Over the Hump Family Night Bigger Than Ever
June 12 Family Night was bigger than ever. And as you can see, even John and my kiddos were sponsoring the Over the Hump pride in what this community has become.
Bounce House, Team Sparkle skirts, Face Painting, Pipeline Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Food, Lil Tikes Bikes N’ Trikes race, a beautiful night…and Oh yeah, a little bike race.
The kids race saw 60+ entries, which is awesome; considering we only launched the kids race weekly last year (previously saved for family night)
Racing definitely become more competitive as we’ve gotten deeper into the season, and we’ve been broadcasting the message “Have Fun, you’re not qualifying for UCI races or the Olympics here” (though we like to watch both, wink). Don’t get us wrong, we love the competition…but these little guys in picture on the right, really tell our story. Family. Fun. And as a little bonus, we like to have a race on Tuesday Nights, so the Mountain Bike Community in Southern California has a place to convene.
Tuesday was no different. Over the Hump Community thrived through an amazing show of concern and community activism.
Our Elite Pro, Expert, and Super Sport Racers rose to the occasion when they rode up on injured Corinne Marley, who had crashed along the trail in her first lap. Our Pro Leader Brandon Gritters, made the call to halt the race, which stood still for approximately 4 minutes (amazing… the entire pro/expert field stopped to help), while Expert Leader Steve Boniface, rode to the next staff person available to inform them of the injury. Meanwhile other Expert racers Rob McGee, Dr. Sten Kramer, Tommy Robles, and Daniel Eitman (I know there were others, and none did it for glory) stayed behind to assist. Thank you for your pro-active efforts.
In the face of competition, things often get fierce, and even self-serving (watched any news about pro basketball, baseball, or football players lately?), but Over the Hump is different. Riding has it’s potential risks, and we never like to see injuries. We staff with multiple EMT’s over the course, 15-20 course marshals, staff and volunteers attend to racers safety and course function…and then there’s this. Racers chipping in to take care of one of their own fallen friends. Stories like Blackstar Racing’s Rob McGee, who had no margin to lose a race finish to keep his previous top 3 position in the series. McGee assisting the racer meant losing his place in the series standings, which he won’t be able to recover for the podium due to missed races throughout this season.
While medics and additional staff were on their way she was attended by professional health care professionals (AKA Over the Hump Racers) who had opted to be a friend rather than a competitor at the moment it was needed.
YOU are an amazing group of people, who make Over the Hump your race. As promoters John and I always are looking for ways to do things better, improve experiences, and allow the OTH Vibe to thrive. We are thrilled with Over the Hump has become. Not because of the logistics, planning, and presentation….but because of the things we cannot create that we always dreamed would be here. A sense of play. Community. Concern over other people. A light hearted spirit. Fun Competition. And Kids (yes we’ve contributed 4 kids in 4 years between our mixed broods, so I guess we helped a little).
So as the night wore on, the race continued in all of its glory too. Sean Bell picked up another Jr win. H2O Overdrive’s Sid Taberlay and Brandon Gritters, went 1-2 after racing resumed, and Steve Boniface picked up another expert win. And the girls at Team-Sparkle handed out Sparkly Skirts to girls and women’s category winners: Girls Jr – Danielle Emter, Women’s Pro – Leslie Williams, Women’s Sport – Meghan Brown, and Women’s Beginner – Season Everton.
We love what Over the Hump has become: FAMILY. And as with any family, we couldn’t do it without you. It’s fun to see, and play with you every week.
See you next Tuesday.
4 Comments
Well said matt… Great vibes out there… Even better people!!
[…] Race Update June 12, 2012 […]
The racers’ actions are very impressive. Maybe there should be a good sportsmanship award in addition to the race placings?
Great article!! My best wishes to a full recovery! lots of good people out there!