Royally pissed-off customer!

[Randy Stankey]

We knew we had to behave when going to a movie theater.

Years ago, I remember a TV show or a movie, probably a movie on TV, that had a scene where a family was getting ready to go out to the movies. I remember it as Doris Day but, if it wasn't, it was that kind of thing.

Anyhow... The young boy asks his mom, "Where are we going?"

Mom says, "We're going to the movies."

The kid replies, "Yea! Is it a drive in movie?!"

The mother's stern reply was, "No! We're going to a walk in, sit down and behave yourself movie!"

In those days, there was an unspoken expectation that kids were supposed to behave themselves in public.

[Leo Enticknap]

I don't know if this customer was pissed off, but he certainly pissed.

During the pandemic, the drive-in I service suddenly found itself doing studio premieres and other high profile shows, because it was literally the only movie theater in LA County that was allowed to remain open. I was asked to babysit one of these rental gigs in case of any projection issues (the laser upgrade kits had just been installed, so everyone was a little nervous). About halfway through the movie I went out onto the balcony next to the booth for a few minutes' relief from mask-wearing, and found the studio's representative there: an immaculately dressed, 20-something lady who was clearly more at home on the red carpet at the Chinese than the lot of a drive-in in South LA. Immediately below us was a battered pick-up truck with 4-5 occupants sitting in the bed, watching the movie with audio from a boom box that they had hooked up to a portable FM radio. Just as we looked down, one of them stood up, unzipped his flies, and, shall we say, relieved himself over the side of the truck and onto the tarmac below. He then zipped up, sat back down, opened another can of beer, and resumed watching the movie. The look of horror on the studio rep's face was priceless.

[Randy Stankey]

That sounds like a normal day, back when I was growing up!

We used to a lot of boating and fishing on Lake Erie. Of course, there was beer. When you put a few guys in a boat in the middle of the Great Lakes with a cooler full of beer, what do you think will happen?

Do you know that you can get a citation from the Fish Commission or the Coast Guard for urinating in the water? It never happened to me but I do know people who it has happened to!

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

At the motocross tracks it is not uncommon to see a rider relieving himself by his truck. Even with a porta-can nearby.

In the 80's there was a stadium Supercross racer who got caught by the jumbotron cam hanging it over the side at the starting gate during the rider intros. He simply waved to the crowd with his free hand and kept on draining his monoshock. He told interviewers later that he wanted to make sure he lost all the weight he could before starting the race. He then added, just kidding, I have a nervous bladder.

On the topic of royally pissed off customers, at the track the two biggest examples are riders that are forced to move up a class (because they cheat and ride in a lower class to add to their trophy count...the general rule is once you win consistently in your class for a full season, next season you move up one class.) The second is always the parents of the little kids. (50cc, 65cc classes) We have so many out of control parents sometimes it is unbelievable. One year I threw a dad out and had him banned for the season for screaming at his 6 yo son. The kid was bawling as he rode around the track.

When I worked at a motocross club in central California, they'd send me to the local track to run and supervise open practices on Weds. afternoons....alone. Our average turnout was 200+ riders. Doing that, I knew the kid's parents were going to be a headache, and I was worried that the main demographic (the 13-20yo riders) were going to be the biggest problem. They weren't ...my overall biggest headache was the 25-35 (around my age at the time) group. The teens were actually well behaved and followed the rules. Go figure.

[Randy Stankey]

If you compete above your class a certain number of times you're supposed to get bumped up, automatically. Aren't you?
(Like if you come in first three times in one season, for example.)

Collecting trophies is all well and good but don't people also want to collect "bigger" trophies, too?
Sure, it's great to have a blue ribbon from "Class-B" but don't you also want ribbons from "Class-A" and "Masters?"

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

If you compete above your class a certain number of times you're supposed to get bumped up, automatically. Aren't you?
(Like if you come in first three times in one season, for example.)

Collecting trophies is all well and good but don't people also want to collect "bigger" trophies, too?
Sure, it's great to have a blue ribbon from "Class-B" but don't you also want ribbons from "Class-A" and "Masters?"

That's how it's supposed to work, but too many promoters and tracks either don't care or don;t want to fight the battle during sign-ups. In AMA sanctioned traces they are a bit better, but not in the Beginner, novice and intermediate classes. A LOT of sandbagging goes on there too.

Most tracks are now using some form of electronic scoring (MyLaps, Race Ready, etc.) and in theory, it should be easy to make move-ups happen...but those vendors have not made it easy to do that automatically (or flag riders who should move up.) Hell, there is no way for any of their systems to cross check different tracks by rider names/numbers. A promoter has to do it all manually. (Might as well do hand scoring like in the past.)

Riders are a bunch of narcissistic whiners in general (with some exceptions) and like to have more rather than quality when it comes to trophies.

I have always said that if things ever get to the point that sandbagging is eliminated, and riders would move up classes voluntarily, that is when I will retire from racing mx. 35+ years and I'm still racing.

[Randy Stankey]

Jesus Christ! The kids these days! Right?

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

Jesus Christ! The kids these days! Right?

"Damn kids!! Get off my lawn (track)!"

In reality, I HAVE had to throw riders out for fighting or other misconduct.

[Randy Stankey]

When I was younger, if somebody was sandbagging like that, just to win more trophies, they would eventually be asked, "What are you? Some kind of wuss bag? Why don't you ride with the big boys?" (They wouldn't have actually been called "wuss bag." It would have been a word that starts with the letter "F.")

I don't think that name calling is appropriate but, at the same time, some people need help lighting a fire under their asses.