When I joined this forum there were less than a 100 people on here. For the first 3 or 4 years we knew EVERYONE on here. We recognized all of their usernames and probably rode, BBQ'd, ATV'd, waterskied with all of them at one time or another.
We've lost members to avys. We've buried friends from this forum who died on forum rides. Anyone know the significance of the Animal ride? We've had peeps from here get married to each other. We've had LOTS of peeps start filming vids because of this forum. Some of them have made BIG in their genre. Some of them have been BIG riders in their genre.
WE are this forum. We've fought, smiled, cried, loved and hated people on here. We made this forum into what it is...and New people don't understand the history and the life this forum has taken. The old timers can't understand the need for the max posts. New people come on here all cocked up and try to be something their not...and then they meet a few of the riders, putting names and faces with the username...and they humble right back down again. We've seen it over and over again in the last 11 years.
I understand why people take "ownership" of this site. they are who made it what it is...that being said....and it's been said a million times on here in the past 9 years for sure...This site is provided to us for free.
If some farmer said...hey, you guys can come ride your quads and bikes in my field and build a track and hang out and drink beer and totally have a good time...
Let me just open up this here gate and you guys can come in.
It's a free for all...until the farmer gets smart and builds a couple of kickers...puts up some hay bales...and a "park here" sign.
Somewhere along the line the farmer has to turn his field and rebuild the track. IT's gotten dusty, the ruts are too bad and the fence got tore out.
The farmer says...clean it up or I'll lock that gate back up. "OK" they say..."OK". But that doesn't last long...it's back the way it was.
Now the riders won't leave and they start to litter their oil jugs, beer cans and there are nekked girlies over in the corner by the elementary school property.
Grandpa got his feelers hurt cause some kid showed him up on the double up but he's still there cause DAMMIT, HE'S STILL RIDIN.
Someone spilled gas and burned a corner of the field.
Joe beat the piss out of Ryan cause he sold him a bad engine. Ryan has been shunned...he went back to the city where he belongs.
They do that for over 10 years and it eventually turns into the main hangout for all the quadders and dirtbikers...but the farmer is chaging his mind about the whole deal. He likes the riders being there..but doesn't like everything that has happened along the way..and doesn't like the all night parties and loud music and the dancing girls and the cockeyed flat brim hats.
Eventually the farmer says...you know for all the trouble I've been through to provide this place to you...you aren't treating it very well. I'm gonna try a couple things here.
The farmer annouces that he's going to build a pit area, clean up the concessions area, sell beer (and root beer for the kiddies), hang a disco ball, gonna build a stage. He's invited KTM to show up and have a vendor booth...
A group gets pissed and says FU we're going to Billy's field. It's a brand new field...and they get their friends to move across the street with them. They stand across the street and throw rocks at Farmer's field and everyone still there. They also send people over to hang out and pretend they are still cool with the Farmer's new riding area. But their problem is...they say they just want the track back...no disco ball and the other new stuff...just the race track and the old parking area. They policed themselves and used to pick up after themselves most of the time. They even traded parts with each other with pretty good luck when the group was smaller.
That's all they want...they just want "their" field back.
I ran out of steam..and I mighta got lost in there...but I think some of you get the point. That's a portion of my take on what this forum right now.
We've lost members to avys. We've buried friends from this forum who died on forum rides. Anyone know the significance of the Animal ride? We've had peeps from here get married to each other. We've had LOTS of peeps start filming vids because of this forum. Some of them have made BIG in their genre. Some of them have been BIG riders in their genre.
WE are this forum. We've fought, smiled, cried, loved and hated people on here. We made this forum into what it is...and New people don't understand the history and the life this forum has taken. The old timers can't understand the need for the max posts. New people come on here all cocked up and try to be something their not...and then they meet a few of the riders, putting names and faces with the username...and they humble right back down again. We've seen it over and over again in the last 11 years.
I understand why people take "ownership" of this site. they are who made it what it is...that being said....and it's been said a million times on here in the past 9 years for sure...This site is provided to us for free.
If some farmer said...hey, you guys can come ride your quads and bikes in my field and build a track and hang out and drink beer and totally have a good time...
Let me just open up this here gate and you guys can come in.
It's a free for all...until the farmer gets smart and builds a couple of kickers...puts up some hay bales...and a "park here" sign.
Somewhere along the line the farmer has to turn his field and rebuild the track. IT's gotten dusty, the ruts are too bad and the fence got tore out.
The farmer says...clean it up or I'll lock that gate back up. "OK" they say..."OK". But that doesn't last long...it's back the way it was.
Now the riders won't leave and they start to litter their oil jugs, beer cans and there are nekked girlies over in the corner by the elementary school property.
Grandpa got his feelers hurt cause some kid showed him up on the double up but he's still there cause DAMMIT, HE'S STILL RIDIN.
Someone spilled gas and burned a corner of the field.
Joe beat the piss out of Ryan cause he sold him a bad engine. Ryan has been shunned...he went back to the city where he belongs.
They do that for over 10 years and it eventually turns into the main hangout for all the quadders and dirtbikers...but the farmer is chaging his mind about the whole deal. He likes the riders being there..but doesn't like everything that has happened along the way..and doesn't like the all night parties and loud music and the dancing girls and the cockeyed flat brim hats.
Eventually the farmer says...you know for all the trouble I've been through to provide this place to you...you aren't treating it very well. I'm gonna try a couple things here.
The farmer annouces that he's going to build a pit area, clean up the concessions area, sell beer (and root beer for the kiddies), hang a disco ball, gonna build a stage. He's invited KTM to show up and have a vendor booth...
A group gets pissed and says FU we're going to Billy's field. It's a brand new field...and they get their friends to move across the street with them. They stand across the street and throw rocks at Farmer's field and everyone still there. They also send people over to hang out and pretend they are still cool with the Farmer's new riding area. But their problem is...they say they just want the track back...no disco ball and the other new stuff...just the race track and the old parking area. They policed themselves and used to pick up after themselves most of the time. They even traded parts with each other with pretty good luck when the group was smaller.
That's all they want...they just want "their" field back.
I ran out of steam..and I mighta got lost in there...but I think some of you get the point. That's a portion of my take on what this forum right now.
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