Todd1100

Some Thoughts For The Off-Season…

Let me first say that some of you out there have no clue who I am, some of you out there only know me by face, and some of you know me personally and quite well…for those of you who don’t know who I am, I’ve been in the sport bike scene for over 20 years now, from street racing, road racing, stunt riding, and everything in between. As for the stunt riding, I’ve been doing this stuff before some of you were even born(damn I wish I had video camera’s back then)!!! The reason I’m telling you this is because I don’t want YOU to think that the comments I’m about to share with you comes from some newbie or someone who doesn’t have a clue about the whole stunt riding scene…

This past season saw the emergence of many new riders, teams, tricks, and most importantly events!! New riders and teams are coming up everyday it seems, and the tricks…well lets just say that they’re getting sicker at each event I attend!!! The thought and creativity that is going into these new tricks is absolutely amazing and is taking this sport further and further all the time. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK EVERYONE!!!

Teams also have been working their asses off in other areas as well…new video’s are coming out almost every month, and the work going into those video’s is equally amazing…Great production, great soundtracks, and most importantly GREAT PERSONALITIES are now being found in these new video’s…again, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK EVERYONE!!!

Now, the comments I have for the future of this sport are not directed at any one individual, team, etc. and these are just my own personal thoughts regarding this sports future and it’s growth in a positive direction. I WON’T be saying names, teams, organizations, etc, as that is not what this is about…it’s about EVERYONE involved in this sport and what YOU need to consider while you have time off this winter.

The first comment I want to make deals with the direction and promotion of this sport. There are individuals out there working their asses off to take this sport to the highest level. This site is a perfect example of one mans passion for this sport and what he feels he needs to do to make a positive impact. A place where EVERYONE can gather, share ideas, communicate easily across great distances, and help each other out. All of this is by far some of the most important areas in any successful business. This web site is by far MORE IMPORTANT to the future of this sport than most of you know.

There are somewhat organized events taking place all over the US now, and teams traveling from all over to attend these events…some teams traveling thousands of miles just to perform for a weekend. These people are making great financial sacrifices to attend these shows and competitions…but what do these riders and teams find when they arrive, 9 times out of 10 they find a very Unorganized event…no rules or rules changing at the last minute, poor safety conditions, no security in the paddock areas, POOR security on the track, poor clarification of classes and events, lack of well deserved payouts and prizes due to poor sponsorship of events and mishandling of funds. ALL of these have come up at one time or another throughout the year, and still not much has changed. These areas need to most certainly be addressed before this sport can continue to grow.
There needs to be standardized rules for competition…there needs to be certain levels of safety for the riders and spectators…there needs to be better clarification between Professional and Amateur riders and the events in which they can compete or perform in…and there needs to be better sponsorship and financial support for these events to make up for the money these riders and teams spend to attend these events.

I wasn’t going to name organizations, but I do want to say something in regards to the XSBA…while I think the idea of the XSBA is a great idea, I have to wonder why with a company like Clear Channel promoting the XSBA haven’t we seen a more interested group of large corporate sponsors??? I personally think that Formula USA uses the XSBA as nothing more than a sideshow to provide “break time” entertainment for the crowds. I just don’t understand with a company like Clear Channel backing this organization why there aren’t larger payouts, more sport specific sponsors, and why they are suffering from some of the same organizational issues I mentioned earlier…Is it a management issue, a promotions issue, a marketing issue…I think it’s a combination of all the above.
My thoughts are, with a name like Clear Channel behind you, you need to be MUCH further into the game than some average guy who just loves the sport and throws an event of at least equal or even greater magnitude.

In my opinion, the teams and riders need to appoint a group of officials to oversee all aspects of this sport when it comes to events and competitions. There needs to be level grounds in which to compete on…set rules, set safety standards, set classes and events. Judges for these events need to be given set rules in which to judge by, rules governed and established by the rider’s and their appointed group of officials.
The majority of these shows turn into a “free for all” and completely forgetting about the spectators that PAID to see competitions. The fans are most often left wondering what in the hell is going on, they get bored, and leave the event early…I know this because I have been there myself. I’m in the crowds and I hear what they’re saying…yes, they love the stunts but they need more than just a bunch of people doing wheelies and stoppies all over the track…remember, most of them see that on their Sunday rides now. If you can’t keep the fans, the sport is NOT going anywhere.

Wow…this is a lot longer than I thought, so I’ll end here for now…I’m sure I’ll be adding to this post anyways…Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings…HAVE A GREAT WINTER and LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR!!!!
Todd

dsbr6

WORD YO:cool:

DSOG Thomas

do i wanna get in this conversation??

-Baker-

Thats why I take part in StuntLife because its the central point of where I can get together with the best of the best riders in this nation!!!!

Thomas...Yes! By all means discuss your thoughts.

This is the best place to share with others thoughts, skillz and friendship with everyone.

Gotta love StuntLife!!! ..."Got Stunt??"

TEACH C6

,

some points you make are valid-about needing more sponsorship, guidelines, etc. however, you must understand that this past year was the first real year of competitions, and as with any new sport, there are going to be numerous times when rules and other things will change. it is just the nature of the beast. as time goes on, the rules will become better, the purses better, and thejudges better.

as for sponsors, the same rule applies. why would clear channel pay out tons of cash for an 'experimental' sport? right now the xsba is a sideshow for FUSA. why wouldnt it be? FUSA is a relatively established racing series (as of late) with many big name sponsors. racing is an established entertainment sport and it brings in revenue, right now stunt riding is not even close to that level. when stunt riding has proved to be a profitable and organizable (is that a word?) event, sponsors will come.

look at any 'xtreme' sport: skateboarding, fmx, bmx, etc. when they were first introduced, there was no money, no sponsors, just kids having fun doing what they love. only later, once big companies recognized these new sports as avenues to make money off an audience they never had, did the big money start coming in. freestyle sportbike riding is in that infancy stage right now. this past year was a huge year of growth: the first ever stunt riding championship series-xsba. next year will be a bigger year, as riders get better, become more professional, and sponsors recognize the sport as an avenue for money making. every year it will get bigger.

it takes time for things to happen and a professional image is everything. i can guarantee that you are more unlikely to gain a major sponsor with the stunt attitudes of a year ago, than you are now. that didnt make much sense, but major sponsors arent going to come aboard when they will be sponsoring 'thugs' and what not (although fmx certainly proves me wrong here!!). xsba is in association with FUSA and the competitors need to play to the audience they have-race sponsors. i am an expert racer and have seen what it takes to obtain major sponsors. people like pirelli, sharkskinz, suzuki, etc look at your appearance, behavior, and performance. my race team is not going to get sponsored if our pit looks like crap....i'm rambling, so i'll stop, but you get the point..

Teach

SpeedyCycles

FUSA is a great place for us racers to make $$$ if you can run well. They pay well all the way down to many places, consequently, they get a lot of big names (up and coming) guys. Ty Howard just signed a Honda deal, Ben Spies signed with Factory Yosh/Blimpie Suzi, Hopper has a MotoGP ride, etc. These guys were all F-USA in 99. I hope the Thew, Dan Jackson, etc can attract enough attention to take the sport to a higher level. I am an advocate of the XSBA.

IMHO, I think stunting needs it's version of the Toyota 200. $50,000 to the winner all the way down to $1,000 for 40th place. It can be done, someone just needs to get the backing and investor together to make it work. I would *expect* that you offer $50,000 for the winner of a stunt show you would have 150 stunters show up to compete for it!! Sponsors like that, the press gets involved, and the TV's will emerge. Am I wrong?

Frank

ZANNMANN

very nice teach.

well back in the day i used to race and dirt jump pedal bikes.we ran in to similar problems all over. at first we used to get kicked out of everywhere.thenwe started to have our own jump shows called jams at our local jumps and take out of our own pocket and give out prizes. we were all like 12-18 and making the sport grow by ourselves. it felt so good but after awhile we were noticing that people from all over were coming to our jumps i mean people from cali would even come here and sponsors started showing up after like 3 years of blood sweat and tears. and finally people started recognizing it as a sport a real sport.
we never used to get big purses. all we would win at the end of a race is a trophy and maybe earn some point standings. but finally time would tell people want this as a sport. just as street freestyle i think will grow to be a huge crowd pleaser i mean it already is but i think it will just take time and maybe yes a long time till people get hundreds of thousands a year but it will happen its just to big. well i am a newbie stunter so maybe nobody cares what i have to say but its just my .02 i think these two styles of riding are totally diffeent,YES but i think both as a sport are the same. bmx has had to overcome many difficulties just as streetbike freestyle is overcoming right now. soon it will all fall into place.
i hope this makes sense to all .ohh well
LATA,
ZANNMANN

DSOG Thomas

Thanks Teach.....

first off... in the real world.... stuntriding isnt half as big as we think it is! but its on the way... when these movies come out next year, and you can pick up sportrider and cycleworld and they seriously acknowledge it, then it starts

and yeah most of us been in the game for a minute, but whatever gets said.... 2002 was the first year of full blown competition.....period

and another thing.... I dont have anything to do with the marketing/promotion of the xsba.... If I could take it over i would love to

halftime show at the roadrace bad thing??
halftime show at monster truck show bad thing??
halftime at NHRA bad thing??
halftime at Gator Nationals =) bad thing??

whats good and whats bad?? who is to decide?? anyone here wanna stunt inside a packed coliseum??

I take XSBA talk personal only because of everything Ive put in it this year, I personally have taken a beating and strained a lot of friendships because of it! ( hopefully everyone still loves me though)

what is it going to take for people to look and say "wow, Ken, the XSBA competitors and Thomas really are doing something good." "They are working with what they have and making it the best it can be"
instead of taking shots at it because they know every aspect of it
my advice to anyone is this... if you have a problem, offer a solution (like all the people who judged at Daytona, Thanks)

there is obviously something being done right if the top riders are consistently competing...... ummm hello, reckon they see something other people might not?? nooo never that

the XSBA is not a stuntfest/stripfest and will never be treated as such... it is the Safest, most accepted form of stuntriding competition, in and out of the industry.

and our payouts?? **** we pay 1st through 5th place $2500 total, we had 5 entries at Road America at $100 each......you do the math.... 9 entries at portland.... and guess what, none of the competitors had to track down a promoter to get money...thier checks were always waiting on them ( I know pretty unorganized huh?)
My number 1 priority has been the competitors all year, we have worked hard with them to provide a series that they are comfortable with, from entries all the way to judging. #2 we have been getting our riders prepared for what they have to do to obtain and maintain big sponsors... displaying logos on jackets in photo ops doesnt come naturally, neither does thanking sponsors when that mic is in your face!
::::::I was told by someone that it responsibility to help our riders get sponsors, and if they cant do it themselves they dont need to be here!:::::

anyone got a guess on who told me that??


well guess what? now that all of that is on the latter side of being ironed out.... what to concentrate on now?? HMM lets see, maybe sponsorships? maybe things we can do to make a better show?? maybe more, different type events??

its a big world out there.... and a loooong year is coming.... anyone still talking about **** from this year, you are behind.... we have moved on, riders have moved on... come on get on the back and ride with us

other than that if anyone has a problem with the XSBA my phone number aint to hard to find

Thomas

DSOG Thomas

good point Frank....

Championship Points Fund....we are working on it! anyone know a sponsor who will cough up 50k for it?

besides that... we are working on an XSBA video, a portion of all of that revenue will be donated directly to the points fund for the series


thomas

BTBubba

i like xsba too, i give them props. from the footage i've seen from the portland comp, the talent is outstanding too, looks like good riders are supporting. the best thing is that as a new stutner tryin hard to become "good" xsba is a tangible goal to work towards. i know what riders in xsba are doing and what they do to win, so it helps having an organized body setting styles and trends that i can work towards etc etc. w/o i think a lot of new wouldnt know how to pace themselves or compare themselves to winners and competitors in our sport

shugga

I really liked reading what you all had to say here. It makes me proud to know discussions like this are happening HERE on StuntLife. That's my goal. A common meeting place where all riders can communicate and ALL The information needed for the sport is here. Anything a newbie, to a hard-core pro wants to know is here at StuntLife.

Thanks to YOU guys for making it great. And thanks Thomas for all your hard work on the XSBA.

I agree with what you guys are saying, Todd, Chris, and Thomas... We all see the big picture. But everyone isn't informed about the current facts. I know I wasn't till a couple months ago.

Its the ignorance that divides us all. No, we all wont every agree 100%, but there is no possibility of agreeing and working together when we don't know the facts. I mean look at how many people really read this thread? Im sure not many word for word. Its that lack of effort that keeps us all divided, and anyone reading what I am saying here is the minority that is trying to understand all aspects of the progress of our sport.

Lets continue talking and discussing and figuring out our next move.

Thanks for reading this!

ZANNMANN

well said shugga THANKS for the website

rotgg

i am in the "minority" do i get special treatment lol

Reality

WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO FOR NEXT YEAR.IT'S NO SECRET I WILL AGREE ON SOME POINTS OF THIS TOPIC AND DIS AGREE ON SOME,BUT THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS SITE(THANKS SHUGGS)WE NEED TO FORM SOME AGREEMENTS AS RIDERS (E.G) WHY THE HELL IS ANYONE GOING TO PAY SEE US PERFORM ANYWHERE IF WE DO IT ON THE STREETS FOR FREE.WE NEED TO START ACTING LIKE PROFFESIONALS THEN MAYBE THE SPONSORS WILL TREAT US LIKE PRO'S. WHY DO U THINK THEY (THE MAJOR SPONSORS) FROWN UPON US?WELL MOST OF US PROMOTE UNSAFE RIDING BY RIDING WITH NO HELMETS,LEATHERS,GLOVES ETC. WOULD YOU GET INVOLVED WITH AN INVESTMENT WHERE YOU ARE SETTING YOURSELF UP TO LOOK BAD.DOUBT IT.DO YOU SEE FLAG FOOTBALL GUYS ON SUNDAYS WEARING RIPPED UP **** FIGHTING THROUGH MOST OF THE GAME AND LOSING MOST OF THE TIMES HAVING MAJOR SPONSORS.HELL NO BECUASE THEY DON'T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY ENOUGH.AND THAT'S THE WAY WE WERE.BUT NOW IT'S DIFFRENT RITE BECUASE SOME OF US HAVE VIDEO'S OUT NOW WE ARE BIG TIME.WHO ARE WE KIDDING.THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE TO BE ALITTLE MORE RESPONSIBLE AS PROFESSIONALS. THE FIRST STEP WE AS PROFFESIONALS CAN DO IS (AND THIS IS JUST MY OPINION)GO TO YOUR LOCAL TRACK OWNERS AND SAY WE ARE TRYING TO TAKE STUNT RIDING ON A LITTLE MORE RESPONSIBLE LEVEL.WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP US OUT MAYBE GIVE US A DISCOUNTED RATE FOR THE DAYS NEEDED OF USE ON THE TRACK.IN TURN WE WILL PROMOTE YOUR TRACK FOR LOCAL EVENTS TO HELP YOU GENERATE HIGHER PROFITS @ LOCAL EVENTS.THEY WILL SEE THAT YOU ARE NOT JUST LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO RIDE BUT YOU ARE LOOKING @ THIS AS A BUSINESS PROSPECTIVE(SO THEY WILL TAKE YOU A LITTLE MORE SERIOUSLY)BY DOING THIS YOUR TEAM CAN BE USED AS IN HOUSE HEADLINERS FOR LOCAL WHEELIE CONTESTS.WHICH IN TURN GENERATES HIGHER PROFITS FOR THE TEAM ON SELLING MERCHANDISE PLUS IT GIVES THE TRACK OWNERS LEYWAY ON HAVING A HEADLINERS SHOW FOR THE SPECTATORS BECUASE THEY WILL NOT GET THE CHANCE TO SEE THE NEWEST AND HOTTEST STUNTS ON THE STREETS THEY WILL HAVE TO COME SEE YOU @ THE SHOWS.WHICH IN TURN EVERYONE MAKES MONEY WHICH MEANS EVERYONE IS HAPPY.(MOST OF THE PROFESSOINAL RIDING CREWS ALREADY DO THIS)(YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE) AND LOOK WHERE THEY ARE.

THAT IS JUST ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT WE CAN DO FOR THE MAJOR SPONSORS TO TAKE US SERIOUSLY. BASICALLY I CAN GO ON FOREVER ON WHAT WE SHOULD DO MOST OF YOU GUYS ALREADY KNOW(THOMAS CALL ME)

ANY QUESTIONS HIT ME @ REALITYRACINGINC@AOL.COM

P.S. TEACH CAN YOU CHECK THE SPELLING AND GRAMMER FOR ME ON THIS AND GET BACK TO ME ON IT. HAHA

DSOG Thomas

yep, and thats what we have been doing all year... helping create professionals


thomas

shugga

Ronnie, very good points. Thats they way it should be and hopefully one day will be like that, yet many of us dont have local tracks, and the tracks that are local DO NOT support stunt riding at all. Around Chicago if you do a wheelie at a track they kick you out. Simple as that. Sucks but oh well. But I fully agree. If you try hard enough you can find a place and an avenue to do exactly what you said. There are a couple local runways who WILL allow us stunters to use them.

It is steps like these that WILL help take out sport to the next level and seperate the amateurs from the real pros.

Ryan Cramer

im with ya on bigger sponsors, im workin on getting alpinestars more involved than just handing out free ****, so im doing my part........LOL, i cant wait for next year

xWindScReEnx

i agree with everyone who has been saying this sport is growing, i am still young at only 17 i already have seen the change in just my area, my brothers friends crashed his r6 about a year and a half ago and broke his back and he is already getting a new bike and trying to ride again i think that shows alot for the sport showing how much it really meens to people, i dont really have much around here but my bike.... so i really admire all the groups/teams around here and cant wait until you guys see what i got....

well ill ttyl,

Merk

im just startin out in this sport...to be honest with you i never knew that this kinda ridin was like a community, so i am gonna have to agree that this sport is growing because i never knew it existed until earlier this year, then i started seein and hearin more about, thats what got me involved. Its gonna take time for this sport to evolve, just like every sport...i rollerbladed for about 7 seven years. when i first got involved it was just startin to get recognized as a sport, as movies slowly started commin out and skaters were doin exhibitions and what not, but it had already been goin on for while before i got involved. then it got really big, almost as big as skatebording, but the down side to that was it was being too comercialized and skaters were loosin their passion for the sport because they focused on comercializing the sport and not evolving it. what im trying to say is that it is good to get your sport known, but this sport is in that evolving stage where just about every decision made about the sport is critical..this is an amazing sport that has potential to become huge, but depending on how its presented it will be enormuse for a short period of time or big forever....that is just what ive seen through rollerbladin and skateboardin, im interested what you guys have to say about this.
Jim

Tony D

yo ron how long did it take you to type that??????