Has CCS ever thought about giving ED Key an award for most respected rider or longest active CCS race member for years? Something of that nature? I will admit there is a possibility that CCS did something like this already, but I haven't heard anything. That's why I brought it up.
Any comments would be appreciated! :cheers:
Ron
Quote from: F2RGK on January 31, 2014, 05:51:02 PM
Has CCS ever thought about giving ED Key an award for most respected rider or longest active CCS race member for years? Something of that nature? I will admit there is a possibility that CCS did something like this already, but I haven't heard anything. That's why I brought it up.
Any comments would be appreciated! :cheers:
Ron
You have a great idea, Ron. The answer is no, CCS has not presented Ed with an award for being the "most respected rider or longest active CCS race member". Or for being the most winning racer in club racing history. I can't speak for CCS on whether or not they have thought about presenting him with an award or not. Just to add a few comments about Ed, he holds 100 regional championships, 25 national championships and 500 race wins during the years he raced an SV alone (these numbers are close). He has a few pro wins as well, but I can't recall the number. Having had the opportunity to race with Ed for a number of year, I can say if there is one man that has earned such an award it would be Ed. Aside from the accomplishment I noted, he has been a great ambassador of road racing and is a true class act. I could carry on for pages about the talent he has and what he has done for the sport of road racing. Again, great idea, Ron.
That would be cool!
Here's a question for you.... why does CCS have to do this? Take it into your own hands and honor your friend!
This isn't about another friend honoring another friend, bet yet a fellow racer. I knew that Ed contributed to the Midwest region at CCS. What a better way would there be if CCS didn't do this? It's just proper recognition. It's also a way to bring some more camaraderie to an organization that supports racing and their supportive riders. Also, the recognition from CCS, would be bigger, such as creating a buzz for Ed, not too mention CCS. Whether you like Ed, CCS, or not,..it's just another way to support those who support you. For what little I knew about Ed, he did contribute a lot. I am hoping that people don't turn this into a negative thing here since we already have enough negativity in this world.
Wow.... no negativity with what I said. But take it as you will, like you said, so much negativity in this world. I wonder why?
I am with Cowboy in that we as his peers(a term loosely made) can be the persons doing this. I'm in towards this effort whatever the group can come up with. I don't personally know Ed and I am sure he doesn't know me but I am in none the same. Lets make this happen with or without the participation of CCS.
Mark
My thought is, would someone close enough to give Ed the award also set up the design and manufacture of the award? Also needed is a means of donation destination.
Quote from: Cowboy 6 on February 02, 2014, 12:53:11 PM
Here's a question for you.... why does CCS have to do this? Take it into your own hands and honor your friend!
Thank you once again Ron for your comments.
I have to say, I'm disappointed in your comment, Cowboy 6. Nobody said CCS had to do anything. Ron was simply asking a question along with presenting an idea. If you don't think it's a good idea, that's fine, but please don't wreck a perfectly good thread by criticizing others' opinions. If you don't have something good to say, don't say it.
"I wonder why?", Good question, however, I can tell you it's contributed by negative posts such as yours on forums. Do you think your comment necessary in any way?
"Take it into your own hands and honor your friend!" We did!! A write up can be found at www.riderfiles.com/?=ed+key=retirement (http://www.riderfiles.com/?=ed+key=retirement)
"Ed Key's retirement party in Madison, Wisconsin on April 13, 2013. After nearly 40 years of racing and numerous regional and national club racing titles, Key finally called it quits. One of the best loved riders in the Midwest, this photo, showing just the former racers at the party, showed just how respected Ed is in the Midwest road racing community. That's Ed in the red shirt in the middle holding the drink. (Larry Lawrence photo)" – The Rider FilesEd was so well respected as a rider, as a person and for his accomplishments from over the years that The Rider Files attended his retirement party to document the event. Also, racers that haven't seen or raced with Ed for decades traveled to Madison, Wisconsin from as far as California to attend his retirement party.
I will conclude my post with this. Ask yourself; the day you retire do you believe that The Riders Files and 150 friends and former racers will show up to celebrate your accomplishments?
(My comments are not meant to be negative in any way. Considering Ed is a friend of mine I take personal offense to negative comments and I will not tolerate it.)
Thank you,
Kvanengen
Quote from: majicMARKer on February 02, 2014, 05:14:48 PM
My thought is, would someone close enough to give Ed the award also set up the design and manufacture of the award? Also needed is a means of donation destination.
What we ended up doing is contacting the same company that manufactures the plaques for CCS. The plaque listed all of his accomplishments along with a photo of Ed on the plaque. It worked out really well.
Really not in the mood but since you copied and pasted my post, how about you read it too.
I didn't say I thought it was a bad idea. Since it seems I have to spell it out, here it goes.....
I (nicely) thought (nicely) that instead of (nicely) waiting for CCS to (nicely) do something, Ron et al, could (nicely) get something started themselves to HONOR (does this sound like a bad thing?) Ed Key.
Now, please, go on inventing new meaning for all my words, and add a few hidden meanings from between the imaginary lines and oh, please, trash talk me again for trying to help out....
PS>>>> Thanks Mark for actually understanding what I was saying.....
Kevin, here's an idea.
What if there were an annual award given to a club rider who most closely emulated what Ed represented? The Ed Key Award. Kind of like the Heisman Trophy of motorcycle racing. Knowing Ed as we both do, I think we'd have to agree that this type of recognition would probably mean more to him than to personally receive an award. The life long impact that Ed has made on motorcycle racing deserves an award that lasts into the future. I'd be interested in contributing to an award that would go in this direction.
Rick Weaver
Thanks, Cowboy. Lets move on and keep this about Mr. Key.
Hi Rick,
I hope you are well. Wow, that is an excellent idea! I think we should consider pitching this to Kevin Elliot.
Thanks,
Kevin
Quote from: Burt Munro on February 02, 2014, 09:13:38 PM
Kevin, here's an idea.
What if there were an annual award given to a club rider who most closely emulated what Ed represented? The Ed Key Award. Kind of like the Heisman Trophy of motorcycle racing. Knowing Ed as we both do, I think we'd have to agree that this type of recognition would probably mean more to him than to personally receive an award. The life long impact that Ed has made on motorcycle racing deserves an award that lasts into the future. I'd be interested in contributing to an award that would go in this direction.
Rick Weaver
That's actually a really cool idea.
Alrighty then, now that we have cleared up. I am in for that idea! Now we just have to get it rolling with the appropriate rules that would go along with that.
@Cowboy,...trust me, my tact can b off at times since I am pretty direct. I can't tell u how many times I hit the send button before proof reading first. Then I am like oh boy, that's gonna get mis-taken! Lol
It's all good!
Quote from: Burt Munro on February 02, 2014, 09:13:38 PM
Kevin, here's an idea.
What if there were an annual award given to a club rider who most closely emulated what Ed represented? The Ed Key Award. Kind of like the Heisman Trophy of motorcycle racing. Knowing Ed as we both do, I think we'd have to agree that this type of recognition would probably mean more to him than to personally receive an award. The life long impact that Ed has made on motorcycle racing deserves an award that lasts into the future. I'd be interested in contributing to an award that would go in this direction.
Rick Weaver
I thought that's what this thread was going to be about to begin with. As someone who has been on the track with Ed ("racing with him" isn't really what i was doing when my goal was always to finish a race before he lapped me) and benefited from his encouragement and presence in the sport, I wholeheartedly agree that there should be an "Ed Key" award.
Maybe not given out every year, and does it overlap Rick Bruer's "On the Gas" award? Is Ed known well enough throughout CCS that it could be a national award? I would think National. We ran into guys at a hotel when we were at one of the southern Team Challenge events that were talking SVs and Ed's name came up. Pretty sure everybody knows who he is.
Quote from: truckstop on February 03, 2014, 01:05:39 PM
Pretty sure everybody knows who he is.
I'm pretty sure that is not that case.
There are a lot of insanely fast SV guys all over the country. I think you'd be surprised how many people aren't aware of some names.
Only reason I know of Ed Key is because of svrider.com when someone posted his race bike. I have never heard anyone talk about him at the track. Nothing against him but we have our own fast guys/kids to worry about.
I have no issues with this award being given out.
I also view it as "CCS thanks you for giving us thousands of your dollars" :)
Things often get mistaken through text. We know this. We're all fellow riders and friends here.
I put a good amount of thought into Rick's idea today. The more I think it over the more I like. I've reached out to Kevin Elliot to consider the idea on this thread. We currently have a "Potato Head" and a "On the gas" award for the MW already. I think an award that represents honesty, determination and class (That's off the top of my head) would be a good fit. Like what Truckstop noted, it can't overlap Rick's "On the Gas" award.
Quote from: Swiest on February 03, 2014, 04:50:00 PM
I'm pretty sure that is not that case.
There are a lot of insanely fast SV guys all over the country. I think you'd be surprised how many people aren't aware of some names.
Only reason I know of Ed Key is because of svrider.com when someone posted his race bike. I have never heard anyone talk about him at the track. Nothing against him but we have our own fast guys/kids to worry about.
I have no issues with this award being given out.
I also view it as "CCS thanks you for giving us thousands of your dollars" :)
Swiest certainly has a valid point which is worth considering. There are a good number of fast SV riders out there. However, there is more to it than Ed's time on a LW bike, which was a small part of his career. His career went for over 40 years and in that time he raced and beat some of the top names in road racing who still remember Ed to this day. There are countless riders who's greatest memories on the track are of racing against, ED. I'll admit having raced Ed for a number of years I have a special appreciation for what he can do on a bike. I certainly understand Swiest prospective considering he doesn't know ED the way I and others do.
Kevin,
I think what makes Ed unique are the other aspects to who he is outside of the victories he amassed on the track. The respect he always displayed to everyone at the track, from fellow riders to race officials to casual fans was second to none. Ed was as competitive as they come, but he never let that interfere with the respect he displayed toward fellow riders. The championships were just one component of what has made Ed so highly respected.
The idea that I envisioned for the Ed Key Award is that it be a national award. Since Ed also had a period earlier in his career where he won WERA Championships maybe the award shouldn't be exclusive to CCS. That aspect can be discussed. A selection committee could review nominations from all CCS regions (and possibly WERA). I envision this to become a lifetime achievement award for which certain criteria could be established.
Just some rambling ideas to throw out there.
Sounds like you want to a Half of Fame
While I agree on this premise, I have a problem because the CCS records before 1992 were lost in a series of computer crashes/changes so our records are not complete. Those 8 years were done on a series of Apple IIe, Mac and DOS computers and did not always include affiliate regions in the results so it would be hard to conclusively say that Ed is/was the longest active rider. Both LRRS and CCS FL pre-date CCS going back to the AMARR days. (I think that's it)
Ok, I c I have to add my two cents here again to keep people on track. My purpose of this thread was just to give an idea thoughtful to Ed Key if CCS didn't provide something for Ed's retirement. I did mention that part in the first post. I am not located in the Midwest region anymore so I am out of the loop up there. Now since I am here I Florida, the original thought of my idea to post this came from weeks prior when I visited a track day event at PBIR( palm beach raceway). I went around the paddock to see who I knew and was welcomed warmly. Well, considering the one person who remembered me, instantly brought up Ed's name. The rest of the group immediately knew who we see talking about. So, as far as the Midwest region vs. the south region, knowing Ed, goes out the window.
So, as for the Ed Key award idea, in general, if this gets approved, should go to someone who has character, respected, is a long time racer, whether its CCS or Wera if u want to make it a National thing. That individual needs to be a promoter in the sport ie: someone who takes the time teaching others like Bruer for example, has to be someone you'd say that you'd miss after they left the racing scene, lol. This isn't supposed to turn into a popularity contest, it should happen naturally. Or if u really want to throw a spin on this, we could just offer it to the track workers in charge that make sure everything goes running smooth. Ie: Fuhrman, Larry, (mind stopped working for memory, lol) CCS Florida director etc.
Everyone that submitted an idea should be added to a master list then break it down to like 20 factors, that's it. Ok, I hope I've helped. Also, please re-read the main posts before you comment so something doesn't get twisted so we don't get off track, hehe! Cheers people!!
I typed this post on my phone so sorry for spell check error words!
Quote from: kvanengen on February 03, 2014, 11:49:19 PM
Things often get mistaken through text. We know this. We're all fellow riders and friends here.
Thats why we have these :biggrin: and these. :kissy: Right? :cheers:
I, much like Jen, Burt, Kevin and others, thought from the title of the original post that this would be an award to honor the racer that best represented the sport of road racing through his or her good sportsmanship, integrity, helpfulness and support as all the other attributes that made Ed the ambassador that he was to road racing.
Additionally I cannot think of any better way to honor Ed's accomplishments (as a person rather than a person who finished first) than just such an award. A single award to honor both a very well respected member of the racing community as well as a current member who's recognized for doing good things for the community.
Hawk--at least u got what I meant!