SCR – Team #77 Racing

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 1^st or 2^nd 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 (2^nd 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 1^st or 2^nd 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 4^th!

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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 2^nd place most of the track. As she came into the finish line, another little guy shot right by her – essentially a tie for 2^nd 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 2^nd, 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 2^nd place – advancing to the main, YAY!

Then came the mains! Between the 2^nd 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 2^nd and 3^rd stretch (meanwhile 2 kids go down and she passes by them), coming into the 4^th stretch 3 kids deep, all fighting for 3^rd. 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

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 1^st in all her motos – taking home her 1^st ever win {and a SWEET plaque to remember it}. Maybelline also rode very well, and took 4^th 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 1^st and 2^nd 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 3^rd in her first moto (so she didn’t yet qualify), then took 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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