Youth and Motorsports

[Jared]

Wow.  I'd like to say that I'd support my kid to follow his passion no matter what but seeing this today really makes me reconsider.  I know that Solis and Pascarella are not your average kids but where do you draw the line as a parent?  The stakes for this kind of incident are on a different level.  For reference both kids are 16.

Vegas Incident mp4.mp4

[carlson_mn]

I don't think that is all that necessary at that age point.  We all tried to kill ourselves somehow when we were 16; my motorcycles back then just didn't go fast enough to get the job done effectively.

[Greg]

For the purposes of my question, let's assume those guys were in an official race. Is that kind of stunt allowed? Crowding in on him like that purposefully? I realize there is a "gray area" in competition when it comes to what is and isn't allowed at any given time, but that stunt would piss me off if I were a parent.
The stakes of forcing him off the track like that are a lot higher than checking someone into the boards in a hockey game.

[Ray916MN]

So many things in life which appear very very risky involve managed risk. Managing risk through developing skill and through the use of proper equipment, and preparation doing things in the proper environment are to a large degree is what life is about. Whether the risk you take is business risk or competitive risk, success is generally built upon learning to manage and deal with risk. It might even be thought that all other things being equal, success goes to those who manage risk better than others.

I think you draw the line if your kid loses the plot and pursues something risky with reckless abandon, without regard to risk, without focus and passion. As long as they respect the risk and are trained and equipped to manage the risk and the rules of what they are involved in reward this behavior you support your kid. If your kid isn't passionate, is too reckless, too undisciplined, and not serious enough or they lack the resources to pursue their passion as safely as possible, then you don't support them.

My 20 yr. old daughter has been in competitive horseback riding (eventing) since she was about 12 years old (riding since she was 6 years old). Statistically this is much more risky than motorcycle racing. It is one of the riskiest sports. It has helped her develop in so many ways it is hard to imagine her development without competitive horseback riding.

[Aprilian]

I don't know where you would draw the line for "an acceptable amount of risk".  Certainly a lot of teens that age die behind the wheel of a car, should that be considered unsafe?    I know a teen who shot his dad wile hunting.   

When I taught my son to ride, I would occasionally get asked why on earth I would do such a risky thing.   I came up with the answer, "The safest place for a boat is in harbor, but that is not what ships were built for".

Your choices as a parent include where to draw the line on risk.  For racing, some will say "absolutely" and others will say "never"!

[Hope2Ride]

This makes me think of my 10yr old daughter on the 50 and letting her ride the prokart track with all the "big boys" that could easily run her over... but I don't wanna squash her dreams.

My 16yr old wants to get a bike this year and start riding. Knowing what can happen scares me to death but I also know how I feel every time I'm on my bike and would love to share that passion with her. We can all die at any time and you have to balance risk and enjoyment. If any of my kids ever decided to race I would support them but I would also expect them to be as safe as one can be while on a track. I've done some really stupid, risky, dangerous things in my lifetime and I can't expect my kids never will, it's part of growing up. Of course motorcycle racing isn't your average kid's "hobby" but nonetheless if they decided that's what they wanted to do I would be thier biggest fan. And praying every time they raced....

[Jared]

So many things in life which appear very very risky involve managed risk. Managing risk through developing skill and through the use of proper equipment, and preparation doing things in the proper environment are to a large degree is what life is about. Whether the risk you take is business risk or competitive risk, success is generally built upon learning to manage and deal with risk. It might even be thought that all other things being equal, success goes to those who manage risk better than others.

I think you draw the line if your kid loses the plot and pursues something risky with reckless abandon, without regard to risk, without focus and passion. As long as they respect the risk and are trained and equipped to manage the risk and the rules of what they are involved in reward this behavior you support your kid. If your kid isn't passionate, is too reckless, too undisciplined, and not serious enough or they lack the resources to pursue their passion as safely as possible, then you don't support them.

My 20 yr. old daughter has been in competitive horseback riding (eventing) since she was about 12 years old (riding since she was 6 years old). Statistically this is much more risky than motorcycle racing. It is one of the riskiest sports. It has helped her develop in so many ways it is hard to imagine her development without competitive horseback riding.

Well said.  My question is at what age is your kid truly able to grasp the risk involved in what they are doing (especially w/r/t ultra risky hobbies/sports)?  When is it your responsibility to step in and make that choice for them?

[Ray916MN]

Well said.  My question is at what age is your kid truly able to grasp the risk involved in what they are doing (especially w/r/t ultra risky hobbies/sports)?  When is it your responsibility to step in and make that choice for them?

I don't think it is as much about age as it is about attitude. The proper attitude with a healthy dose of respect for the endeavor and the people (parents, coaches, competitors) who are there with guidance, support and wisdom, go a long way to ensuring safety and skills development.

As we often see, even among people who are chronologically adults, the lack of proper attitude combined with lack of skills leads to dangerous riding. As we often see, lack of respect also means that many of these people don't learn from what others have written or from what they are told. Somehow some of these people believe that chronological adulthood means they are adults and means that they finally have the freedom to do as they want and ignore any and all of what others try to tell them. The fact that they are adults means they know more and don't have to listen anymore. Of course this is ridiculous. If age has taught me anything, it is how little I know and how much I have to learn and how much more important it is to listen than to speak.

So it isn't age dependent, it is maturity and attitude dependent in my opinion. When a kid doesn't appreciate the risk of an endeavor, doesn't respect the advice of others around them and doesn't feel they have anything else to learn, that is the point at which they should be stopped from participating in a risky endeavor. At this point, their arrogance, and over confidence becomes a clear risk to their safety.

[carlson_mn]

It happens

http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/teen-motorcycle-rider-australian-oscar-mcintyre-killed-at-superbike-world-championship-022412

[t-cat]

This makes me think of my 10yr old daughter on the 50 and letting her ride the prokart track with all the "big boys" that could easily run her over... but I don't wanna squash her dreams.

Most of the pro-kart guys at maple grove did really well with her on the track and gave her plenty of space and passed when it was safe. I think most of us were entertained that she was out there having fun

[Hope2Ride]

This makes me think of my 10yr old daughter on the 50 and letting her ride the prokart track with all the "big boys" that could easily run her over... but I don't wanna squash her dreams.

Most of the pro-kart guys at maple grove did really well with her on the track and gave her plenty of space and passed when it was safe. I think most of us were entertained that she was out there having fun

I would like to believe that no one would be a dick and hurt a 10yr old girl trying to learn how to ride but ya just never know. I agree though, everyone was very nice with her thankfully.