Updates

Well, it's been a busy month, that's for sure. On Wednesday I leave for the 3rd running of the Royal Distributing World Enduro Canada Canadian Enduro Championships presented by Parts Canada (Yeah, a mouthful, ain't it?), but I've been busy uploading all my old pictures.

I'm working on getting pictures from 2008 and 2009 up, but I'm all caught up on 2010 and 2011 (so far).

Also, if you're feeling particularly bored and adventurous, I have uploaded some images suitable for backgrounds of our favourite Canadian Enduro riders here.

As always, I'm open for requests; email me at showie@mail.com to get pictures from the last four years.

Well, I'm off. Check back for updates on the CECs and my journey with the Yamaha/Machine Racing boys and their Honda counter parts between rounds.

Cheers,
- SuzieQ

Another Season

Well, we're officially in the season now, and while I've been a little slack in my postings, I have been active on the trails. Whether you follow Off Road Ontario or the World Enduro Canada series, you've already started your season, and probably seen me in the trees at either Port Colborne, MotoPark or Colborne. It's shaping up to be an exciting season.

So what's happening in the OO XC?

Well, we're now two rounds in. We've had Port Colborne (pictures) and Colborne (pictures).

Josh Long, a former top three prov. intermediate motocross rider in the CMRC, has stepped into the world of Off Road Ontario, challenging #1 rider Mike Vandenhoek and his Husaberg along side perenial trouble maker Brian Wojnarowski, making the shift from a YZ 250 two-stroke to the big YZF 450 four-stroke.

Stirring it up in the Expert class, the Jones brothers, sons of Vet Ex rider Jamie Jones, are tag teaming the podium, while Jed Franko continues to be a strong pressence in the Intermediate, with Ian Otten close behing him. Connor Brogan has one more year representing the Novice A before moving up to the afternoon program, while fellow Husqvarna rider Zack Tustin, has already made the move. The Head family, Emily, Melissa and momma Kathleen, have been dominating the ladies' class, going 1-2-3 at both rounds. Ryder Heacock, legacy son of Pro Dustin Heacock, continues to shake things up in the Youth class. At only 12, that boy can fly! Look out, if he keeps up on this track, he might be a force to be reconed with in 4 years.

And the WEC/Wisner Insurace Cross Country series?

Well, the season opener at MotoPark (pictures) saw a whole bunch of fresh faced Pros line up, all hoping to take the #1 plate away from Misson Cycle/KTM rider Kevin Cockayne. Joining the usual suspects, Brian Wojnarowski and Bryan Marshall, were Jamie West, Jesse Grummett and Greg Filer. The Pro podium went Wojo, Filer, Cockayne, with Bryan Marshall finishing just off the box, but still receiving a piece of the Pro Payback.

Notably absent is Chris Van Hove. The former CMA National Champion, and almost 2010 CEC E1 Champion, has moved to Alberta, and will be competing with the best in the west, bringing a little bit of Eastern Flash to the short native grasses of southern Alberta. Van Hove has picked up a two year deal with Gas Gas, which will see the Delhi native rider the Spanish monsters in the E3 class against titans such as Geoff "King of E3" Nelson.

More national news to come.

For more information about pictures, or to purchase pictures, please email me at showie@mail.com

I'm Back

Hello Readers;

It's been a while since I've posted anything; my last post I believe was back in October. A well received article about podium speeches, if I remember correctly. Well, I'm sorry for the long hiatus. But I'm back, at least intermittenly.

The season is getting ready to kick off. Toronto Supercross is just around the corner, and for those of us in Ontario we all know that's the signal that it's time to dust off the bikes, run the gear through the laundry and get some fresh rubber on the rims. It is an exciting time of year, and 2011 is looking like it will shape up to be one heck of a season.

It got me thinking: We're pretty lucky here in Canada as far as off roading goes. We've got the 12 Hours of LaToque in Quebec, Corner Grass and Xtinction in Alberta, the Corduroy here in Ontario, various well organized and located regional series, a budding national series that will be in its third year in 2011, and continually growing. So what if the EnduroX at Montreal was cancelled for this year? Our talented riders have plenty of venues where they are the main event, not the half time show.

I am incredibly proud of all of the riders who took on the challenge at Montreal, and I am thankful to the organizers for giving off road the chance, but they are right: Olympic Stadium is just not the right venue for an EnduroX event. In 2011, we have so many chances to show off our skills, to be the stars of the show, I don't think any of those who participated the last two years should be sad. You accomplished a once (or twice) in a life time task and rode in front of thousands.

But, enough of my ranting...

So I am back, and I've planned out a few posts for March and April I think might interest my readers. March will be focussed on image. What kind of image do you present to those around you at the races? How important is it to present a positive social media profile? Can things like facebook and myspace (and even personal blogs, like mine) hurt your chances of getting sponsorships?

I will hopefully have posts up Monday/Tuesday mornings.

In the mean time, feel free to checkout my smugmug page, I've been busy uploading old photos from 2010, but also 2008 and 2009 as well. There's moto and off road, even a few old school style enduro pictures up there. Check it out.

Also, check back regularly for easter eggs. Posters, backgrounds and other downloadable freebies will be showing up from time to time.

Cheers!
- S

Hett Hype at the ISDE

Courtesy of Stephen Shannon

Hi Everyone,


I'm going to keep this one short as I need to get to bed. Day One has been quite the rollercoaster leaving most of Team Canada exhausted. Victoria took off this morning looking great, posting respectable times and was quite happy all morning. She's been dealing with a stomach bug but all morning it was fine. At TC3 the course workers screwed up and made her go through 1 minute early, giving her a 60 second penalty. No big deal, we should be able to get it sorted out in the jury meeting later, so we thought.

As the day went on Tory was riding well but not feeling good at all. Painful stomach cramps weren't much fun, but she persevered and stayed on time. Everything was looking good until right at the end of the day. Tory showed up at the pre-check before her work period 25 minutes early, but it took us 10 minutes to realize she had forgot to ride one of the special tests (the course was confusing - look for my post on www.directmotocross.com to explain it all).

A Mexican course marshall pointed Tory in the wrong direction so she missed the test at no fault of her own. Tory raced back to the test, did it, then came back to check 6 just on time. She then blasted off a tire change in under 5 minutes (better than a lot of trophy riders!), changed the oil and put a fresh air filter in before impounding on time. It was stressful with her running back to do test 8, but we figured we were in the clear, and looking at her test times we saw she was 20 seconds off gold so far!

The real drama started when we got back to the condo and I checked results. The results listed Tory as 'retired' aka did not finish. Because she did the tests in the wrong order (she did test 9 before 8), they said she was disqualified. We were furious, to say the least as Tory was doing awesome and would be looking
at a strong silver if she kept it up, or maybe even a gold medal.



After a lot of phone calls and heated discussions, our team manager did get Tory re-instated in the race, so she will be able to continue her quest for an ISDE medal. Unfortunately, they gave her a one hour penalty, essentially ruining her chances at finishing on anything but bronze. Ever the competitor, Tory is going to plug away over the next 5 days and hopefully she'll be able to get back on silver time, but it will be tough. It's a major piss off though, since if Tory was French or Italian, it's very unlikely she would have received a penalty.

Six days politics are very, very frustrating.


Right now she's resting and hopefully the stomach cramps will go away so Tory really get on the gas and get that silver medal.
That's about it for now, and I'll try to update you all again tomorrow night.
Steve

Gopher Dunes ANQ

I'm updating my 5th Gear SmugMug page as the winter continues, getting to races I might have skipped, missed or forgotten about posting.

Keep checking back. I try to post something new every Monday at http://www.5thgearmedia.smugmug.com/ and as always, check beck here every Wednesday for a new helpful hint.

Cheers!
- Suzie Q

Movember

 I did my part, now you boys do your's!

Join a team! Start a team! Or, even better yet, donate to Team IMX! It's all in the name of good fun, fine facial grooming and finding a cure for prostate cancer.

It's all in the Presentation

Want to know what the number one fear, across all national, ethnic, religious, gender and age gaps is? No, it's not clowns, but good guess.
Public speaking.
Yeah, we all remember in grade school when we had to get up in front of everyone and make five minute speeches, or in high school when we had to do ISU presentations and talk in front of everyone. For some of us those memories are much fresher than they are for others, but I'm sure we can all agree that we each have a horror story or six about public speaking.
Perhaps this is why so many motocross and off road riders perform wonderfully on the track, but then come to a screeching halt as soon as they get on the podium. There are some super stars out there, many of the American teams and Europeans have people who work with them specifically to make them more friendly and presentable while in the public eye. Here in Canada, that luxury isn't available to most riders, and certainly not to the amateurs.
There are three people who come to mind, personally, when I think of excellent podium presence. Now, remember, I'm an off road specialist, so they are all enduro riders, from the Canadian Enduro Championship series. Jason Schrage, Shane Cuthbertson and Guy Giroux are all wonderful on the podium, and all for different reasons.

Jason Schrage on the microphone. He has a natural style and friendliness that people like.

Schrage is highly marketable; he's a PR person's dream! Aside from being attractive in a non-threatening way, and a fire fighter (read: Hero Job!), he is well spoken and articulate. When he gets on the podium, which is often, he never forgets to thank the organizers, his competition, his sponsors, and perhaps most importantly, his wife Rochelle. He speaks clearly, and audibly into the microphone, when there is one, and doesn't mutter or stare at his feet. While the other riders are saying their piece, he is either smiling to the crowd, or smiling and listening to what they have to say.
Cuthbertson is another good podium personality, as I like to call them. While he might not have the Gerber Baby dimples that Schrage has, he is witty on the podium and presents himself, and his list of sponsors, well. I can remember one particular presentation where he poked fun at a fellow racer who had troubles remembering his sponsor list the day before. “I'll show you how it's done,” the good natured barb started, and Cuthbertson whipped out the race series program, which had all of the top riders, and their sponsors, listed in the front. He then went on to read his sponsor list right from the program. For those of you who follow off road, the Corner Grass Racing Team, of which Cuthbertson is a member, have a lot of sponsors. The crowd, and the rider, laughed.

E2 podium, with Wojnarowski, Schrage and Cuthbertson.

Sometimes making memorable podium speeches, ones that are remembered for good reasons rather than how horrible they are (I'll bring up three examples of riders who, while extremely talented on their bikes, could use to learn a few things about being on a podium later). Guy Giroux is an example of that. While no one speech stands out, one does get the feeling that he's talking to everyone in the audience as if they're a personal friend. Much like I pointed out in my last article, where I used Giroux's press releases as an example, his style is very intimate.
Without being too critical, there are also some pretty bad examples of podium speeches in the CECs, and I can think of three riders, all at different points in their lives, from whom lessons on what not do to can be learned.
Being prepared is important; know who your sponsors are and have a rough idea of what you'd like to say. “Hmm...” “Uh...” and “Aahh...” don't make you look like a winner. You're on the podium! Clearly you're fast. Being shy and overly quiet isn't an option at this point. If you've won a spot in the top three, assume you've earned it. Speak up, be prepared and know what you're going to say. If you have to, practice your podium speech if you have to.
Another pet peeve of mine is when I see a rider stare at their feet while they speak. What this tells me is a) the rider is uncomfortable with the spot light and b) doesn't feel like they deserve to be where they are. Look into the audience, with your head held high. You're in the top three, you should be proud. Again, sometimes this is caused by nervousness. I know some riders who have found wearing sunglasses while on the podium helps with this problem. It allows them to focus on an object, a loved one in the crowd or a tree in the distance, without looking like a creeper or space case.
Also, be aware that there are probably cameras in the audience; don’t be surprised if you make a funny face and it ends up on the internet.

You don't want to look like this.

This is better. Notice they're all smiling, all faces are turned towards the crowd.

Guy Giroux is certainly happy with his first E3 and overall victory; he conveys his excitement to the crowd.

Finally: Keep it short. There’s a big temptation among riders to thank everyone who has ever helped or smiled kindly upon you. This is all well and good, but it makes for a very boring presentation. There are certainly people who should be thanked: organizers, land owners, family and, obviously, your sponsors. Other than that, don’t worry about Mr. Johnston your neighbor growing up, or the guy who pumps your gas.
Forgetting your sponsors is a big no-no. One can be forgiven, but after that, don’t make the mistake again. Do what Cuthbertson did if you have to, have a small note card with your sponsors listed on it. Just something small, 4 x 6 inches is a good size, with your sponsor’s names, or better yet, their logos, on it.

A final thought: Remember, everyone you’re speaking to is a potential friend and supporter. The crowd is there to watch you, there is no reason to be afraid. And, just like they said in grade school, practice makes perfect.

Thanks to Adam Millson, Brian Wojnarowski, Chris Van Hove, Julian Cerny, Jason Schrage, Lee Fryberger, Guy Giroux and Geoff Nelson for letting me use their sometimes funny faces. Thanks, Gentlemen.