How many of our readers remember when you were seven or eight years old? Were you one of those quirky little kids that lived by the phrase ‘I’ll get my brother to beat you up’ or my personal favorite ‘my dad is stronger than your dad!’ it kind of makes you chuckle a little doesn’t it? It was stupid then, and it’s worse now.

You know the saddest part of that? Adults still do it. No, not in the literal sense but many times while trying to defend or justify facets of their lives things are said or done with no other purpose than to fulfill a political agenda. They cannot disassociate their personal issues with the reality that sometimes, what or whom they hate the most are really best at what they do. And the sad reality is that sometimes you just have to offer credit where credit is due. Like it, or not.

So let’s talk about political agendas within the racing world. Not only do we all deal with them daily, at some point things happen that create them. How we react, defend or respond to these events are what separates mature adults from school kids.

Currently I am keeping up with three ‘political battles’ that are racing related. One we all know and are probably watching close – The WPSA/GNC/AMA snafu. Not only was this one of the largest arguing points last season, its now building steam again. Another is an issue of tracks, and whether one is better than another. Lastly I am watching a bike forum where a nasty, nasty, NASTY argument about the whole dirt bike vs. quad issue is being debated.

First let me say this, I do not take sides. Some of my readers know me close and have come to understand that is the truth. Many of you have no clue how difficult that really is. I could come up with a million reasons to fight and argue about all three of those issues. But - why? Really, why? What good would it do? Just because I personally dislike someone or something does not make what they are doing wrong and in many cases the whole reason I am keeping up with the issue is because I already know the back end of the story which is normally where the truth resides.

Secondly, there are very few people in this industry that deserve 100% amnesty from oppression. We are all human and we all make mistakes. For any single person to point out every error or fault made is a sure sign that the basher does not own enough mirrors!

Third, people, people, people! Does the world not have enough crazy issues already to spend time arguing about? Open your eyes, open your minds and grasp the sport for what it is! 5% Pro riders, 5% struggling lifers, 10% industry minded people and 80% who it is really nothing more than an expensive hobby for! Yet most arguments are bigger than what goes on in a boardroom at Fortune 500 companies!

For those deeply ingrained in the industry, and you know who you are, your politics have its place. But let me break it down for you people who are arguing and have no educated clue:

“My series will beat your series” The WPSA/GNC/AMA dilemma – folks I hate to tell you but personal politics among the aged racers, vendors and industry is insane. The AMA/ATVA absolutely has its place in this industry right now. Maybe not for everyone, but for the safety of a lot of newbies and anyone who owns a bike of any kind!  The WPSA, what a great new addition to the ATV racing family! And the GNC – be glad they stuck out the tough times people. For you 265 class riders, be glad they stuck by you. And For you B and lower racers, be glad you have a series to run. If you rode a dirt bike you would have twice as tough a time to make it to a respectable national race. For you people who make one or two national races per season; are you crazy!? How can you even argue about something that you do not spend half your year’s earnings trying to pursue. Now that is crazy! Chose your series, run your series. But stop telling others they are idiots for doing what they want based on your limited involvement in the ‘big picture’!

“My local track is better than your local track” – Ugh! Give me a flipping break! I got news for you local folks; all tracks have their good and bad days. Dirt is not completely controllable. Now as for the people running the tracks, well it takes about one dose of reality to know who is good at what they do. And if you ever experience a bad day at a place where the people are idiots, trust me, a smart racer will never go back. There just happens to be a lot of racers who do not know any better, or do not care to educate themselves - plain and simple. And let me stress this part - an idiot with a dozer is still just an idiot and is an accident waiting to happen even if they are your best friend. This was so clearly pointed out to me in one statement last year. After approaching a small track owner with suggestions on track safety his in writing response was ‘blah, blah, blah’. Not only did that facility make a clear statement that they did not care about the safety of their racers, they also openly showed contempt for industry feedback. How sad. I watched that argument take on a life of it’s own for months. In the end, he is still open and some locals still defend him. It was a huge waste of time.

Listen I am not saying I do not get passionate about issues, we all do. But pick your battles based on something other than your personal politics. To this day you will see me defend someone I may not call my friend because they are the best at what they do. You will see me tell someone I care about that they are wrong if I feel they really are. And to be honest I hate to be this way it’s not easy. In fact it’s intolerable at times, but as a journalist I feel it’s the way I need to live. What I am saying is stop being a follower in this tiny industry and revolutionize things! Make this sport better by seeing what good comes from figuring stuff out on your own rather than following the crowd.