What’s gonna get you to sit up and pay attention?

Think about it.

Ever awakened to hear somebody breaking into your house? Believe me, you sit up and pay attention!

Everybody, deny it all you want, pays attention to a wreck on the highway.

Ever had somebody tell you a good story? That’ll do it.

Flat track is full of stories. Amazing stories. Heartbreaking stories. Funny stories.

What is one big difference between us and those who could not care less about the sport of flat track? We have heard, seen, and read some stories that those others have not. That collection of stories in our heads make us care what happens next. The people that don’t know the stories don’t care. Don’t know, don’t care.

We missed the boat for another full season, folks. Another great story was read, or watched, or heard by a few thousand of us here, at the races, at other websites, in Cycle News. A great story, and nobody heard it, saw it, or read it but us.

Usually one story stands out, over a season of racing. Sometimes they are classic stories, that will be told for generations. Ricky Graham. You know the story. That’s one of the classics. Wait….one of the Classics! Like the Oddesey, or War and Peace. Ricky Graham’s story that year is a Classic.

Sometimes the story seems to take place in the space of one race, but it actually starts long before that race, and ends long after the flag falls. Kenny Roberts and the TZ at Indy. Another Classic. We are still talking about it. My kids know it, and my grandkids know it. It really started long before the race in Indy, when the young upstart GNC teams from Yamaha tried to push Harley off the top of the hill. It ended with an American being crowned World Champion.

Sometimes they are tragic. Davey Camlin.

Sometimes they are stories of overcoming great obstacles and performing great feats. Kevin Atherton.

Sometimes they are stories of epic battles in long wars. Jay Springsteen. Bubba Shoebert.

Sometimes they are just stories of excellence, skill, and bravery. Scotty Parker.

The stories that spring to my mind might not be the same as yours…the stories that keep you coming back, race after race, year after year, to see what happens next.

But, long-winded as usual, I’m getting a little closer to the point:

If nobody else hears the story, nobody else is coming to the races.

We usually don’t know the story of the season till it is over, but we get glimpses of it throughout the season.

Wiles had a great story this season. His story starred a hero that gives it and takes it. He struggled for years putting a new brand of twin into race after race. He proved himself on singles by taking the crown at Peoria, by winning and winning and winning. But this year, he finally took a twins race AND won the singles championship.

That was a story! Most people, if given the chance to read it or see it or hear it week by week during the season, would have been to a race or two just to see how Wiles did!

Nobody knew but us.

Jarred Mees. Another great story. Moves to Michigan because he is dead serious about flat track. Works hard at it. Gets a factory ride. Doesn’t win a race all year, but wins a Championship. Tough. Smart. Fast. Never in the spotlight, never craving it. A ton of people, if they knew about him, would be at races to see if he would get on top of the box at that race.

Nobody knew but us.

Here it comes. You know the story that topped em all.

You have a nice guy from Washington, his grin is bigger than he is, like most racers. He has spent a few years working the circuit with his brother. Travelling around in an old school bus with the ‘s’ blocked out so it is the cool bus instead of the school bus. Kind of a dangerous job, doesn’t pay very well, but some kids run away with the circus for fun, not to get rich.

He knows it’s just a carnival, and the people come to see the carnival folk ride the carnival rides, because nobody else is crazy enough to strap on a steel shoe and pull the trigger on those rides. In this carnival, we buy tickets to watch, not to ride.

He knows it is dangerous. His face gets opened up at Dayton and he puts pictures on facebook to let us know what the carnival rides feel like when things go wrong. But he’s back, grinning, ready to strap on the shoe and take another ride at the next race. Can you tell how much fun this ride has to be? He’s tough. He can take it. He’s still grinning, telling thousands in the stands with that grin….if you knew how much fun this was…

No money. Just the carnival, the lights, the tracks, the good times and the bad times. No big backers. No promises of big bucks. No fame. No fortune. Gas money. A few thousand screaming fans. And that brightly painted carnival ride.

I’m not going to tell the whole story. You already know the story. He could win the mythical Grand National Championship, even if it no longer existed, at the last race of the season, with five others looking at the same prize. He stayed with the leaders until another bike went down in front of him, bent his bike and broke the leg with the steel show. Restarted at the back of the pack and fought his way to third with a bent bike and a broken leg.

Like I said, though, we blew it for another year. Nobody but us knows the stories from this year.

Funny thing. It’s the stories that interest the news media and the public.

It’s not the posters telling when and where a race will take place. They grab our attention, ‘cause we already know some of the stories. It’s not who won in how many laps on what size bike with what kind of frame.

Too bad that nobody thinks enough of tellin’ the stories to the wide wide world. Lots of stories get told. The story of baseball. The story of football. Hockey. NASCAR. The Olympics.

Every once in awhile, some other sport has a story that is as interesting as the normal stories about flattrack. Not usually, but once in awhile. But the stories of other sports gets told. Told to everybody. And even though those stories are not as enthralling as the stories having to do with flat track, they get a bunch of people ready and willing to find out what will happen next. In baseball. In football. In hockey. In NASCAR.

Then, some of the people that read or see or hear the stories go to the next game or NASCAR race to see what happens next. Sponsors look at the number of people that buy tickets. They also look at the number of people that are able to hear or read or see the stories, whether or not they buy tickets.

Millions and millions of people can see or hear or watch the stories develop in those other sports. Once in awhile, they get a great one.

I know one thing! If ANY of those other sports had any stories half as good as the stories about flat track, they wouldn’t keep ‘em a secret.

We blew it again.

How do we get it told Tor? when we try they say that's just motorcycles.

Jim Henry

I'll tell you what to do!!! I just sent your post to every TV station in Rochester NY. Sorry if there is some infringment there.. But man Tor, That was moving!!!!! I think we as fans need to go tell everyone about this sport we all know and love!!! If you go to your local news channels web site, there should be a link to send them "local-info-happenings"
On one station here in town they have a section called "your stories". I put in the end of this massage a link to this web site. Agian,, sorry if there was any infringment.

For the love of the sport
Rüger

Well, Ruger, that little story means something to us, bu I doubt if it will be understood by an outsider. Who knows, maybe they will get curious?

If you want to tell the story of flattrack to an outsider, first you have to tell it them in their words. Words they understand.

Jim, you ask a good question. Like I said, the 'story' that has to be told has nothing to do with motorcycles, or laps, or displacement. It has to do with people. At least it does if you want to tell the story to people that don't care about motorcycles.

Everybody gets people, because everybody is one. Not everybody gets 'going fast on a motorcycle'. Does it matter? If it did matter, telling who went fastest, when and where, would interest everybody.

The story that gets told, week after week, that nobody but us wants to hear, is that rider 'A' went faster than rider 'B'. They did it at track 'X'. They did it last Saturday.

That is the same story that got told last week and the week before. The media doesn't care, because nobody cares who went faster. Unless they know something about the people that are out there racing.

My grandson is playing in the State Championship football playoffs. I care, even though I could not care less about football. There could be story about the game tomorrow that would tell who did what, what the score was, who got the touchdowns. I would read it. I'd probably cut it out of the paper, and keep it forever.

I doubt if you would bother to read it, down in Texas. Why would you? You don't know anybody in the story. Even though Texans are mostly football fanatics, it wouldn't mean a thing to you. And you UNDERSTAND how football is played, you know what a touchdown is, what a goal ine stand is.

So, when an editor or news producer gets a story about a race, but he doesn't know anything about anybody at the race, PLUS he has no idea what an XR750 is, or a TT is, or anything else, he is going to think: "Who cares?". He knows that there might be 100 people that read his paper that MIGHT know, or MIGHT care. He also knows that EVERYBODY that reads his paper knows who Tiger Wood is. He would rather have a really boring story about golf!

There are many ways to interest editors and producers in stories about flat track. Most of them have something to do with the PEOPLE in the sport.

There are plenty of other ways to interest editors and producers in stories about flat track. They are called 'hooks'. The things you use to 'hook' somebody into WANTING to hear the story.

Too many to go into here, and a lot of them have been listed many times: Local Racer. David vs. Goliath. Coming back from an injury. Human interest.

But ANYTHING to do with who went faster is mainly yada yada yada to an editor or producer.

Wild Will has lots of stories in the Flattrack Stories Tab on the Flattrack.com Forum. He even has banners and wears a special Wild Will's Flattrack Stories Tee Shirt at the tracks.

LINK TO THE STORIES FOLDER
http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=46&func=showcat&catid=5

At our Indoor event Oct 24th I introduced him at the riders meeting to the 91 entries and over 300 people in the building that night. I asked for everyone that owned a computer or had access to the Internet via a computer, laptop, iPhone, Cell Phone, 3g system to raise their hand.

We only counted 4 people that responded they had access to the internet.

Only two of them had heard of flattrack.com.

Again, the biggest problem with Dirt Track racing is communications.

Today it seems there are way too many forms of communications, way too many formats of cell phone text ~ many are not compatible with internet blogs, way too many TV networks and stations, way too many radio FM & AM and Sattelite stations, way too many web sites, way too many iPods, MP3 Players, CD Players, to get the word out using a small budget.

But way too few newspapers that have free space to run most anything other what comes over the wire for free.

We just lost another local newspaper near our venue in Harrah, this makes the third newspaper in this area to bite the bullet in the past two years.

"The Sun says goodbye

The Midwest City Sun Newspaper will close this month after serving the communities of eastern Oklahoma County for nearly three decades.

The twice-weekly Sun will publish its last edition Wednesday, Oct. 28, Publisher Lance Moler told his staff this morning. The Sun will refund subscribers their account balances after that issue. Its staff will contact advertisers with outstanding contracts.

The Sun has offered readers in-depth local news since it was first published in March 1980. The newspaper, published Wednesdays and Sundays, represents an amalgam of smaller papers that once covered individual communities in eastern Oklahoma County.

The Sun and its Web site, www.mwcsun.com, serve the communities of Midwest City, Del City, Choctaw, Harrah, Nicoma Park, Spencer, Jones and Luther.

The Sun is the last remaining title in the Oklahoma County Newspapers group. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., of Birmingham, Ala."

Ladies and gentlemen: We can either make the best of our sport or the worst of it. I believe Tor was trying to be positive about it. This is true for the time we spend above ground in our lifetime.
Imagine life without flattrack. Nada. Zippo. Never happened.
Then it would really suck to be me and you.
For all the whining and complaining about AMA/DMG, Mike Kidd, Roger Edmonson, XR750 dominance, tire rules ad infinitum those are people, organizations and manufacturers who have helped promote our sport.
Pull out your copy of "On Any Sunday" and watch it a couple of times.
Call that dude up you used to race with and share a memory.
Suck your gut in and go see if your old leathers would still fit
Come up with a way or an idea that YOU could help promote flattrack in a positive way.
Only life we got folks. Make the best of it.
Woody Eckes

AMP wrote:
[quote]
Today it seems there are way too many forms of communications, way too many formats of cell phone text ~ many are not compatible with internet blogs, way too many TV networks and stations, way too many radio FM & AM and Sattelite stations, way too many web sites, way too many iPods, MP3 Players, CD Players, to get the word out using a small budget.
[quote]

I don't know, AMP. I only did one press release about flat track this year. It resulted in one newspaper article and about 20 web articles.

I wouldn't recommend sending one random press release about anything and expecting any articles. I have gotten better results with continuous press releases over a season, but I am not a promoter, and do not have the time to write two or three press releases every week for kicks.

But the fact that sending out one press release as a favor to a promoter and getting any results at all tells me that it is still possible.

One year I did publicity for a rider, via press releases. I gotta tell you, my press releases were not that good. But the rider's local newspaper used parts cut and pasted from my press releases as articles throughout the season. Other newspapers where races were being held used information from the press releases to flesh out stories, so 'my' rider got mentioned in stories from other sources.

BTW, I got ZERO results from the first 3 or 4 press releases, but being too stupid and hardheaded to quit, I kept sending them. By mid season, it was like the newspaper was using me for a free reporter.

I learned how newspaper articles are structured, and structured my press releases like that. I learned what abbreviations are acceptable in newspaper articles, and used them. I looked at catchy headlines and tried to make my press release headline catchy. I read press releases from people and organizations that actually know what they are doing, like NASCAR drivers. To see what they used as hooks.

Believe me, AMP, having 'too many ways to communicate' is NOT a problem.

Radio stations in Oklahoma:

http://www.shgresources.com/ok/radio/

Oklahoma newspapers:

http://www.usnpl.com/oknews.php

Oklahoma TV Stations:

http://www.mondotimes.com/world/usa/tv.html?state=36

Your timing is impeccable. What follows is a beginning draft of a release which I am currently working on:

This season was one of the most remarkable seasons in the history of flat track motorcycle racing.
Since 1954, skilled riders have competed in a series of events consisting of miles, half-miles, TT courses, short track, and (originally) road racing. Battling it out in clouds of dust and pea gravel, these warriors would attract crowds by the thousands during the Glory Days of the sport.
Each one, seeking the title of the AMA Grand National Champion... the prestigious title given to the individual who had scored the greatest number of points by their finishing positions in the combined events.
Reaching speeds often in excess of 100 mph, these racers form a virtual freight train as they travel inches apart on the miles. In perfect synchronicity, they slide their motorcycles sideways through the turns, each using a steel-shoe plated foot as both brake and balance. Fighting against the pelting of stones and showers of mud or dust, these men and women tear away the strips of plastic they have taped onto their visors... and never miss a beat.
Of course, this is not the ONLY series flat track racing offers. For example, Gene Romero and Eddie Mulder (both legends as racers, themselves) are also recognized for their highly successful West Coast Vintage Dirt Track Series. However, to many riders, the title of AMA Grand National Champion is the utmost title of recognition a rider can achieve. This was where it all began, where their own heroes were crowned, and THIS was the series to compete in.
And compete, they did.
This year did not find the typical scenario as the season closed. Instead of only two or three racers being statistically eligible to win the title, race fans had a total of SIX individuals to keep an eye on. Each of the half-dozen are "crowd favorites," known as much for their personalities OFF the dirt as they are for their speed and skill ON it.
First on the list was Sammy Halbert. Known as "Slammin' Sammy" for his aggressive "grab it and go" riding style, he had already had an incredible roller coaster ride of a season. Between accidents and injuries, he had resurfaced to claim phenomenal podium finishes. This season marked a series of firsts in Sammy's career, and he was definitely hungry for the title of National Champion.
Jared ("The Jammer" Mees was second on the list. His speed is remarkable, his motions are fluidic. When this man gets in motion, he literally seems to fly through the back straight-aways. With a collection of second- and third-place finishes beneath his belt, Jared had maintained a consistent position in the Winner's Circle all season.
Third, and also bearing the number three on his number plate, was "Smokin' Joe" Kopp. He is the "experienced vet" of the group, and had already successfully claimed the title of National Champion in 2000. Respected as much for his character as he is for his experience, Joe easily managed to hold a loyal fan base throughout a disappointing run earlier in the season. He rewarded his admirers at the Grove City (Ohio) Beulah Park Mile, however. At record-breaking speed, he managed to lap the other riders up to eighth place for the win... a full 22 seconds ahead of second.
Next on the list was J.R. Schnabel. Former wrestling letterman, J.R. is the epitome of the All-American Guy next door. Having switched back to Harley after a successful run with Suzuki, he wasn’t quite the Underdog that he had been expected to be.
The fifth possibility was "The King of Cool," Kenny Coolbeth. With his gunslinger eyes and undisputable style on the track, Kenny and his black leather jacket had appeared at the podium more than a few times during the season. Off the track, his warm and practical personality is a startling contrast to the icy race face and the outstanding “loner” drives he makes for the lead. His three-time record (2006-2008) as combined points Champion clearly demonstrates the success of these “leave ‘em in the dust” runs. A shoulder injury had placed Kenny behind the eight-ball for the last three races of the season, and fans eagerly watched to see if he would be able to hold onto the title for a fourth consecutive year.
Finally, but no less eligible for the win, was “Jersey” Jake Johnson. An east coast charmer with a lot of grit, Jake had managed to score the most points in the Singles Division races for the prior three years. Jake's skill was especially visible when he successfully took the win in two separate Twins Division races, following rain delays. First, the slippery clay of Hagerstown failed to deter him. Next, he cut through the mud-packed gumbo of the Springfield Mile ( the flat track equivalent of NASCAR's Daytona 500).
Six outstanding riders, ANY of which could be walking off with the coveted Grand National Championship Title... as if that alone wouldn’t fill the bleachers!
When the series concluded for 2009, in Pomona (California), the resulting finish was no less astounding.
Sammy Halbert had earned the most points (203) in the combined events, and had thus claimed his rightful spot in the record books as Overall Grand National Champion. Early in the race, Sammy was involved in a crash. Coming from the very final position, Sammy maneuvered his bent and battered motorcycle, remounted, and moved to the front of the pack to claim third. Six days later, incidentally, Sammy discovered that he had broken his leg during that crash. These guys are truly tough customers.
Joe Kopp was only a single point behind (at 202 points) and Jared Mees was in third place (with 200 points). With only three points separating the top three, this season’s race for the Overall Championship had culminated in the closest finish in the series’ 55-year history.
And yet, this tornado barely stirred a blade of grass in the fields of flat track. Why? Because, 2005 was the last year that AMA racing recognized (outside of a listing in the record books) a champion based on the combined points earned in all four disciplines (road racing had already evolved into its own entity). Officially, the new title of Champion was divided, and the pair of individuals holding the most points in each of the two classes (Singles and Twins) would be the ones to be recognized as the Grand National Champions.
In 2009, the two officially recognized champions were Jared Mees and Henry “Hammerin’ Hank” Wiles. Henceforth, yet another record was broken in flat track’s history, as Jared became the first racer to ever lay claim to the title of Grand Champion without a single National win during the season. This was also the first year since the division that the rider earning the most combined points had not earned the majority of points in either of the two classes of races.
It was possibly the most intense year in the history of the series, and only the most devoted traditionalists of the sport even had a clue it was happening. Fully aware that the individual who earned the title would (in all probability) never be recognized for the accomplishment, someone decided to speak up.
That someone is Wayne Hosaka, administrator of Flattrack.com (www.flattrack.com). With him, he carried the voices, contributions, and efforts of some of the most loyal and devoted supporters of the sport. Comprised of riders, crew members, sponsors, promoters, fans, and numerous other devotees to the sport, the topics covered on this forum are as diverse a mixture as the personalities posting them.While the general consensus believed that the two Divisional Class points leaders should be recognized for their performance, many expressed frustration that the traditional meaning of the Grand National Championship was being left behind in the rubble of restructure brought on by last year’s acquisition of the AMA ProRacing flat track series by Daytona Motorsports Group.
With only a matter of weeks left until the Pomona race would determine the winner, an awards package quickly came into creation. In addition to a trophy plate and championship ring, the package included an impressive cash purse... all donated by the collective talents and resources of the forum’s membership.
To the credit of those involved with the series, this grassroots movement has, of yet, met with no resistance or retaliation from the series sponsors. Perhaps, at last, the voices of those who know flat track best will finally fall on listening ears, and their dirt-flinging heroes will once more be given the credit that they deserve... as Champions.

Great story! Don't let anything I say let you think it isn't! It is a good example of something you could submit to a magazine as a feature story. But let me play your professor in PRESS RELEASE WRITING 101 for just a little bit. Press releases are a different animal than feature stories.

1. One problem is that your description of the West Coast (Romero and Mulder) scene is inaccurate. You don't want to send anything out that is not true. It has nothing to do with your story anyway.

2. This is kinda long, so bear with me...If you want this to be a press release, it has to be written in a certain way. A way that makes the editor's job easy. The easiest thing to do is pretend that the guy getting you press release is really lazy. He's not, he's just overworked and probably underpaid, but thinking of him as lazy keeps your job easy.

In my experience, an editor or reporter is going to do one thing (if he uses your release): look at tomorrow's edition, see how much space is available for your story, and cut your story down to fit the space he has for it. He is not a book editor or a story editor, so he is probably not going to change any words, improve sentence structure, or clarify any points.

He is going to highlight the first paragraph, or the first two paragraphs, or so on, till it is as long as he needs. Then he is going to hit the keyboard to copy the highlighted paragraphs. Then he is going to open up the layout for tomorrow's paper on his screen and paste the paragraphs he copied.

"This season was one of the most remarkable seasons in the history of flat track motorcycle racing.
Since 1954, skilled riders have competed in a series of events consisting of miles, half-miles, TT courses, short track, and (originally) road racing. Battling it out in clouds of dust and pea gravel, these warriors would attract crowds by the thousands during the Glory Days of the sport. Each one, seeking the title of the AMA Grand National Champion... the prestigious title given to the individual who had scored the greatest number of points by their finishing positions in the combined events.
Reaching speeds often in excess of 100 mph, these racers form a virtual freight train as they travel inches apart on the miles. In perfect synchronicity, they slide their motorcycles sideways through the turns, each using a steel-shoe plated foot as both brake and balance. Fighting against the pelting of stones and showers of mud or dust, these men and women tear away the strips of plastic they have taped onto their visors... and never miss a beat."

See what I mean? If the editor uses your first few paragraphs, the reader will see nothing of the story you are trying to tell. Halbert is not mentioned. The fan's award is not mentioned.

What should be in the first paragraph? Who? What? When? Where? Why or how? The whole story (the five 'W's) has to be in the first paragraph. It may well be the only thing that makes it into the newspaper or on the sportscast.

One challenge is getting the five 'W's into the first paragraph AND hooking the reader into wanting to know more. If you really hook the editor with the first paragraph, he is going to try to get more space for the article. But he really has little control over the amount of space. Probably, just to get your story in, he is going to chop the bottom off another story.

It took me awhile to realize this. The first few articles published from my releases didn't make too much sense. The editor didn't know what was important and what wasn't important in the story, so he had to guess. He would copy the first paragraph, look at it, realize it only told three of the five facts needed (three out of the five 'W's), so he would scan the rest of the release, find another one of the 'W's, cut and paste that sentence in at the end of the first paragraph, find the other and do the same thing. It made gibberish rather than clearing things up, but he didn't know anything about the sport, so he didn't realize that.

So, the first thing you have to do is look at your story in this light. If the first paragraph is used, is it a complete story? If the first two paragraphs are used, it it an even better story? How about the first three paragraphs? Still work, is it even better?

You can try this out, but I think you have a better story than should be wasted on a press release. Way better. Better writing and a more complicated story.

Press releases AND newspaper articles are brief and to the point. No long descriptive phrases. No plot line building to a climax. Less than one double-spaced page. A headline, maybe five relatively short paragraphs, contact information.

Your story is better than that.

Drop the part about the two West Coast series. Has nothing to do with the story. It slams the brakes on just as you are getting the reader warmed up.

The descriptive first paragraphs are OK in a feature piece. Don't get carried away with the descriptions, tho.

Let's look at it as a feature piece in a magazine. Forgive my comments, and realize that my opinion as I play magazine editor is pretty useless, but here goes:

<<<This season was one of the most remarkable seasons in the history of flat track motorcycle racing.>>>

Beautiful sentence. Just one word too many:

<<<This season was one of the most remarkable in the history of flat track motorcycle racing.>>>

<<<Since 1954, skilled riders have competed in a series of events consisting of miles, half-miles, TT courses, short track, and (originally) road racing. Battling it out in clouds of dust and pea gravel, these warriors would attract crowds by the thousands during the Glory Days of the sport.>>>

Describing flat track in a nutshell is pretty hard, but this is a good description. Only thing I would do would be to honestly pump up the sport to the uninitiated;

<<<Since 1954, skilled riders have competed in a series of events consisting of miles, half-miles, TT courses, short track, and (originally) road racing. Battling it out in clouds of dust and pea gravel, these warriors would attract crowds of tens of thousands during the glory days of the sport. Each one seeking the title of the AMA Grand National Champion: given to the individual who had scored the greatest number of points by their finishing positions in the combined events.>>>

I'm not sure of the punctuation after GNC. That sentence needs some work.

OK. The description of flat track from here on? Too much. You are walking a tightrope when describing the sport. Too little and the reader won't get it, too much and he will lose interest. This stuff is actually 'background information'. Not interesting to most readers. Time to get to the stuff that will interest them: the people!

<<<This year did not find the typical scenario as the season closed. Instead of only two or three racers being statistically eligible to win the title, race fans had a total of SIX individuals to keep an eye on. Each of the half-dozen are "crowd favorites," known as much for their personalities OFF the dirt as they are for their speed and skill ON it.>>>

OK! Nice. You are getting out of the background of the sport and back into the story! Nicely written, too!

This intro is followed by descriptions of the six riders. This is the meat of your story, IMO. Your descriptions are intriguing to the reader. They should, after reading what you wrote, know the riders well enough to want to know what happens in the future. Good job!

I'd go deeper. We cut some of your background descriptions in preceeding paragraphs, so I think you have more space to devote to the humans! You hooked em with the first sentence. You kept em reading through your description of the sport. Now you are describing the six people still in the running.

You did a great job in a reporterly kind of way: I'd keep about everything you wrote. But...is it the fact that Sammy had some ups and downs that makes him interesting? Or is it what the ups and downs were and how he handled them? What does he look like? Not a police description...describe him physically like you were recommending him as a date to a friend....kinda...but don't get carried away!

He had a lot of firsts this season? What were they?

Where did he come from? How did he end up doing what he is doing? You should probably call him and ask him some of this stuff. Flesh him out in your article.

Same thing with the rest of them.

A couple of them have been accused of rough riding. That is interesting, plus it gives you a chance to describe a little deeper the sport.

But the riders and the way you describe them is the big deal. You can hook a bunch of fans for them and for the sport.

This ain't a press release. It is a feature article for a glossy monthly motorcycle magazine, or for a general interest sports magazine like Sports Illustrated.

Go for it.

Hope you don't mind my stcking my two cents in!

Don't publish everything here. A magazine will want exclusive rights to your story.

Not only do I not mind, but I appreciate it!!!
I am so new to all of this stuff... as much as I love writing, I've always been resigned to feature articles and columns... but never anything related to motorsports. Looks I have a lot more to learn before I can begin sharing the passion in print!
Thanks for the opinions and editorial suggestions. I'll keep practicing and revamping. Hopefully, with the great suggestions and stories you all post to act as my role models, I'll get the hang of it yet!
-Mia

Your writings, I believe, impress many of us. The story you just published is good, very good.

Magazines have long lead times, two or three months. Thankfully your story is not a news piece saying that Sammy won the GNC Overall. So, it is not time critical.

Polish it a little bit. I'm still looking for the magazine contact info I have, but will forward it as soon as I can find it.

Submit the story after tweaking it a little bit. I think it has a good chance of getting picked up.

I use those same lists of TV, Radio, Newspapers to make our buys at the six venues we use. Last event we bought in 22 newspapers, with 11 of those being 1/4 page black and white ads with graphic pen and ink artwork and a Coupon for Free Admission to the event.

On the opposite side of the coin, I attend the Gold Rush a Grand Prix asphalt and dirt course race each year it has run. This weekend they had a record 700+ entries. Try to find a newspaper article, radio ad or tv ad on this event. There are none that I am aware of, and they have grown from 35 entries 14 years ago to over 700 this year.

We strive to get a story with photograph in the paper the week of the event if at all possible. However, the papers today are more and more being bought out by larger publishing companies, and their format is dictated by their publishers. Sports, Entertainment and News all seem to have a set size of space to run their stories now, with the remainder of the boilerplate template reserved for advertising. Tulsa World is owned by the OKC Newspaper who is now owned by OKPUBCO.

"In January 2009, the Oklahoman and the Tulsa World announced a content-sharing agreement in which each paper would carry some content created by the other; the papers also said they would "focus on reducing some areas of duplication, such as sending reporters from both The Oklahoman and the World to cover routine news events." They also removed a large portion of coverage of local motorsports in doing so. It is a common thread complaint among motorsports participants that the newspapers have so little coverage, most those folks stopped subscribing and reading the papers years ago. Most turn to their friends who have online connections to find results and info on the brick and motar tracks still left operating.

Having two to three local FM radio stations and one local newspaper results in a crowd of 1,500 tickets sold in the smaller communities. And a advertising budget of around $1,000, versus $100,000 in the major city markets. Attempting to draw ticket buyers to a smaller town that shares the same radio, TV and Newspapers as its neighbring Major City is not a good plan. OKC has over 60 Radio Stations, most have a $1,000 minimum for making an advertising buy and those run $120+ per 30 sec spots. That gets way out of our small budget quickly.

My statement that there are way too much media in larger markets is meant to say that the ad budget to sell tickets at a venue in a small suburb of a major city costs the same as the larger venues in the same geographic area. For instance around 8 years ago these are the numbers I obtained from other large proters for creating an effective ad campaign for a single event produced in these towns: Ft Smith, Arkansas $60,000; Muskogee, OK $80,000; Tulsa, OK $100,000; OKC $160,000. These numbers are much higher today.

I have found that taking the show to a much smaller town, isolated from the major city by distance allows for a much lower price for the venue and much more effective marketing at a much lower budget. Results always seem to be 500+% more than the suburb towns close to the larger cities.

We get press realeses printed in larger newspapers, but those typically go un-noticed. Where the same exact copy in a 12 page weekly or bi-weekly news paper gets much better response.

Example, in Harrah just 15 minute drive from Downtown OKC, we purhase Radio and Newspaper ads that run 10 times more than McAlester. Harrah, advance online ticket sales through our online broker = Zero. McAlester, same show same ticket prices online advance ticket sales 750 the first day the ad and story ran in the only newspeper in the town. Tahlequah, another town that has it's own newspaper, radio stations and is outside of the major markets, even larger results with 1,600 tickets sold, but again zero online advance due to lack of Internet service in that rural area.

The markets are totally different in the rural areas here. Local FM Radio is and always has been a good bang for the buck. TV, ads on the Simpsons, King of the Hill and other Fox 23 Network affiliates are a major hit for Dirt Track, Motorcycle Racing, Tractor Pulls and Monster Truck events. Majority of the population in a 10 mile radius of our venue in Harrah have no Internet Connetivity other than Dial Up, or high cost sattellite.

We use a Toll Free number for Advance Discount Ticket Sales there, and still don't have little or no numbers to count for advance sales. Either the buyers are not interested in saving a measly $5 bucks, or they miss the ads totally. We even print a 1/4 page black and white ad in four newspapers with a business card size coupon for Free Admission and the most we have ever seen come through the gates in the past 14 years is six at one event. Based on those tests, and results from polls and answers by applause to direct questions asked to the crowd by the announcers, I believe the majority of people that attend motorsports events in this area come with friends, know someone racing or live nearby and stop in for a night's entertainment. This seems to run true at the Stock Car Tracks, Sprint Car Track, Motorcycle and ATV Racetracks, AX Events and MX. It becoming even more rare today to attract people outside the core of motorsports to attend a motorsports event, other than a night of entertainment such as the IRHA Night of Fire, or a once a year Annual Monster Truck entertainment program. If true competitions of speed are involved at those same venues, the numbers seem to typically drop off drastically.

Bottom line is, if the advertising and newspaper stories do not sell enough tickets to at least offset their costs, they typically are dropped from one's budget. Sure is dissapointing after spending $1,500+ dollars on newspaper ads in the local papers, to ask a crowd of 1,000 over the PA, how many folks read about tonight's show in the newspaper, and get zero response. And to add insult to injury, typically not even a reporter from the paper shows up to cover the event. Part of the condsolidation theory we read about between the Tulsa World and the Oklahoman I guess.