ok, i've been to a few competitions in the past years and i enter as many things as i can because mainly our sponsor helps us out and supports us and the events we attend by paying our entry fees.....

there are two ways that professional status is earned in this sport, if you place in at least 3 events, or if you get paid to ride your motorcycle.

well, i have placed in some events, but nothing above third, and none of it's all been in individual....i'm not the greatest rider out there, i feel that i have the tricks that i know locked down and i try to produce clean runs and nail all my tricks..however, i get paid to ride my motorcycle and do numerous shows throughout the year.....i'm considered pro.


when i look at amateur freestyle at some of the comps i've been to this year, there are guys scraping high chairs and pulling some pretty sick stuff off.....why are these guys in amateur?!?!?!? the true amateurs feel embarrassed and don't even want to compete....why is this happening?? fans want to see a true amateur class, they want to see the crashes...

i am not bitching about having to be in pro classes, i dont care if i get waxed in a comp, but i do think something has to be done with these comps.....either eliminated pro and am or get an ACTUAL am division, with ACTUAL amateurs.....lets face it, if you drive 15 hours, your not exactly amateur either....

lets get some good feedback on this, i think the whole community needs to put some opinions up on this.

 

i feel ya on this but i dont know how they could fairly seperate a rider such as myself from the amatures who should be competeing pro. as for the crashes...i can give ya all the crashes you want.... im the yard sale king...

 

the solution is simple and has been said a million times by now i think.

THERE SHOULD BE NO ****** EFFING PRO OR AMATEUR!!

until there is a national scoring system, there is no difference.

promoters can easily avoid this problem of 'sandbagging' by just pouring the money into the 'PRO' events. amateurs should not make money competing, or if they do, it should be peanuts compared to what the pro category pays.

eliminate payouts in amateur and you eliminate sandbaggers.

sucks that there will be such diversity within the 'pro' ranks, but this should serve as motivation to keep improving yourself so that you can be in the winners' circle.

i wish more promoters would listen to this.

 

EXACTLY....or at least make 1st place in a specific amateur event less than the 3rd place pro event

But I agree with Teach, just eliminate paying the amateur events all together, maybe trophies or somethin

 

that is a good point, i dont feel i should get paid for what i do, but in the same respect, someone like me is still risking there neck b/c the experience isnt there yet.

 

AGREED! I don't think that ams. should not have any payouts. Every event that I have ever been to there has been ams. that should be competing as pro! I have never competed am. I always felt better losing as a pro than winning as an am!

 

Kids pop up out of nowhere and after 2 months of practice they're doing almost every trick in the book. Meanwhile, there are guys who have been practicing for years and years to get to that level.

You're saying the line should be drawn by skill level, which seems like a good idea, but where do you draw that line?

 

I think they are saying that if you eliminate am payouts then you will reduce the number of sandbaggers.

 

i know alot of guys that if we didnt have to go out against guys scrapin highchairs and doing no handed circles we would gladly compete for a mere trophy. money has never been a motivator. i gurentee you would double the ammount of amature competitors if you could seperate it a little.

 

Here's my suggestion....

PRO RIDERS = CASH PAYOUTS

AM RIDERS = FREE **** (HELMETS, GLOVE, GIFT CERT, ETC)

Why would the pros want to compete for a helmet if they could win $3,000. Now all the prize money goes to pros and you attract more riders and newcomers to the sport.

(Ryan, if you're talking about me, I'll slap you. That was my first individ. comp ever, first time ever getting paid)

 

I agree with you Jayson.....And congrats again on the comp!! :YEAH

 

if this sport is ever successful and can get organized into something like roadracing or whatever, once you earn enough points, you advance. in racing, you start out as novice bc you have never raced before. after enough experience or points, you advance. there are always new amateurs that are faster than slow experts, nothing you can do here. some amateurs advance within the minimum requirements, others the maximum.

however, bc you can be good at this game without ever shredding tires on a race track, it is unlikely that there will ever be a TRUE amateur/pro distinction. more likely, everyone will be nationally ranked by a points system, once we are better organized. there will be no amateur class, only pro class.

i know this sucks for the new guys who are supporting the sport/event...but we ALL paid the same dues. you practice, you crash, you learn, you get better, you keep competing, you keep practicing.

i think amateur events are great, but it pisses me off when i see guys sandbagging and entering amateur because they can win 500 bucks for first place there, but only get 300 for 3rd place in Pro...or no money for 4th place. eliminate the cash, do the above mentioned prizes, and make the events worth the names travelling to them.

stuntrageous2.0 had a $2000 payout for pro stoppie! you want some cash, enter pro! better yet, the promotors should decide for you, by placing more money in pro events and less in amateur events.


DIFFERENT TOPIC:

the same can be said for different events. why would you pay $500 for freestyle burnout when you only pay $500 for individual freestyle? all these "other" events like burnout, slow wheelie, most cirlces, long coaster, etc are SIMPLY DISCIPLINES of individual freestyle and should not have payouts equalling or even coming close to individual freestyle payouts.

do you want the best riders or the guy who can do the most circles, slowest wheelie, best burnout??? you will see ALL of the best of these disciplines within indiv. freestyle.

i separate long stoppie bc it is by far the most dangerous thing that we do...coming in at 100mph and jacking it up onto the front wheel with no 'brake' is scary! again, the same argument can be made here concerning Am vs Pro. i constantly see pro endo results looking like 450,442,389 while the amateur results are almost identical: 368, 358 321....there SHOULD BE NO MONEY IN AMATEUR ENDO!!! this will eliminate the retards and sandbaggers who will take the 500 first place amateur payout over the 300 third place pro payout.

if you only have prizes or trophies, you still encourage the amateurs to come out and compete without being nervous or whatever. you COULD say that if you roll over a certain distance you are considered pro, but then you would have people lying about their distances. or what about the guy who rolls longer than he ever rolled before??

Eliminate $$$$ in Amateur and you will:

1. eliminate sandbaggers
2. encourage amateurs who are really amateurs to compete
3. attract better riders and hence have a better event bc you have more $$ to win in pro class.


the bell just rang, class dismissed

 

jayson----no, i'm NOT talking about you....you had a good run though...very impressive!!!


i agree----eliminate pro and am....put all the cookies in the pro categories.....if your an amature.....a trophy should be sufficient.

 

i wish i would have done that for my event, but seriously i had almost 15 amateurs and i know 80% probally were really amatuers, but i would have like to eliminate am and put more money into pro but it was already promoted as am & pro and i would have pissed a lot of people if didn't follow thru, but i know next time, when you host a comp by yourself then you can really see what's going on, sure rider think they know know, but i challenge anyone one of you riders to go out on a limb and put a show togather like i did, by myself, and risk not having payout, would you be willing to go and get your own personal cash to back your a$$ up not likely, if more people would step up to the plate and take that risk stunt riders could actually make a living at this chit, but not too many people actually have the ***** to do it, so put your money where your mouth is or shut the fu(k up, i'm so tired of the griping, whining and complaining, not just my comp but everyone I've been to there is always someone who thinks they know it all, i feel i have the right to voice my opinion cause i put my a$$ on the line for a lot of people and i undertsnad what it is like, bottom line put-up or shut-up

 

Becca, don't take it so personal. People are always going to complain. Let me know if I can be of any assistance in the future.

 

yea well i knew it was gonna happen but people think they freakkin know it all and they say if it was my show i would have done it like this or that and the lil a$$ panies don't even have the ***** to do it, host it, organize it, run it, promote it, etc........ can't say it enough host a show then talk to me otheriwse pfft.....

 

becca, heed the advice of the wise Dirty B! let others' negative comments roll off your back like water.

slowly but surely, promoters will find the right chemistry with putting on events.

and don't think all the riders or spectators are angry and judgemental. i've heard a few good things about your event already, from both riders and fans alike. now you have something to go on for next year...start planning now so no riders can complain thye weren't given enough notice.

you can even have your event be a part of the US Freestyle sanctioned National Championship if you want...contact myself or Thomas for more info..

kudos for putting yourself, your time, and your money on the line for the sport!

 

right on I'm ready to start planning for next year, i know what i need to do to make it more successful, hey teach you coming to florida??

 

I think this is one of the best tpics i have read lately ..

Hopefully people that are putting on comps or are going to put on comps read this and see what everyone is saying... just my .

Brian

 

well, lemme know your plans once you've got a chance to catch your breath.

wanna come down. depends on how my knee feels, and if it feels good, depends on the rules and payouts of the show...i'm in email contact with leslie, so we'll see...gotta get to florida at some point to get ready for some stuff coming !!!

keep on keepin on!