| Sportmanship; for more than just our kids! |
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Barb and I were talking the other day about the influence of BMX parents on their children’s
desire to continue racing and the success that they have. She asked me to share my experience
as a BMX parent with you.
Ryan’s been racing BMX for almost 5 years now and hopefully will for many years to come. When
he started we loved the fun he had. What a great feeling to see your child have a huge smile on
their face even when they got last place. We knew he was truly enjoying himself!
As Ryan continued to race and improve, his and our expectations for his performance continued
to grow. We kept emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship and the pride of knowing he did
his best. We have always tried to teach Ryan to set an example and go up to the kids he is
competing against and congratulates them for their efforts, whether he wins or loses.
As Ryan moved towards turning expert he expected he would win every race. I don’t think we will
forget going to Reno in 2005 knowing that he was the fasted 7I in Oregon and could beat many
of the experts he raced locally. He went expecting to win all three days and was disappointed
with 2 seconds and a fourth. We encouraged him that he had done great and should be as
proud of himself as we were.
After turning expert the wins became more difficult and I started putting more pressure on him. It
seemed the more I tried to ‘encourage’ him the worse he would ride. I could not understand why
he was not performing to our expectations. After about several disappointing months, I would talk
to him the whole way home about what he needed to work on. I did not realize it at the time, but I
was making racing no fun for him.
I will never forget a July 2005 day at the SCR in Bend that Ryan turned to me and told me that
when we went to the track I made him feel that I did not love him. It caught me so by surprise. I
knew that I was proud of him and was not trying to discourage him, but help him improve. We
decided to take a break from racing and I told Ryan I was sorry. I also let him know that when he
wanted to start racing again we would and I would not get frustrated no matter what the results
were.
Football came along at just the right time to give us a break that summer and we did not race
again until early in 2006. When we started racing again Ryan was having a great time again. I
recognized the need to just let him have fun; I want him to enjoy riding his bike for many years to
come. As 2006 continued we raced some early in the year, but again took a break for football.
When we started racing BMX I though it was an opportunity to teach Ryan sportsmanship and let
him have fun, I never thought of it as a chance to teach myself the importance of
sportsmanship. We as BMX moms and dads can learn a lot from our kids. Most of our kids
started out wanting to race because they loved the challenge and we loved seeing them have
fun. If we don’t push them too hard they will continue to have fun and will race for years to come.
Ryan is again racing for the love of it and we are having a great time racing as a family. It was
really easy for me to steal the fun from BMX by pointing out what he needed to do better, but
I’ve found the more I tell him what he has done right, the better he rides. This year
Ryan says he does not want to play football, he’s having too much fun with BMX! Look out all of
you 9X and 10X Flyin Ryan is back and will be leading you all around the track soon enough. If
not winning the race, winning with his sportsmanship and fun, which is what counts in the long
run. We hope his love will continue for a lifetime and plan to help encourage it, not tear it down.
Matt & Ryan Nolan
aggrobikes.com
Thank you Matt & Ryan for sharing your personal story with us, as track operators it's not
only our job to provide a safe and fun place to race, but to help families realize why they
come to the track... so their kids can RIDE their bikes, hang out with their family and
friends and just enjoy doing what they love, "the finish" just doesn't matter in the long
run. When our kids become adults they'll never remember what the results where at
every race, but all the "good times" they had as a child and will be very thankful for their
parents for giving them those wonderful childhood memories they have of BMX!
desire to continue racing and the success that they have. She asked me to share my experience
as a BMX parent with you.
Ryan’s been racing BMX for almost 5 years now and hopefully will for many years to come. When
he started we loved the fun he had. What a great feeling to see your child have a huge smile on
their face even when they got last place. We knew he was truly enjoying himself!
As Ryan continued to race and improve, his and our expectations for his performance continued
to grow. We kept emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship and the pride of knowing he did
his best. We have always tried to teach Ryan to set an example and go up to the kids he is
competing against and congratulates them for their efforts, whether he wins or loses.
As Ryan moved towards turning expert he expected he would win every race. I don’t think we will
forget going to Reno in 2005 knowing that he was the fasted 7I in Oregon and could beat many
of the experts he raced locally. He went expecting to win all three days and was disappointed
with 2 seconds and a fourth. We encouraged him that he had done great and should be as
proud of himself as we were.
After turning expert the wins became more difficult and I started putting more pressure on him. It
seemed the more I tried to ‘encourage’ him the worse he would ride. I could not understand why
he was not performing to our expectations. After about several disappointing months, I would talk
to him the whole way home about what he needed to work on. I did not realize it at the time, but I
was making racing no fun for him.
I will never forget a July 2005 day at the SCR in Bend that Ryan turned to me and told me that
when we went to the track I made him feel that I did not love him. It caught me so by surprise. I
knew that I was proud of him and was not trying to discourage him, but help him improve. We
decided to take a break from racing and I told Ryan I was sorry. I also let him know that when he
wanted to start racing again we would and I would not get frustrated no matter what the results
were.
Football came along at just the right time to give us a break that summer and we did not race
again until early in 2006. When we started racing again Ryan was having a great time again. I
recognized the need to just let him have fun; I want him to enjoy riding his bike for many years to
come. As 2006 continued we raced some early in the year, but again took a break for football.
When we started racing BMX I though it was an opportunity to teach Ryan sportsmanship and let
him have fun, I never thought of it as a chance to teach myself the importance of
sportsmanship. We as BMX moms and dads can learn a lot from our kids. Most of our kids
started out wanting to race because they loved the challenge and we loved seeing them have
fun. If we don’t push them too hard they will continue to have fun and will race for years to come.
Ryan is again racing for the love of it and we are having a great time racing as a family. It was
really easy for me to steal the fun from BMX by pointing out what he needed to do better, but
I’ve found the more I tell him what he has done right, the better he rides. This year
Ryan says he does not want to play football, he’s having too much fun with BMX! Look out all of
you 9X and 10X Flyin Ryan is back and will be leading you all around the track soon enough. If
not winning the race, winning with his sportsmanship and fun, which is what counts in the long
run. We hope his love will continue for a lifetime and plan to help encourage it, not tear it down.
Matt & Ryan Nolan
aggrobikes.com
Thank you Matt & Ryan for sharing your personal story with us, as track operators it's not
only our job to provide a safe and fun place to race, but to help families realize why they
come to the track... so their kids can RIDE their bikes, hang out with their family and
friends and just enjoy doing what they love, "the finish" just doesn't matter in the long
run. When our kids become adults they'll never remember what the results where at
every race, but all the "good times" they had as a child and will be very thankful for their
parents for giving them those wonderful childhood memories they have of BMX!
If you'd like to share a story with us, feel free to email me at
cvbmxtrack@aol.com.
Some lessons learned are meant to be shared...
cvbmxtrack@aol.com.
Some lessons learned are meant to be shared...
| The Nolan Family |
