Those in Need of Training Wheels
Hoooold on a minute. *You* teaching a little girl how to ride a bike w/o her training wheels. Please forgive my shock at this picture Scott. Shall I remind of you of a couple childhood ...incidents -- before you decide to crown yourself BMX-Rider extraordinaire??
1) The Back Tire Burn Incident - Recall when I let you ride my BMX bike (yes, the type that had the brakes on the handlebars vs. a back-pedal activated brake)??? Recall me riding on the back - placing all 12 years of my life - in your 'hands'. There we were, racing down through the parking lot - towards the pool. All I recall to this day is yelling out "Brake! Brake!". And you did. At least you *thought* you did. As you frantically searched for that back-pedal brake (which didn't exist) - you slammed backwards into me in your desperation - throwing me back off the seat and onto the back wheel - which was spinning at 6000RPM. That BURN is still etched into my brain!! I think I still have a dollar-sized scar on my ass from that. And recall what a genious idea it was to jump in the pool to "cleanse" that burn right after the accident? Yeah, fucking genious.
2) NY City Boy Plays Evil-Knievel - aka "The Jump" Incident - Ah this one is my favorite. Recall how the rest of the Pine Lake Hills crew were all aspiring BMX racers? And then there was our city boy from New York. With his 'Street' Bike. There we were - up to our usual activity - finding a 20' foot dirt mound from the most recent house being built - and using it as a base to initiate our legendary jumps from. Recall that certain mound right across from Chris Flowers' House? Ah yes... I imagine your knee is probably starting to throb in pain from the memory at this point.. Ah yes - the dare. Recall the dare we offered up that day to our young city slicker friend from New York (the BMX Capital East of the Mississipi as I recall you saying)?? Yes, join us. But to join us, you must make the jump! And you did. Or at least you made one hell of an attempt. I recall the sight: You, defiantly spinning your bike around - and taking it up the road (towards your house) - far enough to generate the speed needed to make it up the Dirt Mound - speed needed to mount up over the dirt mound & then make that harrowing descent. Then as you turned your bike around to initiate the sequence, I caught a glimpse of something. Something slight - a slight shake perhaps.. Perhaps no one else saw it - but I did. That nervous trembling of your hands on the handlebars. sweating, trying to grasp tightly to the handlegrips. And then your descent... The throbbing pain - is it becoming unbearable yet?? I recall the silence. Nothing to be heard but the sound of your non-bmx rated tires spinning rapidly over the asphalt.
And then the ascent. I knew this was going to be ugly - when I saw your bike begin to shake violently side to side as you made the ascent. ...From there, the rest is probably too painful for you to recall. The Blood smeared across the Asphalt.. The flesh torn from your now permanently scarred knee. The defiant city boy picking up the scrap metal remains of his bike, and rolling the now lopsided wheels back up the Hill - returning to the safe confines of his Home. - Never to make another Jump again for as long as he lived.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:45, Thu 06 July 2006.
