Strouble
PR Addict
By: Chuck Day and Jarrett Strouble
A building is only as strong as it's foundation. The foundation must be laid first for the building to be built on top of it. A bike or quad is only as stable as the frame everything is bolted to. The frame of a machine determines how well the machine will fit together, perform, and hold up under the stresses it is subjected too. Words are only as good as the integrity lived out behind them to give weight and trust to the words spoken.
By nature, PItRacer.com is a public forum where off-road riding enthusiasts can discuss anything from tire pressure, the past weekend's race, and real life matters. Often times, important subjects are brought up and the thread slowly disappears as more threads are posted.
The objective of "Insiders" is to provide a place where these important topics can be placed in a "vault" so to speak for safe keeping where they will not disappear. Basically the topics of importance in relation to our passion can be easily seen, found, and discussed. As with any building, once the foundation is built; then you can proceed building the walls brick by brick followed by the roof, and then all the small details down to the dinner table.
It was important to me to maintain the direction and foundation that John Kreps founded for this site, but I wanted to spice it up now that I have the reigns. I am seeking ways to add on to the existing building and foundation of our site that is powered by the people. "Insiders" seemed like a great idea to construct. Construction takes time and is a process that has to be done in a certain order.
Starting out in this new aspect to PitRacer, a foundation must be laid. The foundation for this had to be a strong one and also the right one. Then I noticed this man that had been travelling to many races to work; he seemed very passionate towards our sport and welcoming to the people of our sport. That's the man I needed to start things out and see if we can do something special on this site. He is opinionated and seems to stand for the sport as a whole. I proceeded to make contact with Jarrett and hopefully something good would come from this for our piece of the pie in our local off-road riding scene.
The first point of contact with him was a bit awkward at first, but by the time the conversation was finished; I knew we had our first "Insider Author" with more prospects on my mind. His only condition to accepting my offer was that he would have free reign in what he would speak about; I accepted! In the future it would be nice to add more authors and guest authors that can offer more perspective on a variety of topics relative to our passion for riding.
When Chuck called and informed me of his vision for some added direction to this already well-built and well-known site, I was humbled that someone would offer me such a responsibility and honor. It would be challenging to do and something that needed to be done right; it needed a good foundation. This was a right opportunity for me because it is in my heart to shoot straight with people; at and away from the track. I would only accept if I had complete freedom with the words I could speak. If I was going to do this correctly, then I would have to be objective and unbiased. If I couldn't be honest regardless of any position I hold, then I wasn't willing to accept. We agreed...and "Insiders" became a reality.
I don't expect everyone to always be accepting of what I speak about or be interested in all my words, but you won't be able to fault me for not shooting straight with you. This article and the previous ones are intended to build a foundation for this new venture. This entry is the last piece of the foundation and the walls are next. From here on out, the sky is the limit. I see this aspect of PitRacer as a place to keep it real and where folks can approach topics unashamedly and discuss topics like men.
When I was growing up, the dinner table was not meant for horsing around. It was the only time of day where the family gathered together as whole. We would talk, laugh, and build our relationships as a family. That's how I look at these articles..."A Motocross Round Table," where we don't fight, but we behave as a family that cares for each other. Everything rises or falls on leadership, and leadership is built upon a solid foundation of morals and principles. Leadership is held accountable by the people being led. I will not post articles while throwing caution to the wind in aimless pursuit of words. The articles I write and the ones to come will have purpose to them; where every word is important to the context and theme of the article for the well being of our MX family.
Hopefully in the time to come, folks will be interactive with these articles by posting responses that have a real and honest tone. It's almost time for outdoors and more regular entries. Thank you for your patience in learning how to ride this new machine and your hopeful participation.
Up next in a few days will be one of the toughest articles for me to write that is titled: "State of the Roost Address: Ohio Motocross"