Creating a Free Racing Website

 

Creating a Free Racing Website

 

 

I originally used the GoDaddy website you can purchase that was supposed to be easy and inexpensive. I didn't find it easy or convenient and of course there was a cost involved. When our subscription for the year was up I did some research on creating a free website. Let's face it the sport of racing is expensive enough I don't need added costs that I can avoid. I'm sure most of you are in the same boat. I came across another racer's website that was created by Weebly. I decided to check out what this system had to offer. To my surprise it was extremely easy and best of all FREE!!

 

I signed up for the free website. It offered 5 pages and allows you to customize your pictures, text, layouts, etc. Check out our website www.opaticracing.weebly.com I still have my original domain name www.opaticracing.com through GoDaddy which I will now point to the Weebly site (still working on this aspect.) Weebly can also help you register your own domain name. I am so impressed that I wanted to share this info.

 

Try it today and let me know what you think!!   

Custom Suits- What We've Learned

Custom Suits

Last year we went with the standard black suit for our daughter. She was really hoping for something a little more stylish however the standard choices did not include anything geared towards girls. After her first season we chose to go a different route for her suit. Overall the end result is good but we wish we would have thought it out a little more. Here are some tips that I learned through this experience.

1. Check with more than one company as to pricing and product details. Talk to other drivers who have used the company and ask them questions about their experience. Referrals are helpful.
2. When ordering suits for younger children make sure to discuss with the manufacturer how to measure current sizing but make room to grow. This is something we wish we would have done. Both girls' suits fit but they will only last one season. Custom suits are expensive and we wish we would have taken this into consideration.
3. When ordering ask what their time frames for completion are. We were told a minimum of 6 weeks. We assumed it would take the full 6 weeks maybe 8 weeks, but that wasn't the case. We ordered at the beginning of the busy season and had to wait 13 weeks for them to arrive. We were definitely disappointed with this timing. Ashlee raced the first 4 races of the season with her old suit. This isn't a big deal but since the new suit will only fit this season, it was kind of a bummer not to get a full seasons use out of it.
4. Check out other suits designed by the company you chose. Get design ideas and give the designer examples of what you are looking for. The design process of the suits went really well. We took a pre-designed suit and modified it. Axcel Sports was really helpful as to recommending what would and wouldn't look good. They also had great design ideas. Overall we are really happy with the design and look of the suits.

Design Stage 

Finished Project

Suits on the Girls

The company we used was Axcel Sports. Check out their Facebook Page for more info. They have some really awesome designs and options. https://www.facebook.com/AxcelSports

Aubree Finally Worked up the Courage

Aubree's First Experience Driving a Kart

Last weekend we had our youngest daughter Aubree's kart all ready for practice. She was so excited to have her turn. Then the day finally came and she was on the grid all ready to go out on the track and then....freaked out and started crying. All day I tried to get her at least to give it a try. I tried every type of incentive I could think of. She just was NOT going out there.

All week we kept telling her that it wasn't a big deal and everyone started off slow. All along she's been telling her sister how FAST she was going to go, but when it came down to it she was so scared that she would be slow. We had a talk with her that everyone starts off slow and with practice they get faster. 

So today was the big day. She was still nervous and didn't want to get in the kart. I talked her into getting into the kart without the motor on and practicing using the gas and break pedals. Then we had her put her helmet on and practice. Then even though she was still nervous we turned on the motor and had her practice by driving 5 feet then using the break driving another 5 feet and using the break again. Finally she was getting the hang of it so we had her drive an oval around the parking lot.

The funny thing is that after being so scared and nervous about driving the kart, she didn't want to stop after she started. I think she would have been there for hours driving that same circle. We know it's safer to practice at a track so we plan to take her to the track possibly next weekend to practice. Hopefully she'll be comfortable driving again. She just needed a small victory to give her some courage.

Here is my YouTube link of her at the parking lot: http://youtu.be/TyguRmRp2Ns

Marketing Ideas: Facebook Fan Page

Facebook Fan Page

Facebook has been out for a while now. It first started out with some college age kids and now the phenomenon has expanded to many different age groups. It seems like "everyone" is on Facebook. The marketing world in racing is no different. If you've ever considered creating a page for your child or team here is a YouTube video to show you how https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O45sta7_34. Don't be intimidated it's really quite easy.

If you already have a page created here are a few places that I've found that have some awesome tips on what you can/should do with your page.

7 Tips and Marketing Strategies for the new Facebok Fan Pages:
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/new-facebook-fan-pages/

Better Facebook Fan Page: Essential Tips, Apps And Examples:
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/facebook-fan-page-tips-apps-examples/

4 Tips To Increase Your Facebook Page Reach Without Paying:
http://blog.getpostrocket.com/2012/11/4-tips-to-increase-your-facebook-page-reach-without-paying/

Do you have some tips for marketing through Facebook? I'd love it if you could share!

Advice For New Racing Parents- Safety #1

Advice For New Racing Parents- Safety #1

Real World Advice From Parents

Advice from Nikki Marks mother of Makala Marks, www.MakalaMarksRacing.org:

My experience in the beginning. First thing that comes to my mind is not taking a cheap way out when it comes to safety. You can cut corners on other things but not protection for your child. Get a top of the line helmet that can handle a hit. MAKE SURE IT FITS PROPERLY. Have it professionally sized and then you, the parent double check to make sure you agree. After my daughter flipped & rolled in her Kart and  her helmet came off in the process, I can't express this enough. I took someone's word, the so called professional, that it was the proper size but we found out the hard way it was not. I picked the helmet up off the ground and I found it was still strapped tightly but had somehow been pulled off her head. My daughter was luckily not injured as badly as we thought from the look of the blood she was losing but it could have been tragic. Luckily a few stitches, a couple black eyes, road rash, some scars on her face, and a pile of medical bills, is all the resulted from her helmet coming off. The Impact helmet did its job and took the initial hit that saved her from a head injury but if only it was the right fit it would have never come off and she would have got up and walked away instead of being rushed to the ER. Make sure you use all the safety devises properly and use them every time your child goes on the track, even if your just out practicing with the track to yourself. I have found not all neck collars, rib vest, helmets, ect.., work together well. You may have to try a couple different styles or brands before you find the proper fit. You don't want anything pushing up on the helmet and you want your child safe and comfortable. 

Advice from Jim Howe, Owner of Jim Howe Motorsports:

One part of karting I liked is the safety aspect. To me, four wheels are safer than two and at least with a kart, you do have some driver protection due to bodywork, bars, etc. Plus, kart drivers wear real safety equipment including the helmet, neck brace, rib protector, and racing suit. I always tell parents to buy used stuff but never to scrimp on the helmet. Always buy a new helmet and get the most you can afford. Karting has a very good safety record and most clubs and tracks have insurance and must meet a fairly stringent set of safety requirements. You never eliminate the risk, however, and I always caution my drivers, their parents, and anybody else than there is danger involved. You have to accept that or racing in any form is just not for you!

Advice from Greg Erb father of Kendahl Erb, www.KendahlRacing.com:

I am a father of a 6 year old 2013 dirt kart racer. The first thing that comes to mind as most parents would is safety. The average parent can go on for a long time about safety gear but I will try to sum it up quickly. I use the gear that works best, not what I read about. Never use the cheap gear. Ask your fellow drivers where they got there gear and how do they like it.

Most crew chiefs and drivers are the "hands on .. need professional " type of person. If the set up works use it. Tweak it later if needed. What I think is most important about safety for my child and racing is her mental status. Kids have to be interested and not forced. It may be bad to say but I will find out (if she wants to continue)after she hits the hay bales if she brushes herself off and gets back behind the wheel. If she has the focus needed to race I feel more comfortable putting her behind the wheel. When I feel more comfortable I can focus on her kart performance and what is needed to address. I boldly push the fact the racing is supposed to be fun.. NOT  a buisness. I personally feel if you kid(s) are pushed too hard. The same thing will happen to your kid as anything you race, slips out of control and nothing good comes out of it, praying nobody gets hurt. Yes racing is a luxury and a sport but school is priority.. Honor roll is a must for my girl if she wants to race. If she cant focus on school performance.. She can't focus on the track performance. My daughter is my world. I dont want her to get hurt. I grew up with bruises and cuts just like everyone else in this world. I understand the seriousness of racing.. I also understand my daughter can break a leg riding her bike or falling out of a tree. It's life.. Enjoy it. Play it safe but don't wrap your kid in bubble wrap and stick them in a glass box.

Advice from Gary Truemner father of Victorya Truemner:

I always reccomend a good helmet and a karting suit. Not a fire suit but something that is skid proof. Most important item other than helmet for young karts is a good chest protector. Victorya wears an armadillo which is not cheap but provides great protection to chest and sides. Neck braces should be wedge style or some of the newer 360 devise. Good safety stuff is not cheap but it's the most important thing you'll ever buy to protect your most important person in the world your child! All of these items we buy from Turk bros racing and American power sports. Our gloves we wear motocross gloves they seem to offer more protection than karting gloves.

Image above from: http://www.go-kart-source.com

Coaching Style

 

 

What is Your Coaching Style?

 

Recently I was involved in a round table discussion on the Heels on Wheels Radio Program about coaching our children. We were talking about the Lifetime television show Dance Moms and the coaching style of Abby Lee Miller of the Abby Lee Dance Company (The show is a guilty pleasure of Kim Ratcliffe, host of the Heels on Wheels Radio Program, and myself.) Abby is very harsh on her students and rules with tough love and an iron fist. Her students win National Championships. I'm not sure if it's her coaching style or her creative choreography that is so successful. That led me to think about the coaching style of my husband and myself with our children and racing.

 

We tend to keep things in perspective, or try to anyways. When Ashlee first started racing our goal was mainly to get her through the practices, heat races and feature. She steadily began to improve. She was really starting to grasp the concepts we were teaching. A few of the hurdles we overcame this year were for her to get a good start, we worked on her lines, got her to stop looking at us when she drove by, and many other small goals along the way. Our goal was to get her to do her personal best, winning or placing high was just a bonus. One thing we did learn is that you cannot expect a young child (6-7 year old in our case) to do their best every time they go out there. It's just not realistic. They are going to have good days and off days as well. After all they are kids not robots.

 

Coaching our daughter has a challenge for both of us. Ashlee does not respond well to criticism. She tends to get defensive quickly and stop listening to what we have to say. We've learned to address issues a little while after the fact and a little more with "kid gloves." She then will process what we've had to say and most of the time try to apply it. We may be parents of 2 girls but the parallels between our two children ends at their gender. We will have to adjust the way we coach Aubree when she starts driving and racing her kart next year. She is more of a sponge and soaks up what is happening around her as things happen. To say the least this next season will be a challenge, a fun challenge though!!

 

What is your coaching style with your child(ren)?