome weekend!  The entire family went to the Redline Cup BMX Race in Raytown this past weekend and we had a blast.  This was the largest race we've been to thus far!  There were over 120 motos with nearly 8 riders per moto that added up to nearly 1,000 riders and when you add in spectators there had to be at least 3,000 people there this weekend.  Tyler competed against riders from:  Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Arkansas, Iowa, as well as local riders from Missouri and Kansas.  While the weekend didn't go exactly as we planned, hence the title of this post, but we ended it on a positive note and we all had fun together which is the important part.

The weekend started on Friday at around 2:00pm with the first round of practice.  I was stuck at work so Wendy and Carissa took Tyler out to the track and braved the weather as two downpours got them rather wet in the early afternoon.  They were there much of the day and as soon as work was over I made it out for the race that started around 6:00pm.  Tyler did a great job in his first race.  He started off a little slow but caught right back up and passed a total of 4 riders which put him into 3rd place but unfortunately he wouldn't finish in 3rd.  A CRASH just 40 feet from the finish line would put him in 7th place for the first race.

Redline Central Championship Race Sept 9th 2011

 This is a HUGE race and Tyler had been looking forward to it because if you finish in the top 3 you get a new number plate for your bike.  Tyler finished the qualifier event in 2nd place and was sitting in a good position going into the race to earn a plate but the CRASH rattled his confidence a little, something that hasn't happened to him in the past.  He's crashed in the past and he always jumps up and keeps going.  This time was different....  He wasn't hurt physically, but his confidence was bruised this time.  It reminded me of the movies "Top Gun" and "Days of Thunder" when, in each case, Tom Cruise couldn't get back in the game.  The same thing seemed to happen to Tyler this time so Wendy and I had our work cut our for us to help him get his confidence back.

Tyler in the Starting Gate at Redline Cup Finals

He finished in last place in race number two and race number three on Friday as well and it was totally apparent that his confidence took a major blow.  He wasn't as fast on the track as he normally was, and he was being cautious.  This wasn't like our "No Fear" kamikaze type rider.  That wreck, just 40 feet from the finish line, really got to him.   It was time to pack it up for the evening and head home and come back tomorrow.  We had two more days of racing in front of us and Saturday and Sunday were the days that really mattered.  

Saturday morning came early and we were at the track by 8:00am ready to go for practice.  Tyler seemed a little better but he still wasn't 100% and we could tell.  This event was new Wendy and I as well and we encouraged Tyler without pushing him too hard.  We told him to be confident in his ability and go out and do your best.  Well, apparently we didn't have the magic touch as he finished last place in both races.  Normally this would mean that your day is done and you don't get to race again so we thought we'd head home and let him rest and just as we were ready to leave they called Tyler's name for the Semi Finals.  WHAT???  Are you kidding me?  Wendy and I were shocked and unprepared for this and it took several others by surprise as well but we got him suited up and to the starting grid in under 40 seconds.  No sooner than he was in the gate and ready to go the gate dropped and they were off.  Wendy and I had our fingers crossed and then it happened..... BANG!    Seriously, are you kidding me!  The poor little guy crashed on the first jump.  This NEVER happens to him.  I stood there with my head in my hand thinking to myself, Oh my gosh our poor son.  He's gonna be crushed.  Ok let me correct that....  Naturally my first thought was, is he ok! and he was thankfully.  He got back up and finished the race as the crowd cheered for him but I knew he was bummed out.  This certainly wasn't going to boost his confidence level.  Shortly after that we packed up and headed home.  We had one more day of racing left to go.  The finals on Sunday were up next....

Redline Cup Saturday in Raytown

We were on the way home on Saturday and Tyler said he thought he needed a new gear so we called Bike Stop and asked them to hold a gear for us and we picked up a 37 tooth gear and changed it at home.  Now Tyler had a new gear for the race on Sunday and hopefully that would help boost his confidence a little.  I think that helped a little because all of sudden out of the gate it was ZOOM!!!   He wasn't quite up to full speed yet but he was back.  He was determined and you could see that he found his stride again as he brushed off the wrecks from the days before.  You could see the determination in his eyes and he was ready to race!!!

Tyler at Redline Central Finals Race in Raytown, MO September 11, 2011

He still ended up finishing in last place, on Sunday but he has his confidence back and he was gaining on the other racers again.  This was our first really big BMX race and Tyler just entered the Intermediate Class a few months ago.  Some of the kids he was up against have been in the Intermediate Class for a couple years.  Yes, we got beat this weekend and we got beat by more experienced racers but that's what makes you better and Tyler came through it and learned something important.  You're not gonna win every race, and some of them you might actually lose.  That's just the nature of racing.  The true test of a champion is how he conducts himself when challenged and how he picks himself up after a fall.  Tyler did a great job with that.  Those who succeed in life are those who have had failures and pushed beyond the failure to achieve success.  Great job son, keep your chin up because we'll get em' next year!

A Corvette For Her Birthday!

What a great Labor Day weekend!!!!  The weather was wonderful, except for the occasional storm, but Sunday and Monday were nothing short of perfection.  We rented a boat and took the family out on the lake on Sunday and did some fishing and swimming and had a great time.  We didn't catch anything but it didn't matter it was the time spend with family that counted!

Yesterday was Carissa's birthday and she got a really amazing present!  A 1994 British Racing Green Chevrolet Corvette with a 6 Speed....   She said the acceleration was amazing and she really loved the car!  Oh, wait a minute....  I forgot a few important words in that previous sentence..


Carissa got  a ride in a 1994 British Racing Green Chevrolet Corvette with a 6 Speed....   Grandma and Grandpa came in for Carissa's Birthday and Grandpa took her for a ride in their Corvette.  Notice the big smile on her face!!!  That was before she got to go for the ride.  You should have seen the look on her face when she got out of the car after the ride!!!  She's 14 and she's already been talking about driving...  Great, Now Grandpa gives her a taste of what a Corvette feels like.  I'm sure I'll be hearing about how cool that car is for the next two years! 

Carissa was invited to go up and watch the Football team scrimmage on her birthday and Grandpa thought it would be cool to give her a ride in the Vette.  Great!  I have a daughter who is anxious to drive and she's getting invited to go watch Football Scrimmage by one of the players.  Yes, I just got more grey hair on Monday!!!  Ugh!  

Attention boys!!!   

Here's a little info about me:  I like to go hunting and I have several friends in the Military, one of whom is an F-16 Fighter Pilot and some are US Navy SEALS.  I work with many MMA Fighters and I have a really, really fast car.  My philosophy about dating my daughter can be summed up in this song: Rodney Atkins "Cleaning This Gun" 

Now I'd like to get to know a little more about you:  Name, age, address, phone number, social security number, next of kin, report card, background check, etc.   Once you've filled out all this information you'll be provided with a GPS unit that has a timer on it.  You'll be required to get it back to me before the alarm goes off.  If there are any questions refer to the song above for clarification.

Naturally I'm only kidding about the items above, ok maybe just a few, actually I'm only kidding about one.  I'll let you figure out which one I'm joking about....  

Yes, I'm getting more grey hair with each passing birthday.  She's in 8th grade and she's getting invited to Football Scrimmage.  I'm not quite ready for this yet.  It seems like just yesterday she was playing with dolls and playing dress up....  

The Brickyard in 2012!

Well I just got the news and it looks like Tyler "Thunderfoot" Hagan will get the chance to race at the most famous race track in the world in 2012.  If all goes well Tyler will actually get to cross the yard of bricks at the hallowed ground of The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2012.

The IZOD IndyCar Series is looking to embrace the grassroots of racing, that being the sport of karting, and find their future starts.  They're doing that by finding ways to help young kids take the steps necessary to become race car drivers and they've partnered with Mazda to develop a ladder system that will allow kids as young 5 years old to have a pathway that will ultimately take them to the IZOD IndyCar Series.  As part of that process they're going to host, what we hope is an annual event, the first ever kart race on the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  

 Tyler will just be entering into the Tag 60 Class and if my estimations are correct this race will take place on the weekend of his 9th Birthday.  He's been racing since he was 5 years old and as silly as this sounds he won the "Power Wheels Championship" which believe it or not was actually a lot of work for us to win.  He then moved on to the Kid Kart Class, where we've been for the past two years with a 3rd place finish in season one and what looks to be a 2nd place finish in season number two if all goes well in our final race next month.  

Now it's time to take the next step up and move to the Tag 60 Class in 2012 and if all goes well we'll be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the weekend of Tyler's 9th Birthday for the first ever go kart race at the "Brickyard"...

Turkey In Tulsa...

Yep, it looks like it will be Turkey in Tulsa for us this year.  We're taking our first "Racing" road trip as a family in November for the ABA BMX Grand National Race.  Tyler just recently moved up to Intermediate in BMX and it looks like we're headed to our very first Grand National event this season.  So the title of this post is appropriate as we'll be eating "Turkey in Tulsa" this year.

Tyler has been racing BMX for just over a year now and he's having a blast with the sport!  We typically let him practice after the races are over and if he could put headlights on his Haro he'd be out there well after they turn off the lights!  

Shortly after Tyler first started racing he was invited to joint the Bike Stop team which was a big thrill and a real honor as well.  Tyler wears his Bike Stop Jersey with great pride and he's really looking forward to finishing out the season this year at his very first Grand National Race.

When we first started racing BMX we had no idea it would lead to "Racing Road Trips" but we're all looking forward to the opportunity to take a trip we wouldn't have otherwise taken.  So this November it's "Turkey in Tulsa" for the Hagan Racing Team. 

I took a look at some photos of the track from years past and it's HUGE!!!  The Quick Trip Expo Center in Tulsa is one of the World's largest clearspan buildings!  It's 448,000 square feet of racing!  Take a look at this track photo from a few years ago.

So as we get close to Thanksgiving this season we'll be packing the truck full of the racing gear and headed out on our very first "Racing Road Trip" as Tyler "Thunderfoot" Hagan goes up against all the other 8 year old Intermediates in the Country. 

Random Acts of Kindness

Economy Stalls...  Unemployment...  Debt Ceiling...   Crisis this, Crisis that....  Enough already.  If you're as tired of all the negative news out there as I am then click on this story and it will give you hope again and restore your faith in humanity.

The single greatest asset this country has is our children.  If Congress and the President acted as this young boy did we'd all be a lot better off.  See the link below..

Random Act Of Kindness 

1 Down 24 To Go!

Tyler gets his first win as an Intermediate in BMX!  How fitting that his first win in the Intermediate division came on July 26th.  There is just something about that number and our family.  Ironically July 26th is 12 years to the day that Wendy called me when I was working at Q104.  To make a long story short we hadn't seen each other in over 10 years and she heard my voice on the radio and called to say hello.  The rest is history....   Later on we realized that we first met back on May 26th of 1990 and she called on July 26th and it showed 5:26pm on her cell phone bill when she placed the call on July 26th.  It's just funny how that particular number seems to come up in our lives and now Tyler gets his first Intermediate win on July 26th.  

Tyler & Wendy Blue Spring BMX Track 7-26-11 First win as an Intermediate!

We're having such a great time with this sport and I can't say enough good things about the facility at Blue Springs!  The people are nice, that facility is clean, the rules and the racing are fair, and the kids absolutely love it!!!  It sure beats watching them sit at home playing X-Box or Playstation.  For about the price of one of those devices you can get your kids outside and racing against other kids their age and not only is it fun but it's great exercise too.  Believe it or not Tyler is starting to develop a little six-pack and he's only 8!!!!! 

1 Down and 24 To Go!  Tyler needs 24 more wins to move to the Expert Class...

The really cool thing about this sport, much like other sports, is that there are Regional and National races as well and it's a great opportunity to travel with the family and see new places and meet new people.  We're seriously considering taking the trip to Oklahoma for the Nationals this fall and Tyler is really looking forward to attending.  I never would have thought about this sport but if you have young kids, boys or girls, it is worth checking out.  If they like to ride their bikes they may just like BMX racing.  You can learn more about it online at  BLUE SPRINGS BMX

If you don't have a BMX bike or the equipment don't worry about it.  We didn't either and when we showed up at the track to watch Tyler's friends race and one of Dads said to me, in front of Tyler, "He can race if he wants to."  Naturally Tyler smiled and said, "Can I Dad, Please, Please.... Can I try it Pleeeese!!!"  I told them we didn't have a bike or a helmet and they told us that was no problem we have bikes and helmets here at the track that you can borrow.  I told Tyler he could try it if he wanted to and I wish I had a photo of the smile on his face that night.  Then believe it or not the little guy actually won his first Moto that night...   The rest is history and now we're looking at attending Nationals in Oklahoma later this year.  It was about this time last year that Tyler first started racing BMX and he absolutely loves it!  We're past the Novice stage now and into Intermediate with one win under our belt and 24 to go to get to the expert level.  I'm anxious to watch him continue to develop on our way to the next level.

Tyler Moves to "Intermediate"

Well it looks like we have an official racer in the family now.  Tyler got his 8th win in BMX on Tuesday night and that means he's no longer a "Novice" he's now officially moved up to "Intermediate"!  Congratulations Tyler...  Way to go buddy!!!


Tonight the track gave him a really cool certificate and a ribbon in recognition of his 8th win and the fact that he moved up to the next class.  We had no idea they were going to give him a certificate or a ribbon but he was pretty excited about it.  Unfortunately I had to work so I missed all the festivities...  Bummer!   Wendy and Carissa were there and Wendy got this great photo of Tyler right after he got his award and his ribbon.... 

Tyler got to race tonight for the first time as an "Intermediate" and he was a little nervous because he's now racing against new riders who have more experience than he does.  Just like when he first started there will be a learning curve here too, but he's a persistent little son of a gun so I'm sure he'll do just fine.

We're still learning all about this BMX thing but what a great sport and a really great group of people at the Blue Springs BMX track!  If you're looking for a great sport for you kids, boys and girls alike, you should consider BMX.  It's a great group of people and they're tremendously helpful and knowledgeable about the sport.  The best part is they have bikes and helmets there at the track so you can just show up and try it to see if your kids like it.  It's like taking a car for a test drive.  That's how we got started and Tyler seemed to really enjoy it and he was actually quite good at it so we bought him a race bike and the rest is history...

If you're interested in getting your kids into a really great sport that gets them outside and exercising at the same time.  Take a look at BMX.  Here is the link to the Blue Spring BMX track. Blue Springs BMX


Congratulations Tyler!  We're all so proud of you!!!!

2011 Championship Getting Closer

Could there be a Kid Kart Championship in Tyler's near future?  Well, we came a little closer to getting there this weekend as Tyler took his Kid Kart to a strong second place finish.  Last years champion, Luke Howard, took the win this weekend and it's going to take a lot for us to catch him.  He's about 4 seconds quicker per lap than we are but considering the fact that he use to lap us we're making tremendous progress in the right direction.


Go Kart racing is an interesting sport because you have a qualifying session and then you run two races, the "Pre-Final" and "The Main".  I'm still learning how this all works but the "Pre-Final" sets up the race order for "The Main" and qualifying sets up the order for the "Pre-Final".  It can get to be a little confusing but just like anything else, it becomes more clear over time.  Tyler started off at practice on Saturday with a lap time of 1 minute 6 seconds (1:06) which was far slower than his competition.  We found ourselves nearly 6 seconds behind the leaders and in a 12 lap race, with the leaders running lap times of 1 minute, we were looking at the possibility of getting lapped in the race on Sunday.  We needed more speed and we needed it quick.  Air pressure adjustments and some tuning on the carburetor improved our lap times by 2.5 seconds but that's as much as we could do.  The rest of it was going to fall on Tyler's shoulders to run a good solid race.   

Tyler at the Starting Grid with Carissa and Wendy

Tyler did a fantastic job and his lap times were amazingly consistent.  We got our lap times down to 1:04 putting us 4 seconds behind that of the leaders.  That was enough that it would keep us on the lead lap but something else was going to have to happen in order for us to get close to the leaders.  The top two karts, Luke and Henry, battled for much of the race which allowed Tyler to close the gap on the leaders.  Henry was black flagged at the mid way point of the race and was sent to the pits and that allowed Tyler to move into the second position behind Luke Howard.  Despite the fact that Luke won the race and Tyler came in second on Sunday.  Tyler had a more consistent overall performance on Sunday and will end up with more points.  This should move us to within striking distance of the Championship.  We have our new parts on order for the race in July so if all goes well, we'll pick up those extra few seconds and we'll be in contention for the lead in July.


Tyler races a "Rocket" race chassis and It's been said that a "Rocket" will never win a Championship in Kid Karting because they're just too heavy but Tyler is trying to prove that it can be done.  We're up against a "Tornado" chassis with is widely regarded as the best of the best in Kid Karts so we certainly have our work cut out for us but despite the fact that we don't have the best kart I firmly believe we have the best driver!  Three more races left in the Championship battle.  No matter what the end result is, we'll still be winners in the end...

Hagan Racing at The Redline Cup!

WOW!  I'm tired today and I wasn't even the one racing in the 90+ degree heat this weekend.  Perhaps that's why I'm the crew chief and not the racer, and the fact that I'd look a little silly out there with a bunch of 8 year olds racing.  They'd likely beat me too which would even be worse.

This weekend was Tyler's first really big BMX race and he did a great job!  He finished in 2nd place at the end of the day but he was a little frustrated because he didn't win, which turned into a great teaching opportunity to reinforce some of the "Rules of Racing" that we developed.  I could understand Tyler's slight frustration because earlier in the day he beat the boy, who ultimately took first place.  Tyler was upset with himself because that boy passed him in the final race of the day and Tyler had been leading the race up until the final part of the race.

It was a full team effort on the day with Wendy and Carissa there as well.  The grandparents even stopped by to watch the race on Sunday.  It was a HUGE race and there were kids in from Springfield and St. Louis and even racers in from out of State from what I understand.  Just to give you an idea of how large this race was we typically have about 9 or 10 different classes, which are called "Motos" in BMX.  Each of those "Motos" have roughly 4 to 8 racers.  So there are typically 40 to 80 racers during an average race.  At the "Redline Cup" there are 51 Motos!!!  Each moto averaged 6 riders.  306 Racers on Sunday!!!!

Tyler is at the Center in the Black & White Bike Stop uniform with the Red Helmet.

It was a HUGE event and our first really big race.  Tyler now has a great plaque to hang on his wall at home showing that he got 2nd place in a big race.  I was great experience to be part of such a big event and Tyler learned a lot in the process.  Later in the day, after the race was over, we had a chance to talk about the race itself and why he thought he lost the lead late in the race.  Wendy and I noticed during the race that he kept turning his head to see where the other racers were and he never use to do that.  Each time he turned his head he would lose a little speed and it allowed the other rider the chance to catch him and ultimately pass him.  It was hard to watch him give up the lead in a race that he really should have won but it was a great learning experience for him as well.  I don't think he'll be turning his head in any of the upcoming races in the near future...

What's Next? Jimmie Johnson or Mark Martin...

For those of you who are NASCAR fans out there perhaps you'll understand the title of this entry.  "What's Next? Jimmie Johnson or Mark Martin..."   I came up with the title in reference to Tyler's last go kart race.  As you can tell by the previous entry he won the race and I was literally jumping up and down with excitement as he crossed the finish line in first place.  I honestly hadn't thought of what it would feel like if we won a race which tells me we were doing it right because we were focused on having fun and learning.  I told Tyler that as long as we were having a good time and working hard the rest would come in time.  Well, lucky for us, time came sooner than we expected and it was absolutely an amazing feeling.  I hope that happens for us again but we'll always cherish the first win!

Tyler Takes the WIN in the Kid Kart Class on 5-22-11

So back to the title of the blog entry...   Now that we have a win under our belts what's next?  Will our future in racing be like Jimmie Johnson with more wins and championships ahead of us?  Will Tyler have a future in racing and make his way up the ladder of racing to IndyCar or NASCAR?  Will he be like some of the other amazing drivers who all started in karting and worked their way up.  Have you seen that commercial for Chevy that says, "As long as Jimmie Johnson has been racing he's been racing Chevy's..."  He started in motocross back when he was a little kid, about the same age as Tyler.  Will Tyler get lucky and be like Jimmie Johnson and have multiple wins to his name on the way to multiple championships?

Or will his racing path follow the road that Mark Martin has gone down where he works remarkably hard and always seems to come up just a little bit short of victory lane and the championship?  Mark Martin has come so close so many times but has never been able to grab the championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  Will Tyler's racing career be a series of "We almost got it" or "We were so close but we missed it by that much"...

Truthfully it really doesn't matter to me at this point because the smile on Tyler's face is a MILE WIDE!!!  Granted it would be fantastic to get more wins and a karting championship however the goal right now is to continue to help him learn and enjoy himself.  If he continues to excel in the sport then we'll start to look at what the future might hold in racing but for right now the single most important thing is that he's having fun and learning at the same time.  As a Dad I looked at racing as a tremendous opportunity to help Tyler learn many things so I came up with "The Five Rules of Racing".  The reason I came up with Five rules is because Tyler was really young when he started racing, 5 years old to be exact, so that worked well and it was easy to remember because he has 5 fingers...  Seems simple but it worked.  The rules are:  Safety, Sportsmanship, Smile, Set-up and Speed with the first three being the most important rules.  It's been great to see him excel and have fun with the sport so far.  I honestly think it's been more rewarding for me than for him so you see it really doesn't matter if his path is like that of Jimmie Johnson's or Mark Martin's, the most important thing is that he's having fun and learning.

 However, if you believe in what your fortune cookies say then Tyler may be headed for a life behind the wheel as his fortune cookie on his birthday said, 

"Your future is in the Driver's Seat!" 

Tyler Takes the WIN!!!!

You all remember the saying, "This hurts me more than it does you."  What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear that saying?  Often times that phrase is uttered by a parent dealing with something related to their children.  As kids we thought our parents were nuts for saying something like that.  We thought to ourselves, "That's crazy, how could this possibly hurt you more than me!"  As kids we just didn't understand and it would take years until we fully appreciated what that saying really meant.


Well, much the same thing can be said about joyous moments in the lives of our children as well.  Seeing one of your own children experience success is a joyous thing to behold and I think I can finally say that I understand the true meaning behind, "This hurts me more that it does you."  Well actually I understood the saying long before this past weekend but let's just say the meaning was solidified more this weekend.

Years ago, when I was a kid, I was playing baseball and I really wasn't very good at all.  It certainly wasn't my sport and it showed.  I tried but it just wasn't going to be my sport.  My parents were working really hard at fixing up our new house and on this particular weekend my Dad took me to my game.  It was the bottom of the 9th, we were winning the game but I don't recall what the score was.  The other team was up to bat and we just needed one more out to win the game.  A kid I went to school with was on the other team, he was a year older than me, and he always picked on me in school.  His Dad was somewhat of a pompous jerk and his son was following in his footsteps at a rapid rate.  I could see his Dad pat his son on the back and point at me in the outfield.  I knew what that meant...  The ball was coming at me!  Remember when I said I wasn't that great at baseball, well there's another saying too...  "Every Dog has his day".  This was my day!!!  Just as I expected the ball was hit directly to me in the outfield.  I had a bad habit of running at the ball and misjudging it and the ball would fly past me, but I remembered what my Dad told me and stayed put until I could get my bearings on the ball.  My Mom would always remind me to use both hands to catch the ball so I did what my parents taught me and then it happened....  I actually caught it!  The final out of the game.  WE WON!  I could see my Dad jumping up and down excited about what I had just accomplished and he was more excited than I was....  At that time I couldn't understand why he was more excited than me.  Well, this weekend I got the chance to experience the same emotion.  Personal success is a great thing, but being there to witness the success of your child is AWESOME!!!!

Fast forward some 30 years and Tyler and I are at the go kart races on Sunday and Tyler gets his very first win!!!  Suddenly I was the Dad on the sidelines cheering for my son as I watched him take the Checkered Flag for the very first time!!!  It was a feeling I'll never forget.  I quite literally had tears in my eyes as he crossed the finish line in 1st place!

 

Tyler has been racing since he's been 5 years old and he started in those little battery operated "Power Wheels".  I've always been a big race fan and during our go kart races they thought it would be fun to have "Power Wheels" races for the younger kids.  I asked Tyler if he wanted to try it and he jumped at the chance! 

By the second race another kid showed up with a "Modified Power Wheels" and he destroyed all of us.  Tyler and I had our work cut out for us but eventually we beat the other boy and Tyler won the "Power Wheels Championship".   Tyler only got one season in the "Power Wheels" and then we had to move up to the kid karts.  

Yesterday was the second race for "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" here in Kansas City (Mazda Heartland Sprint Series ) and Tyler ran the perfect race!  He and his nearest competition, Henry Williams, must have swapped the lead at least 4 or 5 times during a 12 lap race.  Tyler had been in the lead for the last two laps but on the final lap of the race Henry had taken the lead away from Tyler.  It started to look like we were going to get 2nd place, but Henry drove too deep into the corner and spun his kart and Tyler saw an opportunity and without hesitation he took it.  The two came out of the corner side by side and it was drag race down the straight away.  By the next corner Tyler completed the pass and there were only two turns left and 300 feet to the finish line.  Tyler crossed the line first and took the checkered flag!  It was the single most exciting race I've ever watched and I can honestly say that I can fully appreciate the meaning behind the saying, "This hurts me more than it does you."  While the words of the saying don't apply to this particular situation the loving meaning behind them does.  The total joy of seeing your child succeed is a feeling that can't be matched!!!  Congratulations Son!  I couldn't be more proud of you!!!!

Tyler takes the #26 Kid Kart to Victory Lane May 22, 2011 in "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series"

Just this morning I got an e-mail from another kart racer which made Tyler's victory even more meaningful.  I have been trying to instill in Tyler how important it is to have good sportsmanship while racing and it was exciting enough to win the race, but to get compliments about your Son and how he conducted himself during that race made the victory even more meaningful.

Chris, So who was more excited about Tyler's win, him or you? You need to nickname that kid "the iceman." He drove a VERY consistent and smart race. It was fun to watch. Its not often that the better driver gets to beat the better kart. Watching how engrossed in his Mychron that he was on Saturday and how well he drove Sunday, you might have the makings of a real race car driver there. I was blown away at how he never got rattled.

 
While writing this another saying came to mind that is totally appropriate...  It's the saying that you'll find on that Successories photo:

PRIORITIES

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

The Heck With Politically Correct, WE GOT HIM!

Let me start this off by saying I'm not a big fan of Obama to begin with but the fact of the matter is WE GOT HIM!  Osama Bin Laden is DEAD!  He's fish food at the bottom of the ocean somewhere and that's a good thing.  President Obama is the one who authorized the mission and acted on the intelligence so for that I'll give him credit.  Thank you President Obama for doing the right thing and giving the green light to exterminate this worthless piece of garbage.  The real credit belongs to the members of the United States Military for getting the job done and doing it so quickly and efficiently.  What they, the US Navy Seals, did and are able to do should strike complete and total fear in the hearts and minds of those who wish us harm.  Hey Al Qaeda We can do this when we want and where we want and if you dare cross us we can do it to you too!  Does that sound harsh?  Does that sound 'politically incorrect'?  Does that sound like something that would get me kicked out of class for saying it.  Yes, unfortunately it does but it shouldn't sound that way.  That's part of the problem if you ask me!

When asked about releasing the death photos of Osama Bin Laden President Obama said something to the affect of , "We're not going to spike the football."  Why the hell not?  We should not only be spiking the football, we should be doing one hell of an end zone dance too!  I don't give a damn about the sensitivities of the Muslim world and what they think of us.  Who Cares!!!  Did we care what the Germans and the Japanese thought of us when we celebrated the end of World War II?  No we didn't.  One of the most iconic photos of our time is the Navy Sailor kissing the Nurse in Times Square when victory over Japan was declared!!!  That was one heck of a celebration.  WE WON!!!!  WE CELEBRATED!!!  That is how it was then and how it should still be today! 

I got goosebumps when I saw the photos of American Citizens celebrating with the Red, White, and Blue chanting USA, USA, at Ground Zero and in front of the White House and in Times Square...  YES, YES!!!  That is the way it should be and if the Muslims were offended that's too damn bad!  If you're here and you don't like it you're more than welcome to leave!

Back in the days of World War II we had people like Patton who said, "America loves a winner. America will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise a coward; Americans play to win." Again... YES!!!  That's how it should be.  Some in Europe say they were shocked that America was celebrating the death of Osama Bin Laden by cheering in the streets.  SHUT UP!!!  We've come to your defense each and every time and saved you ass before and we'll likely do it again should you be faced with terror.  You too should be celebrating the death and demise of someone so evil.  While you're passing judgement on our celebration of the death of one of the worst people to ever walk the earth keep this in mind...  "Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American G. I. One died for your soul; the other for your freedom."  If I recall correctly it was Tony Blair the Prime Minister of England who was credited with that quote.  Did you celebrate the death of Hitler?  Yes, you did, as did we.

Pakistan says we came in and killed Osama Bin Laden in cold blood while he was defenseless.  SO WHAT!  He was there for how many years Pakistan?  As George W. Bush said, "The US makes no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."  Count yourselves lucky that we only came after him and not you and your country.  In case you didn't notice, which you didn't, we came in and you didn't even know we were there and you likely wouldn't have noticed at all if it weren't for the fact that one of our helicopters went down.  That wasn't any typical helicopter either in case you missed it.  That appeared to be some super secret advanced piece of "kick your ass" hardware that we have.

The bottom line here is the fact that this is a HUGE victory for the USA and one that should be celebrated.  The American people as a whole are rarely wrong.  We celebrated the end of evil in World War II and we celebrated the death of evil in Osama Bin Laden.  I could care less about how the Muslims feel about what we do in this country.  If they don't like it then they can stay the hell out.  Don't forget it was the Muslim terrorists who started this mess.  We tend to keep to ourselves until we're pushed and provoked and that's what happened on September 11.  If you're going to pick on us you damn well better be ready for us to, "Put a boot in your ass courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!" as Toby Keith said in his song "The Angry American".

This is a VICTORY for America courtesy of the United States Military at the hand of the Navy Seals.  America will celebrate it, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it! 

A New Blog

Haven't done too much on this blog lately because I've actually started a new blog...  Yep, I know what you're thinking.  It was just a short time ago that I started this blog and now all of a sudden I'm starting a yet another one.  It's funny how these things work and it got me to thinking about how this all started in the first place....  I lost a dear friend, someone I didn't see nearly as often as I would have liked to, and both he and his wife are amazing people.  I'm still learning from the two of them today, despite the fact that he's gone.  I, like the 57 other that follow her blog, anxiously look for a new entry from her because no matter what she writes it seems as if we can all take something from it and learn.  Well, at least it feels that way to me.  I didn't know what a blog really was until I found Melissa's blog, and now six months later I have two.  Not too sure that I'm very good at either one of them but I'm learning and enjoying it so I keep working at it.

The second blog "The Race Blog" is more of a way to keep our racers up to date on what's going on with our regional go kart racing called "The Heartland Sprint Series" and I've been very involved in that lately because we just solidified a deal the IZOD IndyCar Series to help promote "The Mazda Road to Indy" and the sport of Karting.  It's been very exciting and our partnership with IndyCar started at the 2011 Greater Kansas City International Auto Show.  This was our second year working with the Auto Show and we were able to bring an IndyCar to the show with us this year.  Our Tag Senior Champion this year will have the opportunity to race in a USF2000 car in Florida with the best of the best in Karting.  It's much like the Top Gun of karting.  It's a huge opportunity for the sport of Karting and great honor for us as well.  I can't believe that our regional go kart series here in Kansas City was actually able to work with the IZOD IndyCar Series and they just included us in a press release they sent out from Indianapolis just yesterday.  You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw that the other day.

Below is a photo of us at the 2011 Kansas City Auto Show with IndyCar as our partner.

Steve was a big fan of go karts and in previous blogs I mentioned how cool it would be to someday own my own business.  If things keep going the way they're going it's possible that someday that might happen.

The new blog is attached to our Karting website at:  BP Motorsports Group

The Great February KC "Snowpocalypse"

SNOW BABY SNOW!!!!  I hope we get a ton of it!!!!  Well, here are are....  It's another snow storm in KC and this is the BIG ONE!  There will actually be a blizzard in KC for the first time in years.  Here's the view from my office window 9:00am in Overland Park at 95th & Metcalf.  Will this turn into the massive storm they're talking about.  Apparently we can expect about 12 inches of snow and the range is from 5 inches North & West to 25 inches South and East.  Can't wait to get home and have fun with the family....  By the looks of the way things are going so far it will be an early day at work.  I'm not looking forward to a 3.5 hour drive home.  I know storms like this can be dangerous but they sure are fun to watch!

Photo 1)  Feb 1, 2011  9:00am

Will add the photos as the hours go by for as long as I'm here.....

2)  Feb 1, 2011 10:00am

They're closing the office at 12:00.  YEAH!  More time to be at home and have fun with the family!!!

3)  Feb 1, 2011  11:00am

It doesn't look too much different hour by hour so far but there is certainly more snow out there.  The photos don't do the storm justice yet....

4)  Feb 1, 2011  11:50am  

That's it....  Time to head home and have fun with the family as the bulk of the blizzard approaches KC!  Have fun and be safe everyone.