Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. Happy Halloween everyone, but in reality how “happy” of a holiday is this? Sure, ‘tis the season we are inundated with candy and women dressed in sexy versions of regular characters, but in reality this is a solemn event on the calendar. Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve is a cryptic holiday dedicated to faithfully departed believers. Call me a cynic for not completely bowing into the Mr. Roger’s neighborhood version of trick or treating but I’ve always been an advocate of the supernatural and we’re all different in our chemical reactions to that which we can, or cannot see. To that end, there are some places in the world where black magic is practiced that the timid dare not venture. And some things in the world are just down right scary.

Halloween for motocrossers reminds us of those awkward years in grade school when you wore your moto gear for dress up day. I was a squeaky little kid that didn’t really fit in during those years, but I always looked forward to Halloween because it helped my teachers and friends learn a little more about me. Why was I so disinterested is stick and ball sports? Why did I daydream during lecture? I can still see the expressions on kid’s faces as they looked at the scratches on my chest protector and helmet during the biggest candy-giving school day of the year. I distinctly remember a girl asking me if the marks on my helmet hurt me when I made them. I was always the kind to ham it up a bit and take advantage of the attention so of course I replied about a high-speed cartwheel off the starting line at Ponca City. I never asked my friends or classmates to understand why I missed a lot of days, or why I often returned from my excursions with scabbed elbows. On Halloween, I always had a chance to explain because I wore my gear instead of a Dracula outfit.

Seems normal here but this is a Halloween costume for many tonight.
Simon Cudby photo

So, what is Halloween about? Why do they play scary movies for the entire month of October? I like to look at the natural order of things and how the seasons change. Its like a slow conjuring that begins with the beautiful color of the leaves, which eventually fall and soon we are left with the cold, wet chill of Old Man Winter. It’s a pretty gnarly time as our spinning circus transforms from paradise to grey nastiness.

I also like to compare Halloween to motocross. Our sport can be an evil demon that spawns feelings only we defenders of the faith understand. Do you want to know real fear? A motocrosser can answer by explaining the sensation of being on the starting line and seeing a row of front fenders that seems to never end. A motocrosser knows the fear of grabbing gears toward a blind jump with the forethought that he needs to fly at least 70 feet to make it to a safe landing. A motocrosser has seen the gestures of flagmen towards the ambulance as he tries to explain the downed rider’s leg is broken—without getting shaken by it. Motocrossers don’t need the supernatural to understand the meaning of fear. We live in fear every time we throw a leg over our mounts. I don’t know though, I’m 10 times less scared of triples than I am of ghosts. And I still wish I hadn’t seen that damn movie....

This first turn can be quite scary at times.
Simon Cudby photo

So, maybe I’m a little paranoid about ghosts, and maybe scary movies get the better of me sometimes. I’m not trying to take the fun out of Halloween, just thinking out loud a little this week. I suppose in the big scheme of things this is a fun family holiday, and for those with kids it can be really cool seeing your little ones dressed up. So, after all of this I guess I’m looking forward to it. Tonight I’ll be dressing our daughter up in a bunny costume and she’ll be joining her cousins for some trick or treat festivities. Me? I’ll be wearing my motocross gear, of course.

Thanks for reading, see you next week.