Ask Ping!
Friday, August 24, 2012 | 9:10 AM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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PrintDear David,
Congrats on your Paramedic studies and graduation. I am near the same age as you and am looking at going back to work in emergency medicine as well. I am a building contractor now but after 15 years am missing helping people and going to calls on what I have/had deemed the mobile Christmas Tree.
Here's my question. I see these tracks MX and SX alike and wonder where these bizarre designs came from. I grew up on Guam where we had 1 national level track (Johnny O', David Bailey, Kent Howerton, and Chuck Sun raced it, I believe, I was six so forgive my facts). My point is this: Motocross broken down is basically motorcycle and cross the country hence the word motocross and Supercross was the same thing just put inside of Roman type stadium where the spectator could watch the action from a panoramic point of view.
What are these things these guys are racing on? They are groomed. They are watered. They are, what? Motocross? Motorcycle & Rider versus countryside versus competitor versus what? It doesn't fit the definition I know. Please shed your insight. I love Unadilla and Southwick but what is going on.
Sincerely,
Jerod Hanson
They were outside your definition of motocross back in 1956 in Czechoslovakia.
You sound like the kind of guy who likes tradition, history and heritage. There’s nothing wrong with that, fundamentally, but you have to understand that things evolve and improve over time. You still churning your own butter over there on Guam? Still talking on a rotary phone? Still getting up and walking to the television to change the channels? Of course not… that would be barbaric. Motocross started as a short course over natural terrain, just as you stated. And then it began to evolve. Watering and track prep improved spectating and safety for riders. As bikes advanced technologically, so did the tracks. Jumps got bigger and eventually, the sport was taken inside. Jumps got even bigger. Courses were designed to challenge riders and entertain spectators and guess what? The sport started growing.
So, what are these guys racing on? Modern supercross and motocross tracks, I guess. While I like to see tracks like Unadilla and Southwick left natural and rough too [what was with that rhythm section at Unadilla this year?] I think that most of the changes are necessary and good for the sport. Don’t let your dislike for change ruin your passion for the sport. At the end of the day motocross is still man and machine vs. course vs. competitors. Just the way it should be.
PING
Hi Ping
How is it that Ken Roczen who is only 18 and Marvin Musquin who have only been here a year speak better English than Roger D? That dude has been here, like, 50 years and I can still barely understand him, lol.
Mike Stith
Tega Cay, SC
Ders nutting I can do about zis agzent.
Good point. The only thing I can come up with is what I like to call the Jean Claude Van Damme factor. JCVD is really the only major [I’m using the term loosely] Belgian movie star I can think of and, like the smell of spilled Belgian beer, he could never quite shake the stank of his native accent. Musquin is French and while he may always sound a bit like inspector Clouseau he has a decent grasp on the language. Roczen probably grew up watching MTV Europe and could sing dozens of songs in English from a young age, including 99 Luftballons. I agree with you that ol’ Rog has hit a plateau with his English language skills. But I guarantee you he speaks at least three languages, which is two more than I have down. How about you?
PING
Dear Ping,
Why is it that so many top motocross racers are little guys? I don’t mean to insult anybody (you included) but if you look through a list of the sport’s best there are very few that stand above 5’10” tall. In any other sport that height would make it nearly impossible to compete.
P.S.- Nice push on DMXS the other night. That was impressive.
Ian Rogers
Somewhere in Florida
Hey, that looks a lot like some motocross gear these days. Coincidence?
For the record I just want to point out that Mike Bell, Ron Lechien, David Bailey, David Thorpe, Jimmy Button, David Vuillemin and Travis Preston were all well over six feet and they reached the pinnacle of the sport. Yes, it took me every bit of ten minutes to think of that many tall riders but I wanted to point out that not every successful rider borders on dwarfism. That said, it appears there are some distinct advantages to being on the shorter side as a motocross racer. Maybe it’s the lower center of gravity or the fact that your legs don’t get in the way in turns? Or when you crash you can curl into a little ball instead of letting centrifugal force spread you out like a starfish before you hit the ground? I would suggest that the perfect height is around 5’10”, ala Jeremy McGrath and Stefan Everts. Another huge perk of being short is post-race career options…Horse racing or midget tossing, anyone?
PING
Have a question for Ping? Send him an email at [email protected]
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I always thought that being 6' 1" with a 36" inseam gave me more suspension, plus as I walked the pits I could see over every one ..double win..
isnt kdub over 6 feet too?
I'm 6,4 & around 200lbs, and I have to admit that I wish I was shorter when it comes to motocross riding. Riding on a 250F!
In mountain bike racing they call guys like us clydsdales. That's what we need...a vet/novice/clydsdale class....
I applaud the fact that short guys can rule this sport! Pretty much all the stick and ball sports are dominated by freaks and body builders (with tatoos I might add). Way to go, MX!!
I am literally 6'3" and 220 pounds, and i am faster if not as fast as anyone on the track. Being bigger i can whip it way bigger and wheelie through the whoops. And lets be honest , girls like tall guys . Win
How long has the "it's not a toomer" guy been living in the U.S. Roger is the man and a great American. I understand him just fine.
The googles on the innerweb tells me that Ken De Dycker is 1.91m tall. Converting from commie units to something respectable makes him 6'3". He seems taller than that on the bike.
Being involved in language education for nearly 20 years, perhaps I can shed some light on question #2. The ideal time to learn a language, in terms of fluency and accent, is before puberty. Physiologically, it becomes more difficult to "lose an accent" (a misnomer, since EVERYONE has an accent) once puberty kicks in. The classic example is Henry Kissinger, who came here at 13 and, though a brilliant man, never lost his accent. His brother, on the other hand, was younger when the family immigrated, and learned to speak English with little noticeable accent. My guess is that Marvin and Kenny were working on their English more and earlier in life than DeCoster. Ping is correct, however, that the typical European speaks three or more languages. In the U.S., we generally don't even offer foreign language until middle school/junior high, just when puberty is kicking in, which every language teacher knows is a bad model.
BTW, what do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. More than two? Multilingual. One? American.
6'2" 195 only time its seems to big is when sitting down riding slow. I agree in the whoops it's a + in my book, Ya don't have the seat smacking ya in the azz like RC always did LOL
Your right Sef they should start the language classes sooner ( just like sign language, Kids can learn that before there 3!! BUT "IF YOU WANT to take a language it should be a choicse" Why is spanish mandatory??
Spanish isn't mandatory, BillC. Most schools offer French (these two languages have been dominant in schools, I assume, because of our neighbors to the North and South). German has become more popular. A Chinese teacher was just hired at an area district here (a wise move, since it is the most-used language in the world - and growing). Foreign language is required because it improves development of the brain, but as I said before, America gets it wrong by starting so late.
In football they have ideal sizes that they look for in an individual to play a particular position. When it comes to cycling, be it road bikes, mountain bikes, or motorcycles, the "ideal" size is 5'10" and 155-160 lbs. There are always exceptions, but those numbers are the ideal.
Well done Ping. I always like your humor.
Goat Breker, Darrel Schultz are both over 6 feet.
Around here Spanish IS mandatory. in some schools it is the only one offered.
This is funny I don't care who you are. Tracks changed for the "safety of the riders". 90 foot do or die triples. Tracks wide enough for two to three bikes and one good line, two suicide lines. That funny I don't care who you are. Most of the good riders are injured.
As far as attendence I would like to see some numbers. Circus cross just doesn't do it for me . 16 Minute mains . I will not pay 400 for an airline ticket, 200 for a room , 75 for a ticket to watch a light show smoke and fireworks. I get that on the fourth of July for free. I think the NFL, stick and ball and nutscar should switch to a 16 minute show. They would grow in attendance. Yeah right . Circus cross is all filler and very little racing. I have been to 6 outdoor Nationals . Supercross 0
I've heard all that about languages and how hard it is to learn once you grow up, but what about southern accents? I remember people from the south who got jobs in TV taking classes to get ride of their southern draw.
The kids who used to beg for water outside the wire in Afghanistan learn english fast. They knew all the bad words and hand gesters real good.
take conditioning out and motocross is 99% in the head. that being said short people must be smarter
As I said, Expeditionary Citizen, kids learn language (and most other things) much easier than adults. Watch a skier who started as a child, then one that took it up as an adult. The former appears much more fluent and natural. As for "losing" an accent, actors (as well as TV journalists) go through intensive training to learn different accents. (Remember, EVERYONE has an accent.) Without that training, the Southerner will maintain at least some of that drawl, and those with other speech differences will do likewise. (Reed has been here for 10 years, and though he doesn't sound as "Aussie" as someone who just got here, he does maintain some of that "accent.") BillC, Spanish is mandatory there because it's the only language offered (Doh!), probably due to cuts in education funding (another area where America is getting it wrong).
Been contemplating ordering up a Rosetta Stone Spanish course just to keep the 50 + yr. grey matter stimulated (I agree Chinese is the lang of Business future). Picked up guitar at age 50 for the same reason. Have to find new things to learn or you get mental staleness. I have enough issues with having many past moto concussions.
So what was with no way to comment on your "Ask Ping" last week? Your last letter was very comment worthy, sure would have stiired up some thoughts.
@motojoe710 - LOL! I refer you to the 1977 Randy Newman song, "Short People."
@McMoto - I suspect that's why there was no comment section last week.
We spend more than any other country but one on education, Throwing money at it is not the problem (Doh!!)
.As for ", Spanish is mandatory there because it's the only language offered" Well if thats all they offer It should not be mandatory.
CZRider,
2012 Supercross final attendance was 831,600. Of course there is no number out for final attendance for the Nationals, but a good turnout for a national weekend is 20,000-25,000. Multiply that for 12 rounds and you aren't even close to Supercross numbers.
I'm with you as far as preferring Outdoors over SX, but I've been to both and they both have their advantages. To a casual fan or a someone outside the sport SX is a much better show. The "oooohhhh and aaahhhh" factor is higher, which is why Feld's other series are successful as well. People like loud noises, big jumps, explosions, and shiny stuff.
So I say accept it for what it is, enjoy the fact that we have racing to watch in the winter, and be thankful for the extra money that it brings into our sport.
sef154, it that Rosetta stone course worth it at this age?
@self154- I spent a little time in Europe a few years back and was amazed how well the younger generation spoke English. I was also told it was taught in all the schools. I did notice the big difference between the older generation and how fluent the younger is. I guess Roger just comes from the old school generation. Just my 2 cents worth of of oberavations and questions asked when I was there.
Ping you are dead on as to the tracks now verses then. I love what we have now and think it is better than then. Heck if you want cross country go watch that. We still have that too !!
I had a interpretor who was mid 20s and he said he learned English by going to one of the cities and taking courses online for 2 years. He spoke English really well. They seemed good at picking up languages. You had to be careful because of it.
my school has spanish, german,french,latin, and maybe some other stuff i cant think of at the moment
Yamahauler152 . I agree with your facts as I think Atlanta and a couple other dates sold out. They also said there were 35,000 at New Orleans. I wonder where they were as they were not in the stands. Almost looks like a bloated promoter number. However , do you work with the government accounting office? If not mistaken there are 17 supercross dates. 12 outdoor national dates. I think the numbers should be higher with 30% more races. 17 x attendance verses 12 x attendance. You are correct and you do have a future in politics. I agree though and will continue to watch and appreciate the sport.
@McMoto - Rosetta Stone is good. Whether you have the opportunity to use the new language outside "the classroom" makes a huge difference.
@BillC - So we know learning another language develops the brain, but because your schools only offer one language, they should just skip it?
You are correct that "throwing money at" education is not a cure-all. Take the staff of a high-performing school district, and have them trade places with a low-performing, impoverished district, and no miracles will occur. In the multitude of countries that are now outperforming America in education outcomes, education and teachers are looked up to and considered to be of the utmost importance. Talk to a random group of high schoolers here and see how they feel about it. It is, in fact, a societal problem. Teachers are expected to do things today that should be done at home, but too many parents throw electronics at their kids as babysitters. Even sports hold a higher place than education. A kid is more likely to get (and squander) a college scholarship for athletics than for academics. This is a$$ backwards. But I can assure you that keeping teacher salaries low compared to other professions requiring equal or lower education, along with cutting positions and raising class sizes, is NOT the answer.
My town keeps raising my taxes every year in the name of the schools or children and the School superintendant makes more money than the Vice President of the United States. He has a part time assistant making over 60,000 a year. It's greed.
BillC..I will start being nicer to ya and agreeing with you more ....you got 40lbs one me..don't want to get on your bad side!!! lol..
I'm 6' 7" 260 pounds and my smaller buddies can ride circles around me when there are a lot of turns involved. When just riding in the woods or mountains, other than the weight, I don't see a lot of disadvantages to my size and I find a few advantages. Obviously you wont see anyone my size winning any sx races!
By the way, has anyone noticed how they NEVER change the riders statistics?? Rd and RV are listed as the same height and weight as they were when they turned pro. No way Dungey is 5'10" and 145 anymore imo....
@CZRider: The last supercross race I went to was A2 this year. I have been to approximately 30 Supercross races over the years, mostly in So. Calif. where I live (Anaheim, Dodger Stadium, San Diego, going all the way back to the original Superbowl of Motocross at the L.A. Colliseum). While I agree, the main event is only about 16 minutes, there is MUCH to see. My son and I got to the stadium at A2 at 12:30. After watching practice, we went to the pits for about an hour and a half. Talked with Kevin Windham for awhile. Met Chad Reed (again), talked with Lars Lindstrom and Dave Osterman, talked with Andrew Short, got a hug from Dianna Dahlgren, had the opportunity to tell Roger DeCoster how he was the man who got me interested in the sport back in the day and got to introduce my 26 year old son to the best rider in the history of motocross. Went back and watched 2nd practice. Ate some hot dogs. Went back to the pits and checked out JS7's and Ryan Dungey's bikes. Talked to Jeff Ward about his mini championship races against Flyin' Mike Brown. Then went back to our seats to watch opening ceremonies. While the actual main event is short in duration, the heat races are intense and always offer good racing. Some of the best racing (albeit not the best riders) happens in the LCQ's because everyone is trying for those 2 spots. In all, we spent 10 hours at Anaheim stadium and couldn't have gone another hour. We were exhausted and the experience was every bit as much fun as an outdoor national (of which I have seen about 30 - including Trans-AMA races and the USGP at Carlsbad, back in the day). If you've never been, you should go. It's a blast!
LOL BD25 I am a lover not a fighter!! Unless you get me really pissed LOL Your a good egg in my book!! Always fair and open minded.
.You hit it on the head Sef154, The problem's start at home!! With parents who do nothing with their kids and expect the teacher's to raise them. Another problem is that teacher's have no power anymore!! They can't discipline them at all. Here is a good story i heard from an old guy once. When he was a kid he got cought chewing gum in school so the teacher took the gum and put it in his hair, he went home and cried to mom and dad. They asked should you be chewing gum in class? He said NO...They said then you got what you deserved...... If that happen today the mom and dad would sue the school because JR can do no wrong!! no one takes responsibilty for their actions anymore.
BillC..Glad you took that well..lol..always a pleasure to exchange ideas with you!!
I agree, parents today are different, as in your example, if I got out of line in school and got swats from the principal I could look forward to the same at home..not coddling...I was brought up by the 3 golden rules, treat others as you wish to be treated, ..give respect and you will get respect ..be an ass and you will get it kicked....
Right you are, BillC. (How often do I say that?!) My dad used to say if he got in trouble at school, that meant he got in trouble twice. First from the teacher, then from my grandpa!
No matter what you think you know about being a teacher today, you DON'T know unless you've walked in their shoes. For how "great" some think the job is, people are leaving the profession faster than ever. (Some are sticking it out longer since the recession, but still, this fact doesn't bode well for America.)
Here's a quote from a recent New York Times article: "At the moment, the average teacher’s pay is on par with that of a toll taker or bartender. Teachers make 14 percent less than professionals in other occupations that require similar levels of education. In real terms, teachers’ salaries have declined for 30 years. The average starting salary is $39,000; the average ending salary — after 25 years in the profession — is $67,000. This prices teachers out of home ownership in 32 metropolitan areas, and makes raising a family on one salary near impossible." That's a very different story than the one Expeditionary Citizen tells above.
@mgwest945
Don't get me wrong. I still like supercross . I used to do three a year minimum. Indy, St. Louis, Kansas City , and Dallas if I could swing four. Windham did the first stoppy I had seen on some kind of blue bike in Dallas. I think it was in the late 90's. If you were at Carsbad GP in 76 we may have been standing next to each other. How about the following year when Tripes qualified fastest on a near stock RM. We drove 36 hours straight as I was racing at the time and could not afford air travel. He then blew it up and was out the gate before the first moto started. Doc Wolsink had his way with that track . The Inter-AMA races were probably some of the best I had ever seen. Falta was crazy fast. Best ever comeback ride was Zdenek Velky after he crashed in the first turn and broke his teamates leg (Hammershmid) . That was at an Inter-AMA in Nebraska. I guess at this point in time I am more interested in racing than chumming.Good for the younger fans as I think they have much better access to riders than MX. That needs to be worked on. I did go to the Phoenix SX a couple of years ago due to great nonstop flights. I thorughly enjoyed the vintage motocross display. Plus I could walk from the hotel to the stadium. Nice Locale. Maybe next year. Over the years I have only been to about 60 supercross events and the U.S. Open twice. In the same time I went to about 150 outdoor nationals so I guess I am a little biased. Supercross is still fun and great to watch and I hope it grows. I just enjoy racing and really doesn't do much for me if they lower the top rider from the rafters by cables in a smokescreen. On a weird side note after nearly 40 years and all of the new electronic technology coverage can be sometimes sketchy. Even worse for motocross. Can't believe I had to log in to Fuel Tv Portugal to watch second motos live or wait a day!
@is0mniac
So you're faster or as fast as anyone on the track? I don't recall seeing any 6'3" 220lb guys on the podium at the nationals this summer. What team do you ride for?
Seriously though rider weight has a serious affect on the power to weight ratio of a motorcycle. When you add 50 lbs to a 2500lb race car that's no big deal, but add 50 lbs to a 220 lb bike and you're talking about a huge difference. That's why you'll never see someone shaped like Tony Stewart racing a bike. Even the taller MX riders are rail thin. Peick is the only 200+ lb national pro I can think of and although he's fast he's giving up 70 lbs to someone like Baggett. It's pretty much impossible to make up that kind of disadvantage.
how tall is pastrana? he's six feet isnt he?
A women where I work (a fortune 500 company) just left so she could be a teacher. She said money wasn't as important to her anymore. She wanted to teach and have more free time, aka a life. A lot of people making more money are busting their butts for it. I have a friend who is a HVAC trade teacher at a vocational school and he loves it. He could be be on roof tops sweating his arse off or freezing in the winter. Getting stuck in traffic jams trying to get home. He doesn't get dirty and has summers off. He may not be building a empire, but he planned his life welll and will retire early no problem. He spends the whole summer up in New Hampshire were he built a cabin. He also has multi-family properties supply him income and if he was working for a contrator he would never have time for that.
Note: He teaches high school kids and it's a state job.
Expeditionary Citizen wrote: "A women (sic) where I work (a fortune 500 company) just left so she could be a teacher. She said money wasn't as important to her anymore." Enough said. Talk to her after a couple of years in the classroom and see how she feels. As for your friend who is "retir(ing) early with no problem," he's doing so because of what he did before becoming a teacher. You seem to be connecting his becoming a teacher with owning "multi-family properties (that) supply him income." You need to get your story straight because as it stands, you're weaving a fairy tale.
And leave it to 5150 to add something useless and inflamatory to the conversation.
I got my share of swats in school.in elementary they used those little paddles that come with the ball on a rubber string.As you got bigger so did the paddles,by middle school they were 2-3 feet long and 6 inches wide,some with holes so they could swing them faster.they hurt,I still remermber how much and it would sting for a while.And since I still remember, I would say I learned some lessons.The kids today have no idea what that would be like.
@CZrider, Thanks for the info on watching moto on fuel tv Portugal.
sef154 wrote: "he's doing so because of what he did before becoming a teacher. You seem to be connecting his becoming a teacher with owning "multi-family properties (that) supply him income." You need to get your story straight because as it stands, you're weaving a fairy tale."
What are you talking about? Where did I say he did something else efore becoming a teacher? You are the one weaving fairy tales. Poor you.
From the National Center for Education Statistics: •The average salary for full-time public school teachers in 2010–11 was $56,069 in current dollars (i.e. dollars that are not adjusted for inflation). In constant (inflation-adjusted) dollars, the average salary was about 3 percent higher in 2010–11 than in 1990–91.
Sef - Toll Takers make that much? not bad, lol
"getting up and walking to the television to change the channels? Of course not… that would be barbaric."
LOL!!!
I know I'm really late here to comment but this the best RacerX comment section read ever.Plus it was like getting a chance to really meet a lot of the poster's on here.Good stuff everybody.
@ECitizen - OK, the woman you know changed jobs (because "money wasn't as important to her anymore"); the guy "could be" doing something else. Sorry to mix up your friends.
First let me point out that teaching "HVAC" or any trade is a different animal all together, since students CHOOSE to be there (and that's not saying they'll be easy to teach either). But you said “he planned his life well and will retire early no problem.” Planning your life well is a good option for pretty much EVERYBODY, and as for retiring early no problem, I can tell you that retiring EARLY from teaching leaves you with a greatly-reduced (i.e. small) pension. However, you also said he has “multi-family properties supply him income.” Do you think that might contribute to his “early retirement”? (YES.) And do you think he was able to obtain those properties because he is a teacher? (NO.) The two have NOTHING to do with each other. Obtaining rental property is an option that is open to ANYBODY. I, for example, acquired a rental property with literally NO MONEY out of pocket, and it had nothing to do with my day job.
As for your female colleague, you didn't say what she was going to teach, but if it's an academic subject (English, math, science, social studies, etc.); as I said before, let's hear from her after a year or two. You don’t seem to have ANY understanding of what a typical teacher goes through. (They’re not leaving the field in record numbers because it’s so great! These numbers are bolstered by those who jump into the field thinking, as you seem to, how easy it’s going to be.) Also, I'm assuming from what you said that your colleague made more money beforehand, which will be a huge advantage over someone who starts off at a beginning teacher's salary. BTW, you didn’t say how much YOU make at your “fortune 500 company.” Surely more than the “average teacher” you seem so jealous of.
And when you take a statistic like “average salary” of a teacher, you don’t take into account the average number of years those teachers have worked to reach that scale, nor do you take into account the amount of education they acquired in order to get those jobs, the continuing training they must go through, or the scrutiny they receive from the general public (who didn’t raise their children in a way to make them very “teachable”). I reiterate that in countries with higher performing students (and there are now many), teachers and education are looked upon as the highly valued resources they are. Your continuing argument here simply proves my point, that in America, we don’t.
sef - that was a good post, but a little defensive. I don't know why you would think I'm jealous of teachers. Anyway, I think a person should do what makes them happy - if they can. My buddy did good for himself and that made him fun to be around. Win Win. But you may be right about dealing with kids. It takes a personality type. Lots of jobs do though. As far as what I make... I made a lot more when I worked 2nd shift and got over time. I went from hourly to salary to save MY job.
My buddy had/ has a lot of free time being a teacher. He had plenty of time and energy to fix up the houses he bought (at a good price because they are fixer uppers). That is the connection I was making. He also collected unemployeement and worked under the table.
You say I don't seem to understand what teachers go through. Well it seems you don't understand lots of people go through crap at their jobs. It's a dog eat dog world out there. I have know many a person who did not take their vacation time every year because they wanted to protect their jobs.
@McMoto if you are wanting to learn a new language check out pimsleur.com. It' s a company called Simon&Schuster; Pimsleur.Check them out.
@fred - I've heard good things about Pimsleur. I've seen Rosetta Stone in action so I know it's good.
@ECitizen - Your posts throughout this thread seem to be trying to minimize the difficulties that teachers experience, and we're having an education crisis in this country, with a lot of focus on teachers. I'm not a little defensive of teachers; I know what they do and what they experience, and I am VERY defensive toward those who try to negate that.
BTW, teachers aren’t eligible for unemployment unless they’re laid off, so there’s another hole in your story.
Another good quote from the Times: “WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, ‘It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!’ No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition.
“And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources.
“Compare this with our approach to our military: when results on the ground are not what we hoped, we think of ways to better support soldiers. We try to give them better tools, better weapons, better protection, better training. And when recruiting is down, we offer incentives.”
323mx, you should have paid better attention in school!
Jake511 wrote: 11:04am August 24, 2012
The googles on the innerweb tells me that Ken De Dycker is 1.91m tall. Converting from commie units to something respectable makes him 6'3". He seems taller than that on the bike.
You're right - he looks HUGE, but he's not, particularly (I grew up with a lot of 6ft + mates, so to seem to be big to me, you need to be 6'6" plus - even though I'm only 5'8"). But he rides LARGE - straight back, almost crushing the bike. You should see him riding a CRF150R at Everts Charity day. Madness! - GP riders, on 85s / 105s/ 150Fs, line up behind 85cc riders, then they All go for it for the win. You also get to see Cairoli being a lunatic on a scooter / step through - all in the middle of the GP season - the event makes a Lot of Money for charity - look up Stephan Everts and Friends, on U Tube.
One of the best pictures I've see - that was in Racer X a few years ago - in the 'letters' section I think, was Big Ken standing beside an Italian father and son. He looked like a Hobbit, between them, They Had to be "over 7 footers", I reckon. Absolute Monsters!
Keep telling yourself that, 323mx.
Soldiers are public servants hired and managed by superiors, all the way up to the Secretary of Defense, a cabinet position beneath the president. Their desired outcome is to protect the country - which includes fighting in wars. Individual goals are established, and in the case of war, the ultimate goal is usually to defeat the enemy. "“WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, ‘It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!’ No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition." (NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html).
Teachers are public servants hired and managed by superiors, all the way up to the Secretary of Education, a cabinet position beneath the president. Their desired outcome is to educate the youth of the country. Individual goals are established, including preparing students to pass standardized tests and graduate. ““And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources.” (NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html).
The analogy - which btw, as I said earlier, is from the NY Times, not me – should be as clear as the nose on your face for all but the dimmest of readers.
323mx wrote: "sef154: your analogy doesn't work with the teachers vs the soldiers!"
323mx wrote: "I get what you are saying, and it is valid."
Which is it? You want me to "open (my) square box" so ... what? I can have a discussion with someone who can't make up his mind what he thinks? Or are you just being an agitator? Either way, thanks but no thanks. And nobody said the NY Times was the "be all and end all." I pointed out where the analogy came from since you told me that MY analogy doesn't work (even after I said it was from the Times). Can you see where I'd get annoyed with such an all-over-the-place argument? Or are you too stuck in YOUR whatever-shaped box? Do us both a favor and move on!