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
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.
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.
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.
In my last article I touched briefly on the importance of race reports as they relate to getting new sponsors. True, they can be helpful when pursuing new sponsorships, but their intended purpose is to allow sponsors you already have to know how your season is going, and serve as a chance to promote your sponsors in the media.
There are a few ways you can go about designing and submitting your race reports, and that's what this article will cover. I will break the process down into three stages: Layout, Content and Distribution, which mirrors the way I go about putting together the race reports.
Some riders find it easier to farm out the process of writing their race reports, which is fine. I write reports for several Ontario riders. It works out well for both parties as they receive professional quality race reports/press releases to send to sponsors and media outlets, but do not have to put the time required for them to achieve these results on their own. On my end, I get paid for my work and enjoy a little bit of publicity and exposure. Ultimately, the needs of the rider(s) and myself are met by our arrangements.
I have included two examples of press releases I have made for the 2010 season. One was for Lockhart's Suzuki rider Chris Van Hove, and the other for Yamaha/Machine Racing Off Road's team of Brian Wojnarowski and Adam Millson.
Yamaha 09-13-10 Press release for Yamaha/Machine Racing's Wojo and Cheeseburger.
Content:
Content is the most important part of the report. It should be concise, include one to two images, all of the sponsors (in my .pdf files I name the sponsors in the final paragraph of every report, as well as include their logos in the layout of the file itself.). Be logical; start at the beginning of the race and go through to the end, then let your sponsors know when you'll be racing next, and then thank everyone who needs to be thanked.
Try to be a little more creative than “It was hot. Got hole shot. Led whole race. Won. Thanks.” When I write the text (otherwise known as “copy”) out in a word processor before putting it into the layout, I usually aim for 250 to 350 words for a single day event, and 500 to 750 for two day events (such as the CECs or the Cord).
Because I am not the rider, I use third person to describe the events that went on. I would suggest that even if you plan on writing your own race reports, that you write your copy in third person. It looks more professional and impartial, in my opinion. Avoid over using slang words where possible, and under no circumstance should you swear!
That said, there are some riders, Guy Giroux for instance, who writes in first person. Many people love his race reports because it's like talking to him. He gets away with them because he is Giroux. People know how his voice sounds, the patterns of his speech, and are able to put his reports into that frame when they read them.
Your best bet is to simply write in third person, and make sure that you proof read two or three times. Try reading it aloud; you're more likely to catch awkward sentences and bad grammar that way.
Remember: This is your link to your sponsors; you want it to be as good as it possibly can be.
Mansfield 05-08-10 Press release for Lockhart's Suzuki rider Chris Van Hove.
Layout:
For layout, there is a lot of personal preference that comes into play. Reports I do for more serious personalities (ie Wojo) are different from the ones I do for more relaxed riders (ie CVH). I try to include a little of the rider's personality in the layout.
It's a personal preference as to whether you'd like to do landscape or portrait style .pdfs. I use both. As said before, I usually aim for 250 to 350 words for a single day event, and 500 to 750 for a two day event. This translates into one A3 (or standard) .pdf page for a single day event, or two for a two day event.
For some riders, I use a background photo, usually an image that's faded to about 10% transparency. Commonly, the photos I select to use in the background are either out of focus, of the rider's back, or extreme close ups of the bike, but still a very interesting photograph. I find that including a background image, and fading it into the text, creates interest throughout the page and draws the eye around the page. I'll explain why this is important shortly.
For the main photo, I prefer an action shot; something that really draws the reader's attention and showcases the rider's talent.
As I mentioned before, in the final paragraph I always thank the rider's sponsors, but I also use their logos in the layout. Normally, I place the logos in groups of similar size/shape, along the bottom of the report, under the text and photographs. This is why I find it important to include a background photo in many of my reports.
A little note on format:
When I create a race report/press release for a rider, they receive up to four files. One is a final .pdf, one is a Word document of the text, and then they receive one or two of the photos that were used in the making of the .pdf file. In the next part, I will explain why I do this.
Distribution:
Now, who gets your press release depends on what level of rider you are, and how well you perform.
Obviously, regardless of how you perform you should be sending your press releases to sponsors to let them know how you finished. If you DNF’ed an event, you might want to down play or simply opt to not do a report for those races, unless it is due to a medical issue. If you injure yourself, let your sponsors know what happened and when you will be expected to return to racing.
If you’re a top rider in your class, you should also be sending your reports to the manufacturer you ride for, regardless of whether or not you receive direct sponsorship from them, and the media outlets. For motocross and enduro riders in Canada this will include, but is in no way limited to the following:
- Inside MotoX and Off Road
- Off Road Motorcycles.ca
- MXP Magazine
- DMX
- Local/City newspapers
The reason I split the file into three parts, photos, text and .pdf, is to make it easier to post on a website/blog. The easier you make it to share your information with others, the more likely people will be to forward and post your race reports.
You might also consider creating your own blog or website and posting regular updates there. On your blog you can post updates on your training, your conditioning, any local events/schools you’re hosting, etc. Basically anything that isn’t racing can go there, and those who are interested can check up on you.
This concludes my little how to on race reports. Check in next Wednesday for my next helpful article on podium presentations. Many excellent and fast riders have no problem getting to the podium, but once they get there they don’t know how to act, or what to say.
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