Night @ C.M Speedway

[AlisoBob]

So I'm at Speedway last Sat night.. place is packed due to the Freestyle guys being part of the show.

My box is in the perfect place ( Jumpers coming right at you, landing hill directly abeam to my box) so I'm chasing stragglers out all night.

My boy is looking at me, but past me, with a weird look, and says" Dad theres another one behind you."

I spin around, full of venom to deliver, but when I do.... its a guy.... in a wheel chair.

I ask him his name... he says Rich. He said his last name, but it escapes me.

Turns out he's 45, crashed hard 12 years ago in a District 37 Dez race, and has been in a chair ever since.

I rolled him ( and his boy) right up to the front of our box.. dispatched my buddy Fred to purchase more beer, and spent the next few hours watching Speedway and chatting with my new found friend about bikes, kids, racing, living .. everything. It was like he had allot to say.... perhaps he dosent get to talk because people have some sort of issue with the disabled.... or maybe he's just a "Chatty Kathy"... I dont know....

Long story short... My son learned folks in chairs are real people just like you and me.... with the same problems ( perhaps more) AND the same zest for life.

Rich thanked me several times. CM Speedway isnt exactly the best place to go when everybody is standing, and your sitting down. He said he had one of the most enjoyable nights out that he had in a long time.

I told him he's welcome back anytime.

On the way home, my boy asked why I chased all the others out of our box, but let him stay.

I explained that ANY of the others had a choice to stand anywhere they want. I made the choice not to let them stand in an area that we had paid for.

Rich has no choice about getting up out of that chair... so we could invite him in our area due to us owning the space.

The boy learned allot about life, and making the right choice, that night.

[dannygraves]

My uncle is a quadriplegic (swimming accident) and he used to take me everywhere as a kid. I used to stand on the wheelie bars (as I called them at the time) on the back of his chair and get a free ride everywhere. Not many people are as nice as you. one of the biggest frustrations was the fat people who get to park in handicapped spaces leaving none for him and his van had a ramp that came out the side, so he needs that graded area to the side.
We used to go to events and shows and had to block the aisle and got bitched out a lot. There are a lot of mean people out there
he got so mad about the lack of handicapped access to places that he finally took legal action agains a few places. I think he even sued the spearment rhino in san bernardino!
Good to hear your not one of those A-holes