Blogger Nate is back with a look at what we’re going to hear this sx season and what it really means
Blogger Nate is back with a look at what we’re going to hear this sx season and what it really means
Expect the Expected
By Nate Davis
It’s that time of year again where we get to hear what the riders are doing to prepare for the supercross season. Here is what you can expect to hear from riders leading up to Anaheim 1 and some reasons they will say this.
1-“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could be competitive.”
You’ll hear this from the veterans. We would all be naïve to think that Chad Reed should ever be counted out, but the question will come up if he feels that he can still win after coming back from a devastating injury. Kevin Windham will be asked for the 974th time if 2014 is still his goal and he’ll go to his status quo as of late, calling himself an old man at the age of 34. His performance over the last couple of years has been impressive in a sport that seems to progress due to the aggressive styles of today’s young top riders, and KDub will be right there and hopefully will make it through the entire season. Windham wouldn’t be here if he didn’t think he could be competitive, and at one point he will say that.
2- “I feel that we respect each other and race each other cleanly”
Expect to hear this from all the riders that are expected to grace the podium week in and week out of how they will race each other. It would be nice to see someone would take a page out of the Brad Keselowski press handbook when the question gets asked what riders think of one another. It would be great if someone in the presser would just ask Justin Barcia what he thinks about Ryan Villopoto saying he doesn’t show any respect and get the following reply; “I think his comments are complete and udder bullshit. Bullshit! You idiots (media) will write all day that I am a dirty rider because I run it in on someone while going for the lead, now everyone is worried that I am a reckless rider. Just because I am up front and getting noticed for kicking ass, I get ridiculed for running a rider a little high because I am trying to do what American Honda pays me a shit ton of money to do, win me some mother effin main events. But guys like Vince Friese can t-bone someone while he is riding around in 17th place and not one mention will be made of it. Bullshit! You guys make me out to be the bad guy, yet you have idiots like that putting everyone in danger. I am done answering these stupid questions.” Then Barcia takes the Muscle Milk bottle that is sitting in front of him chug it down, look Villopoto the defending champion in the eye, and subtly say “Bam Bam” and walk out. Now that would be awesome to see as a fan but the truth is he will simply say that he will continue his aggressive style and hope to gain Villopoto’s respect. Here is a page out of the Brad Keselowski handbook, start it around the 3:30 mark, but beware there is some profanity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_ZXheljlM&feature=related
3- “I have surrounded myself with good people and at the end of the day I have done all I can to prepare myself”
This answer has been going around ever since Ricky Carmichael starting dominating the sport, pertaining to how riders have prepared themselves for the season. Somehow in order to win any more you need an entourage of people surrounding you. The truth of the matter is that these guys do need this because of how they sport has evolved. Ricky’s training program has brought how the top riders should prepare to a different level. Remember 1997? Wouldn’t be great if Chad Reed would go all Fro and say; “I like to surround myself with fun people, I like to get sideways and have a couple or ten limoncellos then go race my buddies on my go-cart track that I spent a lot of money on because I like to have fun. I typically don’t like being around people unless they know how to party, doesn’t do me any good to show up here unless I am having a freaking awesome good time. As a matter of fact if I win you can find me with my extremely hot wife closing down the club, I mean it is Saturday night.” There is the exception where Kevin Windham will probably make a reference to being on a wakeboard and doing 12 ounce curls, and that is probably why he has the fanbase he does. He makes fans think, ‘you know I could have a beer with this guy, I think I will buy his shirt, get drunk and go absolutely berserk when he passes James Stewart.’
4- “We are just going to take it one race at a time”
This is actually necessary due to the nature of this sport. Everything needs to be done in a week to week basis due to the fact that most riders will be dealing with some sort of nagging injury that no one will know about. Along with trying to avoid injury, riders and teams have to make some big adjustments when making the swing from the hard pack west coast rounds, to the soft and rutted east coast rounds. Here is an example of what I am alluding to; “I had a slight get off this week, I am a little banged up but we are just going to take it one race at a time.” It would be nice if a rider could say, “Well I went ass over tea kettle this week and my shoulder is bothering the hell out of me. I can’t even wipe my ass properly without breaking the toilet paper. So besides having stinky fingers all the time I am really screwed tonight, I am not going to be competitive at all.” Okay maybe the fecal matter reference isn’t necessary but you get my point. It’s the mental side of this sport that is so extraordinary amongst these athletes, that they can’t let their competitors now that they are not 100 percent, or is it their sponsors that can’t know they are hurt?
5- “At the end of the day….”(probably at least 149 to 152 times)
Hearing this term is about as certain as Josh Hansen complaining he can’t keep the number 100. I don’t understand why all revelations must come at the end of the day. Can’t a guy figure something out at the beginning of the day? I know the term is alluding to the fact that when the dust settles you will know something because it’s the end of the day and all the scenarios have been played out. I would like to be a top rider and answer a question as follows; “You know I’ve been working really hard and at the beginning of the day I know I can win.” This may shock the industry that someone knew something at the beginning of the day, rather waiting all day to see something that really hasn’t changed from the beginning of the day.
6- “We have the best pit presence in the paddock”
You will hear this all year long every time an interview is done with Ricky Carmichael concerning the newly developed RCH team and why he works with Carey Hart. He’s going to say it because we’ve all heard Kenny Watson say it, and as strange as this may sound, Carmichael has learned something from Watson. Who would’ve thought that Ricky Carmichael would take the B-to-B College that professor Watson is known for. He uses this as one of the main reasons he decided to get back into racing and team up with Carey Hart. When we all know that the real reason he is getting back into supercross racing is because his run at Nascar wasn’t successful. Don’t get me wrong, as a fan of the sport you can only admire what he has done, and he is undoubtedly one of the best riders of all time. The truth of the matter is if Carmichael would have been successful with his Nascar endeavor the only pit presence he’d be concerned about is whether or not the nacho cheese is good and hot at the concession stand. That being said it is good to see him get the factory Suzuki support for Carey Hart’s team because they are doing what they can every year to up their program for success and it is good for them to finally start reaping the rewards. Expect Carmichael to bring up said pit presence at least twice a race when he commentates in the booth this winter.
7- “No matter how much I have accomplished I steel feel like I can keep getting better”
Ryan Dungey is going to say this at one point in time it is inevitable. This media robot seems to have all the politically correct answers; the only problem is they have been the same exact answers for the last five years. You could ask Ryan Dungey what his thoughts are on how the Easter Bunny has influenced him, and he could divert it to how his riding success is partly due to the fact that as a young child he believed in the Easter Bunny, Easter is in the springtime,which in Minnesota is the time of year you get to start riding for the first time in months, then he attended an Easter egg hunt at a moto track, saw an Easter Bunny putting down some fast laps and that’s when he knew he wanted to be a motocross star. Do you see the relevance in that story? He has addressed the question by acknowledging the subject of the question, the Easter Bunny. Then he commits some sort of association with the Easter Bunny, he believes! Reel in the audience, springtime riding is the best time of year to ride good dirt and lukewarm weather, at home every Dirt Bike Johnny is dreaming of ripping up their local track on a tacky day. He then will tie in how the subject has helped him in his career, saw said Easter Bunny on a dirt bike going fast and now he too can now go fast on a Dirt Bike. This is how to handle any question thrown at you; this is Media Handling 101 folks. Now you must go buy a KTM.
8- “Hopefully it will all come down to Vegas”
Well thank you for stating the obvious, not only do us fans want to see the series go down to the final race of the season but of course riders want to keep their championship hopes alive by the time they get to Sin City in May. You’ll never hear anyone say, well hopefully it all comes down Atlanta or some race that’s in the middle of the season. Ask Ricky Carmichael, none of the races before Daytona even matter anyways because that is when the season starts, except for the prior nine AMA, FELD, FIM events where riders score points, or whoever the heck is the sanctioning body is for supercross.
If you are a fan that likes to partake in spirits so you are good and jolly by the time the race comes on let me provide you with a fun drinking game. Write down each one of these quotes, go through all the interviews seen online leading up to the race, as well as the interviews during Anaheim 1 and every time you hear one take a drink. Here’s to anticipating a great opening round come January 5th.
