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
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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.
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!!!!!
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.
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| Tyler & Wendy Blue Spring BMX Track 7-26-11 First win as an Intermediate! |
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| 1 Down and 24 To Go! Tyler needs 24 more wins to move to the Expert Class... |
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.
Friday, July 8, 2011
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!!!!
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!!!!
Monday, June 13, 2011
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 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...
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.
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| 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...
Monday, June 6, 2011
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!!!!
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...
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!!!!
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| Tyler is at the Center in the Black & White Bike Stop uniform with the Red Helmet. |
Saturday, June 4, 2011
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!
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!"
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| 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!"
Monday, May 23, 2011
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!!!!
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.
While writing this another saying came to mind that is totally appropriate... It's the saying that you'll find on that Successories photo:
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!
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!!!!
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| Tyler takes the #26 Kid Kart to Victory Lane May 22, 2011 in "The Mazda Heartland Sprint Series" |
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.
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