Flagers

[Matt_H]

I've seen many flames on this but I'll share my experience with you. Yesterday was the first race of the year. During practice I took I decide I was going to burn up the track and get my buddy to time me to see if I was off the pase at all. On the second lap the I was hitting the jumps and getting my timing, when coming up to a big step down(3rd wide open) about 20ft out of a whopo section a guy wiped out at the bottom which i never saw anyways coming up the the jump I saw 2 guys climb to the top waving I slambed on the brakes but having so much momentum I ended up juimping off the side and almost hitting a flag person sitting in a chair. What makes me mad is that a guy wiped out then another guy hit him a minute or two later while he was getting up. Now why didn't that stupied flag girl do her job and flaged it would have saved that guy a trip the the hospital. And if it was for the guys who stopped and started flaging I would have landed right on them. Thats just for starters. Later on in the day I was watching the 250pro race and a guy came up short sending him over the bars but his bike was laying on the landing. Everyone was yelling at the flager cause he was sitting there in lalala land well the amublance was already coming over. All I have to say is that for a group of people getting paid to flag they should flag.

 

[yzeater]

I have personally never had a bad time with flaggers, but I did have a couple of good experiences. At the national this year there was a guy who crashed his YZ250 on a downhill. The flagger immedeately made all traffic go as slow as possible. They got the guy off the track. Pulled his bike aside, IN THE MIDDLE OF A NATIONAL QUALIFIER!! Maybe it's just that Budd's Creek has good people

 

[ride_red_15]

us woods guys dont have to worry about flaggers, we get run over if we fall

 

[Patman]

How would you like to be on a professional SX track created by Dirt Werks with those nasty huge jumps and be laying in a hole with a flagger just looking at you? It happened this weekend. A 125 rider was down and the flagger in the landing zone where the down rider was just stood there with a stupid look on his face and the flag at his side. Fortunatly the flagger 2 jumps over saw it and was a flag waving fool but some of the riders looked a little confused as they passed Capt. Dumbarseky

 

[WoodsRider]

Wait a minute... when I worked as a flagger at the '98 Houston SX, I never got paid. :think:

 

[Jaybird]

Pat, did you not run out and give the Dumbraski your notes on good flagging practices?

 

[xtreme73]

in district 16 the flaggers get paid very little ($10-15 per day), and many times they are teenage kids. A lot of tracks get people to volunteer or racing won't start. I've had my share of bad experiences and good ones too. The dopes who just sit in their own world should never be allowed to hold a yellow flag again. I've found that there are many attentive flaggers who do a great job, but the few who aren't I hope not to be near them when someone, or me, goes down.

 

[wardy]

Isnt' that funny woods? Flag a PRO event for CCE and NOT get paid? What a freakin joke, if anyone should have PRO flaggers and pay them well to protect the best riders in our sport?....... NA the tite wads couldn't make any money huh?
They still do that as recent as the last and only joliet sx, most of my guys from my track/team had to go over and do that job of flagging.....at least on that day i know they had a "few good men"!

wardy

 

[WoodsRider]

Wardy, I'm not upset as I did it more for the "love" of the sport than for the money. Besides, I think the club received a check and somebody did give me beer afterwards. I don't remember if CCE was involved with SX back in '98.

 

[wardy]

I just thought it is funny as hell when they knock the money around they do and come around here a year or so ago asking for "free help" on the premise that you get to be track side and have the best seat in the house.......well thats all fine but how professional is that?
It was the same people, just then it was called pace.
just sad with how big of deal it all was this year and sparked my interest is all

wardy