Tag: Diablos

Northwest Indoor BMX Racing GRAND OPENING WKND!

Guess what? We got some moto’ing in today!

This weekend was the grand opening for NW Indoor BMX Racing…YAY! What does that mean for us? It means we now have an INDOOR track 52 miles north of our home! Since our only ‘dry’season(s) here in the Pacific NW are typically just Spring and Summer, most our local tracks operate only during that time of the year since they are all outdoor. We do have another indoor track on the Peninsula (75 miles southwest of home), but the last few times we’ve made a trip out there, traffic has been AWFUL, taking us 2.5+ hrs each way. So having this new indoor track up North (and the speed limit driving that direction is 70mph) means that the girls’ will easily be able to race BMX year round now, YAY!

We arrived at the track around 10ish this morning, and the girls had 90 minutes to practice. Since it has been racing since late August, we were not sure really what to expect. They both got in several practice laps and were feeling pretty confident.

We were SUPER impressed with the new track and its facilities! Not only is it indoor, but it has a great location just 2 mins off of I-5, REAL bathrooms instead of port-o-potties, some heat in the spectator areas, and accommodates/is laid out for large crowds. The track itself obviously had a lot of thought put into it and maximized all the space and features available, and was in TOP SHAPE!  Pretty impressive for the 3rd day of a 3 day grand opening weekend…

Penelope had 4 kids in her moto, and Maybelline had 3. Both were ‘total points’. Penelope rode great today, and took 2nd in both her 1st and 2nd moto, and then fought hard, taking 1st in her last moto – total points shaking out to a 2nd place overall finish! Maybelline was also riding hard today. She took 2nd place in all 3 of here motos, and taking 2nd place overall. We were so happy to see that they haven’t lost progress and are still determined as ever to peddle their butts off!

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Even better than the girls’ victories today was the sense of ‘team spirit in the house’! We had 7 diablos team members, many from Canada, come out to race with us. It’s always fun to meet new people and chat with others that we don’t see often enough!

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We also had a ‘future Diablo’ join us for her first day at the track with her Strider. Aubrey is the 3 year old cousin of our Diablos team captain, Bill. She made a few attempts at riding the track during practice, but was quickly sidelined and distracted by the amount of people (and her food, LOL), so she decided to warm the bench for the rest of the afternoon. Sounds like she plans to get in some more regular practices and join us again for racing in the next few months!

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Since we were racing locally today, we were lucky enough to also have my aunt/uncle and grandma come out and watch the girls’ race! It’s not very often that family joins us at the track, so this was a special treat for all of us.

Now that we home from today’s adventures, we are focused on getting ready for our Flat Track (quads and dirt bikes) season which begins next weekend. We have to the get the ‘bus’ out of storage and ready to go, we’ve got to get the covered trailer emptied (and figure out where all those bikes will be going for now), we have the kids 2 dirt bikes plus 2 quads that they will be racing (plus a few back up bikes) to get ready to go, and then the small things like gear/food/etc. Meanwhile, school and work is on full force for the next four days (thankfully we all have Friday off though). With all the chores aside, we are SOOOOOOOO excited for the season of ‘2 stroke Sundays’ to begin!

#MotoMom

Washington State BMX Finals!

Washington State BMX Finals…WHAT A WEEKEND!

Although we knew that this weekend was approaching for a long time, no one could prepare us for the chaos that led up to it! I am glad the weekend itself went well, and that we are almost done with ‘BMX season’.

The week/days prior to State Finals:

  • The kittens we are ‘fostering’ are growing and GROWING; they are finally eating solids and are close to going to their ‘forever’ homes…THANK GOODNESS! We struggled to find a ‘kitten/house sitter’ this past weekend (during finals), so we left a ton of food and water – and hoped for the best! Of course, they are still alive & well…and the girls’ are loving them more than ever.
  • Maybelline had hurt her back on the trampoline at Papa Wheelie’s the Sunday before; so along with x-rays and a 5 week treatment plan came a $150 bill, plus several more to come. Choosing to race over the weekend was kinda ‘sketchy’ – but she did great and seems to be recovering okay…we are sure hoping for the best.

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  • We were responsible for feeding/watering the great-grand parents’ dogs while they were on a fishing trip. We had to corral a neighbor last-minute to feed them during finals…and they are NOT dog people (SORRY, THANK YOU, and WE LOVE YOU LINKUS FAMILY)…
  • Penelope had needed to get her immunizations updated and enrolled in kindergarten (YES, I AM THAT PARENT THAT WAITS UNTIL 2 WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL TO ENROLL MY CHILD, YIKES!). She received her immunizations on Monday prior to the State Finals wknd. We are STILL working on getting her fully enrolled (lost her darn birth certificate)…
  • Parking/Camping for the weekend: It wasn’t until a few weeks prior to State Finals that I found out that it was a 3 day event. By the time I had contacted the track for camping, they were already full. The TO (track operator) had put us on a wait list, and suggested a place or two that we could check out. And then when I called the surrounding RV resorts/comp grounds, every single place was full. The week of, my ‘favorite auntie’ Patch (thank you Auntie!) was able to secure us a place about 20 miles from the track – we were set to roll! But then…the TO pulled a miracle…and got us in at a farm just 2 driveways down from the racetrack – TRUE PARADISE!

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  • Painter Dan: As you may or may not know, my husband Dan is a painter and has worked for and had ownership in his family’s painting company for several years now. Summer is THE painting season, and he has been as busy as ever. The week of finals, he had worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 6a-6p…getting as much done as he can. On Wednesday, I was notified that a previous client needed a rental interior done before Saturday. Knowing that we were leaving Friday morning for State Finals, Painter Dan got to work full force. He came home from work about 6pm on Wednesday for dinner, and left shortly following (stopping to do a bid in Everett on his way to Stanwood area). He worked until about 2am on Thursday, and came home for a few hours of sleep. 5 hours later, himself and 2 employees headed north to complete the interior job. 24 hours following that (yes, 24 hours of straight work), they returned home just in time for us to leave for State Finals! This meant I had to load and prep the ‘bus’ myself (first time ever); along with getting the household and kiddos prepared for 3 days away from home (not such a success, but I did alright). Poppa Wheelie drove the ‘bus’ over to the Peninsula while Painter Dan got a few hours of sleep, and I drove the truck over (so we would have extra wheels to go to/from the track, if needed).

And then, it was the weekend! As I mentioned above, we left for State Finals about noon-ish on Friday; Poppa Wheelie driving the ‘bus’ (with Penelope and Dan) and me driving our truck (with Maybelline). We had the option of taking the ferry or the Tacoma Narrows Bridge over to the Peninsula. With the ‘bus’ and the truck, the Ferry would have cost $170+ and who knows what wait times would have been on a Friday afternoon (typically 60+ minutes). We decided to head South thorough Tacoma, over the bridge, and up the Peninsula to Port Orchard! What should have been a 1 ½ hrs trip (normal traffic) was actually a 4 hour trip; we arrived at the track about 4pm.

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Friday night was single point racing. Racing was to begin at 7:30, but didn’t start until closer to 8pm (which is usually their bed time). For both girls’, it was ‘total points’ racing (which means that they race all 3 motos and their finish/points for each moto are all added up to determine their total/final points). Both girls’ rode hard in all their races – both taking 3rd for the night! We didn’t end up getting to bed until close to midnight.

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Saturday’s racing didn’t roll around until 4pm. We slept in, and had a great breakfast/lunch back at camp; then headed in for some practice. Gates were packed, and both girls’ had to qualify for their mains. Nelly swooped up a 4th place win for the day, and May took 5th!

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Sunday was the State Finals! This normally wouldn’t sound like a ‘big deal’ to most people – but with over 2,000+ miles on the odometer and $6k+ from the pocket book this ‘BMX race season’, the girls were ‘in it to win it’  at this point. Maybelline was holding the #10 spot in the State for 8 year olds, and Penelope was also holding #10 spot in the State for 5 year olds. USA BMX awards ‘State Plates’ (the privilege of running  a green Washington State number plate with your qualifying number on it for one year) to the top 10 qualifying kids of each age. The girls’ were barely making the cut (currently standing at 10th both, and the final race determining their final spot) – so the State Finals were truly a ‘make it or break it’ type of moment.

Registration and practice started at 10am, and racing began shortly after noon. Most of our Diablos Team-mates made it out, YAY! Both girls’ were pumped and ready to race…improving as each practice lap went by. Both had full gates and were split into 2 motos and had to qualify for their mains (1st and 2nd place from each moto would advance to the main). Somehow, Penelope managed to shoot out of the gate in 1st place, and maintain it for the whole race! She placed first and was automatically was moving onto the main (so she didn’t have to race her 2nd moto). Maybelline struggled out of the gate, and held 4th/5th the entire race…and needed to try again (in her 2nd moto) to qualify for the main. Her 2nd moto, she took 2nd…advancing her to the main.

By the time mains rolled around, the indoor area was PACKED and everyone was ‘on edge’. Their ‘motos’ were only 3 races apart, so it seemed to fly by so fast! Nelly loaded onto the gate, launched out fairly quickly, and finshed 4th place. Maybelline also got a good start, but fell behind the pack going into the first corner. She also finished 4th! Thank goodness both final motos went well, but we still had NO IDEA where/if they finished in State Finals ‘top 10’ as far as points were concerned.

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We waited around for another 2+ hours for the ‘State Finals Award Ceremony’. We pulled up some chairs early on, but were quickly over came by crowds of people. When the 5N class was finally announced, Nelly was SHOCKED to hear her name (she was half asleep on my lap) – she finished 9th in the State for 5 year old kids – WOW! Shortly following, they announced the 8N class – and Maybelline was awarded 10th in the State for 8 year old kids! PRETTY AMAZING FEELING AS A PARENT – SOOOO PROUD OF MY GIRLS!

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After the awards, we headed back to the motorhome and cooked a quick dinner. We were on the road by 6pm, and home by 8pm (thankfully, traffic wasn’t bad at all). Wowha, glad that weekend is finally over!

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Now, we are preparing for school (supplies, clothes, paperwork, etc. + me returning back to work) which starts one week from tomorrow. We have one last trip/vacation on the calendar before school starts to go see Auntie Chandra and Uncle Johnny in Nampa, Idaho. Although we are not exactly ready for another road trip, we sure are excited to spend some family time with those who mean the most! Here…we…go…

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Monday Night Racing at McCollum!

At random, we decided to take the girls to Monday Night Racing at McCollum Park BMX Track last night! Week night single point races don’t typically bring in a lot of people; classes tend to be small and mixed with various ages. This is our ‘home track’, so it’s always fun to visit with everyone as the girls get in many laps on a familiar track. It was amazing to seeing how much they have improved over this past season!

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We met up with our team manager (Bill), team-mate Ty, and his cousin Staci (thanks for the great pics Staci). Painter Dan also decided to get a few practice laps in!

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Both girls took 1st place in ALL 3 of their moto’s…taking home 1st place trophies for the night!

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Now, back to preparing for the upcoming State Finals!

#MotoMom

Points Check!

As we head into the BMX State Finals, a check on current points is a necessity!

Currently, both girls are holding the #10 spot for Washington State…

And for Gold Cup NW, Maybelline is currently tied for 1st place, and Nelly is tied for 7th!

Sooooo proud of these little ladies! Just a few short weeks left until we stow away the BMX bikes for the season, and unload the quads and dirt bikes for flat track season. Can’t wait to see how points shake out, and what BMX plates the girls’ end up with for next year. Stay tuned!

#MotoMom

SeaTac SCR and GOLD CUP QUALIFIER

Today was the SeaTac SCR and Gold Cup Qualifier! This was the girls’ first time racing this track – and we, unfortunately, weren’t able to make it out for practice earlier this week. It was a BIG track with many ‘imperfections’, so we were not sure how the girls’ would do.

We arrived about 9:30ish, and practice/sign-ups both started within a short while. Both girls’ got in 5 or so practice laps before motos were posted, and two or so afterwards. Nelly seemed to be progressing on her peddling and speed, while May was just ‘coasting’ the track lap after lap.

Penelope’s class had 2 racks of 6, totaling 12 riders. She needed to get 1st or 2nd in either of her first two motos to move on to the main. Her first moto, she was a bit slow off the gate and was holding third through the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stretch. Coming into the 3rd and final corner (in midst of the ‘rhythm section’), she stumbled off her seat and struggled to get back onto her peddles while most of the kids passed by her. She finished last (or next to last). Her 2nd moto, she shot out of the gate first, and held it all the way to the finish line (qualifying her for the main, YAY).
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Maybelline’s class had one rack with a total of 6 riders. She, too, needed to get 1st or 2nd in either of her first two motos to move on to the main. Her first moto, she got out of the gate pretty quick and settled into the 2nd position. She held 2nd the entire race, and finished 2nd. Since she qualified for the main, she was able to sit out her 2nd moto.

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Between the 2nd motos and the main, we took some time to have lunch and goof off. Both girls’ were in a pretty good mood today – and Poppa Wheelie was able to join us, so that always makes things fun!

By the time mains rolled around (2:30ish), both girls were ‘PUMPED’ and ready to RACE. Penelope’s moto was first! She was slow out of the gate, and peddled at ‘half effort’ the entire lap – finishing last (other than a lil’ guy who crashed on the first stretch). She took 7th place. Maybelline’s moto shortly followed! She was pretty quick out of the gate, taking 4th into the 1st turn. She held 4th until she hit the last stretch…and then…she REALLY started peddling! Within the last 150ft or so, she managed to catch up with and PASS the kiddo in front of her, stealing a 3rd place win for the day…

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So proud of these girls’ today! There is no way to describe them individually, or to even begin to guess what they have up their sleeves next. Sometimes they are ON FIRE, and sometimes they are in ‘outer space’. Going into competitions like this, it’s usually a mix of both. Today was definitely one of those days! Each of them displayed moments of pure determination and effort (Maybelline qualifying for her main in her 1st moto, and Penelope coming in 1st on her 2nd moto)…then, at other moments, you can’t help but wonder what the heck they are doing (Penelope ‘cruising’ the track in her main). Either way, it just makes me proud to see them having fun, making friends, and getting exercise…and I just LOVE how much they LOVE racing =).

Now, it’s break time! Can you believe we are ACTUALLY taking a break from BMX and quads/dirt bikes? Okayyyyyy, it’s only 2 short weeks – but still… {Upcoming: Annual Fishing Trip and ‘Glamping’ at Cedars RV Resort with our Canadian friends!}

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Moto Mom ‘Shout-Out’ {aka giving credit where credit is due}: Thank you to the TO {Track Operator} at SeaTac BMX for immediately addressing the parking situation at the track! Upon leaving, we discovered that people were double and triple parked, blocking many people in from several angles (including us)…SO FRUSTRATING! I appreciate that after a brief chat with the TO, he IMMEDIATELY addressed the situation (having the announcer mention it) – AND THEN, followed up on it {walked into the parking area and saw that no-one moved}, AND THEN came back in and had the announcer mention it again (this time, he described car/color/plates). Within seconds, I saw the ‘driver’ of the vehicle blocking us running out to move his car. We followed! We hopped in the car, and exchanged spots (so he was no longer blocking other people too) and waved. I appreciate this guy (the TO) was willing to take 5 minutes out of his day to solve MY problem that was otherwise only going to be solved by a tow truck (in a matter of an hour or more). KUDOS to you TO for ‘making $h!t happen’! And to the people double and triple parked: you are a$$hole$! If you show up ‘late’ – expect to park a decent distance away, and have to walk and pack stuff in. You are not new to this are you? Don’t BLOCK people in, it’s SOOOOOOO RUDE!

#MotoMom

 

A tough day at the track!

Oh well, I may as well just vent it all out – right here and right now! What a sad day for Team #77 Racing…

Today was McCollum Park BMXs’ SCR. This is our home track, so we’d like to think that may play an advantage considering we practice and race here, like all the time. That wasn’t the case today.

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We showed up right at 10, set up a few items, and headed over to registration. It wasn’t quite open yet, but one window opened within a few minutes. 45 minutes or so later, the girls’ were ready to go. They both got a handful of practices in, and then we waited. And waited. And kept waiting. Racing was to start shortly after registration ended (noon), but the ball didn’t get rolling until about 2pm. By that time, both girls were anxious to get on the track.

Penelope’s moto was first. Her class had 2 racks, totaling 15 kids. To qualify for the main, she had to get 1st or 2nd in either of her first two motos. In her first moto, she asked me to go up to the gate with her (which she rarely ever does, usually she asks one of her team-mates to assist) – and she balanced really well and was standing on the gate (with my two feet holding her back tire up) – PROGRESS! The gate went down, she got about 3ft, and the rider next to her went down and took her out. It took her a minute or two to get up, and she finished the race (2nd to last). She was pretty darn bummed.

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Mayhem’s moto was up next! Her class also had 2 racks, with a total of 12 kids. To qualify for the main, she had to get 1st or 2nd in either of her first two motos. In her first moto, she got out of the gate first but slowly lost momentum throughout the track. She ended up finishing 4th!

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The second set of motos came around fairly quickly, and Penelope was up first again. She had her team-mate, Ty, take her up to the gate this time. She got out of the gate pretty well, and rode 2nd place most of the track. As she came into the finish line, another little guy shot right by her – essentially a tie for 2nd place. We heard the announcer call #41 as the winner (which is Penelope), but know that is it up to the ‘finish line officials’ to determine. After a few motos went by, we went up and asked who was marked 2nd, and they said Penelope was. Yay, great – she is moving on to the main! (Meanwhile, friends visiting at the races took photos at the finish line, and had shared them with us! Wow, it was SOOOOOO CLOSE! Tough call…)

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Mayhem was next! She fought hard from the start line to the finish line, taking 2nd place – advancing to the main, YAY!

Then came the mains! Between the 2nd moto and the mains was over 2 hours of waiting and anticipation – BOTH GIRLS MADE THEIR MAINS AT A STATE RACE (pretty exciting, eh?). They had lunch (killer Taco Truck the track invited in) and hung out with team-mates and friends.

Nelly’s main was first. Again, Ty took her up to the gate. I headed over to the opposite side of the track from where we ‘pit’ (but near the start line where Nelly was). Within a few short minutes, Nelly came up bawling (with her helmet still on) that ‘they’ wouldn’t let her race because she didn’t qualify for the main. The next few minutes where full of chaos and disturbance – as I try to work through the 50+ ppl staging to race on bikes, inquiring with every volunteer (aka track official) in sight on what to do to get this corrected, all while still trying to deal with a 5 year old who is in an emotional breakdown because she just wants to race. Several motos go by, and all we get in response is: Our paperwork says she didn’t qualify – there are only 8 gates, she can’t race. Extremely frustrating! By that point, I realized it’s a lost cause. Nelly missed her moto, but we made it back to our team tent just in time for Mayhem’s race!

Mayhem got out of the gate first again, and fell to the back of the pack in the first corner. She made up for it in the 2nd and 3rd stretch (meanwhile 2 kids go down and she passes by them), coming into the 4th stretch 3 kids deep, all fighting for 3rd. All 3 kids crossed the line just about the same time – but the one who shot ahead the most ‘got the stick’ (meaning he could go exchange the stick for a trophy). We inquired at the trophy tent to find out where she actually placed, but they had no idea either. Such a mess!

By the time we left the track, we were all an emotional mess. I try so hard not to involve emotions in these ‘fun activities’ for the girls’ – but at times, it’s next to impossible. Penelope has been working SOOOOOOO HARD at improving her skills and applying them with BMX; it makes me sad to see her sad that she ‘didn’t make it to the end’ even after she was told that she did. I wish we could have prepared her for that! Maybelline always fights hard, and I am always so proud to see her so happy about her accomplishments. She felt shafted today, and I felt that as her mom. As I have mentioned before, BMX is extremely different than flat track. In flat track, no matter where you place in the ‘heat race’ – you will always still qualify to race the ‘main race’… it’s an adjustment, and we are still getting used to that. Either way, I am proud of both the girls – and their ambition to hit the track any day, anytime, any circumstance. Today wasn’t their time to shine, but there is plenty more time for that. We’ve got 4 days of rest ahead, and then we hit the road for a 4 day ‘marathon’ of BMX racing, followed by a few days of R&R. Onward & upward for Team #77 Racing!

On a positive note: I am sooooooo happy to announce that our team-mate and the girls’ BMX coach, Ty Pellham, became EXPERT tonight! We are SO PROUD of you Ty, and can’t wait to see what you conquer next buddy…

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Stay tuned! More updates to come as we prepare to hit the road…

#Moto Mom

SCR/Big $ Pro Am at McCollum Park BMX Track

It’s a typical Friday morning – except that it’s summer, and raining out. We weren’t able to make it out to McCollum for any practice this week, so planned on hitting the track this evening. Well, I think the rain may have another idea in mind…BOO!

Today is the day, the kick off of the SCR/Big Money Pro Am at McCollum Park BMX Track {our ‘home’ track}! Tonight is practice and time trials from 6-8pm with lots of live entertainment. Tomorrow sign-ups for the big race are 10-noon and first round of racing to soon follow.

Come on out; it’s free to watch, there will be an array of food trucks, and it will be an action packed event!

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The track operators and volunteers have been pouring in several weeks of hard labor to get the track ready – we are so thankful to all the people out at McCollum for making this event happen! Can’t hardly wait…

#MotoMom

Sometimes ya’ win; and sometimes ya’ lose {at least we are having FUN}…

Last week was full of adventures: Picking Mayhem up at the airport, swim lessons, fishing, play dates, a picnic, dropping Poppa Wheelie off at the airport, and THREE DAYS of BMX =).

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Friday evening, we headed out to our home track (McCollum) for some BMX practice. This was the first time Nelly has been back on her bike since the ‘sitting down and lack of peddling’ incident at the LumberJack Nationals. As much as she always wants to win, she is definitely just now starting to realize how much effort it takes. Anyhow, she was ON FIRE at Friday’s practice, which was a good sign of things to come. Maybelline, as usual, was taking each lap as hard as she good – progressing her skills and knowledge one day at a time. Her determination sure makes me proud!

We woke up Saturday morning, had breakfast, and headed back to McCollum for a single point race. The turn-out at the track was pretty good; Nelly had 3 kids in her class (all 5 and under) and May had 5 (ages 7-9). Nelly fought hard and took 1st in all her motos – taking home her 1st ever win {and a SWEET plaque to remember it}. Maybelline also rode very well, and took 4th in all here motos!

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We had earlier agreed that whoever got the best win of the day would get to choose where we were going for lunch after the race. Both girls had different choices; but in the end, settled on their favorite Mexican restaurant (Todo Mexico). We had lunch, Margaritas, and went home to rest for the remainder of the day.

We were up bright and early Sunday morning, heading north to Mt. Vernon for the Bakerview SCR. This was a track the girls had never raced before. We left early enough that we had time to stop and eat breakfast on the way at HopJack’s in Smokey Point. When we arrived, we were the only people in the restaurant (other than staff). When we left, we were the only people in the restaurant. None-the-less, we had some great food and even better service!

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As we arrived to the track, our team captain had a Team Diablos ‘pit-area’ ready right next to staging, and a place for us to park right there. Great set-up! Things at the track were moving quite slowly for the day – so both the girls were able to get in 10 or so practice laps with long breaks in-between. By the time motos started, they were both feeling excited and confident.

Nelly’s class (5N) is a TOUGH one – as at double or triple point races, they will get 3-5 racks full of kids under the age of 5 all fighting for a chance in the main. At this particular race, they had 3 racks of 5, and only 1st and 2nd place would advance to the semi qualifier; AND THEN you had to qualify in the semi to advance up to the main moto. Penelope took 3rd in her first moto (so she didn’t yet qualify), then took 2nd in her second moto (qualifying her for the semi); but then took a tumble out of the first corner in her semi (dis-qualifying her for the main moto). She got right up, hopped on her bike, and finished out the semi with just a bruised ego. It was clear that these past few days of racing, she had really been progressing and riding her best – she knew it, we knew it – so a little crash isn’t going to stop her.

Maybelline had 2 racks of kids in her class (8N). She took 3rd in all her motos, automatically advancing her to main. But in the main, she also took a tumble in the second corner – taking her from 3rd to last. She got right up, hopped on her bike, and finished out race in tears. She is a strong girl, but is often too hard on herself if she isn’t ‘winning at everything’ (which is usually the case, so losses are just that much harder for her). It took some chatting and ‘ego-boosting’ to get a smile back on her face – she has forgiven herself, but will never forget.

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By Monday, we were getting back into our ‘normal’ summer routine of chaos and even more chaos. We plan to get to McCollum a few times this week for some practice, as Saturday is their ProAm/SCR event, and both the girls are planning on competing in it.

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Meanwhile, we’ve got play dates, a birthday party, and many chores to get done; adios!

#MotoMom