Ahh, spring is in the air. Err…spring internships that is. Now’s the time I solidify my plans for after graduation, May 15, and the doors are opening left and right.
Sad news out of the Sunshine State, but I learned something new. The memorial markers that line the side of the road, particularly on the interstate, are allowed for up to one year. Then, they are removed. But Dan Hoolihan doesn’t think that’s long enough. Dan lost his brother, David, to an ATV accident in 2005. “David, 41, and his girlfriend were riding ATV’s near his home late at night when he his four-wheeler hit a pile of asphalt left over from construction of the southbound exit ramp. He flew over the handlebars and was instantly killed,” the Web site said.Now, the sign is decorated with fresh flowers in memory of his brother. “I like visiting the marker, because it’s the closest I’ll ever get to where David was last alive.”
On a positive note, there’ s a new book out for all you fitness fanatics. The third edition of Motocross Fitness: The Ultimate Home Training Guide for Motocross Athletes. Check it out! “Everything you need to maximize your strength and conditioning for motocross with exercises and workouts designed to use little or no special equipment.”
The wonder-dog Opee is making news all over the country! Read this article in the Shanghai Daily about the fastest dog on the planet. “The only thing missing is the cape.”
I saw Opee a few years ago in Daytona. What a chick magnet!
Things I did not know until this morning…
- The Donald Junior is a motocrosser: “If you’ve seen me in a suit; you’ll probably see me in my pick-up truck with a motorcycle strapped on the back.”
- The 2010 Canadian women’s national motocross championships will have shorter motos, which may make the racing closer, more exciting and a stronger draw, but will undoubtedly piss some people off. “The motos will be 12 minutes + 2 laps.”
- Endurance, a book by the Brooklyn-based photographer Theresa Ortolani, takes a look (finally) at the world of off-road racing: “a sport that is at turns beautiful and inescapably brutal.” Ortolani followed White Plains, N.Y. native Nate Kanney thousands of miles across the U.S. and Europe to capture his ascent from privateer to factory KTM, “an achievement that required beating world champions riding bikes three times the cost of his.”
Wow, it’s been ten days since my last post, and I’ve officially completed one week of the spring semester. Last Monday’s class was canceled due to Martin Luther King Day. I find comfort in knowing the first day of classes will always be the same: syllabus, overview of the course and sometimes, professors nail us with a primer assignment, just to see where we’re at. Last week, a few professors circled around the room calling for brief introductions, drawing slight groans from the shy students. But I never mind talking about myself, and it’s especially delightful when I get to mention riding dirt bikes and motocross.
In travel writing, the professor asked our name, major, hometown and something interesting about it and then asked about our all-time favorite trip or vacation. Thankfully, she started on the other side of the room because I had no idea what I was going to say. What’s interesting about Orlando, (Disney?) but more importantly, how on earth could I pinpoint just one trip or vacation? “Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man.”
Plus, after hearing everyone else talk about their travels to India and Europe, and knowing I had yet to leave the country, not counting Mexico and Canada, I was nervous upon making my decision. At my turn, I said I didn’t know anything thing interesting about Orlando, except it’s nickname was “The City Beautiful.”
Then, I found myself describing my favorite vacation: a trip all by myself to the hills of Tennessee, where I was surrounded by nothing but rampant sunshine and greasy machines for a week. Yes, it was my first time at the Loretta Lynn’s national motocross race in Hurricane Mills. My professor asked, “Were you racing?” And the class turned their eyes back to me. I laughed, “No, not that time, but I can tell you about another time when I used to race…” I thought about my first race on the XR100, my first win on the YZ125, my first trip to the hospital, which turned into a week’s vacation, the vacation to Hatfield McCoy, where I was the only female rider…
My professors eyebrows shot up. “You race dirt bikes?” I nodded, telling her how I started riding at the age of four. “And I was hooked,” I said. “Wow,” she said. ”I got my first bike when I was seven and I thought my parents were crazy rednecks, but I’m glad your redneck parents thought it was okay to give you a motorcycle at age four. Makes me feel better.” The class errupted in laughter and her use of the word redneck.
In political reporting, the professor prompted us with the usual name, hometown, major but she added dream job to the end of the list. So, when my turn came, I told the class my dream job is to write for Esquire or GQ magazine. The guy next to me turned and said, “Wow, aiming high?” I smiled. Of course.
Sun setting on Newhouse
It’s the last weekend before the start of the big spring semester, and my schedule’s stacked with classes like Designing Interactivity, Photo for Newspaper & Magazine, Travel Writing, Political Reporting and Magazine Management. I’m especially STOKED: (st
kt) adj. Slang 1. Exhilarated or excited.
Sure, my 2-mile commute to class might put me through some of the coldest riding I’ve ever pedaled in my life, but I love the thought of a challenge. Plus, have you ever heard of a balaclava? read more…
I’m thinking about hitting the inaugural Sno Bowl on Saturday, February 20 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for snocross and ” side-by-side and nose-to-tail racing throughout the weekend” and “incredible stunts, extreme jumps, and “big air” flips on the hottest snowmobiles anywhere!!!” Sounds like a fun time to me, since I have yet to see a snocross in New York.
“It’s fast,” he said. “You’ve got to be fast. You’ve got to be able to jump. Everybody thinks that you just go out there and you sit on the sled and you’re just riding around. It’s nothing like that. You’ve got to train really hard. I mean, I’m racing every weekend and I’m in the gym five days a week training. That plays a big part in it. A lot of people don’t realize what it takes.”
Coming up, Florida’s big SUPER bowl, and the Seminole MX tribe got a hit on the Associated Press’ article, “Super Bowl, Miami: All South Florida wants to play.”
My alumni sent this Open Letter to the USF Community and Alumni e-mail today:
08 January 2010
I want to take a moment to thank Jim Leavitt, USF’s founding football coach. As a native of St. Petersburg, Jim Leavitt was enthusiastic and successful in launching USF football from start-up to national achievement. He worked hard to run a successful program for 14 years and many USF athletes went on to greater heights.
Sadly, at the end of his tenure at USF, Coach Leavitt committed serious violations of our standards of conduct. A thorough, fair and professional review conducted by internal and external reviewers over the past three weeks led the university to decide that USF should now seek a new head coach.
This university exists to create a safe and exciting learning environment for its students. Intercollegiate athletics must always be seen as part of that learning environment. I’ve been deeply impressed by the accomplishments of the Athletic Department in ensuring our athletes are treated as students first.
Today we’ll open a national search for a new head football coach. The Athletic Department anticipates a swift search, because, as Athletic Director Doug Woolard says, this is a team with a strong future.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ADM 241 Tampa, FL 33620 (813) 974-2791Since it’s days away from 2010’s supercross season opener at Anaheim stadium, the media’s hard at work hyping up the rivalries between top dogs like James Stewart and new factory Kawasaki teammates Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed. One San Diego paper reported, “Villopoto figures to be in the best position to challenge two-time Supercross champions Reed and Stewart for the title.”
I wonder what plans the green team has for Stewart this season? Maybe none of that will matter when Stewart lines up in his new Nike motocross boots! From ESPN’s The Nike Saga, “All you old kooks need to quit hating on Nike and their attempt to enter the motocross market. Just keep wearing your rad dirt-stained Gaerne’s and shut it.”
I’m a firm believer in the phrase “Men, like wine, become better with age.” The Pasadena Star article how 27-year-old Reed thinks he’s “not that old,” Reed said. “I think I’m just getting better the older I get. I still love the sport and I have a lot of experience. I still look forward to every season. When it gets to the point where I don’t, then it’s time to stop. But I’m enjoying it every day.”
But not everyone will be enjoying the supercross this weekend, including Tyler Bowers and the Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki team. The Grand Rapids Press reported, “Bowers said he grew tired of all the politics and has returned to his Arenacross roots this season.”
Funny how the word motocross turned up on An Emotional Kind of Guy’s blog. He’s compiled a motivational board of quotes for when he gets frustrated or feels like he’s not really getting anywhere. “You’ve got one dial on your machine, and it’s winning!” – Motocross Track Announcer. I could name a few announcers who’d say that in a heartbeat!
Too bad I’m missing the Florida Winter AM series this year, since apparently Mike Alessi’s lined up in the Open A and Open Pro classes. According to alessiracing.com, Mike raced Gatorback when he was 5 years old, and “now he is back at 21 years old …funny thing is so is the original start line crew!” The#800 KTM won all four of his motos at Gatorback on New Year’s Day.
Have you seen the January issue of GQ? I was working on a letter to the editor about it, but he took out the damn letters all together. Now there’ s just a table of contents on page 8. What do I know about GQ, anyway? I only started reading GQ this semester for a critique assignment. Read it here.
A few months later, I consider myself a huge fan of GQ and not only because it’s a Newhouse publication, or because the photographer shot Rihanna topless for the first issue of a new decade.
I’m stoked because the reporter Lisa DePaulo asked questions that seems like only GQ could get answers to. Read the interview, here. Intense journalism, especially from a men’s magazine. The editors really put a lot of thought into making jokes. Check out the 18 “Friends” who make Facebook annoying. There’s an article on getting high — Must Everybody Get Stoned — and it’s pretttty straight up. Fine job, GQ! Even my non-journalist friends could pick up the issue and enjoyed a few laughs and/or learn something new. Just like Rihanna, the editors let their guards down this month. After all, who knew GQ was originally known as the Gentlemen’s Quarterly? Just kidding. As for the public’s opinion on the Rihanna photos, it’s a laugh.
Rihanna Goes Topless For GQ’s January 2010 Issue | Rihanna Covers ‘GQ’ Magazine January 2010
Here in Syracuse, it’s 10 degree and blowing snow. The apartment’s howling in the wind. If I raise the shade to look out the window, cold from the outside hits and I shudder back in the Snuggie I’m wearing. It’s leopard print and my roommate’s Christmas gift from her family back home in Florida, fifteen minutes away from my mom’s house where my sister’s lying out in the sun! I just turned on my Sunlight. Thanks, Santa!
It’s been said, “the Nuclear Cowboyz may do for motocross what World Wrestling Entertainment did for wrestling.”
Have you even heard of the Nuclear Cowboyz? According to alliteration in the San Francisco Chronicle, the “post-apocalyptic motocross spectacle sprinkles scantily clad dancers and special effects atop a gas-fueled ballet of high-flying motorbikes.” Sounds like a fun show to me!
While Nuclear Cowboyz hit 15 North American cities in 2010, the closest they come to N.Y. is the first show in Pittsburgh on January 2, with one stop in ATL, Tampa and three stops in California. Dang…check out the Cowboyz’ press release on Wonderwall, a Web site with a horizontal scroll!
Perhaps the most thrilling new bike review I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading: Gettin’ Busy With The Hottest Chick in Class.
“The 2010 YZ450F is the new girl in class, with everyone sniffing around trying to get a ride. Some of the other magazines have ridden her, but only quick and dirty in one location before she went home…We wined and dined our hot date all over the place, getting busy at the track, in the woods and even wide open on a quarter-mile dirt track…and the more we rode her the more she liked it!”Hilarious, guys. It reminds me of an article I once read called, “Sometimes I wish I was the bike.” I wonderI could find it now…
Finally, after a third place MX1 finish in the 2009 Canadian Motocross Nationals, it looks like Bobby Kiniry of Syracuse, N.Y. flew south to sign with the Miami-based Butler Brothers MX team AND ride the new Suzuki RMZ-250F race bike! BBMX boss chatted with Pit Pass Radio about the upcoming supercross season. “The team has a new title sponsor, BTO Sports, and they will be riding Suzuki’s after a long history with Honda.” It’s go time!
“I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.”
It’s Christmas in New York and my first away from home. I just opened the box my mom sent with all my stocking stuffers. I thought I’d outgrown stockings, but the tradition continues. Mom, I’m still holding the Flarp! Noise Putty over your head!
One tradition I hate to violate is riding on Christmas. It was always my father’s tradition and one we never violated. I remember the first year I got a dirt bike for Christmas, a brand new ‘96 XR 100! I was 11 and we loaded up, despite cries from my mom. “It’s tradition!” we’d say, and head out to the nearest riding area. It was always a gas and we’d join a slew of riders out there trying out their gifts, too. Here in New York, everyone goes boarding on Christmas, or sledding since it’s, like, 30 degrees. I’m staying inside to watch Christmas Vacation for the umpteenth time, another family tradition! Check out this photos I uncovered from the good ol’ Florida Trail Riders days. One year, I lined up as Ms. Claus! It was classic!
Merry Christmas!
As we round out the rest of the year, like most people, I’m wondering what to call the next decade. Is it twenty-ten? Two-thousand ten? I’ve heard two-ten and oh-ten. What about 2KX?
Tim McGraw’s song, Something Like That, was the most popular song from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 17, 2009 with 487,343 spins! The New York Times dubs Tiger Woods the person of the year. ? Time Magazine’s 10 Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever!
