CBRtist
Well-Known Member
I have been getting, and especially recently, inquiries about how I got Ria into riding. Of course Mini GP information is available if you actively seek it out (as I did when she was ready), but there wasn't much info about pre-Mini GP. Also, I've noticed we don't have a lot of small children getting into riding in our organization (something I'd like to change since we are awesome and could build a league of subhuman super fast racers 
). So I'm going to lay out a initial comprehensive guide based on what I did, from a Mom's POV for those interested:
0-1 years old
Throw them in a playpen under the canopy at the track in all temperatures and have them watch and wave to motorcycles passing. Yes, you can raise a baby at the track.
1-2 years old
Put them on everything with 2-wheels simulating a motorcycle. Probably not my safest mommy moment, but we had a plastic pink Ninja motorcycle and in declined long driveway. Bike helmet and knee pads on, her dad would launch her down one end and I'd catch her at the end. At 18 months, she knew how to turn on, start up a sport bike, and turn it off.
2-3 years old
Get on of those battery dirt bikes with training wheels and throw them on it. Start incorporating gear.
3-6 years old
Real dirt bike with those big training wheels. Start having them get comfy with controls and what they do. At 3 Ria was giving me rides to the bathroom in the paddock and knew how to stop on a dime and put it in neutral. In fact, Mr. Sink gave her a blue sticker (though he may not recall 5 years ago) for coming to a dead stop in front of him. Note: USE A GOVERNOR. It caused me to avoid many, many heart attacks.
Throw them out on the dirt and abandoned parking lots wherever you can to work on controls, maneuvering and speed differentials.
6-8 years old
Bye-bye training wheels! This is when it gets scary (for me anyway). Work on them with on starting from a stop. Reintroduce controls. Introduce more maneuvering. KEEP THE GOVERNOR ON (back to the heart attack thing, but only in the beginning while they are mastering stuff). Get some cones. Set them up in said abandoned parking lot. You can adopt basic MSF maneuvers to start, then move on to the apex/looking ahead/cool kids track stuff. Of course, said track stuff needs to be put in terms of "Pretend Barbie is waving to you where those trees are!" or "cones like to kiss knees so get that knee out!" or other kid trickery and bribes. Make them aware that crashes DO happen, how to crash, and how to get back on the bike after a crash. Ria recently wiped out in the paddock at Summit recently and said "I started to feel the bike go Mom, so I did a Superman and flew off my bike". Lol... proud moment.
8-up
Mini GP ...and here's where it stops for me because she is 8. She had her first practice race Saturday and LOVED it. Says it's all she wants to do. I was very, VERY impressed with Ryan and is coaches with Mini GP. It's like a mini track day. I was a little surprised, and should have known, there weren't passing rules... but it was fine. There is tons of attention and coaching for the little ones, everybody is mindful and courteous on the track and off, and it was a great experience and I was very relieved. They even rode in the pouring rain and she saw a couple of kids wipe out in her group and was unaffected. Next one is 8/20 at NJMP with our Judy who will be riding in the 100 stock. Come visit and cheer them on!
Gear
This was the toughest (for my area anyway). It was fairly easy to find some basic peewee dirt gear online, but when it came to track gear later, this took some trial and error. Boots and gauntlets could be purchased at a local store. I went to Revzilla for a youth full face helmet and tried a few on. Colors are limited however but... if you get black matte and some paint pens (and clear coat)... they can decorate their OWN helmets! (which she loves to do...).
Leathers you can either pay for custom, hope to find a used youth A-Stars on Ebay (which usually get snapped up), hook up with some parent who has hand-me-downs (still trying to find that parent), or do what I did and purchase from GatorSkinZ http://gatorrimz.com/product/gatorskinz5/. Yes, colors are limited but luckily they had N2 Green
. Have them wear their gear, all of it, in the sweltering heat. UA and everything. They'll whine but remind them it is what it is and get used to it. This is when you truly find out if they REALLY want to do it before you start throwing real cash (and lots of it) into the machine. This is a good time to use cold washcloths, ice, and spritzers as bribes for good behavior too.
Talking Your S.O. Into This
This wasn't any trouble I had since myself, and her father, both do TDs. But it's a common woe I hear "I really, REALLY want to get them into riding but........................... Mom says no." *insert sad trombone*
To that I am going to say I am often described as overly cautious and conservative (watch me on track lol), I'm a mom, and I teach preschoolers through 5th grade, and I think it is the greatest thing you can get your child into. To quote Tam (Judy's wife and my new life coach) when I questioned putting moonshine cherries into my drink and she looked at me like I was nuts and said "Why WOULDN'T you?????" and I was stunned and admittedly had NO answer lol!!! It was a defining moment for me. Ok, so this isn't cherries but still....
Other than safety, which is a valid concern, but I feel many maximize the minimum when it comes to the dangers of the track. The question is why WOULDN'T YOU?
• It improves gross motor skills initially and fine motor skills later
• It will make them more defensive drivers when they get their driver's license
• They learn to respect motorcycles (no one wants their kid deciding bikes are cool at 16 and throwing themselves on one because they can).
• It enables them to understand mechanics and how things work
• It teaches and reinforces safety and the importance of gear
• It's a great family atmosphere and a sport you can all enjoy together
• It promotes overcoming fears and increasing confidence
• It is social, a community atmosphere, and promotes camaraderie
• It's quirky and kids will either love you or be scared of you
I could think of more, but in short, the pros outweigh the cons (which are probably the cursing, but hey... if they don't know they bad words, how do they know what NOT to say?). It's a gift that not many kids get to experience. That's it for now. As I said, I really hope that we can develop a closer relationship with Ryan and Mini GP and encourage more parents to start introducing their children to this great sport at a young age. PM me questions if you have them or have a friend that does. I've learned a lot in the past 8 years!
). So I'm going to lay out a initial comprehensive guide based on what I did, from a Mom's POV for those interested:0-1 years old
Throw them in a playpen under the canopy at the track in all temperatures and have them watch and wave to motorcycles passing. Yes, you can raise a baby at the track.
1-2 years old
Put them on everything with 2-wheels simulating a motorcycle. Probably not my safest mommy moment, but we had a plastic pink Ninja motorcycle and in declined long driveway. Bike helmet and knee pads on, her dad would launch her down one end and I'd catch her at the end. At 18 months, she knew how to turn on, start up a sport bike, and turn it off.
2-3 years old
Get on of those battery dirt bikes with training wheels and throw them on it. Start incorporating gear.
3-6 years old
Real dirt bike with those big training wheels. Start having them get comfy with controls and what they do. At 3 Ria was giving me rides to the bathroom in the paddock and knew how to stop on a dime and put it in neutral. In fact, Mr. Sink gave her a blue sticker (though he may not recall 5 years ago) for coming to a dead stop in front of him. Note: USE A GOVERNOR. It caused me to avoid many, many heart attacks.
Throw them out on the dirt and abandoned parking lots wherever you can to work on controls, maneuvering and speed differentials.
6-8 years old
Bye-bye training wheels! This is when it gets scary (for me anyway). Work on them with on starting from a stop. Reintroduce controls. Introduce more maneuvering. KEEP THE GOVERNOR ON (back to the heart attack thing, but only in the beginning while they are mastering stuff). Get some cones. Set them up in said abandoned parking lot. You can adopt basic MSF maneuvers to start, then move on to the apex/looking ahead/cool kids track stuff. Of course, said track stuff needs to be put in terms of "Pretend Barbie is waving to you where those trees are!" or "cones like to kiss knees so get that knee out!" or other kid trickery and bribes. Make them aware that crashes DO happen, how to crash, and how to get back on the bike after a crash. Ria recently wiped out in the paddock at Summit recently and said "I started to feel the bike go Mom, so I did a Superman and flew off my bike". Lol... proud moment.
8-up
Mini GP ...and here's where it stops for me because she is 8. She had her first practice race Saturday and LOVED it. Says it's all she wants to do. I was very, VERY impressed with Ryan and is coaches with Mini GP. It's like a mini track day. I was a little surprised, and should have known, there weren't passing rules... but it was fine. There is tons of attention and coaching for the little ones, everybody is mindful and courteous on the track and off, and it was a great experience and I was very relieved. They even rode in the pouring rain and she saw a couple of kids wipe out in her group and was unaffected. Next one is 8/20 at NJMP with our Judy who will be riding in the 100 stock. Come visit and cheer them on!
Gear
This was the toughest (for my area anyway). It was fairly easy to find some basic peewee dirt gear online, but when it came to track gear later, this took some trial and error. Boots and gauntlets could be purchased at a local store. I went to Revzilla for a youth full face helmet and tried a few on. Colors are limited however but... if you get black matte and some paint pens (and clear coat)... they can decorate their OWN helmets! (which she loves to do...).
Leathers you can either pay for custom, hope to find a used youth A-Stars on Ebay (which usually get snapped up), hook up with some parent who has hand-me-downs (still trying to find that parent), or do what I did and purchase from GatorSkinZ http://gatorrimz.com/product/gatorskinz5/. Yes, colors are limited but luckily they had N2 Green
. Have them wear their gear, all of it, in the sweltering heat. UA and everything. They'll whine but remind them it is what it is and get used to it. This is when you truly find out if they REALLY want to do it before you start throwing real cash (and lots of it) into the machine. This is a good time to use cold washcloths, ice, and spritzers as bribes for good behavior too.Talking Your S.O. Into This
This wasn't any trouble I had since myself, and her father, both do TDs. But it's a common woe I hear "I really, REALLY want to get them into riding but........................... Mom says no." *insert sad trombone*
To that I am going to say I am often described as overly cautious and conservative (watch me on track lol), I'm a mom, and I teach preschoolers through 5th grade, and I think it is the greatest thing you can get your child into. To quote Tam (Judy's wife and my new life coach) when I questioned putting moonshine cherries into my drink and she looked at me like I was nuts and said "Why WOULDN'T you?????" and I was stunned and admittedly had NO answer lol!!! It was a defining moment for me. Ok, so this isn't cherries but still....
Other than safety, which is a valid concern, but I feel many maximize the minimum when it comes to the dangers of the track. The question is why WOULDN'T YOU?
• It improves gross motor skills initially and fine motor skills later
• It will make them more defensive drivers when they get their driver's license
• They learn to respect motorcycles (no one wants their kid deciding bikes are cool at 16 and throwing themselves on one because they can).
• It enables them to understand mechanics and how things work
• It teaches and reinforces safety and the importance of gear
• It's a great family atmosphere and a sport you can all enjoy together
• It promotes overcoming fears and increasing confidence
• It is social, a community atmosphere, and promotes camaraderie
• It's quirky and kids will either love you or be scared of you
I could think of more, but in short, the pros outweigh the cons (which are probably the cursing, but hey... if they don't know they bad words, how do they know what NOT to say?). It's a gift that not many kids get to experience. That's it for now. As I said, I really hope that we can develop a closer relationship with Ryan and Mini GP and encourage more parents to start introducing their children to this great sport at a young age. PM me questions if you have them or have a friend that does. I've learned a lot in the past 8 years!
