Andy Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Went to the Westmorland Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 How anybody could criticise your observations is beyond me. It does no harm to remind everybody let alone the youths that it is for fun. I do hope you're wrong about the 98% as 99.95 % is too many for me to be content with. Keep the words of sanity coming please . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ourtea Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 I think your observations are spot on - sport is meant to be fun. Parents that push their kids on and on, ultimately erode any fun that a sport can provide (whether it is trials, mx, football or rugby, etc.). Similarly, those parents need to wise up and realise that they cannot "re-live" their bygone trials riding days through their kids. All too often you watch a parent rolling his eyes and/or belittling a kid's ride because they thought the effort was poor. Get out there and do it yourself Mr. Parent if it is so easy - there are plenty of classes to cope with your entry... To them I say, "Encourage them and be happy that they are out doing what you used to like doing - force them and push them too hard and (as Mike says) watch them walk away at the first opportunity that presents itself". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamjayzee Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 I agree; there's nothing contentious here at all! For me, the whole cornerstone of the sport is the crack. I had 13 years out and when I returned it was like I'd never been away. Immediately the mickey-taking resumed. I know I'm never going to win anything, but what more fun can a bloke have than spend a morning in a muddy field with a load of old geezers talking b0llocks and telling lies? The trouble with youth in sport is that their priorities are not the same. The joy of youth is they don't have the cynicism of experience! For the young, why can't they be world champion? You see this on football fields up and down the country every weekend; kids genuinely believe they will become a premiership footballer. Is this really a problem though? Some kids will lose interest, but at least they experienced the sport. They were lucky enough to have the opportunity, and this is where the Dougies, and James Dabills of the world started. For the rest, the reality will arrive, either whilst they are collecting a winners award at whatever level they reach, or when they are being pushed down a hill by someone old enough to know better when they are in their 40s. For a chunk, it will remain a memory of 'something they did when they were a kid'. We'll never stop kids being miserable, or taking things too seriously. But I guess that is the perogative of the young. I'm happy and old now, but would probably trade that for ambitious, grumpy and young! Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19tentwenty10 Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Firstly like to point out i am the named person in the article.... and i was Clerk of the Course for both the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot 3 Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 When you see a kid, between the age of 8 and 10 years old, standing getting his card punched a 5 with tears streaming down his face an a loud mouthed Dad shouting behind him, you know there's a problem. This happened a few years ago at a BAMCC national trial at Lumsden and last weekend I was really pleased to see the same kid now in the A class riding really well and enjoying the trial, the difference?? Yup, his old man wasn't there berating every move he made. Some might say that the early stuff might have been giving the kid the motivation to do things right, i'd say b0llocks to that, that was a dad living his dreams through his kid. That same day I watched another dad, a well known bike dealer from the North of Scotland coax his son round. Walked the section with him, gave him pointers if the kid asked, then stepped back and let the kid ride making his own mistakes and realising why. That's the way it should be, you can see the same now with a former Scottish Champion coaxing his own son round now. These two are the exception to the rule, I wish there were more of them. Mike's article may not be a great advert for Youth Trials however it is stunningly accurate and as he points out, none of the pushy dads will admit to their personal issues. The number of kids you see having the pleasure of a trial destroyed by a shouty dad is sickening at times. On more than one occassion I've wanted to slap a few of these dads. Put the things they need in place then take a step back, kids need to learn and they do that much better by learning from their own mistakes, be there to advise if they want it but wait for them to ask. I think we'll find those objecting most to Mike's article are probably the most guilty of being a pushy parent. While a shouty Martin Lampkin as minder worked for Dougie, NONE of you dads are or ever will be a Martin Lampkin you're kids will NEVER be a Dougie if you destroy their love of trials when they are a kid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) But it isn't all doom and gloom surely? At a few local trials recently and last year in Yorkshire I have come across quite a few young lads who are out and about riding smiling having fun even trialing on their bikes generally enjoying themselves. I would imagine (not having seen a youth round for a few years) that at a British youth championship event things are always going to be more serious than elsewhere in our great sport? Edited April 12, 2011 by Nigel Dabster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabber Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Rode the Darwen trial on Sunday (well laid out, tricky mix of sections) and spent a lot of the time riding behind a young lad whose dad was following him round. Great to watch - the lad just getting on with it and doing really well with his dad just being there to pick the bike up if the lad bailed out. Nothing more, nothing less. Great bacon butyy van too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofasttim Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) But because it is competition, undue pressure comes from parents and frankly whilst I can’t say that I saw any parental abuse towards officials, the way some parents talk to their offspring is downright objectionable. Sadly this attitude isn't limited to trials. A week back I saw a father (shame on him, he is a South African) verbally abuse the under 15s rugby coach at the local club because, in his opinion, his son didn't spend enough time on the field. While a shouty Martin Lampkin as minder worked for Dougie, NONE of you dads are or ever will be a Martin Lampkin you're kids will NEVER be a Dougie if you destroy their love of trials when they are a kid! But that was what Dougie wanted. Initially, as far as I can gather, Martin payed no attention to Dougies trials career. It was only later that Doug asked his dad to barrack him when he felt it was due. Edited April 13, 2011 by TooFastTim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot 3 Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 But that was what Dougie wanted. Initially, as far as I can gather, Martin payed no attention to Dougies trials career. It was only later that Doug asked his dad to barrack him when he felt it was due. Which is exactly what I said, put the things they need in place then step back and wait, they'll come for the help and and advice when they are ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Which is exactly what I said, put the things they need in place then step back and wait, they'll come for the help and and advice when they are ready. As you seem to be prepping the wifey and daughter now, you just need to spend a lot more then wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petejohn Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Hi My son now 15 had coaching about 3 years ago. I was told by the coach to make him practice his basics, ballance & turns. All he wanted to do was ride the big stuff. Many arguments later I decided to let him do what he wanted. As time went on he realised to improve his results he needed to practice basics, and thats what he does now. Having said that it is hard not to say something when the slack points are dropped but they are already not pleased with themselfs and dad getting stuck in is no help. We have many laughs, a few dissapointments, some great victories,but most of all we are a unit. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross brown Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 [quote ".... Just because someone else cleaned it before them doesn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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