Dear David,
I am a huge fan of your column. Politics, not so much. But I think I’ve found some middle ground that we both can believe in. I am a research scientist, and I was proud to see how many Nobel Prizes were awarded to our great country this past month. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2009 was given to three scientists working in America, yet only one was born here. The other two were born in Australia and the U.K., but they moved to America to pursue their research – because we’re the best in the world (damn it!). It reminds me so much of motocross. We likely won the MXoN this year, at least in part (the guys kicked ass too!), because of The Man. And we knew lots of the other fast riders because they moved here to race. Some of them will go home when they’re done but others stick around, get married, and become American citizens. And that’s what makes our country so great: we’ll take the best of the best, we’ll run head to head with them, and we’ll use their help if they’re the best at what they do.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mark
Dear Dr. Mark,
Thanks for reading, Mark. You know, I’ve really been trying to leave politics out of this column as much as possible. Seriously, I have. It’s just that there are some things political that pertain to what we all love here, i.e. lead laws, land closures, tear off bans… wait, that last one was just DC screwing with us. He got me good with that one. I can’t help but write about those topics because they directly apply to motocross. The rest of it is just something that I am passionate about and it tends to come out in my writing. I apologize. And since you brought up the Nobel Peace Prize… you see where I’m going with this, don’t you? That was like me being awarded the Olympic gold medal in the 1,000 meter sprint just because I got up this morning and hi-stepped it for the toilet. But, whatever. I think our guys would have won the MXoN even if RD were at home on the sofa. We still had Mitch Payton, a whole fleet of Honda staff and the same personnel that stand by our riders sides week in and week out here in the States. Congrats Ryan, Jake and Ivan! You guys made us proud.
PING
Mister Pingree,
I recently had quite a bad (read: stupid) fall and ended up breaking a couple bones in my arm, wrist and hand. To cut a long story short... I now have several pins inside my arm and the doctor says that I should be out of action for about 4 months! How is it that the professional riders are usually able to bounce back so fast? Why is it you're always able to injure yourself the worst when you're just playing around?
P.S. I've noticed that you seem to answer more people who have complimented your team and their accomplishments over this past year or am I just imagining things? But seriously, good job. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can do next year!
P.S.S. Does it also irritate you when people use "your" when they are ment to use "you're"?
Dear ?,
Don’t be too hard on yourself, stupid; everyone falls down now and then. And it happens frequently when they are just playing around because they tend to lose concentration and focus. And when I say “they” of course I’m talking about you. Still, it does happen to others on a regular basis as well. The main reasons that athletes heal quicker than most is because they are young and they are healthy. Most top riders have a very healthy vascular system and most of them are in their teens or early twenties. They lead very healthy lifestyles, which are conducive to more effective tissue repair following an injury. Plenty of rest, a healthy diet and regular exercise aid in the healing process. Most riders with the injury you have would continue to jog or ride a stationary bike throughout their recovery. Are you doing that? Or are you catching up on episodes of Two and a Half Men and washing down Doritos with a six-pack of Pepsi every night? Let me help you out here: Charlie gets hammered and nails everything that walks while his brother struggles to find a girlfriend. There, you’ve seen every episode ever filmed.
P.S. I didn’t notice that I was including complimentary questions but I’ll be sure to watch for that now. Thanks for the compliment.
P.S.S. Yes. It also irritates me when someone uses “ment” when they meant to use “meant.”
Hi Ping,
How much do you think they paid Blake Wharton for staring in that 'Free Style' movie coming out October 9th? Do you think he'll be switching careers and acting full time, if this movie is a hit? Can we expect a thorough review from you or someone at Racer X? Was the industry very involved in this film, i.e. stunt work and filming at races? I'm wondering if this will be another 'Supercross: The Movie'. The title of the film suggests so.
Cheers!
Andreas
Calgary
Dear Andreas,
I think that’s Corbin Bleu, not Blake Wharton. Still, they have some similarities. For one, they both have potentially massive Afros, which would suggest that they share genetic material with Diana Ross. Actually, that is about all they have in common. Blake is a really cool kid with a lot of talent and Corbin is the Hollywood star of High School Musical, which is devastating to his street cred. Just for the record: I had nothing to do with this film. I don’t know if it will be as bad as Supercros: The Movie but I don’t want the backlash that will follow if it is.
PING
