On The Pegs Vol . 3 Issue 7 - July 2018 P125
On The Pegs Vol . 3 Issue 7 - July 2018 P125
due to the lack of response .
In fact , as it turns out , the qualifications for being a checker for an NATC national seems to be that you are ambulatory , able to see clearly for a distance of 50 ft , and have at least 5 fingers on one hand . I soon found myself at the pinnacle of this exclusive club and was unceremoniously named “ head ” checker .
With much trepidation , Jackson and I took off for section 5 , otherwise known as “ Robmaniacs ”. We familiarized ourselves with each line and were looking forward as to how the pro ’ s would navigate their line . It seemed fairly difficult . My nervousness faded as we were invaded with an onslaught of Clubman riders . We made a couple of mistakes , but were corrected and the profanity subsided and no one suffered any undue penalty . Soon the experts were upon us , and the line that I thought would be challenging turned out to be fairly easy for them . Finally the first of the pro ’ s showed up including Pat Smage . They made short work of the black line . However , after the 3rd pro blasted up the 1st boulder that was embedded into the hillside , and looked like it would be there till the Lord came back , ( about the size of ½ a Volkswagen ), became loose . This prompted much concern , and as I tried to raise someone on the radio 3 riders pushed it off into the creek . Eldon arrived and soon it was determined that the Pro ’ s would be skipping our section the remainder of the day . Just my luck . And although we were cheated by not getting to watch the best of the best it was a positive experience .
Sunday : I and my crew that consisted of Eldon ’ s offspring and his friend Brian , headed for section 4 , otherwise known as Joel ’ s folly . Yes the undisputed master of the 5 had a section named after him ! My reward for 2 & ½ months of toil and sweat . It was an awesome section and a lot of points were sacrificed there , and YES Maddie Hoover , if you are reading this : that WAS a 2 ! We had a couple of bad crashes , but fortunately no one was hurt . And let me say this , after all we went through to provide a challenging course you would think Mr Smage could at least give us a couple of dabs instead of blitzing through like it was nothing . I ’ m not convinced he is 100 % human . How else can he be immune to the deleterious effects of gravity ?
Overall it was a great experience and I learned volumes about the sport of trials . And I still am the undisputed king of the “ 5 ” by the way . Maybe someday I can check a world round . After all when they cuss me , I wouldn ’ t be able to understand them !
Joel Honea