>2. I am not a pushy dad, so I don't expect to be screaming. 8) Any
>hints about introducing a new driver to this sport? She is worried that
>she does not even know how to shift yet.
Funny you would write that. As I started reading your post, I remembered my
biggest fear at the time, which was stalling in front of EVERYONE. This was
compounded by the fact that back then my mother was SO EXCITED that I was
going to start autocrossing that the day I actually drove the Pinto to the
parking lot - just to watch - she paraded me around the parking lot
exclaiming, "Katie drove all the way here - in a STICK SHIFT!" to every
person we saw that day. "Katie's going to autocross! She's signed up for the
school!" she'd say. I didn't even have my license yet!
I had two fears: a) stalling b) being a terrible driver, and somehow, a
disappointment to my family's good name.
What I DID do, in the driver's school, was drive over someone's helmet. But,
doesn't everyone?
At the time, my parents were still quite fast in their Lotus 7. Their fame
from their multi-national championships hadn't wained yet. So, there was
just a LOT of pressure, especially when I'd hear things like, "So, do you
think you'll beat your mother?" Doh! I barely knew how to drive!
My blessing was that my mother autocrossed, too. So, I received NO pressure
from her, because she didn't WANT me to be that good. I mean, whoa, that
came out wrong. Of course, she wanted me to do well. But I was also her
competition. So, of course, she wanted a good race, and of course, she was
always a fantastic cheerleader, but she NEVER got on my case if I wasn't
that fast because, well, since we both ran in APL uncontested, it meant that
SHE got the points. And when I finally DID beat her, boy did she keep my ego
in check!
So, the answer is simple. Make your daughter run in the Open class.
And the other thing my mom did, and I'll never forget this, is that after I
made that first lap, which was in the Lotus 7A by the way, I thought she was
going to cry. I spun out, I remember that much quite vividly. And I nearly
ran over Dwight Mitchell. But the announcer, the late Don McWilliams, was
just so nice and encouraging. This was a big shock. I was expecting
mumblings of disappointment or dissatisfaction, as if maybe I held up the
event
Quite the contrary, after that first lap, I felt like the whole parking lot
was cheering for me, but none more than my mother, whom I will never forget
jumping up and down, screaming, "You did it, Katie! You did it!" It was the
most exciting thing I had ever done in my whole life.
What people did that helped me was that they filled me with lies. They
actually told me I was really talented or something. I'm sorry, looking
back, we were the only Lotus 7. How could they even tell? Oh, I just love
all of them! And they'd say really wonderful things like, "Wow, you were
ONLY 7 seconds behind your mother?"
Please look at the power of words. The other way to look at that would be,
"You were (snicker) 7 seconds (snort) behind your mom?" But no one said
that. They made it seem like 7 seconds was REALLY racing, like I was on
FIRE.
It's just all proof that the words we say have a tremendous impact on
people, especially teenagers who still are trying to grasp how they fit in
the world.
So, that is my advice. Remind her that EVERYONE there started off at the
same level she's at now, and it won't last long. Remind her how much cooler
she is than the other kids who are home watching the Real World, when she's
LIVING it. Smother that kid with good vibes. Especially if she runs over
someone's helmet, because that was like so embarassing, I just wanted to die
right there.
Katie K.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Randy Chase [SMTP:randyc2@home.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 1999 3:52 PM
> To: autocross
> Subject: Autocrossing Offspring
>
> Hi all. I spent some time last year trying to introduce my wife to
> autocrossing, and she still seems to not like the idea of spending the
> day at a parking lot. 8-) I will keep working on her of course (I may
> not be as bright as I am stubborn). She is now starting a new round of
> radiation treatment for her cancer, so she is a bit tired, but I hope
> she will come back to autocrossing this fall.
>
> So...I am turning my attention to the offspring (I think I hear the
> small pitter patter of little feet running away...). My daughter is
> getting her permit and has completed driving school and managed to get
> banned from driving go-karts at camp since she kept putting it up into
> the tire barriers. I think she is genetically doomed to hit cones. 8-)
>
> So... a few questions come to mind.
>
> 1. When can she drive an autocross on her own? I know I will want to
> drive with her initially, but her permit only covers her in a car with
> an adult driver present. Does that mean she can't autocross on her own
> until that requirement is removed?
>
> 2. I am not a pushy dad, so I don't expect to be screaming. 8) Any
> hints about introducing a new driver to this sport? She is worried that
> she does not even know how to shift yet.
>
> 3. My helmet sits on her head, but it seems a bit loose. Anyone buy
> smaller head size helmets? Are they readily available, like at
> motorcycle shops?
>
> So, you parents that have been there. You offspring that are still in
> the sport.... do you have general hints or what to do or not do?
> Katie????
>
> Randy Chase (getting older and now looking at the next generation....)
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