(story turned out to be kind of long, so don't start readin unless you got a couple minutes.)
So, no bull#@*%, there I was for a night of riding out on the track (www.pacificraceways.com) Friday night. It was gonna be a good weekend. The weather was beautiful, I had a plan which was going to allow me to ride three days in a row, and following this weekend, I would feel ready to deploy with my unit to iraq.
Saturday, I was going to go meet some friends at Gray's Harbor ORV (http://www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/ORV/index.asp) to do some woods ridin', and Sunday I was gonna go down to Mt. St. Helens to put in a few practice laps at Riverdale Raceway (www.riverdaleraceway.com) to complete the weekend.
Back to Friday night; practice went well, except for the second lap when I ran over a guys bike who had fallen in the gap after a table top. I made it over okay, but stopped to make sure he was alright. A few minutes later, during the 80cc-100cc practice, the track was black-flagged for a poor little guy who endoed over a huge table top and ended up having his heels touch the back of his helmet after landing on his face. He was carted off in an ambulance. That seemed to set the mood for the rest of the night.
There were various crashes that night numbering around 6 or 7, cuasing the track to get black flagged. My friend and I finally were able to ride our first moto, which went surprisingly well. That was the first time we had raced in the same class, and we both found out how evenly matched we were. Talk about a blast.
Well, it was time for our second moto, so we rode up to the starting gate and lined up like any other time. Both of us got a good start, and I finally did the ryhthm section that I had been wanting to try (but not had the courage), and I did it flawlessly. "Outstanding!," I was thinking to myself. Well, next up, a table top that I had done plenty of times with no problem.
I think the cause of the next couple events was that I had lost too much speed in the corner, and so I decided to try and clutch over it. Revved it up pretty good, let the clutch go, and prayed for the best. I think the sudden power threw my weight to the back of the bike, and so in the air I couldn't get the nose end to drop. I landed, rear wheel first, and the front wheel slammed down and threw me onto the handle bars. I lost control, the bike shot off to the right and I shot off to the left. My buddy who was behind me landed right behind my bike. By the time he landed, there was nothing he could do. My bike caused him to fall also.
After not being able to breath for what felt like 5 minutes, I was able to get air in my lungs and sit up. Only until I saw my friends bike layed up next to mine did I realize he was involved too. My shoulder felt a little funny, and I couldn't stand up straight.
My shoulder began to hurt more after the excitement died down, and I wasn't comfortable breathing unless I was sitting down. I drove my buddy and I to the hospital, and after 4.5 hours in the ER, I was released with a bruised up rear torso, a lot of road rash, and a fracture to my upper left arm. My buddy on the other hand, suffered a broken collarbone, seperated shoulder and mild concussion. He was released later today.
You know, talk about bad timing. We had ridden this track the two previous weekends, and neither one of us had any problems before. Yes I was trying to power over the jump, and botched it, but hey, that's the nature of the beast. Motorcycle racing is in no way safe.
Wearing a helmet gives people the illusion of safety, but really, even then, how safe is it. It's definitely a dangerous way to spend spare time, but dang-it, it's fun!!!
My chain of command was less than pleased with my buddy and me, becuase through their eyes, we made the wrong decision by taking unnecessary risks and weakening the team. But did we really take an "unnecessary" risk. Are we supposed to sit in our barracks rooms all day and not do things that are fun, becuase we're afraid we might get hurt? I could've gotten in a car accident on the way to the track and been injured that way too.
Also, you really have to be careful how you use the word "unnecessary," becuase to me, it was a necessary risk. I love to ride, and to me, it's not a choice of "Do I really want to ride today?" or "Do I really NEED to ride today?"
I feel the need to ride. It's something I love to do, and as long as I can twist the throttle, shift gears, and work the levers, I'm going to continue to get back on that bike. I'm not going to let the idea that I'm taking an "unnecessary" risk stop me from doing something that is so fun and envigorating. I will ride as safely as I can, and I will do my best to stay within the limits of my ability. But at the same time, there's a first time for everything including trying a jump you've never tried before, or driving a car, or taking out a home loan, or starting a business.
My point is, how are you ever gonna know that something could've been, unless you take a risk to find out?
Well, I think I'm done with my soap box. I hope I didn't waste too much of your time. I just felt I needed to vent a little bit. This WAS originally just an injury report, but it grew into more than that, so that's why it's in this forum.
I am feeling okay. They gave me vicodin for the pain, and I have to go see the ortho doctor to find out what he's gonna do. The soreness in my posterior lower torso is probably the worst of it. I've got some serious internal (and external) bruising. My shoulder feels alright unless I try to move it.
The docs said probably 5 to 6 weeks before I can go to Iraq, but I and my chain of command are fighting for me to deploy at the same time as the rest of the unit, and just let the injury heal in theater.
I guess I'll find out soon enough. Until then, I'm gonna rest. Sorry to get crazy with the length of this post.
Brian.
So, no bull#@*%, there I was for a night of riding out on the track (www.pacificraceways.com) Friday night. It was gonna be a good weekend. The weather was beautiful, I had a plan which was going to allow me to ride three days in a row, and following this weekend, I would feel ready to deploy with my unit to iraq.
Saturday, I was going to go meet some friends at Gray's Harbor ORV (http://www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/ORV/index.asp) to do some woods ridin', and Sunday I was gonna go down to Mt. St. Helens to put in a few practice laps at Riverdale Raceway (www.riverdaleraceway.com) to complete the weekend.
Back to Friday night; practice went well, except for the second lap when I ran over a guys bike who had fallen in the gap after a table top. I made it over okay, but stopped to make sure he was alright. A few minutes later, during the 80cc-100cc practice, the track was black-flagged for a poor little guy who endoed over a huge table top and ended up having his heels touch the back of his helmet after landing on his face. He was carted off in an ambulance. That seemed to set the mood for the rest of the night.
There were various crashes that night numbering around 6 or 7, cuasing the track to get black flagged. My friend and I finally were able to ride our first moto, which went surprisingly well. That was the first time we had raced in the same class, and we both found out how evenly matched we were. Talk about a blast.
Well, it was time for our second moto, so we rode up to the starting gate and lined up like any other time. Both of us got a good start, and I finally did the ryhthm section that I had been wanting to try (but not had the courage), and I did it flawlessly. "Outstanding!," I was thinking to myself. Well, next up, a table top that I had done plenty of times with no problem.
I think the cause of the next couple events was that I had lost too much speed in the corner, and so I decided to try and clutch over it. Revved it up pretty good, let the clutch go, and prayed for the best. I think the sudden power threw my weight to the back of the bike, and so in the air I couldn't get the nose end to drop. I landed, rear wheel first, and the front wheel slammed down and threw me onto the handle bars. I lost control, the bike shot off to the right and I shot off to the left. My buddy who was behind me landed right behind my bike. By the time he landed, there was nothing he could do. My bike caused him to fall also.
After not being able to breath for what felt like 5 minutes, I was able to get air in my lungs and sit up. Only until I saw my friends bike layed up next to mine did I realize he was involved too. My shoulder felt a little funny, and I couldn't stand up straight.
My shoulder began to hurt more after the excitement died down, and I wasn't comfortable breathing unless I was sitting down. I drove my buddy and I to the hospital, and after 4.5 hours in the ER, I was released with a bruised up rear torso, a lot of road rash, and a fracture to my upper left arm. My buddy on the other hand, suffered a broken collarbone, seperated shoulder and mild concussion. He was released later today.
You know, talk about bad timing. We had ridden this track the two previous weekends, and neither one of us had any problems before. Yes I was trying to power over the jump, and botched it, but hey, that's the nature of the beast. Motorcycle racing is in no way safe.
Wearing a helmet gives people the illusion of safety, but really, even then, how safe is it. It's definitely a dangerous way to spend spare time, but dang-it, it's fun!!!
My chain of command was less than pleased with my buddy and me, becuase through their eyes, we made the wrong decision by taking unnecessary risks and weakening the team. But did we really take an "unnecessary" risk. Are we supposed to sit in our barracks rooms all day and not do things that are fun, becuase we're afraid we might get hurt? I could've gotten in a car accident on the way to the track and been injured that way too.
Also, you really have to be careful how you use the word "unnecessary," becuase to me, it was a necessary risk. I love to ride, and to me, it's not a choice of "Do I really want to ride today?" or "Do I really NEED to ride today?"
I feel the need to ride. It's something I love to do, and as long as I can twist the throttle, shift gears, and work the levers, I'm going to continue to get back on that bike. I'm not going to let the idea that I'm taking an "unnecessary" risk stop me from doing something that is so fun and envigorating. I will ride as safely as I can, and I will do my best to stay within the limits of my ability. But at the same time, there's a first time for everything including trying a jump you've never tried before, or driving a car, or taking out a home loan, or starting a business.
My point is, how are you ever gonna know that something could've been, unless you take a risk to find out?
Well, I think I'm done with my soap box. I hope I didn't waste too much of your time. I just felt I needed to vent a little bit. This WAS originally just an injury report, but it grew into more than that, so that's why it's in this forum.
I am feeling okay. They gave me vicodin for the pain, and I have to go see the ortho doctor to find out what he's gonna do. The soreness in my posterior lower torso is probably the worst of it. I've got some serious internal (and external) bruising. My shoulder feels alright unless I try to move it.
The docs said probably 5 to 6 weeks before I can go to Iraq, but I and my chain of command are fighting for me to deploy at the same time as the rest of the unit, and just let the injury heal in theater.
I guess I'll find out soon enough. Until then, I'm gonna rest. Sorry to get crazy with the length of this post.
Brian.
