What's all the hype about?

Ten people on every street corner waiving nude photos of women that I can have in my hotel room in twenty minutes.(With most of these cards and flyers finding their way to the ground by midnight) Annoying individuals at every casino trying to sell me a timeshare. And prices for just about everything being so high you almost have to win big just to eat, drink, and sleep here.

If you haven't figured it out by now I'm talking about my trip to Las Vegas Nevada, Disneyland for adults. Chuck Palahniuk was quoted as saying that Vegas looks the way you'd imagine heaven must look at night. EHHHHHH! Wrong answer! Sorry Chuck, I'm a big fan but I hope that was the Satirist speaking when you made that comment.

In my book, heaven at night would include moonlight over surf and sand in some tropical location. Yeah that's it. Take a Corona beer commercial complete with a bucket of brews on ice, throw in yours truly on the hammock, and paint the sky black with only the moon and stars as a back light. Not a million candlepower of the Vegas strip. That my friends is about as close as one could get.

The trip was planned as business but being there for a week provided me time to walk around and see what all the fuss was about. And after all was seen and done I have to admit that the only thing I enjoyed was the climate. Put me anywhere in this world where it's sunny and 80 degrees and I'll be a happy man. I can do without the casinos and the impossible way of navigating them. The crowds everywhere you go. And if I want to get ripped off and pay $37.50 for a printed Hanes T-Shirt I can spare myself the three hour plane ride and get robbed right here at home. I'm not much of a show person either. Topless or fully clothed, I would much rather watch my grass grow than see a Broadway musical or some washed up cabaret singer in a smoke filled club.

Obviously more people than I truly do like all of this or else the town would have fallen off the map decades ago. I'm certain that once will be enough for me but I have a hard time understanding the need to go back again and again. Some people I know will make the trek many times each year and now that I've been there and taken it in I have to scratch my head more than ever.


One thing that did amuse me though is the honesty in the panhandlers. You don't see many of them, but when the local authorities or casino security haven't swept them away you'll find one on a pedestrian overpass or sitting off to the side of an establishment with their sign and cup looking for spare change. The thing that floored me more than once was when a couple of guys had signs that didn't read your average "Homeless, spare change needed, God bless you" type of thing. One said "It's hot! A beer and cheeseburger would be nice right about now" and my favorite, " I need your change for: a meal, alcohol, and a prostitute - and not necessarily in that order". What a guy! None of that "Please help me I have a 3 year old living in a bus station" kind of story. This man knew what he wanted and he wasn't ashamed to be up front about it. You would think expressing needs like that would get you nothing, but the funny thing was - his cup was the fullest out of all I've seen.

Rumor has it that the Las Vegas Tourism board could have members that answer to the name of Knuckles, and Ice-Pick. With that said, I want to make it very clear here that these are my personal opinions and my intention was never to insult anyone or condemn Vegas in general. I realize that a lot of people find this town exciting but I just don't find it my cup of tea. I felt compelled to say this because I'd really hate to have a guy named Tank Calabrese (of the New Jersey Calabrese's) show up at my door some night attempting to liberate me.

The "Old Guy's" turn at the wheel

All year I wrench on my son's kart and envy him for having the opportunity to do this at his age. Ever since I can remember I wanted to have something to do with racing. And when an uncle of mine purchased a kart and began competing with it back in the 70's I knew where I wanted to be.

So I pestered my father and saved my money but nothing ever came of it. Whether it was a lack of money, a lack of time, or my inability to stay focused on one thing and one thing only, the plan never came together. I had to wait until I was much older to pursue this dream.


Most of you who know me know that I gave up driving about 14 years ago after a luke warm career racing Formula Fords in the SCCA. Just before Sam was born, I sold everything I had and put it into our first house in preparation for a new life as a family and with it, the terrifying thought of being someone's father. There was no way we could afford to continue in the sport and more importantly, we couldn't afford to have one of us going out and risking our neck on the weekends. So with that I hung up the driving suit for good. And even though I can honestly say that I don't for one minute regret the decision I made, there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss it. Flash ahead 14 years and an opportunity just presented itself.


The annual Backwards Enduro at Badger Raceway is an event that we've had the unfortunate luck of not being able to attend in the past three years. It sounded like a blast. At the end of every race season the club puts on a fun only event where drivers take to the track in the opposite direction of how it's normally run. There's a Powder Puff class that we always thought my daughter would do well in, and an Enduro where my son could share his seat with one of his friends. And what about this Mechanics Race I thought? A quick talk with the troops about who wanted to race in what class and we quickly discovered that even though we could finally attend it, no one really wanted to compete. It looks like the kart is all my own!

Now again, anyone who knows me knows that even though the key word in this event is "fun" I was taking it much more seriously than that. I knew I had to find a seat to fit me but I didn't stop at that. I had to find out all the set-up specs for someone my size and I had to track down a larger pipe that would be less restrictive and be able to handle it's new payload. I dug my old safety equipment out of storage and dragged my family to the track to show them how it's done.

The biggest mistake anyone can make when getting into one of these things is assuming that driving a much smaller and lower powered kart over a race car is going to be a walk in the park. On the contrary it's the exact opposite. It demands much more of your strength, which was apparent in my inability to hold my neck straight through corners, and the variety of deep painful bruising in my ribs and arms. Without suspension, karts are a handful when it comes to keeping them steady. It took me nearly the entire day to find my stride and work up the strength to pilot this thing along something resembling the racing line. Although the entire day I would come off the last turn onto the front straight with one side in the grass I'm pretty proud in how far I came. I would eventually finish 5th with a personal best lap time of 42.02


The student is now the teacher "Your not going flat out through turn one Pop!" "You're all over the place in the sweeper, you need to work on it!" he's telling me. Man is that how I sound every weekend? That kid of mine was busting my chops from the moment I set foot in the thing. And no matter what type of progress I made he would always have some smack talk to back up how much quicker he was than me. I'll give him that. With a 38 second lap compared to my 42 he reserves the right to be a little cocky. What he doesn't realize is that I was going in the wrong direction on the track (which he never drove before) and I'm taking along about 50 extra pounds for the ride. I know, excuses, excuses, but he better pray that we never go head to head on the same track. If I ever get a kart of my own I have no doubt in my mind that I'll show him my backside and hand him his in the process.

So what did I come away with after this experience? Oh where to start. I think the biggest thing that hit me while I was out there is that I couldn't believe I was making my son drive at speeds like this. I was doing everything I could to keep the thing pointed in the right direction and I was expecting my 13 year old to do the same? The rate at which you come up on things is so quick that if you snooze for just one second you can easily find yourself in a world of trouble. Those hay bales come up real quick on you.

Another thing that's become very obvious is that I'm not twenty years old anymore and I take longer to recover than I used to. Two weeks after the race and I'm still nursing wounds from that day. Now I know why some bright individual introduced a rib protector in this market. I just started taking full breaths again without pain.


And the last thing I came away with is the fact that the bug is still with me and now more than ever I'd like to get back into it again. Probably not auto racing though. Unless someone with very deep pockets would like to take a chance on me I'll stick to karting. How else can I prove to my son that his old man is still king?

Shameless Plug

In supporting my son's site over at Sam's Race Page and more importantly the online store that subsidizes some of our racing expenses, I bring you this shameless plug.

Just in time for Christmas and for 2008. We've now added a calendar to our online store with team photos spanning our first three years in this sport. Check it out at the Inch-Hi Motorsports Online Store.

Attention Newspaper Editors: Motor Racing needs mention too!

While watching a Formula One race a while back a breaking news story came across the screen about a former World Rally Champion being killed in a helicopter crash in Europe. Details were sketchy at the time but we were promised more information as it became available. None was given during the allotted time slot for the race so I thought I'd eventually read it in the paper on the following day. No such luck as not even one word was spoken of it.

Back in August I attended my first professional race as a spectator in more than 15 years. Both the American LeMans and Champ Car series visited scenic Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin and the competition was absolutely furious. Not just in the pro races but the supporting events held plenty of excitement for everyone as well. We even had a local kid on hand who's been trying to break into the pro ranks for some time now. He managed to finally find the financial backing to contest the last few events of the Star Mazda series and was making his debut on this weekend. I for one was excited to see this but unfortunately the journalists in attendance seemed to think different. What could have been the making of a good article in the local paper turned out to be one paragraph on the pros and not much more.

In addition to not getting the coverage that this sport deserves, the other thing that chaps my rump is when the media buys in to the mentality that if it doesn't include a horrible wreck then no one wants to see it. This redneck frame of mind is prevalent in some markets but for the most part I truly believe that the masses want to see a good close race. We want to hear about the guy who fought back from 29th spot on the grid to first place in 20 laps. I want to hear about the local guy who beat all odds and gave the pros a run for their money when they came to his home track. And what about the increasing number of karters who moved on to Indy Cars or the Rolex Sports Car series. We have so much talent in this state alone that goes unheard of because the editors feel that for whatever reason it's not news worthy. The sport itself does a good job of promoting these individuals but it seems to be done in vain at times. Without help from the media what good does it do? Unfortunately in this day and age it seems that you have to be in the midst of a scandal to get any coverage.

To that point I have to ask when was the last time you heard of a race car driver driver involved in a doping scandal? How about dog fighting or even steroid use? A few of America's finest past times have been riddled so badly with these issues lately, yet they still demand half page stories after every event. And although it's usually a few bad apples who ruin their chosen sport these are definitely not the role models that I feel our kids should be looking up to.

I had once thought that it had a lot to do with pay scale. Give a man a twenty million dollar contract and he feels he can do any damn thing he'd like. Crash your Bentley into a tree and just buy another. Shoot up patrons at your favorite night club and you'll walk. After all you're a celebrity, and you know that there's a separate judicial system for your kind. And don't worry about using elicit drugs to give you a performance advantage. Everyone does it anyway. Besides, it's a victimless crime to begin with, right? Tell that to the millions of Hank Aaron fans who feel a bit cheated by our new home run record by Barry who?


On the other hand when you sit down and compare these athletes to the majority of today's highest paid auto racers it's night and day. The similarities end at the obscene salaries and endorsement deals. Michael Schumacher made it through an illustrious career without scandal. And just about all of the current Formula One drivers still manage to maintain an admirable profile on and off the track. Even Champ Car's undisputed bad boy, Paul Tracy, pales in comparison to some of these guys. As rude as some drivers can be to each other I have yet to see someone jump in a crowd and beat a fan for heckling them. Have you been to an NBA game lately?

Go to any race. Pro or non-pro, kart racing or car racing, and you'll find countless families contributing to some of the highest attendance numbers for a single day in a sporting event. By the way how many families do you find at an NFL game? You would think statistics like these would speak loudly enough in itself, yet these events are still relegated to the back page of the sports section with a column of about 200 words or less.


This really has to change, and soon. There's a whole world of future champions out there who need, and are very deserving of this exposure. There are dozens of stories about overcoming adversity to be the best at what they do. There are increasing numbers of young girls and women who are breaking down barriers and proving wrong the old stigma of the sport being for men only. And there is plenty of excitement and close competition available to you on any given weekend that would make a great story for any paper. These people are fierce competitors and the closest of friends at the same time. They put on quite a show and don't embarrass themselves in the process.

So if you want to do the right thing for a change and not chase after someone's dirty laundry, stop by a local track and see what all the excitement is about. I can assure you won't be disappointed.

Get on your bikes and ride!

As exulted by the late great Freddie Mercury of Queen, I think everyone should do it.

Turn back the clock about 25 years and you would see that I used to be a distance runner in my younger days. I remember when I'd put in at least 5-10 miles before I even made it to work in the morning. Then, if some of my fellow runners were up for it, we'd put in at least the same distance after quitting time. But after many years of pounding, not only from the miles I ran but the hockey games I played in, my joints aren't what they used to be. Combine that with the fact that I get tired just watching someone jog and you can see this once important part of my life is not so appealing any more.

A little over a year ago a guy I know suggested riding bicycles. He couldn't say enough about the sport. From the health benefits associated with it to the camaraderie of other riders and the new friends that you make. He was sold on it and making a hard pitch to me. This guy by the way isn't some newbie like me who just got started. He's been doing it for years now and boasts 250 to 300 mile weeks! He also has a stable of bikes to handle any terrain that he may choose to take in, with his prize piece being an all carbon fiber road bike that most likely weighs less than my wheels alone. I don't dare ask how much he shelled out for that thing but I can be quite certain that I'll never own one.

So he put in a phone call to his good friends at Bike-n-Ski in Sheboygan and less than two weeks later I strolled out of there with a brand new Trek 7.3 Hybrid. My initial reason for this purchase was first and foremost to stay in shape as well as doing my part in stickin' it to the oil companies for their outrageous prices that we're forced to pay at the pumps. I planned on riding to work and back at least twice a week and see where I could go from there. But the bug bit me, and it bit hard I might say. I now find myself getting up at 5am to put a 15 mile ride in just about any chance I get. Add that to the 30 mile round trips to work and its beginning to add up fast. Maybe that 200 mile week won't be that hard to reach after all?


I decided to take it one step further this year and enter my first ride for charity. The Lance Armstrong Foundation puts on a ride at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin every year when the ALMS and Champ Cars show up to race. Once the cars are through for the day they open up the 4.1 mile road course and about 400 riders from every walk of life embark on their own personal missions. Mine was two-fold. Don't get lapped by the Pros, and make it at least 5 times around the track in the time allotted.

At least one of two objectives were met as by lap four I was passed by about six of the lead riders. I had eventually pulled away from the group behind me and had a pretty clear road ahead as well. It appeared that it was just me and the road, if only for a brief moment. Heading into the carousel turn the soft sounds of my chain and nature around me were shattered by "Inside, Inside, Inside!" erupting from several individuals who were traveling at a much higher rate of speed and who were committed to the inside line on the track. I held my ground and in one swift pass their train was gone. By the time I got out of the carousel and onto the long backstraight they were barely in my sights anymore. Back to me and nature again.

I did manage to finish 5 laps of the course but that was all I was allowed to complete. I felt I could have easily finished another lap, if not two, but track repairs being done while we were on the course made it downright dangerous for us and tough on the workers trying to do their job. I was a little disappointed at first, but when I realized that on my last lap I almost painted myself on the back of a truck who decided to stop right in front of me I figured I probably should quit while I was ahead anyway.


So my next opportunity comes next month when I enter the Tyranena Octoberfest ride. It's offered in several different distances to suit any rider and I think I'm going to try and complete the 42 mile version. I've been trying to eat right and train as much as I can so I'm pretty confident I should do well. Hopefully you'll be reading about it here and not in the obituaries of the Journal Sentinel.

Does blowing out someone else's candles make yours shine brighter?

I read this once and thought to myself how fitting of a saying considering where it was so predominantly displayed.

Everybody knows people who operate this way in their day to day activities. Self proclaimed gods of their craft who feel that no one in their profession is as good as themselves. They don't have to necessarily come out and actually say this but the "world pales in comparison to me" attitude is quite prevalent. This same personality type is also threatened very easily by someone who they feel has the knowledge and/or experience to rival them and their status. And they will resort to many different tactics to keep at bay what they believe to be a new adversary.

I want to make one thing clear with all of you now. Even though the situations that I'll share with you are true and have actually happened, I'm not going to use any names in this article. Neither individual nor organization will be disclosed. I'm not even going to resort to silly games involving pseudo names. If anyone reading this is a friend or colleague of mine you'll most certainly draw a conclusion as to whom I may be referring to but to avoid litigation I'll keep it anonymous. Combined with the fact that you can't be too careful nowadays in avoiding a defamation of character law suit, I also feel I posses far more tact than the individuals that I'm referring to.

The verdict is in: Mean people still suck!

There are a few people that I know in the EMS field that make it very difficult for one to work with. Their style is not very conducive to learning and when you know that more times than less you could be publicly chastised on scene for your actions it effectively takes the wind out of your sails every time the tones go off. It's hard enough to be waken out of a deep sleep to respond to a call, much less work with people who have little or no concern for you. And I'm not implying that any of us are perfect and due praise. The skills of some people in our department do lag from time to time and I as well need refreshing more frequently due to our lower call volume. To stay on top of this, I know, is our responsibility and not theirs. What is their responsibility though is to conduct themselves in a professional manner in front of patients and their families. No condescending attitudes and no ridicule. If intervention is needed they should zip their mouths, assist with the job, and critique later.

Nothing good can come from making a public spectacle of yourself and others, especially in the presence of the very people we care for. Regardless of what the perceived infraction is, outside of plain negligence, everyone should be treated with the same amount of professionalism. We need to convey a unified front when dealing with the public. Not the look of a mixed group of individuals who are at odds with one another and don't see eye to eye. The best possible care that we can give our patients should be the ultimate goal for both sides. Not who's technicians are better than the others. If an ego trip is what you're looking for then you should do everyone a favor and just stay home.

Hi, I'm Mr. Know-It-All and you are?...

Although it would be nice if I could say that I posses half the knowledge that the next individual has, I'd be lying if I did. The sad thing about this person is if they weren't so self-absorbed with a definite Christ-like complex and an absolute lack of people skills, they could be someone of great respect in my mind and in many others I'm sure. Why this person probably won't see this from me is because I have always been a firm believer that respect is earned, not given. And after hearing for years how second rate my town, the department, and the members involved are, it's no wonder it won't be reciprocated any time soon. And now after I've just finished reading the last article published by this individual I can say there's a good chance it won't happen in my lifetime. This person made a concerted effort to stray from the intended subject of the column, bring up some one's past history, and attempt to further damage their reputation. A definite cheap and very low move in my book. Tasteless and unprofessional to say the least but nothing shy of what I've grown to expect from this person.

I have a vivid recollection of a pretty serious mistake made by this individual that I haven't breathed a word to anyone of. No one was hurt or killed but the severity of the infraction was nonetheless something of concern. A very basic rule was broken that neither veteran nor rookie should have committed but it was done. And unless I had a sadistic urge to throw this person under the bus there was no other reason for me to publicize it. What benefit would I really have in doing so?

There's absolutely no reason to justify any of this type of behavior. Like I've said in the past there are people that can complete a task with little or no fanfare and there are others who need their ego constantly stroked. There are bright individuals who see opportunity and learn from others and there are people who feel they are better than the rest and share nothing. But to belittle someone or treat them in a diminutive manner is not an effective way to teach, no matter what a person's shortcomings are. When this occurs it merely breeds a lack of respect, mistrust, and a loss of enthusiasm to try harder. How long could you go on if you were constantly reminded how inadequate you are? And to those of you who treat others in this manner I have to ask how can you look at yourself in the mirror every day?

On the other hand all of my respect goes to people who lead by example and who understand the proper etiquette of management. I've had the pleasure of working with people like this in the past, and I still know a few individuals today who are very charismatic and can rally their troops in a heartbeat. Most successful people want to generally be around leaders like this. Someone who rolls up their sleeves and gets in the trenches with you. A person who has an objective and a goal and who takes you along in reaching them. They never view their subordinates as pawns in their personal chess game of life. Success comes from the team. And making sure that everyone involved feels that they play a pivotal role in obtaining these goals builds successful organizations. Mary Kay Ash built a cosmetic empire on the thought that you have to "Make people feel important". A powerful statement but very simplistic in the fact that if you treat people with dignity results will follow.

And when problems do arise good leaders do not forget rule #1 in handling a crisis. As an example, if someone is not performing a task properly you first explain to them how to do it, physically show how it's done, then let them complete it on their own. If additional scrutiny is needed, it's done discreetly on a one-on-one basis. More can be learned and retained by individuals who are treated in this fashion verses putting them on public display and humiliating them.

The unfortunate fact in all of this is that it's tough to shake who you are. People are people and some have more abrasive personalities than others. If that was the case I could live with it. But in these circumstances it goes beyond that. No one deserves to be treated rude or cruelly. I have no control over these and other individuals who choose to act this way, I can only control myself. And with any luck I'll be able to let it roll off me and move on. I know I can be the better person for it.

What Hometown Heroes Act?

Every day I get news updates and e-mails from a favorite website that I subscribe to. And more than I care to hear, there are stories about line of duty deaths involving police officers and firefighters and yet another family fighting an uphill battle with the Department of Justice to receive death benefits for the loss of their loved one.

Back in 2003 the Hometown Heroes Act was introduced to congress and signed into law amid great fanfare. Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft guaranteed that all claims filed would be processed within 90 days. But anyone familiar with the Fire Service and people affected under this law know that things aren't happening anywhere near that quickly.

As of July 2007, a little more than 20% of the 253 pending claims have been processed with only 7 being approved! Instead of these families receiving the benefits that they duly have a right to, they are caught up in an endless jungle of red tape and countless hoops that they must jump through. "It's total administrative foot-dragging", says lawmakers on both sides, with the DOJ asking families to submit 10 years worth of medical records in some cases! Chief Billy Goldfeder said it best when he wrote: "All that this DOJ game does is allow the families to replay the nightmare of their loved one's death over and over, as their Federal Government, in one breath, thanks Americas First Responders and then out of the other side of their mouth tells that family to stick it. All courtesy of the Department of Injustice".

It scares me to death to think that, God forbid, if I should go down on the job I could leave my family in a situation like many of these families are experiencing. I don't understand it and frankly the whole thing disgusts me. If the Act has parameters set of which one must fall under to receive this benefit, and a claim falls clearly within them, then why must the DOJ subject these families to additional scrutiny and cause more anguish than they need? Particularily at this point in their lives.

Currently under this Act if a Firefighter dies in the line of duty or succumbs to a heart attack within 24 hours of being on duty, a $300,000 benefit is paid to the surviving members of his or her family. Obviously a small amount compared to the loss of a loved one's life but many of the deceased leave wives and children behind that could use this money for education or every day needs. Since most of these bloated puppets in Washington are pulling down a pretty penny I wouldn't expect them to understand this. And when you factor in that Volunteer fire fighters outnumber career guys by a ratio of 3:1 nationally, a fair portion of these deaths are vollies who do not collect a dime! This is a fine thank you to all these individuals who put their lives on the line every day when the alarm sounds. All the while saving our taxpayers and the government billions of dollars each year.

And when you know that sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of firefighter fatalities, even ahead of burns, it's a major concern to all of us in the industry. Nearly half of all on-duty firefighter fatalities from 1995 to 2004 were due to sudden cardiac death. I once feared building collapse or running out of air would kill me but I now worry more about what could happen to me while we're cleaning up or hours after we return.

I hear of it all too often. A thirty or forty-something who dies of a heart attack after returning from a call or even a day later. When I was a young buck this sounded old to me but now that I'm in this demographic it shocks and concerns me even though I feel that I'm in about the best shape of my life today. Most of the time these articles don't provide a picture of the person and I disclose it as just another individual who may have let himself go a bit. Face it, some of the people I see on departments could use a fitness plan but does this make them any less deserving of these benefits? On the contrary though, and to my amazement, many of these deaths I read about involved individuals who were described as physically fit and took very good care of themselves. Runners, weight lifters, and cyclists. Guys who were as strong as a bull and took great strides in staying healthy.

So what do we do? All we can hope for now is that our current Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, is a man of his word. In a prepared statement, Gonzales said: "I know that the administration of the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program, specifically those claims filed under Hometown Heroes, is of grave concern to the FOP and its leadership. The delay in providing benefits is unacceptable to me. And I want you to know I have directed that improvements to that program be made immediately".

With all due respect Mr. Gonzales these are nothing more than words for now. Action needs to be taken and it needs to be done now. No more passing the buck and sitting quietly on this one. There are lives involved here who are counting on you and your administration so roll up your sleeves and deliver. We'll be waiting.