Death of a Rider: A mother's nightmare

The tragic death of well known and liked artist and competitive longboarder, Glenna Evans, has shaken the local longboarding community, and stirred public debate.

As a mother of junior racer, Wolfgang Coleman, I took the news the way mothers do, poorly.  I didn't know who it was when the news first broke and imagined all the beautiful faces of the female riders that I know or have met through Wolf, and then thought of her mother, and my heart cracked.  It doesn't matter that she was no longer a child, she was still her mother and father's daughter.  Their pain must be great.

This sad loss has made me reconsider my stand on this very fast sport and my complicity with Wolf's participation.  My first reaction was, never again; I must protect my boy.  Luckily that lasted for mere seconds.  My longer feeling was a quiet prayer to never know such loss myself.

How many people find a true passion in their lives, something that brings them joy beyond textual description?  How many young people find purpose and challenge in what they do? How many are able to compete at an international level?  How many find community in the physical face-to-face type that extends beyond any virtual network, friends to high-five, to trade trucks, to swap road-rash tales?

Some sports are riskier than others, but consider life-altering knee injuries from basketball and soccer, the bends and death in sea-diving, paralysis and death in horse-back riding, in snow-boarding, in skiing, in motor-cross riding, in mountain biking?  How about rodeo sports in general? If we look at the negative and very dangerous effects of lack of sport and passion in one's life, perhaps it outweighs any inherent risk?  I don't know; I'm just putting it out there.  Not everyone can be passionate about badminton, or table tennis, or golf... but golf has it's heart-failure risks apparently, but that may have something to do with the age and health of some of the players.

I also don't want to see a short-sighted public knee-jerk reaction with any sort of a ban on skateboarding.  This would be a step backwards.  Should we try to avoid death by closing hospitals, because it is in their walls where most deaths occur?  You get my point.  Riding usually results in fit, well transported and happy people.  And these are good things.

I will not take my son out of the sport.  But I will continue to insist on safe riding and safe training, and that means in a group, all the time.  Like in diving, and swimming, and sailing (usually) 'buddies stick together'.  We've adopted that diving rule and applied it many areas of our lives, and here is just one more.

In a few short days Wolf and I will be jetting to the French Alps for him to race in IGSA's Graveyard Call, and then to take in the cultural scene in Paris before coming home.  The race goes on, but I do know that Glenna Evans will be remembered as she has touched the lives of many with both her life and her death.  Rest in Peace Glenna, though I never knew you.

links: igsa's memorial page
Glenna's page

Vernon DH 2010 News

Three o'clock in the morning and I woke in a chilled sweat.  I heard clattering coming from the kitchen.  My blood boils.  I've been woken for their third night in a row because my nearly 18 year-old has taken to being a night-owl and thirsty/ hungry and noisy in the middle of the night.  I stormed down stairs to stop the noise and hoped to return to sleep... Of course it was my fault for being a light sleeper, and grumpy... aghhh.

On my way back up stairs, I peeked into Wolf's room.  He wasn't home yet when I went to sleep, so I thought I'd check and see if he was in... His bed was empty, unchanged from Friday afternoon when he departed to Vernon for his first IGSA Race.  He has his packing to a bit of an art, and can stow his tent, sleeping bag and all his gear and clothes in less than thirty minutes.  He has a tendency to underestimate the amount of needed clothing... but that's just me.

My heart crashed around in my chest... empty room, three thirty... I thought he'd be home.  Then I became sane for one minute, and checked my blackberry.  No messages, good news.  No worry.  Right? I thought.  So I checked the web, and as I suspected in my mid of the night daze, Vernon was a two day race that didn't finish until six pm Sunday evening.  He'd be home Monday.  I sighed and then went back to sleep... sort of.  I actually scrolled through the IGSA website trying to find the final results.

It became clear that Kevin Reimer came in first, followed by Douglas Silva,  and Zen Shikaze, with  Max Erwin in forth.  Women top rider was Brianne Davies.  The rest of the results weren't posted at 4am... So I finally went to sleep.

Over breakfast, I flipped open my computer and browsed the posted results.  I prayed that Wolf qualified... and he did.  I hoped that he'd get through the first round.  He did.  He made it through to the first quarter final matchup.  His was the first heat, consisting of Kevin Reimer, Max Erwin, Jesse Tynan and Wolfgang Coleman.  A tough heat, to be sure.  The results above tell the tale; Reimer and Erwin went on to the Semi finals and to the top.  Wolf went on to the Junior round.  He is still sixteen an is going to race juniors and open as long as he can.

On a blistering day at Vernon (up to 30 C) clad in leather- from head to toe, Wolf came in 2nd place in the Junior division, after Alex Tongue and ahead of Mike Slota.  Well done gentlemen! Way to go Wolf.  

There is a lot of other news from Vernon DH 2010, but my job here is to spread the news of Wolf.  Here is a photo of my speedy son--from Gold Rush Challenge.  I will post photos from Vernon when they are available, but for now this will have to do.

Here is the link to the full list: IGSA final results for Vernon DH 2010.

Gold Rush Challenge on the News

Here is a splash of Gold rush Challenge.  Nice coverage!

Gold Rush Challenge 2010 - Global News from UNKLE.CA on Vimeo.

Danger Bay 2010

Bad Mother
Okay, so I missed the beginning of the race.  Since when does Danger Bay begin on time... I'll tell you when, in 2010.  That's when.  So when I finally got to the race site, I found my racing son, FINISHED.  Yes, chillin' behind the bales, where I should have been an hour earlier! I still can't believe it.

And then, Wolf, watched intently as the race went on... he, like the record number of racers, had crashed out into the bales, and his race was finished, but the weekend was still far from over, ahead lay still Jake's Rash and The Gold Rush Challenge.  

Wolf took third place in the Gold Rush Challenge Junior division--his last year as a grom.  Well done son.  Spencer Smith took the top junior place and someone I don't know (but will find out) took the second spot.  Spencer and Wolf can race it out this summer at Graveyard Call.   That race, son, I promise not to miss.

Abbotsford Outlaw

Graveyard Call: Argonay France

Booked flights yesterday!! Yes, we are looking forward to it very much. 
Looking for this year's poster, as the dates are different here.  But I'll bet the course is the same. Wolf... you are one lucky kid! Okay, I'm a lucky mom too...

More Maryhill!!! Free ride

A black bird glides through the air above the steady turn of giant white turbines.  It lets out the tell-tale cry that says I'm not  Crow--I am Raven.

I unpack my red folding chair and set my seat along the road in front of a twisted dry blackberry bramble.  I rest my feet on one of the many hay bales that line the road and I wait.  For a moment I am alone.  The wind rustles my hair and blows into my ears, reminding me of many Saskatchewan springs from my childhood, as a meadow lark sings.  This is where the comparison ends.  The hum of urethane at speed along a smooth black ribbon of asphalt that winds its way through these hills reminds me that this is no ordinary hill; this is Maryhill.

One rider after another with wide smiles and keen concentration tuck around the bend in the road where I'm stationed.  The day goes on much like this, as peaceful as it is beautiful.  I can see why this road has become legondary among the downhill longboarder and street-luge scene.

Another U-haul load of riders drives back to the top, and then a second truck and a third, all filled with sweat, leather and hot eurothane.

Most of the hundred plus rider mostly men and boys, and a few women are a clad head to toe in safety gear.  Heavily worn shoes, knee pads, some with armadillo-styled spine protectors, an aray of helmets, gloves and leathers of every shade and hue, often augemented with patches of duct-tape.  They remind of some combination of super-heros and race cars.  Love it!

Then Wolf, my son, rides by again.  I, mother, spectator, van-driver, bale-sitter, photo-taker, click away again as they round the corner.  Though it was a very late night, or early morning, when we pulled into Goldendale, WA, and I've had little sleep, my day is good.  A little too much sun, and not enough sunblock, but all managable.  Being here allows me to pay back so many of the rides Wolf has gotten from Blake in the Landyachtz Van, as both Blake and Simon caught a ride with us.  Besides being fine car company, it allowed Wolf to share talk and enthusiasm for the trip and all the skate talk, a topic I can only carry on for so long before zoning out... sorry. 

At 3:20 the sky is white with cloud and the wind picks up; blows with a bite less kind than earlier this morning--but still an hour and a half to go.  I hunker down and wait.  From time to time the radio sounds, someone announcing that riders are on, or someone has spilled at corner two, but then up again all is good.

Already I know that this will not be my last time to this hill, nor behind these bales of hay.  The Festival of Speed is in June.  Maybe I'll be back for that, maybe I'll let my husband come out with Wolf.  Either way, one of us will be here with Wolf.  It won't be long before he'll be travelling without us, but not just yet.  

The weekend was a fast one, in the end.  In more ways than one. A well run, well attended event.  I still have to go through day two's photos... still more to come.