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No not saying Ryan should not be remembered or respected. I am not in a position to handle that nor was I in a position to retire the number at the time but the others WERE retired. 19 was issued again BEFORE it was retired is my only point. Could it be retired today???
Oh by the way Perry Braxmire, Joe Prussiano and Danny Eslick all had/ran number 9 sprint last year.
2002 rider list/program shows
RETIRED HUMBLE 4 Expert
RETIRED SMITH 145 Expert
Well, then I'm really not sure what's going on because the 2001 and 2002 license lists given to me show that Perry Braxmire's license expired in December, 2001.
Either he raced without a license last year (yikes) or these old license lists aren't very accurate! [img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif[/img]
They also show that Joe Prussiano ran #4 and Danny Eslick ran #9.
Obviously, if the information I've been given is inaccurate or incomplete, it limits my ability to offer accurate or correct information to anyone else. :rolleyes:
There was no 2001 rider list/program this is from the 2002 and there is not a 2003 (yet?)
Neither Joe nor Perry show to have raced last year according to the results.
No one has ever disrespected Ryan Smith or his memory. His number 19 has been on my bike and many, many others in the paddock. Mary and Ben Spies have provided auction items that have been donated in Ryan's name. Most importantly, the air fence that is now a fixture at most of our events honors Ryan and everyone who came before this product was available. In my donation for air fence, Ryan was specifically named as the honoree.
In sports, when a participant is honored by "retiring" his/her competition number, that number isn't dropped from sight. What kind of memorial would that be? The numbers and names are promenently displayed in a gymnasium, an arena, a field house or a stadium for all to see. That is exactly what is being described when a number is "retired". I don't know about every case but I knew two fallen racers who's numbers have not been "retired" by the AMA. Instead those numbers are circling tracks where the memories they carry can be shared by the other racers and fans.
I'd like to see a place where the CMRA could honor its past. Where memoriabilia and tributes could be displayed. I have been collecting some of these things that I would donate in a heartbeat. That, to me, would be the time to "retire" a number. Don't drop it from sight. Put the number plate and related tributes out where people can see who the club has chosen to honor. I would be the first to vote for those "retirements".
Brooks
I agree with Brooks - we're in a sport that doesn't really have fans honoring racers by wearing numbered jerseys, etc. If the number gets retired it's harder for the uninformed to ever hear the reason or story behind the number.
A better way to honor someone might be to award the numbers to someone each year for certain accomplishments or attributes.
Things like Sportsmanship, Supporting or helping the CMRA, and Most Improved come to mind - I'm sure there are others.
It could be voted upon by the racers or the Board or both.
It wouldn't cost the club anything and it might really mean a lot to the past racers family and the nominated racer as well.
my $.02 complete
Jonny
CRRC/CMRA racers that I know have been killed while racing (our events and others) since I started in 1988 (forgive me if I left someone out), and where:
Terry Exum (CRRC-TWS)
John Tauzin (CRRC/MCRA?-Gateway?)
John Chance (CRRC-Hallett)
Larry Schwartzbach (AMA-Mid Ohio)
Buddy Walton (CMRA/TMGP-Waco)
Ryan Smith (CMRA-TWS)
I don't think we should retire numbers. We should maintain them as racing numbers, and maybe have some sort of commemeration in our program, and either at the track or during the awards banquet. If numbers DID get retired, I think that only those who were killed at the track should qualify (hopefully the list only ever includes the five listed above, and Hugh Humble).
We've had about five other people I can think of who were killed (Brian Smith, Al Gutierrez, Charlie Dill, Rodney Smith, Ruben(?) Coronado); all died suddenly, not of natural causes, away from the track; they deserve to be remembered somehow, but I don't think we should retire their numbers.
IMHO
Point is two numbers HAVE been retired and are now not retired where is the respect for those riders? Is a number only retired until a new regime comes into power? [img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img]
People make mistakes. I know for a fact the past regime made mistakes. The current regime is making mistakes. Future regimes will make mistakes.
The current regime will take the responsibility to acknowledge its mistakes, correct them or ensure they don't happen again, and move on.
I, personally, will endeavour to minimize my mistakes, and those of others, until my term as a member of the current regime has been fully served. I won't quit early if things go against me, and make no mistake about that.
Ouch, that one is going to leave a mark.
Efren Coronado should be on your list.
David
For those that want to know a little bit more about who Rodney Smith was (as a rider), you can read about his team winning an overall endurance in the newsletters I have scanned in. I think it is the last 14 photos (newsletter) I scanned in a few weeks ago.
Marcus