What are your winter hobbies?

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

     What do all of you do during the winter? What are your hobbies? Being that we have people here from all parts of the U.S.A. I assume there is going to be quite a variety of winter hobbies.

     I personally enjoy downhill skiing and snowmobiling, though I sold my snowmobile and haven't replaced it yet. This season I plan on learning to snowboard, since the people I usually go with do that and I would also like to learn myself. Working on my racing stuff is kind of a drag due to where I have to work on it, so I don't end up spending the amount of time that I would like to doing that. I have been working 60 hour minimum work weeks since late summer, so I am saving money for next season right now. Besides that I'm sticking to my strict fitness program and eating whenever I feel like it and trying not to get too much physical activity.  ;D

[dwilson]

I maintain my personal fleet of vehicles ;D
74 Vespa (167 original miles) needs paint.
1976 CB750 needs seat cover & maybe paint.
1974 Suzuki 125 , in the process of total restoration.
1984 BMW 533i, sound system.
1940 Dodge, stopped charging on my way home from vacation.  It made it 150 miles just on the battery though...
Of cousre the race bike  ;) Paint & carb work.
This is what I plan to have done before next season.  I hope to spend some time with my girlsfriend too  ::) :-*

[Super Dave]

I thought when the 2003 season ended, everyone just started working on 2004?

That's where I'm at.  Working on the R6.  I have some big plans.  Trying to figure out the school stuff.  Trying to get some things on the H1 ready to race.  Want to have it going for Daytona at CCS and AHRMA.  I have a crew member ready in Nate Reik for the season, but there are lots of loose ends.

[MZGirl]

In the SW, one COULD continue roadracing through the winter, with the new AZ race series.  But Zac and I are taking a break.  Doing the whole season with 2 orgs was a lot, and we don't want to burnout.  Plus, we need to work on the bikes.

I'm doing a few mods to my MZ over the winter, continuing to tune the TZ 250, and restoring my '70 Hodaka Super Rat for racing in MiniMoto (a smaller version of Supermoto) next year.  Zac's building up his Supermoto bike, and doing regular maintenance on the R6.

I fulfill my competitive drive by racing cyclocross over the winter.  It's a form of bicycle racing.  Just a sprint race, usually held in city parks, but you have to get off your bike and jump over barriers.  Gotta defend my AZ state championship in that.  ;D  First race is this morning, so we'll see how it goes.  Gee, hope my shorts and short sleeved shirt are going to be cool enough.  Gotta love Tucson winters.   :P ;D ;)

[Super Dave]

I fulfill my competitive drive by racing cyclocross over the winter.  It's a form of bicycle racing.  Just a sprint race, usually held in city parks, but you have to get off your bike and jump over barriers.  Gotta defend my AZ state championship in that.  ;D

Excellent!  Good luck!

[smoke]

In the past I have always played  indoor vollyball during the winter going to all sorts of places. in the past we end up at nationals in some town.  This is the first year since 1988 I will not play. :-[   This is the first year since 88 that I will not make the trips out west to go snowboarding.

I have given it all up for two years to give all that I can to try learn more about my bike, tracks, and riding in general.  The race is the only game in town.

[EX#996]

Winter....

We try to prepare for 2004.  Plus with Renee's school activities (basketball, band, ect.) and Paul working 6 days a week, it doesn't leave time for much else.

Dawn  :-/

[Burt Munro]

I stay busy officiating and doing computer work for high school and college swim/dive meets and water polo tournaments.  I've been the meet manager for the Missouri High School State Swimming and Diving Championship meets for the last six years.

Got a couple of big ones coming up in 2004.  NCAA Division III (small colleges) National Swimming and Diving Championships for Men and Women in March and in June I'm doing the scoreboard work for the Olympic Diving trials to select the USA team for the Athens Olympics!!  Big time pressure on this one... 4 hours of live TV on NBC!    

Lots of fun being in a hot, humid pool all winter long!

Rick

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

I winterized the Gixxer before Halloween.  Other than that, I'm still trying to pay off everyone who loaned me stuff to finish out the 2003 season!  Once I pay $550 to my buddy Don for all the parts he fronted me, I'll finally be ready to start thinking about 04!
Other than that, I've finally found time to start working on the novel again.  Working title?  Highside!

[Gumby647]

Hell, I haven't even gotten to the end of this race season yet. ;D Gotta go race at Homestead next weekend. I went and took a motocross school yesterday. I plan to start going to the local MX to hone my bike control skills. If I go to the Church of Speed race in January I won't have much of a break.  

[Fast4fun]

Hockey! In Chi-town, it's all about getting out of the house. Actually, I play all year round to keep in shape. I would paint my bike but I don't have a garage (condo living sucks). Mostly I spend my time dreaming about how I'm gonna save enough money to make the mods necessary to be competetive next year. I'm taking 7 vaca days this month and I'll probably spend them at 4&6 working on the supension plan for '04 or shopping for better deals on parts.
Oh yeah, read anything and everything - picked up two books last friday and I'm almost done. Winter tests your survival skills... you just gotta make plans!

[Jeff]

I thought when the 2003 season ended, everyone just started working on 2004?

Exactly....

If I had any money, I'd probably think of getting a 4 wheeler or snowmobile, etc.  But since I race, I'm broke...

But I did score an impressive buy on an ingersol-rand professional feather edger the other day!  I have a nice paint booth in the basement (outside ventilation) which eagerly awaits my slightly trashed bodywork...

Oh yeah.  I also buy spares for the bike.  Now is the time.  Stuff goes CHEAP.