Vlunteer Riders Newsletter President Craig Teffeteller Secretary - Ed Clark Vice President - Curtie Eldridge Treasurer - Brian Kimmit February 2018 Vlume 24 Issue 2 News February Meeting Reprt Thursday, February 15 th at the Time Warp Tea Rm in the Hller. 46 ttal in attendance including fur guests. Meeting began at the unusual time f 7:00 due t the auctin mentined belw. The suspect list fllws. If yu're nt n it, ask yurself why because fr sure we dn't knw. Aarn Cadle Ed Clark Mark Ktrys Rick Terry Alan Smeltzer Greg Hrner Mark Pattersn Rcky Elrd Allen Gins James Thmpsn Matthew Terry Russ Twnsend Andy Humphress Jasn Cllins Matt Rth Ryan Engelhaardt Blake Arnld Jeffrey Mynatt Michael Dyle Sctt Bwling Bb Hward Jimmy Eubanks Nathan Glinski Steve Lewis Brad Bchenek Je Terry Patrick Klepper Steve Staab Brian Kimmitt Jnathan Ball Paul Teffeteller Tim McSwrds Cdy Bck Jnathan Flry Prestn Kear Tristan Teffeteller Craig Teffeteller Katie Harris Prestn Teague Try Beeler Cullen Ball Kelley Dbbs Richard Hutchesn William Brawner Curtis Eldredge Mark Kalchthaler Yah Grups Dead, kaput, ancient histry. Yu were warned. Nw get n the frum and start gabbing yur fanny ff. Auctin Reprt We cnducted ur first club auctin fllwing the business meeting and it's fair t say the results were spectacular. First f all, a special thanks t Russ Twnsend, aka The Whip, fr flating the idea, prmting it, and as icing n the cake, handling the auctineering duties. It srt f lked like a dirt swap meet, but with all the items dnated by members and friends fr a wrthy cause. There was riding gear galre, shck and frk springs, stands, prtective gear, helmets new and gently used, and s much ther stuff I frget. Fist fights brke ut as enthusiastic bikers vied fr a piece f the bunty (NOT). But, pssibly the highlight was a buy-back f a used SLTTC tee shirt that the wner claimed was well wrth $500. And the bidding had already gt t $40 fr that rag befre the wner lst patience! Since this letter ges ut t the general public, the amunt cllected wn't be nted but it was satisfactry. Find ut the actual amunt at the next club meeting. Again, the funds cllected were passed n immediately fr a cause dear t the club's heart. Thanks t all wh attended and participated. Yu get a pint fr meeting attendance! Nw, that's what I'm talkin' abut.
Upcming Events/Rides Wrk Day Saturday, March 3rd Queue up lcatin t be cnfirmed and annunced via frum. Lts f dwned trees and ther such stuff. Bring yurself and whatever else yu think we can use. Club Meeting Thursday, March 15 th Yu knw exactly where (Tea Rm)! Be there! 7:30 latest! Standard nte: Be advised that while the fficial meeting starts at 7:30, quite a few flks arrive an hur r mre early t enjy a little cmraderie (bs) with similar nut cases and enjy sme f Dan's fine Tex- Mex-Deli cuisine. If yu are a first time attendee, dn't be reluctant t arrive a little early and start t get t knw us. T say we're infrmal is a bit f an understatement. We d try t wash up a day r tw befre the meeting, thugh. Annual Spring Ride Saturday, March 17 th Membership Lcatin t be cnfirmed and annunced, but think fast single track if the prez can pull a few strings. He'll let us knw. Scribe Stuff Clsed last mnth (Jan.) at 79 members n the rster with 9 qualifying as new. As f this mnth, we're up t 84 including tw renewals and 12 new members. 2018 Pints Champinship We've had five events thrugh this mnth including a banquet, tw meetings, a (cld-a..) ride and a wrkday. S, the maximum pssible pints is six (since a wrkday earns tw pints). Right nw we've gt fur stalwarts with the max f six, but a whle ltta mre peple in striking range. Dn't be discuraged if yu're a bit dwn the list. There's plenty f events that're ging t be available t play catchup and, maybe, cme frm behind in the technical sectins t snatch victry ut f the jaws f defeat. Talkin' Dirt With Gary Pugh A bad day fishin' Mst f yu that have been arund fr awhile knw that I am a psitive persn and I have always wrked t help and encurage peple t enjy riding dirt bikes, even befre I pened a shp. That being said, I have smething n my mind, a stry t tell, ne that I have never tld t anyne in detail, nt even my wife. I have struggled a little with it, thinking maybe I shuld keep it t myself, but I really feel like I need t get it ut, maybe fr my wn sake, but I think it als has life lessns. They say a bad day fishing is better than a gd day at wrk, and that is a philsphy that I adhere t, but... Valentines Day when I was single always left me a little lnely and a sense f inadequacy, but nce I gt hked up it was a feeling f stress, panic t make reservatins at least a mnth in advance, buy ver priced flwers, and t find a card that made my lady feel mushy. I think things have changed lately thugh, guys g ut and buy new dirt bikes fr themselves at Valentines if ur shp is any indicatin.
It was Valentines Day 2009, and we were ding things differently, Beverly was planning a candle lit dinner at hme, taking sme pressure ff f me fr a change. But wait, it gets better, ne f my riding buddies Chuck Lemaster was in twn and he asked me if I wanted t g riding t help him get int shape fr the upcming GNCC pener in Flrida. Sme f yu guys may knw Chuck, he used t wrk fr Yamaha, and he nw des the Chapel service at the GNCC races. A cuple mre guys jined us and we met up at Brwns Flats fr a day f fun and training, cnditins were gd, temps in the mid 40's, perfect. We did a cmplete lap at a pretty gd pace and I fr the mst part fllwed the ther guys arund, they were racers after all, and I was a bat racer that was riding a dirt bike... We came back t the truck, rested a little, snacked, hydrated, and decided t make anther lap. This was a perid when I had been in my prime racing pwer bats where I was always ne f the guys t beat, and I will tell yu I struggled a lt in the dirt bike wrld with being the slw guy, I wanted t get better and be a cmpetitive racer with the bikes als, but it did nt cme natural t me, and my cmpetitive spirit smetimes gt me int truble. I usually wuld get strnger the lnger I wuld ride as I gt mre in tune with my bike, and I sn mved arund ne f the guys, and then the next ne in line tld me t g n arund him as I was starting t carry mre speed. I was feeling better n the bike, but my cmpetitive side had me riding ver my head and I was taking chances and had a few "h crap" mments that I gt away with. I knew bad things culd happen, but usually just t ther peple... At ne pint dwn in Tennessee Hllw, Chuck stalled in a creek crssing and I mved past him and I turned up the wick a little mre. I was buying int the thery that KTM suspensin wrked better the faster yu g... Culd this be pssible, culd I be the first ne back t the truck? There used t be a lng rugh ATV type trail that tk yu ut f TN Hllw, it was actually a fun hill climb, but it had been getting rugher and rugher. I was hard n the gas, just hanging n, ne f the guys was n my tail, at ne pint abut half way up, withut warning, r at least with warning I chse t ignre, my bike sht up in the air, and veered right and went up a tw ft bank and sht me way up int the air. Nt sure what happened next, but I have sme recllectins f a big tree fast appraching, but the end result I landed n the side f a steep bank far belw where I exited the trail. My bike was abut 25 feet away and the engine was screaming, a result f the handle bars being brken ff. The guy that was behind me later tld me he had never seen anything like it, my bike and my bdy was spinning hrizntally thrugh the air side by side. When I came t rest and gathered my wits, I sat up and nticed my left bt was pinting badly in the wrng directin, I pulled ff my gggles and threw them dwn in anger and said a bad wrd. The ther guys came scrambling dwn the hill and finally managed t get the bike shut ff, at that rpm, kill buttns dn't have a lt f influence n internal cmbustin. I had been hurt befre at bat races, but that was a little different where yu have rescue and ambulances right there t take care f things. We were deep int the wds, where d we begin? Chuck tk charge and started making calls nce he gt t an area where he culd get receptin, and came back and reprted that the Andersn Cunty rescue squad was n their way, may be 30-40 minutes. I was fr sure in pain, but I was mre upset with what I had dne t myself, and fearful f what my wife and family was ging t think, my family (parents) never thught t much f dirt bikes, that is why it tk me s many years t get int it. It was starting t get dark nw and the temps were drpping int the 30's, the full bdy sweat that came frm aggressive riding was nw freezing me causing me t shiver uncntrllably, adding t my pain. Mean while back hme, it was dark, dinner was n the table, candles lit, and Beverly knew smething was wrng... It seemed t take frever, but a crew f 5-6 shwed up with a Kawasaki mule and a stretcher, they gave me smething fr pain and sme blankets t try and keep me warm. They tk ff my helmet, I was leaving it n fr warmth, and a girl n the crew said, "Nw I can see what he lks like" and I culdn't help but think she was disappinted, and why I wuld think abut that at a time like that, I have n idea. The bank was t steep t carry me up, and I remembered they struggled, but they dragged and slid me n the stretcher up the hill t the SxS. They said they were calling Life Flite, and
I said, n, I will be fine with an ambulance, fearing what all f this was ging t cst. They then tld me I needed t be flwn quickly, that I might nt make it. What in the heck des that mean? At that pint I decided t shut up. The plan was t transprt me by SxS ver t Duncans Flats where it wuld be easier fr the helicpter t land, they said they wuld try and be as smth as pssible, but we still had quite a bit f trail t suffer thrugh t get t gravel. I felt pain with every bump but the racer in me bared dwn and I tld myself tugh it ut, it will all be better sn. I dn't remember much abut the helicpter ride t UT Hspital, but nce again, I just tughed it ut knwing it wuld all be better. Once in a rm, they put my leg in tractin and it tk a lt f the pain away. I remember thinking, k, I have brken my leg, n big deal, fix it and I will be n my way. They had taken X-Rays, and the Dctr came in and said "Yu are really messed up" Yur femur is shattered right at the hip jint, and he basically said "I dn't knw if I can fix it, but I am ging t try" "Yu als have brken ribs and a punctured lung" Heck, I wasn't even feeling that. Beverly was furius at his bedside manner, and apparently she said sme bad wrds t. I remember thinking, great, nt nly have I brken my leg, I have really dne it. S much fr fixing me up and sending me n my way. Apparently this was ne f their best dctrs, a few years ag they called n him t perate n a ape r grilla frm the z that had brken a leg, nt sure what that says abut me. I was dying f thirst frm riding, but they wuldn't let me drink anything because they were ging t perate almst immediately. There was nthing t put a rd in s they put a plate dwn the side f the bne abut 12" lng with many lng screws. One f the challenges was I had lst a lt f bld, s they kept giving me transfusins t get me back t nrmal which kept me in the hspital fr a week. It was at this pint as I was laying in the hspital that I decided I n lnger wanted t race bats. I knw that is a strange cnclusin based n what happened, but when I was racing I was always pushing the limits and taking calculated risks t win, and I decided I n lnger wanted t d that. I wasn't allwed t g hme until I culd traverse a set f dummy stairs, and I tld the physical therapist that was impssible t d with ne leg, shw me hw t d it. Well, she culd nt d it, but the racer in me wanted t g hme, s I did it. I was determined I wuld recver as quickly as I culd, and nce I culd d therapy, I did it religiusly. I did nt mind my time dwn, it kind f gave me a fresh ut lk n life, and I was grateful fr any imprvements in my recvery. When I tk my first steps withut crutches r a cane, it was a wnderful feeling and made me s appreciative fr the basic things in life we take fr granted. I needed t d a fllw up visit with my regular dctr, and the nurse tld me, "Oh yu are ging t be in truble, Dr Wd hates mtrcycles" Having suffered thrugh a lt f prejudice against dirt bikes since the accident, I asked, "What des he like t d?" She said he likes fishing. S Dr Wd asked me what happened, and I said " I was fishing and I was reeling in a big ne and I slipped and fell n the edge f the bat" His eyes gt real big as I was telling the stry and I culdn't keep a straight face, s I tld him what happened, and he said, " Dirt bikes are k, I dn't like street bikes" By July I was mving arund pretty gd, but the recvery was nt cmplete, there were parts f the bne that were missing, and it was having truble filling in. Then ne day, smething in my leg didn't feel right, and it became difficult t walk again. I went back t the dctr and he said yu are right, smething is wrng, yu have brken yur plate, but I can fix it nw, yu have enugh bne we can put a rd in and yu will be back up in a cuple f days. He was abut t g n vacatin, s we gt it dne immediately, and yes, I made a quick recvery this time. I decided I still wanted t ride dirt bikes again if I was able bth physically and mentally, s I started shpping fr smething different t give me a fresh start and wund up with a Italian Husqvarna 125 endur bike. I wanted t try riding even if it was nly 3 mph, I needed this type f mtrsprt utlet. I made my return eleven mnths later at the Vl Rider Banquet ride, and nt nly did I feel like I had never been ff f a bike, my leg actually felt better after I rde.
Thrugh the years I have weighed the risk vs reward f riding dirt bikes, and I am very cmfrtable with what I am ding, I have learned it is imprtant t try and stay within yur skill level and nt try and match smene that is faster. If smene culd tell me that if I quit riding dirt bikes, that I wuld be guaranteed t live a healthy life t 100 years ld, them maybe I wuld give it up. But n ne can give me that, the ppsite is true, just think f peple arund us, all kinds f accidents happen t peple and they are nt even ding anything fun. I als see peple dying at yung ages due t un freseen health issues. I will argue that the fitness and stress relief we get frm riding will actually prlng ur life as ppsed t the peple that have resigned themselves t the cuch. Riding a dirt bike is the nly way yu are ging t get me t wrk ut fr 4-5 hurs at a time, I am nt ne f thse guys that wrks ut fr fun. Life is fr living and that means ding what yu enjy, and when ne nears their end days, yu want t be able t lk back and smile and feel like yu have lived a gd life, and fr me that is mre than just wrking fr the sake f existing. S hpefully I have nt scared yu guys and a lt f bikes wn't hit Craigslist, but everyne is surely aware bad things can happen, but they als can happen whether yu ride a dirt bike r nt. See yu n the trails, GP Infmercials and Factids Fender Decals and Hats Currently ut f stck. B! Tee Shirts Have a few mediums and XXL's left. Might just try t peddle them n the frum if I can get up the energy. Otherwise, get ne at a meeting. Permits t ride n TWRA managed land - Nw knwn as the Nrth Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. (WMA) (Ryal Blue/Sundquist/Brimstne sectins) This includes what we have knwn fr years as simply Ryal Blue. $61 Annual Resident OHV Permit, OR yu can get a type 01 hunting/fishing license ($28) and a $17 Type 093 WMA small game permit (fr a ttal f $45). Yu can get it at any Walmart. Windrck/Cal Creek watershed ride permits Annual permits are still $100 (including tax). The nly place t get them fr sure is at the fllwing lcatin: Windrck General Stre 912 Windrck Rad, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 (865) 435-3492 http://www.windrckpark.cm/ (Check yur permit expiratin date! The permits are annual and n matter when yu purchase them, yu get a full year's use befre they expire. Cntinue t enjy 75,000 acres f the best riding area that yu're ging t find. Dn't get embarrassed by having an expired permit n a club ride at Windrck. That wuld be tacky.) Links and Other Stuff Yu're Sure t Need Vlunteer Riders: http://vlunteerriders.cm/ Frum: http://vlunteerriders.cm/frum/index.php
Time Warp Vintage M/C Club (and Tea Rm Inf): http://www.timewarpvmc.rg/tea_rm.htm Windrck: http://www.windrckpark.cm/ TN Wildlife Resurces Agency (TWRA) License Inf: (Nte: the TWRA license infrmatn changes frm time t time and can be a bit cryptic due t the number f licenses available. S, the fllwing cuple f links are gd starting places t figure ut the system, but yu might have t d a bit f searching in additin. Well, it is what it is.) https://www.tn.gv/cntent/tn/twra/license-sales/hunting-licenses.html#resident https://www.tn.gv/twra/license-sales/fishing-licenses.html And a final nte: if yu are f the ver-64 persuasin (ver the hill gang), yu can get a way better deal than is indicated in the abve tw links. Valued Spnsrs and Partners These are the flks wh are supprting ur sprt and particularly ur club. Yu get a chance, please cnsider giving them a little supprt in turn. Hw abut a big nd t the fllwing flks and cmpanies. Thanks fr yur supprt guys and gals! We Lve Yu. Lee Ann Lewis Beverly Pugh David Farris Sprtcycle KTM Curtie Eldridge Tennessee Stne Gary Pugh Knx Endur Greg Hrner Ryal Electric, Inc. Tim Bwen Parts Unlimited D.J. Jrdan Western Pwer Sprts Cycle Gear f Knsville Please find cntact inf and links fr the abve flks at: http://vlunteerriders.cm/spnsrs And with that, "Elvis has left the building." Until next time...