Every Day is Training Day

by John Stumpner

Brandy Richards is one of the top female motocross riders in the world. To get to her level of riding skill took many years of practice and training. Grayson Townsend has been competing and winning motocross championships since he was 6 years old. While most of his Instagram photos show him racing, many photos also show him in practice while training for races. Motorcycle racers of all types spend many days in training for races. Some motorcycle racers use steel knee pads to help them slide around corners. Many knee sliding racers, while in training, will purposely go too fast around corners and low side crash to see how fast they can go.

Even regular bikers often get training before they start riding and after they have been riding for a few years. Wisconsin allows bikers who have taken a certified training course to get their motorcycle license without taking a riding test. Bikers have a variety of experienced riding courses available for whatever type of riding they enjoy, be it street riding, amateur racing, dirt track or adventure touring.

Of course, going to school is a type of training you are going through right now. Even though you may not think what you are being taught will apply to your future, the skills you are learning are essential to having a happy future. Thinking skills (math and science), communications skills (English and language) and social skills (history and social studies) are necessary whether hanging out with friends, playing video games, on the job, voting or at any of the other of the many situations you find yourself in now and will in the future.

Even this column is a form of training. Often, examples of other successful bikers are presented to give you some idea of what you might someday be able to do. Also, the wide range of activities that various bikers participate in is shown to help you make an informed choice as to what activities you may wish to try.

As you have probably already figured out, training never ends. This coming February will see the leadership of ABATE of Wisconsin get together for Officer’s Training. This is a weekend when the leadership and prominent volunteers of ABATE, both young and old, get together for training on how to make ABATE as effective an organization as possible. If you are fortunate to be able to attend (some Junior Patriots have attended in the past), a couple of fun sessions are being planned just for the Junior Patriots to show how you can participate in ABATE of Wisconsin’s various activities and events.

John