Motorcycle Racing Forum

This is where I find myself in September with the VIR Team Challenge weekend.  Being that I live in Arizona now it's not the easiest decision I've had to come by.  Our team is pretty well in first place both in class and overall... as long as we show up no one will catch us.  BUT we do have the pride of an unbeaten season going and I'd hate to lose that golden carrot :ahhh:

So what would you do?

Stay home, social programming requires it.  :spank:

I didn't read Mike's whole response..... 


.... it was way too long.  Although let me throw out a few things.

1)  It took two of you to make the baby, it should have the both of you to bring it into this world.

2)  How would you feel if you were at the race weekend and something went wrong with either the delivery, or the baby?

3)  This is the wrong place to be looking for advice.  Talk you your wife and come to an agreement together, because that's who you'll have to live with.


Dawn

P.S.  Thank God I have a husband who would make jokes about the situation, but would never put racing over his family.

Can I get the Cliff Notes on Mikes post?

No Shit on the cliff notes,  I would definately stay home though.  Ive been in a serious relationship now for a year and know know that racing has too be put on the back burner for alot of insignifigant things,  and I would have to say that one-having children- is a priority in a womens and a self respecting mans mind.

If it is your first child, I think it is a no-brainer. If it is your fifth, then go racing. Unless you are making your living racing, there is no way it is more important than your first child.
Good luck to ya, on whatever you decide.

 Take her with to the track is my vote. Flying; hire a doc for the flights. Driving; plan a route in which all the hospitals are researched and locations known.


  I guess another consideration is how your teammates feel about it. Have you got a sub and could you live with that scenario of not being there for VIR?   

Sanitized to keep the choker collars in place.  :spank:

Stay home with the Mrs. and Hire Jesse Janisch to ride in your place and help the team continue its winning ways.

:thumb:

Damn, Mike - no wonder you're a confirmed bachelor! 

Personally, I think it would depend on your situation.  I have neither husband nor children but if I was pregnant and (A) there were no complications with the pregnancy, (b) I had plenty of support from friends/family other than my husband, and (c) he was legitimately in contention for a championship, then yeah, I'd tell him to go.

Mind you, if any of conditions (A), (B) or (C) were missing from the equation, then I would expect my husband and life partner to be sticking close to home.

Too, if the race was less than an 8-hour drive from the hospital, I might not mind if my husband went racing, if two of the three conditions were met.

Since I am the pregnant woman in question I thought I would chime in. First of all this is way to funny. Scott didn't even tell me about this poll I just happened to see it. Now I actually feel kind of bad that our new baby is due on that weekend otherwise I would fly out there for that race myself but what can you do? :rollseyes: Now I went to the doctor on Wed and practically begged to be induced early. First of all I want her out asap! :thumb: And 2nd I want him to make the race because he is 5 out of 5! :cheers: So this is really for his benefit  to see what others think. Me I'm just going to sit back and read this because I just think the poll itself is funny! :pop:

BTW I'm hoping he makes the race! 8)

Also this was a joke!! He will not miss the birth of his new daughter for anything!

If' you're not going to lose your million dollar sponsorship if you don't goto the race, then stay home.  It's a matter of what's more important to you... Making some regional, non-professional race, of which there are plenty more, or being there for your baby's birth?   I'd stay home... Life happens.

Hope the baby comes early...otherwise I'd be home - I wouldn't miss the birth of a child for anything.

Hey Scott - I guess we will miss you at Summit-good luck w/your decision and congrats on your reoccuring great rides- My kids are quite grown and telling them i was too busy to be with their birth giving mother,cause i was racing "might be a lil uncomfy"-I know youll make a good decision" -----I spent 8 mos in Pheonix at MMI in 1980-went to LA (santa fe springs) to US Suzuki mech courses 12 weeks to get closer to w-a-t-e-r 8),enjoy the AZ weather  :spank:if you can take it! Good Luck from me and prolly all the other Mid atlantic folks who have seen you ride! :boink: :thumb: :thumb:John in NJ

Scott,
Good Post (& good question, too).
Mike,
I did read your entire post.  May I recommend therapy?  :biggrin:

Okay, I've got two cents, may I play?
My wife just gave birth to our first baby 3 weeks ago & the event necissitated some lifestyle changes.
(I can hear Mike groaning!)
This season would be my fourth season racing, but the pregnancy was coupled with a move across 1/2 the country....And I'm a big fan of choosing the 'path' that is the least complicated; so I elected to do one race - then take the season off.
(I can picture Mike shaking his head in disgust....So I'm going to post a threadjack next!)
Anyway,  some quick points:
-My wife is my suger-momma.  Yet I'm allowed to do anything, anytime, anywhere I want.  Mutual respect in the relationship is what governs my boundries.
-She comes to get me from the hospital after my crashes (staying the night with me if necessary).  She is always calm, positive & humorous....She's always focused on when am I getting back to racing (or whatever the next event is).
- She's done 16 years in the Navy.  She wants to have a baby & she's 37.  (& I'm going to have to be the stay-at-home-Dad, too!!  Ugh!!)  But, I like the idea of being a good partner for her.  So I'm in.

In closing, I'm getting involved in adventure racing/trail running/mountain bike racing during this summer to try & keep my fitness up....The first MTB race of the summer series was scheduled for the weeknd she was due to give birth.....And she went on time! (I was sooooo hoping she'd be late....I had it all planned, too!)
Well, ironically, the race got rained out & re-scheduled for the end of the month!   Hooray for fate!!
Do the right thing for your partner.  Enjoy the experience.  (Marriage involves balance....Or sacrifice, depending on Mike's view!)  There will be other races.

I never thought I'd have an experience that would rival/surpass winning my first race....But the birth of our baby eclipsed every event in my life.  (& I don't even LIKE babies!!!)  Being with my wife during labor & delivery defies description.  You won't want to miss the event.

My wife suggested you not pre-register for the race weekend...If the baby shows up early, no $ lost.  If the baby is late....Go race!
Good Luck!

I have to do a quick thread-jack....Please pardon my indulgence!

Mike, I've been married for 12 years to a chick in the military (divorce rate in the Navy is over 67%!)...I hear what you're saying, but there are ways around the marriage trap.
First, I'd like to offer a distilled version of your post to make sure I'm getting the point:

-Men get married expecting 'things' to remain unchanged.  Women get married expecting 'things' to change.  Expectations are not met, bitterness & discontent follow.

I just have to defend marriage as a butt-ton of work.  In my experience, it is never a balance of 50-50 effort....Both parties have to feel like it's 70-30, each person giving 70%!  Oh, but the hard work pays off!
That said, the ultimate balancing component has to be (honestly) knowing yourself....And remembering to be your own best-advocate!  Communicating your needs & desires with your spouse is what helps give the realationship direction.  (It's the fine line between being selfish with your needs & sacrificing for your partners needs.)

Mike, I owned a motorcycle when I dated my wife, after school I sold it to move to where she was stationed...But then bought another one before we got married.  That bike needed to get sold when we moved to Alaska, but then I bought another one when we finished with Alaska.  She knew motorcycling was important to me, so she took MSF classes, and bought her own bikes.  (Heck, she took a race school just to see what the track was like!)  The best story of why my spouse rocks:
-I crash into the wall at Gateway (St. Louis), I get transported, I get released, I try to drive home, I get dizzy, woozy & throw-up...So I check into a hotel.  She flies down the next day, to drive me home (Omaha).   Well, we are white-water rafting the Upper Gauley the next weekend (West Virginia, http://www.narr.com/upper_gauley_lower_gauley.html (http://www.narr.com/upper_gauley_lower_gauley.html)) & she drives us the whole way...Stopping every 3 hours so I can walk around and stretch (trying to limit blood clots from my encounter with the wall).  At one of our stops there's an RV dealership, and we see a 31 foot Funmover (http://www.fourwinds-rv.com/funmover/ (http://www.fourwinds-rv.com/funmover/)).  She thinks this is exactly what we need to support any future racing (& crashing).  So she buys one in the off season....And when I crash, she puts me on the couch, straps me in & drives me home.

After first enduring marriage, then tolerating marriage, and finally enjoying marriage, I'd like to point out that I was always allowed to buy stuff to support my hobbies.  Remember, I don't have a carreer, so I just work p/t jobs wherever we move ....She pays for everything.

-Final story of why she's a great spouse....I'm taking off this season with m/c racing, but I've got friends in VA who do MTB racing, and they tell me to get involved with the sport.  I have to get a bike, so I'm shopping for a $500-$700 bike...She gets into the research & insists I do it right & get a $2000 Specialized (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2005&spid=9655 (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2005&spid=9655)), then she goes with me to races & volunteers!  While she's pregnant!

Mike, I know I'm sounding like an ad for eHarmony or some crappy Anne Landers sap, but good chicks are out there.  I don't have to deal with any emotional manipulation shit.  I don't have to change......I just get to live the dream.
(Ummmm.....But did I mention there was alot of work early on?)
Again, pardon the thread-jack....Please return to the poll of why racers should be with their wives during birth.
Cheers,
 

Keeping blinders in place!  :spank:

Maybe your baby will be early and none of this will matter anyway.

Actually you'll probably see that if you do decide to stay home and your baby comes that weekend, none of this really matters anymore anyway. 

It's nothing about your wife or marriage.  It's really about you and your baby. 

Congrats!!!

Heather

Stay home, hire Janisch for the weekend and win............. The victories are for the team not just you.  Take the time off and let the rest of the team handle it. Unless you don't trust them and I don't think I would want to tell them that or there may not be a team for long.

Just my .02 cents.

QuoteStay home, hire Janisch for the weekend and win

better yet .. I'll ride for you for free.. granted you'll probably lose (horribly at that), but it won't cost you anything...

Great response Steve!  I can see myself pondering this dilema but only for a few minutes.  You gotta stay for the birth!  Any addition to the family should be a significant event, trumps racing every time for me.

If jessie isnt availible, I am.

Me 2--- i actually beat some Liteweight folks that finished their race july 1 at summit- sure beats having to say i only beat the ones that crashed or basically DNF-some resume huh?

I purged my posts here so people won't question their version/interpretation of reality.  :spank:

Quote from: GSXR RACER MIKE on July 22, 2006, 05:19:27 AM
Normally I just keep this stuff to myself since it gives me somewhat of an unfair advantage in understanding women and the basis for many of their actions (actions that come across to most guys as totally baffling).

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:


Then again I've been told I'm not like most women.

Dawn   :thumb:

I thought I would dredge this thread up as the time draws closer for our baby's birth...

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the posts and some have made me laugh and others....  :blahblah: :blahblah:.  This poll was all for fun from the start, and it's cool everyone had a good time with it :cheers:

So... the wife is now starting to dialate.   :ahhh:     .... and I have made the plane reservations for the VIR race weekend 8)   ... so it looks like everything is a go! :biggrin:

I'm sure some of the competitors will be bummed, but I look forward to seeing everyone again and to riding my favorite track at the end of the month :thumb:.

For now, I wait on the edge of my seat for my new baby daughter to arrive!!!

I hope everything goes well for you, your wife, and your new baby girl.

Dawn   :thumb:

The poll was missing the best choice:  Schedule an Elective C-Section.  (!)

Yep, that's right, once thought to be only a last resort it's now become so
commonplace that it's considered a perfectly acceptable means of birthing,
in fact, it's rapidly becoming one of the most popular with many OB's even
specializing.  Nationwide elective C-sections are up almost 10% just in the
past year and in some of the country's biggest cities, more than a 1/3 of
all births are now elective c-sections.

So you see, it really can be worked out....

:thumb: