Round 7

The Cow Patty 2

July 10th & 11th

RESULTS

Check out TD Photo Imaging pictures from the Cow Patty.

Thank you to all that came to race and play on the Davis Farm with us. A simple thank you seems silly to say to Ray & Elaine Davis and their family for sharing something so special with all of us but our thanks comes from the center of our hearts.

Special Thanks to: MOOSE RACING, PART UNLIMITED, SUNOCO RACING, HRP SPORTS, SKORBORDZ, SCOTT USA, ACERBIS, FAIRWAY CYCLE, RIDERS CHOICE, OFFROAD CYCLE, RACER EDGE, TOWN & COUNTRY, TD PHOTO IMAGING, WATER GAP COFFEE CO., SPECTRO OILS, MONKEY BUTT POWDER, THOMAS TIMBER, LICON LIGHTING, DAVIS FAMILY, BERKSHIRE EMS, NEOC STAFF & VOLUNTEERS, RIDERS & FAMILES.

Rd 7 The Cow Patty 2 July 10^th & 11^th 2010  Summer time is here!

We arrived late Friday morning and there was a Steve Hatch class underway already. The field was taking the “Camper Jenga” form with early birds setting up and preparing for their neighborhoods to arrive. Most of the NEOC crew were there and had just about everything in order by night fall and before the dust control fell from above. Saturday morning I took the liberty of laying in bed and sipping my coffee until 8am. (don’t tell Theresa because her and the girls were up working already) The sun was rising fast burning off that incredibly cool layer of fog that covered the mountains. It looked like we were surrounded by clouds. Heaven is located above the clouds and that is exactly where we all spent the weekend together, right?

By 11am sign ups, the ice cream truck and tutor time were in full swing. Dan the man has developed a good rapport with all of the young kids. They remember what he taught them at the last event and are eager to learn and practice what he has on the schedule for this event. I have noticed the parents seem to be as impressed and moved as we are with the success that Dan has given to this program. We wish luck with his knee surgery. Be back on your feet by September- That’s a NEOC Order!

High Noon came quick with nine Tikes on Bikes ready to take on the small loop of roots, trees and open grass stretch. As predicted, they all did fine, in fact, we feel some that use training wheels are ready to lose them. Keep practicing through the summer break because we are planning on throwing a challenge to our Tikes for the last three events. We know they are willing and certainly ready.

By 1pm there was a steady flow coming through the gate with twenty plus Oil Injected youngins waiting for Brian to give the first ten second count of the weekend and Todd to drop the flag. They did and our race weekend officially started. The first youngin to take the checkered for Round 7 was 7-8 OI #84 Mark Brogen with his second win for the season. Taking second place and maintaining the same in points #86 Devin Macavoy ran strong behind his buddy Mark. Securing third on the fifth lap was points leader #316 Johnathan Miller. In our 4-6 OI class we have a real nail biter for points between first and second. Flip a coin cause there’s no way to predict the outcome of their season. First place and points leader WITH throw away #237 Tyler Kowalski took the win after a wipeout on the start. Second place and points leader with OUT throw away #89 Wayne Cox. One point separates them either way. These boys are racing! Third place was secured by #333 Jammin’ Jimmy Lambert along with third place points.

By 3pm everyone has had an ice cream cone or at least eyeballed the flavored they’re getting when the PWs are finished racing. Fifty plus were lined up for almost a mile and a half of roots, rocks and off camber climbing. First three overall were from the 7-9 65 class and they came to the flag in the same order as they are in points for the season so far. #26 Kyle Tino secured top position leaving #64 Neil Enman and #38 Brandon Gahm to battle it out for the next spot at the flag. Our Thumper class had the helm taken by a female captain that has worked hard on deck for this ranking. #618 Cortney Abrams has done what the all male crew has feared since she came aboard. Second place #165 Nico Marts ran the lead until the seventh lap with #125 Chris Blackburn securing third on the third lap. A huge shout out to #114 Kenny Kasprzak for running second place until his seventh lap. That lap seems to be when the winds changed on the seas for this class. 4-8 50 winner #136 Colby Davis goes into summer break as the points leader. Second #185 Johnny Manera made a great come back after a falter in the beginning. #76 Alex Thomas ran the lead for two laps but fought hard to hold his position for third in the end. On the third lap #813 Adam Exel grabbed first and ran with it for the third time this season in the 10-12 EL class. #444 Collin McCollough took second for his best finish and strongest race yet. Our third place #80 Adam Akers ran first for two laps before handing it over. These boys now know that they can run up front so when we come back from break this should be an interesting group to watch. I can’t close this class without mention to #451 Courtney Algarin and how cool it was to see her run in second place for a lap. 4-9 EL points leader and Round 7 winner #117 Ryan Gross is proving to be not just a good rider but quite a smart one. He has learned not to expel all his energy right at the start if he doesn’t need to so he can dumps it all out at the end when he need it the most. Second place #288 Craig Cossaboon ran out front five of the seven laps he and Ryan did. Great race kiddo. Now our third place not only picked her way up to podium finish but had her best ride in history. She has given the boys something to think about over the summer. This was a great race for all the PWs and I know maybe sometimes when I dote on the girls I get a few secret eyeball rolls from the boys (I totally understand) so at the risk of rolled eyeballs I’m going to dote a bit. Every single girl from the OI’s to PW (minus one for bike trouble) had their best race ever and was in an aggressive battle with the boys. The older girls in the main event and youth, I believe, have opened the door and beautiful eyes of our young female riders. I LOVE IT! Okay, I’m done doting now boys.

5pm and most had an ice cream stain some where down the front of them. It was time for our pit bikers to put on a show for us so we could start off Saturday night in the right mood. Top two pitsters came from the Young Bucks and switched positions ferociously four out of the five laps before #393 Philip Morshead came to the flag dragging #40 Nicky McCollough by the horns behind him. Extreme Coolness. Third overall and third place YB #21 Cody Steele secured his spot the whole race. First Mega Buck and fourth overall #85 Ryan Klair would not budge for fifth o/a YB #612 Brent Robbins. Second Mega Buck #44 Alan Jessat doesn’t like the rocks but he wasn’t showing it out there against all the other muscle. Seventh and eighth o/a came from the YBs and were never apart for more then a second. #105 Kelsey Hartem and #36 Chris Gordons horns were engaged as soon as the flag dropped. Ninth o/a #906 Fuzzball Williams is an extreme Ruttin Buck and shows no sign of backing down. Tenth o/a and first Big Slam Daddy is everyones favorite guy #237 “MK”. Our top two Doe came in as one aggressive deer that is not afraid of headlights! They fought for their positions to the very end #629 Samantha Hill and #615 Shawn Davidson. The pit event never fails to make us scream. Its great. Our youth pits are all Spikes with a couple Buttons in the mix. Top three held their spots from the start but only by seconds. One mistake by any of them and the game would have ended differently. #90 Malcolm Hill, #198 William Sigler and then #840 Andrew Grenier from Maine. Our Button Buck leader was #185  Johnny Manera with #78 Nathan Bell not far behind.

Our Mama Doe herd is growing and getting stronger. They go out for one or two laps once all the normal races are over. This group of riders (can’t quite call them racers yet) are great to watch. It’s like the adult version of Tikes on Bikes, lol. Mom power to the fullest. The kids and hubbies are cheering and clapping for their favorite lady.

By eight o’clock everyone had cleaned up and eaten dinner. People started roaming the neighborhoods to socialize with their friends they usually only see on race weekends. Some of our NEOC Moms started the games as the kids gathered. We had Redneck Volleyball; PVC piping and orange snow fence with zipties, Hicker Horseshoes; 14” front cycle tire and mason stakes, Potato sack races; coffee bean bags compliments of Water Gap Coffee, Water balloon relays and good ol’ fashion Badminton-regular style. It was like 35 years ago at the family 4^th of July picnic. All we needed to make it complete was a pie eating contest and the drunk uncle passed out in the broken lawn chair with severe sunburn, Lol, okay maybe that was just my childhood memory, but it was a real one for many years. My point is, Saturday night was just one big party. Every where you looked people were gathered together having a good time-No Worries-Life is Good! Easy moments like that get you through the hard times that inevitably lay ahead of us. At least that’s the way it works for me. We finally got to bed about 11pm with thoughts of Sunday creeping into our heads. By midnight, I think, sleep finally drifted in with the cool mountain breeze.

6am Sunday morning everything was cool and crisp where the real mountain dew had settled to give a nice fresh start to the day. 7am our registration was open and already active. Chuckie fired up his lungs and kept us informed on the schedule and rules all day. Tech inspection was at a whirl wind pace by 7:45. Chris “Flash” Gordon was the chosen Youth NEOC Top Gun so lots of kids were checking out the plaques and goodies before heading to the line. 8:30am like clock work Brian bellowed out the ten second count, every ones butt got tight, Todd dropped the flag and it was on! AA Youth rider #3 Robbie Civiletti dominated the course. #10 Tegan Temple secured his second place against #2 Jeffery Hall who, I might say, was a welcomed sight back on the podium. For a second time in a row 12-15 100’s win belonged to #921 Adam Toth the “Golden Boy” for a nice bump in points. Second place went to #23 Jake Butterly but not willingly because he was putting a charge on heavy to take that win from Adam if he could. Running lead on the first lap, points leader #216 Zach Olsen took third place after fourth place #37 Eric Wood lost an argument with a tree. 14-15 85 winner is on a roll, six in a row with three to go #36 Chris Gordon dominated his class. #666 J-Rod secured second and the sixth lap for the 85’s. 12-13 85 winner took the lead with his blood line blazing the way #336 Ryder Lafferty conquered his quest for the crown. #150 Nick Ferguson fought hard through the pack to take second over #543 Tanner Barnhardt third place. 10-11 85 Top name is one that we are very familiar with but haven’t seen in a while. How very cool to have him come back and take the #1 spot and fishing pole home #96 “The Rock Head” Jarrett Mohn, however, he didn’t win it easily because #158 Earl Miller claimed the lead spot for three laps before taking second with seconds to spare. Our four stroke 13-15 150 top three thumpers all had their best races ever. I am proud to tell you that #104 Dawson Guzik took the win which he credits to the new back tire his dad put on for him. Second was secured by a country boy #250 Kyle Riggins and my buddy #189 John Lawton is taking his third place victory with him to Arkansas this summer. Have a safe trip guys. 10-11 65 was owned lock, stock and barrel by #115 Jeffery Elliot. This was the second time he came to race the NEOC with the same result. Four wins with three in a row for 10-12 125 #293 Hunter Bush. What ever it is you’re doing boy-keep doing! As I have said before, The ELW class has become one of the most competitive group of racers out there. It’s great because prior to the race you see them with cute outfits, hair done, always a matching pair of flip flops or boots and the boys checking them out. Then you see them on the line and there is nothing cute about them except their mom or dad next to them. Game faces on and attitude on the elbows stickin’ out waiting for the flag to drop. They finish the race with mud, sweat matted hair, snot, blood and drool hanging off them just like the boys. They could care less that you see them blow a snot rocket from out of their helmet, Lol-OMG, I love it ‘cause they go into their camp and come back out looking like they just won a beauty contest. You would never know what they just accomplished. Speaking of accomplishment, first place went to #712 Keirsten McDonal after a great battle with #143 Amanda Stites who held the lead for two laps. Third place was secured by #314 Emily Zadroga on the second lap.

It seems like every northern race we do has a hill from hell that’s cousin to the last one. This race was no different. I want to give a shout out to Mike Lafferty and all the guys that helped our youth out on this hill from hell. With out help at the trouble spots on the course the event just wouldn’t be as successful or enjoyable. So, thanks to all that always lend a hand to our riders.

Key time for the C riders is 11am and right on cue the flag dropped. Seventy plus riders took off for the same knarly, technical six mile loop the youth just occupied. First to take top billing was points leader in C Light #30 Trevor Stevens. First woman and second overall was #372 Felicia Robichaud but up until the last lap her and #822 Aubrie Williams were fighting for the lead spot like I never saw. We hope your feeling better Aubrie. They said when she crashed she flew threw the air fifty feet or better from her bike. I didn’t see it but all that did had the bajeebies scared out of them. Third overall and first Industry/Mechanics rider was #35 Larry Gordon. Fourth and fifth overall were from the C 4 Stroke class #403 Ricky Pauley and a knobby later came #783 Johnathan Edel. First C Heavy, sixteenth overall and covered in Poison Ivy was #156 Lucas Martellacci, he couldn’t wait to get done so he could itch. First win for C Senior #170 Brian Hill, only six spots ahead of his daughter Sam in the overall, Look out Dad! C Vet winner went to #681 Michael Philips and from what I’m hearing he’s got a lot of his buddies that are going to put him to the challenge now that he’s a winner. Our C event ended with a lot of tired puppies and many personal victories. The hill from hell tried but did not succeed in taking many casualties at all. Great battles were in every class.

It’s 1:30 and ninety plus fast riders are lined up to take on an eight mile loop laid out by eleven time enduro champion Ray Davis on a mountain that he just happens to own and live on with his family. Our front AA line was stacked with greatness. Mike Lafferty, Steve Hatch, Nicky Davis and eight of WNYOA’s fastest boys. We were honored to drop the flag in front of them all. When their foot dropped on the kicker they aimed for the holeshot and disappeared into the dust cloud that formed at the corner. For two hours we watched the fastest race with grace. Some people are just born to ride. It’s like the piano or guitar, every once in a while you get  to experience a natural born talent. At this event we were blessed with more then a few. First top talent went to AA #112 Mike Lafferty and if Steve Hatch hadn’t lost his brakes who knows what we might have seen happen with these top two talented riders. Second overall and AA was #5 Nicky “Iceman” Davis, who just a short time ago was the lead man in the youth. Amazingly fast, amazingly humble. Third overall was A Light #326 Kenny Tenner. It won’t be long before he is on the same line as Mike and Nicky. Fourth and fifth o/a were from the AA line # 15 Jared Jordan and #11 Dustin Jordan representing WNYOA quite proudly. First A Heavy and sixth o/a #240 Kyle Bylsma with two more A Heavys in hot pursuit from WNYOA #437 George Maceachern and #449 Ryan West. Our first A Vet and capping off the top ten was #102 Michael Collins. Fifteenth o/a and first B Light racer #504 Tanner Thomas has proven again he has what it takes to run with the big dogs. #168 Glenn Scherer was first A Senior and not far behind him was our first B Heavy rider #750 Bob Mix. School Boy has the same name as the last round #40 Nicky McCollough. Somebody lit a fire under his butt. B Senior welcomed a new name for the win #837 Thad Maryott and B Vet seems to like the name #970 David Dowgallo. Lets not forget our Cool hand Luke from the A Super Senior class #331 Gordon Gross. He never misses a race or a beat when it comes to twisting the throttle with his family. His son, wife, nephews and now grand daughter are all racing with him. It truly is a family affair.

This was a great race to start the summer break with. I hope everyone gets to do a little fishing and camping in the wilderness while were off. If that’s not your cup of tea then I hope you get to enjoy your favorite flavor of down time.

ME?  I’M GONE FISHIN’!

See you in the Fall.