Monday Maniac #38

by Gauldy107

Sometimes I should give myself a slap in the face for picking Monday to write this blog. Maybe it would have been better called the “Tuesday Twister” or the “Wednesday Wall Hit” or maybe the “Thursday Thunder.” Regardless, some Mondays it’s a little too tough to get them done after a long weekend of working. For me, Mondays are like a one day weekend sort of deal since this business I’m in is a 7 day work week with photos, videos and social media taking all my time covering whatever event I may have attended. This past weekend, from this past Thursday until yesterday afternoon, I was on the “Rock” – Newfoundland – for a motocross school and to attend the annual Brian House Memorial race. It just may be near the top of my long list of best ever trips. I awoke today with a sore gut. Some of you may be thinking it was because of the copious amounts of cocktails we drank out there. Nah, it was from all the laughs I had with the new family I found. This trip was one of those you wish you could package up the fun and memories and sell it at the local store for people that never get out of their own house. It was just amazing!

Before I get right into the trip we need to chat about this coming weekend’s Montreal SX. The 36th running (I think) of the event. It’s always a hell of a time and the racing is good too. I’ve gone to this event probably 15 times and each year it becomes more fun. You get more familiar with the language barrier, each year that passes you’re a little older and have a little more money to spend for the endless night life the city serves up, but the best part of it is the racing you get to see. Last year, the MX2 final featuring Jeremy Medaglia and Kaven Benoit was one of the best races the event has ever staged. Coming right down to the final two turns, both riders went down but Medags was first up and took his first big win at the Big O. In MX1, we saw the beginning of Matt Goerke’s dominance in Canada as he chased down a gap of about 8 seconds on Dusty Klatt to make the pass to take the win. It also marked the first time Cole Thompson showed us all the skills he has honed down in the US as he grabbed the second spot on the jaw dropping night full of unreal moments. The Side X Side and ATV races were even some of the best I had ever seen. I’m hoping the 2012 edition of the race will offer the same sort of excitement for all the fans and industry involved. This year marks the addition of the new “Super Final” where the top ten in MX2 and top 10 in MX1 will do battle for bragging rights. All in all it should make for another great show for the thousands of fans in attendance. Hope to see you all there this Saturday night at the Big O in Montreal for the Monster Energy Supermotocross. If not maybe we’ll see you at the bar afterwards. LOL

I also received this update from Kyle Beaton who was just recently helped by the Injured Riders Fund:

Hey MXPers,

Just wanted to drop in and give an update.  First off I’d like to give a huge thanks to the Injured Riders Fund for helping me out. I can’t thank them enough and everyone who supports it. Also big props to Gauldy for hooking this up and the money he has raised for this fund.  I can’t forget about “the Newf” for making the comeback this year and giving Gauldy a good way to make money for this fund.

The last week and half has been pretty up and down for me.  I have a wound on my ankle from blistering and it didn’t seem to be healing. Then the wound care nurses thought that it might have been getting infected so they sent me to the hospital to get checked it out and put me on IV antibiotics.  I had a bone scan done and some other tests to figure out if it is infected.  Still waiting on results but I think they will come back positive.  Since I’ve been on antibiotics, the doctor has changed the dressings to something different, a silver based gauze, so it has improved more in the last few days than it has since I got out of the hospital.  Finally some much needed improvements forward.  Since I’ve been injured I’ve taken up learning how to play the guitar, my God is it hard, but it’s a good challenge. Maybe I’ll become a Rockstar. Haha. Also I’ve been working on getting a program together for doing riding camps and training programs.  So look for info coming up on this in the New Year.  Other than that, life is just full of doctor appointments and holding down the couch.

I’d just like to thank all my fans for their support and encouraging messages, and Monster Leading Edge Kawasaki for sticking behind me and helping me out through these rough times, and again, the Injured Riders Fund, Ryan Gauld and Ryan Lockhart.  Oh and my mom took the money I received and put it away for me so I don’t blow it on dumb stuff. Till next time, keep ‘er pinned and rubber side down.  braaaap

 

 

So as I said above I just returned from Newfoundland. Now I don’t want to go into too much detail here because I am doing a story in the upcoming MXP which we should all receive by the end of October (if I get my ass working). I have been to a lot of places. It’s kind of the fortunate part of the job. I met Rod Snelgrove and Simsi at the Montreal SX last year. I hardly remembered this but apparently I bought them some drinks and that right there to a Newfie puts you on the map. These boys had not really been a fan of mine from all the shit that was read on the pink stink (MX Forum) way back when. Once they realized that you don’t make judgments off of that, a plane ticket was in my hands and I was off to Newfoundland. I now have an entire new family. The scene out there is small but the passion the people share for the sport makes it look like millions are into motocross on the island. The MX School had about 60 riders that attended as Mitch Cooke, Adam Turner and I hung out for the day and helped the islanders with some tips to help get around the brand new Riverview MX Park. Chris O’Neal is the owner of the new park and he has dumped over 300 grand into this place, so all the crazed Newfs have a place to ride their bikes that feels just like home.  The opportunity for me to go out there really makes me feel special. These people opened their homes and their lives for us to come down as well as see what and how they roll when it comes to Motocross. Being able to do that for four days makes me appreciate what I do even more because of the love this small community has for the sport that has given me so much since I was 5 years old. No matter what bike you ride, how your graphics look, what gear you where or how much money you may or may not have, for Newfoundlanders, motocross is just another way for them to express how much family means to them and how much “havin’ a time” with good friends goes a long way.

 

 

 

I want o say a big thanks to the Snelgroves, Gert and Rod, and the Sims family  for the hospitality, McKinnon, Big Jeff, Shaun, Chris, Steve Anstie, Conky, Nursey, John, Ashley, Christian, Dion, Mitch Cooke, Adam Turner, Fred Roy, Denise,  Keith Murphy, Ruth’s ass, (Ha) and the entire island for making me feel like I was in my own home. It’s annual now bi’s. I need to keep coming back to make the wall of shame. The only thing I won’t miss is Rod smoking every 15 seconds. Hahhahaah NEWFOUNDLAAAAAANNNNNDDDD!!!!!!!!!