Post by AnksTank on Jan 15, 2011 12:57:41 GMT -5
"white trash sport"
When I was a little boy I can remember my grandparent’s loading me up in the car and taking me on a road trip. They said we were going to a Demolition Derby. My eye’s lit up with excitement. We could not get there fast enough and when we arrived I could see all kinds of people from all different walks of life. Off in the distance I could hear the rumble of several revving engines. Goose bumps and a cold sweat ran through my body. I was fascinated and at this point I looked my Grandpa in the eyes and he said to me. I can see you doing that one day with a bit of sarcasm. They paid the admission and we went and sat in the stands. I could not hide the excitement and anticipation that my face so evidently showed. The cars started to pull into the arena, and there I saw my Uncle Dale get out of his car and come to the fence. He waived and yelled for me to come down there to where he was. I looked up at my grandparents and they said what are you waiting for, go! Without hesitation I ran as fast as I could to him. He picked me up and held me while they were singing the National Anthem.
White trash redneck sport is the first thing that comes to mind when people hear the words Demolition Derby, but when I hear those words I think of family, fun, and a lot of hard work. The end result is adrenalin filled excitement. You bring your car to the arena and go through inspections where the inspectors check for a number of different things on your car. Their number one concern is for the safety of the driver. They check to see if the driver has the necessary safety equipment installed in their car. They then check to see if you have any modifications on your car that the rules do not specify. In other words they want to make sure your not cheating so that every driver has an equal chance of winning. This type of event is watched all over the world by people of all different walks of life. The goal for the driver is to be the last car running. Strategy is key and the driver is encouraged to make precise critical hits to other cars that will cause the other drivers car to fail or quit running. The last person standing wins.
My family supports me in my decision to participate in this dangerous sport because it brings our family together in a fun filled environment. The time and amount of work that is put into these cars showed me good work ethic and sharpened my mechanic ability. I personally have never won a derby but I sure have had a good time participating. With four derbies under my belt I am still considered a rookie in the sport. I will continue to participate in this fun filled family activity throughout my life because I want my children to have the same positive bonding experiences that I have shared with my family. After all of the hard work and endless hours of working on my cars, the fun has yet to begin. When I climb into the car and strap my helmet on there is a moment of pure happiness. All of the chaos that led up to that point; disappears and new thoughts emerge. Going through the checklist in my mind one by one I finally get to start the car. As it fires up and the sound of raw horsepower bellows out of the engine compartment. With my nervously shaking foot on the gas pedal I pull the car into the mud soaked arena. My ears fill with the sound of the crowd cheering. At that moment in time my heart swells with excitement and all of the nervousness leaves my body. When the starting flag drops it’s time to play and everything that lead to that point makes sense. Working on the car for hours on end finally seems worth it, and even though I might not win the derby I believe that I have won with my family and friends. To me the feeling of being able to legally have road rage in a safe controlled environment is not something everybody gets to experience from behind the wheel, but you can always come out and experience it from a viewing perspective. The question that I have to ask the reader is do you still think this is just a white trash redneck sport or do you think it’s a sport that revolves around family, friends, and pure American fun.
When I was a little boy I can remember my grandparent’s loading me up in the car and taking me on a road trip. They said we were going to a Demolition Derby. My eye’s lit up with excitement. We could not get there fast enough and when we arrived I could see all kinds of people from all different walks of life. Off in the distance I could hear the rumble of several revving engines. Goose bumps and a cold sweat ran through my body. I was fascinated and at this point I looked my Grandpa in the eyes and he said to me. I can see you doing that one day with a bit of sarcasm. They paid the admission and we went and sat in the stands. I could not hide the excitement and anticipation that my face so evidently showed. The cars started to pull into the arena, and there I saw my Uncle Dale get out of his car and come to the fence. He waived and yelled for me to come down there to where he was. I looked up at my grandparents and they said what are you waiting for, go! Without hesitation I ran as fast as I could to him. He picked me up and held me while they were singing the National Anthem.
White trash redneck sport is the first thing that comes to mind when people hear the words Demolition Derby, but when I hear those words I think of family, fun, and a lot of hard work. The end result is adrenalin filled excitement. You bring your car to the arena and go through inspections where the inspectors check for a number of different things on your car. Their number one concern is for the safety of the driver. They check to see if the driver has the necessary safety equipment installed in their car. They then check to see if you have any modifications on your car that the rules do not specify. In other words they want to make sure your not cheating so that every driver has an equal chance of winning. This type of event is watched all over the world by people of all different walks of life. The goal for the driver is to be the last car running. Strategy is key and the driver is encouraged to make precise critical hits to other cars that will cause the other drivers car to fail or quit running. The last person standing wins.
My family supports me in my decision to participate in this dangerous sport because it brings our family together in a fun filled environment. The time and amount of work that is put into these cars showed me good work ethic and sharpened my mechanic ability. I personally have never won a derby but I sure have had a good time participating. With four derbies under my belt I am still considered a rookie in the sport. I will continue to participate in this fun filled family activity throughout my life because I want my children to have the same positive bonding experiences that I have shared with my family. After all of the hard work and endless hours of working on my cars, the fun has yet to begin. When I climb into the car and strap my helmet on there is a moment of pure happiness. All of the chaos that led up to that point; disappears and new thoughts emerge. Going through the checklist in my mind one by one I finally get to start the car. As it fires up and the sound of raw horsepower bellows out of the engine compartment. With my nervously shaking foot on the gas pedal I pull the car into the mud soaked arena. My ears fill with the sound of the crowd cheering. At that moment in time my heart swells with excitement and all of the nervousness leaves my body. When the starting flag drops it’s time to play and everything that lead to that point makes sense. Working on the car for hours on end finally seems worth it, and even though I might not win the derby I believe that I have won with my family and friends. To me the feeling of being able to legally have road rage in a safe controlled environment is not something everybody gets to experience from behind the wheel, but you can always come out and experience it from a viewing perspective. The question that I have to ask the reader is do you still think this is just a white trash redneck sport or do you think it’s a sport that revolves around family, friends, and pure American fun.